Have you ever felt overwhelmed by all the different fitness and calorie tracking apps out there? It’s easy to get lost in the sea of options, not knowing which ones are truly effective and user-friendly. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! In this article, we’ll dive into the world of calorie counter apps and rank the top 8 best apps for fitness tracking and calorie tracking.
Tracking your food and calorie intake can be a powerful tool for weight loss and maintaining a healthy diet. It helps you become more aware of what you’re putting into your body and allows you to make informed choices. But finding the right app that suits your needs can be a challenge. That’s where we come in.
We’ve done the research and tested numerous apps to bring you the most comprehensive and reliable list. So whether you’re a beginner looking for a simple calorie counter or a fitness enthusiast in need of advanced tracking features, we’ve got an app for you.
Key Takeaways:
- Tracking your food and calorie intake is beneficial for weight loss and maintaining a healthy diet.
- There are numerous fitness and calorie tracking apps available, making it difficult to choose the right one.
- In this article, we’ll review the top 8 apps for fitness and calorie tracking.
- The apps offer various features such as weight tracking, personalized calorie recommendations, food diaries, exercise logs, and nutrition databases.
- It’s important to find an app that aligns with your individual needs and goals and promotes healthy behaviors.
Best overall: MyFitnessPal
When it comes to calorie counter apps, MyFitnessPal stands out as one of the best overall options available. With its comprehensive features and user-friendly interface, it has gained a reputation as a must-have tool for individuals looking to manage their weight and improve their overall health.
MyFitnessPal provides a wide range of functionalities to help users achieve their health and fitness goals. Here are some key features that make it the top choice:
- Weight tracking: MyFitnessPal allows users to set weight goals and track their progress over time. By monitoring weight fluctuations, users can adjust their calorie intake and exercise regimen accordingly.
- Recommended daily calorie intake: The app calculates each user’s recommended calorie intake based on their specific needs, such as age, gender, height, weight, and activity level. This personalized approach ensures that users are consuming an appropriate number of calories for their goals.
- Food diary: MyFitnessPal provides a well-designed food diary where users can easily log their meals and snacks. The app boasts an extensive database of over 11 million foods, making it easy to find and track the nutritional content of various food items.
- Exercise log: With the built-in exercise log, users can keep track of their physical activities and the calories burned through exercise. This feature allows for a more accurate understanding of calorie consumption and expenditure.
- Nutrition database: MyFitnessPal’s nutrition database is robust, covering a wide range of foods and beverages. Users can also download recipes and create custom foods to ensure accurate tracking.
MyFitnessPal goes above and beyond by providing additional features to enhance the user experience. The app can sync with fitness tracking devices, allowing for seamless integration of data. It also offers chat forums where users can connect with others who share similar goals and interests, providing a sense of community and support.
While the free version of MyFitnessPal offers many valuable features, some advanced functionalities are only available in the premium version. However, the app’s extensive capabilities and user-friendly interface make it a worthwhile investment for those serious about achieving their health and fitness goals.
With its exceptional capabilities for weight tracking, recommended daily calorie intake calculation, food diary, exercise log, and nutrition database, it’s no wonder that MyFitnessPal is regarded as the best overall calorie counter app.
Comparison of Key Features
| Features | MyFitnessPal | Lose It! | FatSecret |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight Tracking | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Recommended Daily Calorie Intake | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Food Diary | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Exercise Log | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Nutrition Database | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Best free features: Lose It!
Lose It! is a leading calorie counter app that offers an array of fantastic features, all available for free. With its user-friendly interface and personalized approach, Lose It! is an excellent choice for individuals seeking to take control of their calorie intake and achieve their health goals.
One of the standout features of Lose It! is its ability to provide a personalized recommendation for calorie intake. By taking into account factors such as weight, height, age, and goals, the app calculates a tailored daily calorie budget. This personalized approach ensures that users receive recommendations that align with their unique needs and ambitions.
