Three majors, compared on what actually matters: data quality, free-tier honesty, and whether you will still be logging in week six — plus the TDEE math that tells you what to aim at.
Updated October 18, 2026 · pricing hedged, apps' pages authoritative
The nutrition nerd's choice: curated, lab-verified data and micronutrients by default.
The biggest food database in the game — if you scan it, MyFitnessPal probably knows it.
Weight-loss-first design: the fastest path from open-the-app to done-logging.
Every tracker here does the same core job — a food diary with a daily calorie budget. The differences are in the data, the free tier, and the philosophy.
Data. MyFitnessPal's database is the biggest and the most community-sourced — enormous coverage, variable quality. Cronometer curates: fewer scanned packaged foods, but entries verified against lab-grade sources, with 20+ micronutrients tracked on the free tier. Lose It! sits between, optimized for speed.
Free tiers. This is where honesty shows. Cronometer's free tier is the most generous (micronutrients and no diary ads). MyFitnessPal moved barcode scanning behind Premium in 2023 — the single most-discussed paywall in the category. Lose It! keeps scanning free and puts micronutrients behind its cheaper Premium.
Philosophy. MyFitnessPal is a platform (community, forums, integrations). Cronometer is an instrument. Lose It! is a habit. The best app is the one matching the job you are hiring it for — the comparison table and the three reviews below give you each in full.
| App | Database | Free tier | Premium (hedged) | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MyFitnessPal | Huge (community-sourced) | Solid diary + basic insights | ~$80/yr (varies) | People who eat packaged foods and want the largest possible database. | Official site |
Cronometer | Curated + verified | Generous, micronutrients included | ~$70/yr Gold (varies) | Anyone who cares what is in the food | Official site |
Lose It! | Large (community-sourced) | Full calorie tracking | ~$40/yr (varies) | First-time trackers who want to log in under 30 seconds a meal. | Official site |
Pricing checked October 18, 2026 from public listings; apps change plans often — the official site is always authoritative.
All three apps compute a budget from your stats using published formulas — usually Mifflin-St Jeor, the most accurate population equation for BMR. Multiply by an activity factor and you have TDEE: the calories your body burns in a day. Eat under it and you lose weight; the pace of the deficit decides everything else.
Do the math yourself before letting an app set your target — most apps default to aggressive deficits because fast results drive retention. Our TDEE calculator and deficit calculator show the inputs and let you choose a pace you can actually live with.
For most people: Cronometer for data accuracy (curated database, free micronutrients), MyFitnessPal for the largest database and community, Lose It! for the simplest experience. Our verdict-first comparison above matches the app to the person.
Accurate enough to be useful: published food values carry natural variance, and the apps estimate portion sizes. Consistency of logging matters far more than perfect accuracy — the trend line is the signal.
No. All three major apps track calories free. Premium tiers add barcode scanning (MyFitnessPal), micronutrients (Lose It!) and reports — our free apps page covers what the free tiers genuinely include.
The one you will still open in week six. Lose It! is the gentlest start, Cronometer the most informative, MyFitnessPal the most familiar. Pair any of them with our deficit calculator for a sane daily target.
For many people, yes — awareness alone changes choices. If tracking becomes compulsive or distressing, stop and talk to a professional. Tools serve you, not the reverse.