How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- FatSecret and Cronometer offer the most generous free plans, with barcode scanning and detailed nutrients included at no cost.
- MyFitnessPal still has the largest food database, but barcode scanning and custom macro goals now require Premium at $79.99 a year.
- Lose It! is the simplest free tracker for weight loss, while Yazio adds intermittent fasting tools to its free plan.
- Free plans differ most on barcode scanning, photo logging, and custom goals, so check those three features before choosing.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 FatSecret | The most generous free plan for everyday tracking | Free; Premium available | Yes |
 Cronometer | Detailed nutrients from verified data | Free; Gold available | Yes |
 MyFitnessPal | The largest food database and most device integrations | Free; Premium $79.99/year | Yes |
 Lose It! | Simple weight loss tracking without clutter | Free; Premium $39.99/year | Yes |
 Yazio | Calorie tracking combined with intermittent fasting | Free; Pro available | Yes |
 MyNetDiary | Guided plans with diet coaching cues | Free; Premium available | Yes |
 Lifesum | Simple healthy eating plans and habit tracking | Free; Premium available | Yes |
 PlateLens | Photo-first logging with AI meal recognition | Free; Premium $34.99/year | Yes |
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The best free food tracker apps
Starting priceFree; Premium available
Free planYes
FatSecret is the free tracker that asks the least of you. Barcode scanning, the full food database, and a web diary all work without paying, which is more than most rivals offer free in 2026. A long-running community adds food entries, challenges, and support that keep new users going past the first week.
The app shows its age in places. The design is plainer than MyFitnessPal or Lifesum, and some conveniences, such as meal plans and deeper reports, sit behind Premium. If your priority is logging food for free with a working scanner, FatSecret is the strongest starting point.
What we like- Barcode scanner included free
- Large food database
- Community support and challenges
Watch out for- Interface feels dated
- Meal planning and advanced reports need Premium
Starting priceFree; Gold available
Free planYes
Cronometer is the tracker for people who care about more than calories. The free plan tracks dozens of vitamins and minerals, uses verified database entries rather than crowd guesses, and lets you set custom macro targets without paying, a feature MyFitnessPal now reserves for Premium. Device connections cover Fitbit, Garmin, and other wearables.
Speed is the trade-off. Searching and logging take slightly longer than in simpler apps, and the food database, while accurate, is smaller than the biggest rivals. For users managing a specific diet or watching micronutrients, Cronometer's accuracy is worth the extra taps.
What we like- Tracks 80-plus nutrients free
- Lab-verified database entries
- Custom macro targets on the free plan
Watch out for- Database is smaller than MyFitnessPal's
- Interface prioritizes data over speed
Starting priceFree; Premium $79.99/year
Free planYes
MyFitnessPal remains the best-known tracker, and its database is still the largest, which means restaurant dishes and packaged foods usually appear on the first search. Integrations cover most wearables and health apps, and the social features help users who like community accountability.
The free plan shrank in recent years. Barcode scanning, meal scanning, voice logging, custom macro goals, and an ad-free experience all moved to Premium at $79.99 a year. Basic search and logging still work free, but anyone who scans groceries daily will feel the paywall quickly.
What we like- Huge crowdsourced food database
- Broad wearable and app integrations
- Meal planning on Premium
Watch out for- Barcode scan, meal scan, and custom macro goals now require Premium
- Free plan shows ads
#4Lose It!
Best for: Simple weight loss tracking without clutter1.7/5 on
Trustpilot (96 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit loseit.com
Starting priceFree; Premium $39.99/year
Free planYes
Lose It! keeps tracking simple. You get a daily calorie budget, a clean diary, and weight trend charts, without the nutrient dashboards and social feeds that complicate other apps. That focus suits people whose main goal is losing weight and who want logging to take under a minute per meal.
The free plan has a notable gap: barcode scanning sits behind Premium at $39.99 a year. Searching foods manually works fine, but grocery-heavy users will scan often enough to notice. For simplicity-first users, Lose It! is still one of the easiest apps to stick with.
What we like- Clear daily calorie budget
- Straightforward logging
- Good weight trend charts
Watch out for- Barcode scanner requires Premium
- Smaller database than MyFitnessPal
#5
Yazio
Best for: Calorie tracking combined with intermittent fasting
Visit yazio.com
Starting priceFree; Pro available
Free planYes
Yazio pairs a calorie diary with an intermittent fasting timer, so users following a fasting schedule do not need a second app. The design is clean, recipes are curated rather than crowd-sourced, and logging a repeat meal takes seconds once favorites are set.
Free limits appear in fasting plans and advanced nutrition views, which require Pro. The food database also trails MyFitnessPal and FatSecret for packaged foods. If fasting is part of your routine, Yazio's combined approach beats juggling two apps.
What we like- Fasting timer built in
- Curated recipes
- Clean, modern design
Watch out for- Some tracking features and all fasting plans beyond basics need Pro
- Database smaller than leaders
Starting priceFree; Premium available
Free planYes
MyNetDiary positions itself between a bare diary and a coach. Its verified database keeps entries accurate, logging is fast, and guided plans give structure to users who want more than a blank diary. The free plan covers core tracking well, including a large set of nutrients.
