The best MyFitnessPal alternatives, compared

Why people look for a MyFitnessPal alternative

MyFitnessPal has 2.4 million ratings on the US App Store and a food database most apps can't match. The reasons people leave are mostly about what the free version keeps.

The barcode scanner is paid

MyFitnessPal's Premium page lists barcode scan, meal scan and voice log as Premium features, along with custom macro goals and intermittent fasting. In the US store listing, Premium costs $19.99 a month or $79.99 a year.

Ads in the free app

The App Store listing says "Contains Advertising", and removing the ads is one of the things Premium sells.

Data used to track you

On the same listing, MyFitnessPal's privacy label puts identifiers and usage data under "Data Used to Track You", the category for data shared to follow you across other companies' apps and websites. Health and fitness data is listed as linked to your identity.

How we picked

For each one we read the company's own pages and its US App Store and Google Play listings, and compared what a woman leaving MyFitnessPal would ask about:

• The real price. What the free version keeps and what a subscription costs in the US.
• Barcode scanning. Free or paid, since it's the feature people miss first.
• Protein and fiber. Whether they sit on the main screen or behind a paywall.
• Data. What the App Store privacy label lists under "Data Used to Track You". Developers fill these labels in themselves, and Apple doesn't check them.
• Weight framing. Whether the app pushes a goal weight from the start.

The five apps, one by one

Her Good Days: the best MyFitnessPal alternative for women over 40

Best for: women in perimenopause or menopause who want meals, hot flashes, sleep and mood on the same days, with no weight-loss pressure.

Her Good Days is an app for every stage, from periods to after menopause, and the food diary is one part of it.

• Log breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks: search a food, pick the amount, and see calories, protein, carbs, fat and fiber
• Scan the barcode on a pack to add it, for free
• Save the meals you eat often, add a photo to a meal, and see the day and the week
• A card on Today with calories against your target, and protein and fiber as two bars
• Water in glasses, and weight as a weekly average with no target unless you set one
• Hot flashes, night sweats, sleep and mood in the same app, plus strength sessions led by a trainer

Teen mode (13 to 17) has no calorie target. See the food diary and the weight tracker for the details.

Cronometer: the most nutrients for free

Cronometer is the one to try first if what you really wanted from MyFitnessPal was the numbers. Its free version page says unlimited barcode scanning is included in a Basic account, and the free plan tracks calories plus more than 80 vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.

Best for: anyone checking protein, fiber, calcium or iron, who wants to see them without paying.

• Runs on iPhone, Apple Watch, Android and the web (cronometer.com).
• Gold adds photo and voice logging, a fasting timer, a recipe importer, and they remove the ads (Gold page).
• Pricing: Gold is $10.99 a month, or $59.99 billed yearly.

The free app shows ads, and its App Store label lists contact info, identifiers and usage data as used to track you (App Store).

Lose It!: a calorie budget, if that's the goal

Lose It! has 783,000 ratings on the US App Store, and it's built around a weight-loss plan: the free version covers calorie tracking, the plan and the community (App Store).

Best for: someone who wants a daily calorie number aimed at a goal weight.

Barcode scanning is a Premium feature, like photo meal logging, intermittent fasting and meal planning. The listing shows Premium purchases from $9.99 to $79.99 without saying which is which. The app is rated 18+, shows ads in the free version on iPhone and Android, and its label lists contact info, identifiers and usage data as used to track you. If you're moving away from MyFitnessPal because of the paywall on scanning, Lose It! has the same one.

MacroFactor: a subscription with no advertising

MacroFactor has no free version. After a 7-day trial it costs $11.99 a month, $47.99 for 6 months or $71.99 a year (MacroFactor help). What you get for that:

• An app its listing says carries no advertising, with no data listed as used to track you
• Calorie and macro targets that adjust from what you log and your weekly check-ins
• A verified food database, micronutrients, custom recipes and a barcode scanner
• A weight trend line, plus habit and period trackers

Best for: people who lift, track protein closely, and would rather pay than see ads (App Store). It's on Android too.

Yazio: recipes, fasting and a free scanner

Yazio's App Store name is "AI Calorie Tracker by Yazio", subtitled "Weight Loss Food Diary". The free version includes barcode scanning, a database of more than 4 million items and a water tracker. The listing also mentions 2,900+ recipes, meal planning, a grocery list and a fasting tracker for plans like 16:8, while PRO adds custom meal plans, Fitbit and Garmin sync and removes the ads (App Store).

Best for: people who want recipes and fasting in the same app as their diary. The label lists identifiers as used to track you, and the free app on iPhone and Android shows ads.

Which MyFitnessPal alternative is best for you?

• You're over 40 and want food, symptoms and sleep in one free app: Her Good Days.
• You want the scanner free and the most detail on nutrients: Cronometer.
• You'd rather pay than see ads, and you train for strength: MacroFactor. Our guide to strength training for women over 40 pairs well with a protein target.
• You want a calorie budget aimed at a goal weight: Lose It!, or Yazio if recipes and fasting matter too.