MyFitnessPal alternatives: 6 options for simpler meal logging (2026)

Why people look for an alternative

People rarely leave a food-logging app on a whim. It usually comes down to price, features, or plain tiredness.

Features that moved to the paid plan. MyFitnessPal’s own comparison of its Free, Premium and Premium+ plans puts the barcode scanner, Meal Scan, voice logging, intermittent fasting and data export in Premium. Yazio says in its help centre that its photo recognition “was initially available to all users for free and is now part of Yazio Pro.”

Price. MyFitnessPal’s US site shows Premium at $9.99 a month or $49.99 a year at the time of writing, with a 7-day trial for first-time subscribers; its help centre notes that prices vary by country and plan length. Premium+ adds meal planning and grocery lists on top.

Logging fatigue. Searching, weighing and picking the right serving at every meal wears people down. And the number at the end is still an estimate: our guide to counting calories covers the measured error of labels, portions and photo apps.

What to check before you switch

Before downloading anything, write down what you actually used in your old app. Many people pay for ten features and use two.

That last one matters more than it seems. Some apps are built around a target and a programme; others simply keep a log. If a target is relevant for a health reason, that conversation belongs with a doctor or registered dietitian, not an app.

If you want free barcode scanning

Cronometer. Its free-account page says unlimited use of the barcode scanner is included in a Basic account. It runs on the web, iOS and Android and connects to other apps and devices to import exercise and health metrics. Photo Log and Voice Log are part of Cronometer Gold, listed at $10.99 a month or $59.99 a year at the time of writing.

Yazio. On its Google Play listing, the barcode scanner and a water tracker with reminders sit in the section presented as the free calorie counter. According to Yazio’s help centre, Pro adds photo logging, automatic activity sync with Fitbit, Garmin, Polar or Samsung Health, all intermittent-fasting plans and up to two years of statistics. Pro pricing is shown in the app.

FatSecret. Its App Store listing describes the app as free and lists image recognition of foods and a barcode scanner among its features. Premium adds dietitian-built meal plans, advanced meal planning, extra meal headings and water tracking. FatSecret also lets you share your diary with a health professional through fatsecret Professional. The US listing says the app is customised for US foods and brands.

If you want to log meals with a photo

Foodvisor. Its App Store listing leads with photo recognition, voice, typed search and barcode scanning, plus hydration, weight and Apple Health sync. Its help centre is clear, though: the free version lets you log meals manually; meal analysis from photos is part of Premium, alongside courses, recipes and a personalised programme. Foodvisor says prices depend on your country, platform and current promotions, and are shown in the app.

Lose It! Its App Store listing separates free basics (calorie tracking, a weight-loss plan, community support) from Premium, which lists photo meal logging, AI voice logging, the barcode scanner, advanced nutrient tracking, intermittent fasting and fitness-app syncs.

A useful reminder from Yazio’s own help page: photo recognition “only provides a rough estimate” and you should review and edit entries. That applies to every photo app, and it’s the right habit anyway.

If you want detailed nutrients

Cronometer goes furthest here: its free tier tracks calories and up to 95 nutrients and compounds, drawing on sources such as the USDA database. That’s useful if a clinician has asked you to watch a specific nutrient such as iron, calcium or fibre. Foodvisor Premium and Yazio Pro also show vitamins and minerals, on their paid plans.

If you don’t have a specific reason to track micronutrients, you don’t need that level of detail just to keep a record of what you eat.

If you want quick logging without a calorie target

Binome360 is an assistant app in English and French. You type or say one sentence (“lunch: chicken burrito bowl and a sparkling water”), or snap the plate, and your assistant suggests an estimate as a range, say 650 to 850 kcal. You confirm or correct it; nothing is saved until you do. Water and weight are logged as plain numbers. The app never imposes a calorie target: you can set an optional one only if you want to.

Its limits, stated plainly:

• no barcode scanner;
• no micronutrients, just an energy estimate;
• no sync with fitness trackers, smartwatches, Apple Health or other apps;
• it isn’t a diet programme or a medical tool.

What it does offer is one place for meals alongside your spending, reminders, habits and savings goals. There’s a 7-day free trial, then $3.99 a month, $8.99 for 3 months or $23.99 a year on the web. It works on Android, on iPhone as a web app installed from Safari, and in any browser.

Side-by-side summary

How to switch without losing everything

MyFitnessPal’s help centre says that if you go back to Free, your logs, recipes and progress history stay in your account; you only lose the paid features. If you want the CSV files, export before your subscription ends.

A word on health

These apps are tracking tools, not health advice. Needs vary with age, body, activity and health; our guides to how many calories you need and how much water to drink give the official reference values as ranges.

If logging starts to cause anxiety, if you skip meals or feel guilty when you can’t log, stop and talk to your doctor. In the UK, Beat’s England helpline (0808 801 0677) is free, 3pm to 8pm, Monday to Friday. In the US, ANAD’s helpline, (888) 375-7767, runs Monday to Friday, 9am to 9pm Central time.

And if what you really want to change is a behaviour (more vegetables, fewer sodas), tracking the habit often works better than tracking the total: see our habit tracker guide.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free alternative to MyFitnessPal?

It depends on the feature you miss. For free barcode scanning, Cronometer (unlimited on the free account) or Yazio (listed in its free tier on Google Play). For photo logging, the plans we checked almost all put it in the paid tier.

Is Cronometer better than MyFitnessPal?

They aim at different people. Cronometer’s free tier includes the barcode scanner and a detailed nutrient breakdown, which suits people who want precision. MyFitnessPal’s listing cites more than 20.5 million foods, including restaurant dishes, and a community feature. Try both with a week of your real meals.

Is photo food logging accurate?

It gives a ballpark figure. Yazio calls its own recognition a rough estimate to review, and a 2024 study of popular apps found wide errors depending on the dish. Check and adjust portions, especially for mixed dishes and sauces.

Can I import my MyFitnessPal history into another app?

MyFitnessPal lets Premium users export their data as CSV files. None of the apps above documents a direct import of that file in the pages we checked, so keep it as an archive and start with a fresh week of logging.

In short

The right replacement depends on the feature you really used: free barcode scanning (Cronometer, Yazio, FatSecret), photo logging (mostly on paid plans), detailed nutrients (Cronometer) or a simple log without a target (Binome360, with no barcode scanner or device sync). First step: tonight, write down the two features you used every day, then check whether they’re free in the app you’re considering.

Sources

All pages checked on 25 September 2026.

• MyFitnessPal Help, “The difference between Free, Premium, and Premium +” and “Export your nutrition, progress, and exercise data”: support.myfitnesspal.com.
• MyFitnessPal, Premium page (US prices): myfitnesspal.com/premium.
• Cronometer, “Free Nutrition Tracking App” and Gold page: cronometer.com, cronometer.com/gold.
• Yazio Help Center, “How does Yazio Pro support my goals?” and “What is the AI Calorie Tracking Feature, and how does it work?”: help.yazio.com; Google Play listing: play.google.com.
• FatSecret, App Store listing “Calorie Counter by fatsecret”: apps.apple.com.
• Foodvisor Help Center, “Is Foodvisor free?” and “How much does the Foodvisor subscription cost?”: foodvisor.zendesk.com.
• Lose It!, App Store listing “Lose It! – Calorie Counter” (FitNow, Inc.): apps.apple.com.
• Xinyi Li et al., “Evaluating the Quality and Comparative Validity of Manual Food Logging and Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Food Image Recognition in Apps for Nutrition Care”, Nutrients, 16(15), 2573, 2024: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
• Beat, “Helplines”: beateatingdisorders.org.uk; ANAD: anad.org.

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