Premium adds the deeper coaching and analysis, so users who want the full guided experience will pay. The community is also smaller than the biggest apps, which matters if group support keeps you consistent. For accurate logging with light guidance, MyNetDiary is a solid middle ground.
What we like- Verified food database
- Fast logging
- Guided diet plans and coaching features
Watch out for- Full coaching and some analysis tools need Premium
- Smaller community than MyFitnessPal
#7Lifesum
Best for: Simple healthy eating plans and habit tracking1.6/5 on
Trustpilot (173 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit lifesum.com
Starting priceFree; Premium available
Free planYes
Lifesum is the most approachable app in this list. Diet plans for goals such as weight loss, muscle gain, and balanced eating are presented plainly, and water and habit tracking sit beside food logging. New users who find Cronometer intimidating often settle here.
Depth is limited on the free plan. Detailed macro views, most plans, and advanced insights need Premium, and the database can be thinner outside the US and Europe. Lifesum suits beginners who want guidance and a pleasant interface more than data depth.
What we like- Friendly design
- Diet plans for common goals
- Water and habit tracking
Watch out for- Macro detail and many plans require Premium
- Food database varies by region
Starting priceFree; Premium $34.99/year
Free planYes
PlateLens is a newer entrant that leads with photo logging. Point the camera at a meal and the app estimates the dish and its nutrition, with a few free AI scans per day, unlimited manual and barcode logging, and a web app at no extra cost. Premium at $34.99 a year removes the scan cap and is the cheapest paid tier among the major trackers.
Youth is the risk. The community is smaller, long-term support is less proven than the established apps, and photo estimates still need checking against the real portion. For users who hate typing every ingredient, PlateLens removes the biggest friction in food tracking. Check the daily scan cap against your usual number of meals before relying on it as your main logging method, and keep manual entry as a backup for snacks.
What we like- AI photo scans included free
- Unlimited manual and barcode logging
- Full web app included
Watch out for- Newer app with a smaller community
- Free photo scans capped per day
How we chose
We compared trackers with a genuinely usable free plan in October 2026, checking each vendor's plan pages and help documentation for what stays free versus what moved to Premium. Public reviews and recent comparisons helped confirm changes such as MyFitnessPal's paywalled scanner. Apps with no free plan, or with only a short trial, were excluded, since the search is for a free tracker.
Getting the most from a free tracker
A tracker only helps if logging lasts past week two. A few habits matter more than the app choice.
Check the three features you will use daily
Before committing, confirm that barcode scanning, custom goals, and photo or voice logging work on the free plan for the app you pick. These are the features most often paywalled, and discovering the limit after a month of entries is frustrating.
Log the same way every day
Accuracy comes from consistency, not perfection. Weigh or estimate portions the same way, log meals at the same time, and repeat saved meals instead of re-entering them. A slightly imperfect log kept for months beats a perfect log abandoned in a week.
Keep a short list of repeat meals
Most people eat a small rotation of breakfasts, lunches, and snacks. Save those as favorites or custom meals in the first week, and daily logging drops to a few taps per meal. This single habit does more for consistency than any premium feature, since the effort of re-entering the same foods is what usually ends a tracking streak. If an app makes saving meals awkward, that friction alone is a reason to switch.
Treat the app as a diary, not a doctor
These apps estimate nutrition from databases and photos, and estimates vary. They do not replace medical advice, and anyone with a medical condition, an eating disorder history, or a prescribed diet should talk to a clinician before setting calorie targets. This is general information, not medical advice.
Frequently asked questions
Which free food tracker app is best overall?
FatSecret for the most generous free plan, and Cronometer for the most detailed free nutrition data. MyFitnessPal still wins on database size, but its free plan now limits barcode scanning and custom goals.
Is MyFitnessPal still free?
Partly. Basic food search and logging remain free with ads, but barcode scanning, meal scanning, voice logging, custom macro goals, and the fasting tracker require Premium at $79.99 a year.
Can a free app track macros as well as calories?
Yes. Cronometer lets free users set custom macro targets and view detailed nutrients, and FatSecret tracks macros free as well. MyFitnessPal and Lose It! reserve custom macro goals for their paid plans.
Do I need a wearable to use these apps?
No. Wearables add automatic activity and weight syncing, but every app here works with manual entry alone. A phone and a kitchen scale cover most users' needs.
How accurate are photo-based calorie estimates?
They are estimates, and portion size is the main source of error. Photo logging speeds up entry and works well for common dishes, but check the suggested portion against what you actually ate, especially for calorie-dense foods.
Should I track every day, or only on weekdays?
Every day, if the goal is a real picture of your eating. Weekday-only logs hide weekend meals, which is where most weekly totals drift. If daily logging feels heavy, log the main meals and estimate snacks rather than skipping days entirely. A partial log kept daily still shows patterns a weekday-only log misses.
Sources we checked (8)
- https://www.fatsecret.com
- https://cronometer.com
- https://www.myfitnesspal.com
- https://www.loseit.com
- https://www.yazio.com
- https://www.mynetdiary.com
- https://lifesum.com
- https://platelens.app
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.