The app’s food diary and exercise log are key tools in helping users track their daily habits. The food diary enables users to easily record their meals and snacks, gaining an insight into their nutritional intake. By keeping a comprehensive record of their exercise activities, users can also monitor their physical activity levels and understand the correlation between calorie expenditure and intake.
With a comprehensive food database, Lose It! makes it effortless to log and track meals. Whether scanning the barcode of packaged foods or manually searching for specific items, users can quickly and accurately log their calorie consumption. This barcode scanner feature streamlines the process, making it convenient for users to input their daily intake.
Lose It! goes beyond calorie tracking by offering additional features that enhance overall user experience. The app presents weight changes on a graph, providing a visual representation of progress over time. This feature allows users to monitor their weight loss or gain journey more effectively. Additionally, Lose It! offers access to a chat community, where users can connect with others on similar health and fitness journeys, sharing tips, successes, and challenges.
With its exceptional free features, Lose It! is a top choice for anyone looking for a robust and user-friendly calorie counter app. However, for users seeking even more advanced tools and capabilities, Lose It! also offers a premium membership option that provides access to additional features.
Overall, Lose It! stands out as one of the best free calorie counter apps on the market. Its personalized recommendations for calorie intake, easy-to-use food diary and exercise log, extensive food database with barcode scanner, weight tracking graph, and chat community make it an exceptional choice for those looking to take control of their health and wellness.
Best fully free: FatSecret
FatSecret is a highly recommended fully free calorie counter app that offers a wide range of features to support your health and fitness goals. With its comprehensive offerings, FatSecret stands out as one of the best options for those looking for a fully free calorie counting experience.
Key Features:
- Food diary for tracking daily calorie intake
- Extensive nutrition database for accurate food logging
- Exercise log for monitoring physical activity
- Weight chart to track your progress
- Journal for recording thoughts and achievements
One of the highlights of FatSecret is its user-friendly food diary, which allows you to easily log your meals and monitor your calorie intake. The app displays total calorie consumption and provides a breakdown of carbs, protein, and fat for each meal and the entire day. This helps you make informed choices about your diet and ensures you stay within your desired calorie range.
For added convenience, FatSecret also offers a barcode scanner feature. This allows you to quickly log packaged foods by simply scanning their barcodes, making it easier than ever to maintain accurate food records.
Additional Benefits:
“FatSecret provides a wealth of tools to support your journey towards a healthier lifestyle. Not only does it offer a food diary and nutrition database, but it also includes a weight chart and journal feature. These additional tools allow you to track your progress, reflect on your achievements, and stay motivated along the way.”
Another useful feature of FatSecret is its chat community, where users can connect with each other, share success stories, and exchange tips and recipes. This adds a social element to the app, fostering a sense of support and accountability among users.
Furthermore, FatSecret has a website that provides additional information, tips, and articles to help you make informed decisions about your health and nutrition.
If you’re looking for a fully free calorie counter app that offers a comprehensive set of features, FatSecret is an excellent choice. It combines the convenience of a food diary and nutrition database with the added benefits of an exercise log, weight chart, journal, and community support.
Best for specific diets: Cronometer
If you’re following a specific diet, Cronometer is the best calorie counter app for you. With its comprehensive features, Cronometer makes tracking your diet, exercise, and weight effortless.
The app provides accurate serving sizes, making it easier to monitor your food intake. Whether you’re following a paleo, low-carb, or low-fat vegetarian diet, Cronometer offers customized profiles for a wide range of specific diets.
Cronometer’s user-friendly food diary allows you to log your meals and snacks with ease. It also goes beyond just counting calories, as it tracks all micronutrients, including vitamins and minerals, giving you a complete picture of your nutritional intake.
To help you stay on top of your fitness goals, Cronometer features a useful exercise database. You can easily track your physical activities and monitor their impact on your overall health and weight management.
