MyFitnessPal used to be the default free calorie tracker. In 2022 they moved barcode scanning behind their Premium plan, and the rest of the useful features (custom macros, meal scan, recipe import) followed. Premium today is around $19.99/month or $79.99/year. That's a lot for a feature set that was free a few years ago.
Here's an honest comparison of the best free alternatives in 2026, and the trade-offs of each.
What people actually miss when they leave MyFitnessPal
In our reader survey the four most-missed features were:
- Barcode scanning (now Premium)
- Custom macro goals in grams (now Premium)
- Recipe importer (now Premium)
- Multi-day meal planning (now Premium)
Any "alternative" has to cover at least the first two to feel like a real swap.
The shortlist
Carb Lens — Free AI photo meal scan, custom macro goals, calorie/carb/sugar/protein tracking, daily health score, guided 5–15 minute workouts, glycemic-impact rating. Works on iPhone, Android and the web. The only one on this list that includes workouts.
Cronometer (free tier) — Strong on micronutrients. No AI photo scan on the free tier; barcode works but the UI is dense.
Lose It! (free tier) — Calorie tracking is free, but Snap-It photo scan and custom macros require Premium (~$39.99/year).
FatSecret — Solid free calorie counter with a community database. No AI photo scan, no workouts.
Yazio (free tier) — Clean UI, free calorie tracking. Meal plans and recipes are paid.
How the AI photo scanners compare
Photo-first apps are the new wave. Cal AI charges around $29.99/month after a short trial. SNAQ Pro is about $59.99/year. Carb Lens does the same one-tap photo scan free, with a soft daily limit (2 scans free, more via watching a short rewarded ad or hitting a 7-day streak).
If "snap a photo and forget about typing" is the whole reason you want a tracker, this is the category to look at — and the free option is the only one that won't make you pay after a week-long trial.
Why "all-in-one" matters
MyFitnessPal makes you bring your own workout app. So does Cal AI, SNAQ, and every other calorie tracker on this list except Carb Lens. If you also use Strong, Strava, Apple Fitness or anything similar, you're stitching numbers between two apps that don't talk to each other. A single app that tracks both nutrition and movement keeps your daily and weekly trends honest.
The honest catch with free apps
Every truly free app makes money somewhere. Carb Lens runs ads on the website and inside the mobile app (Pro removes them). Cronometer free shows ads. FatSecret shows ads. If you don't want ads at all and don't want to pay $80/year, the ad-supported free tiers are the realistic middle ground.
Bottom line
For pure calorie counting, Cronometer free is the most data-rich. For AI photo scanning, Carb Lens is the only fully free option. For an all-in-one tracker that covers food and workouts in one place — also Carb Lens. None of them require a subscription to use the core flow.