For additional features and enhanced tracking capabilities, Cronometer offers a Gold upgrade. This premium version of the app provides even more tools and resources to support your specific diet and health goals.
Benefits of Using Cronometer:
- Easy tracking of diet, exercise, and weight
- Accurate serving sizes for precise calorie counting
- Customized profiles for specific diets
- Comprehensive tracking of micronutrients
- Useful exercise database for monitoring physical activities
- Premium Gold upgrade for additional features
Take control of your specific diet and achieve your health goals with Cronometer, the best calorie counter app designed to support your unique dietary needs.
Best for weight loss: Noom
Noom is more than just a calorie counter app; it is designed to help users lose weight and sustain weight loss using a psychological approach known as cognitive behavioral therapy. The app takes a personalized approach to weight loss by asking for specific information to create a customized calorie budget based on factors such as age, height, weight, gender, and lifestyle.
What sets Noom apart is its focus on the psychological aspects of weight loss. Cognitive behavioral therapy techniques are integrated into the app to help users identify and overcome the emotional and behavioral factors that contribute to weight gain. By addressing the root causes of unhealthy habits and providing tools to develop healthier behaviors, Noom aims to create long-term, sustainable weight loss results.
In addition to calorie tracking, Noom offers coaching and support to keep users motivated and accountable. The app provides progress tracking features to monitor weight loss goals and offers interactive articles, quizzes, and challenges to educate and engage users along their weight loss journey.
Noom offers a free version of the app that provides basic features, but users also have the option to upgrade to a paid plan for more extensive support and features. The paid plan includes personalized coaching, more in-depth content, and additional tools to enhance the weight loss experience.
“Noom is a game-changer for weight loss. Its psychological approach combined with personalized calorie budgeting creates a sustainable path to success.” – Sarah, Noom user
If you’re looking for a calorie counter app that goes beyond simply tracking calories and offers a holistic approach to weight loss, Noom is an excellent choice. With its psychological approach, cognitive behavioral therapy techniques, and personalized calorie budgeting, Noom empowers users to make lasting changes and achieve their weight loss goals.
Best for building healthy habits: Lifesum
Lifesum is the ideal calorie counter app for individuals looking to build healthy habits and make positive changes to their lifestyle. With its range of features and personalized approach, Lifesum sets itself apart as a top choice in the market.
One of the key highlights of Lifesum is its emphasis on personalized nutrition. The app provides users with tailored nutrition plans that align with their specific goals, dietary restrictions, and lifestyle. Whether you’re aiming to lose weight, build muscle, or simply improve your overall well-being, Lifesum offers meal plans and nutrition recommendations that are customized to your needs.
Meal planning is made easy with Lifesum. The app offers a variety of meal plans designed by nutrition experts, taking the guesswork out of meal preparation. These plans include delicious and nutritious recipes that cater to different tastes and dietary preferences. Additionally, Lifesum provides shopping lists, ensuring that you have all the ingredients you need to create healthy and satisfying meals.
Lifesum’s commitment to food quality is evident in its comprehensive food tracking feature. Users can log their meals and track their calorie intake with ease. The app also offers valuable insights into macronutrients and micronutrients, allowing you to make informed decisions about your food choices. By focusing on food quality, Lifesum encourages users to develop a sustainable, balanced approach to nutrition.
In addition to its practical features, Lifesum boasts an attractive and user-friendly design that makes navigating the app a breeze. With a clean and intuitive interface, the app promotes a seamless user experience and ensures that you can easily access the information you need to stay on track with your health goals.
If you’re seeking support and motivation on your health journey, Lifesum has got you covered. The app offers a supportive community where you can connect with like-minded individuals, share your progress, and gain inspiration from others. The power of community support can greatly enhance your commitment to building healthy habits.
Overall, Lifesum stands out as the best calorie counter app for individuals looking to build and maintain healthy habits. With its personalized nutrition plans, convenient meal plans and shopping lists, emphasis on food quality, and supportive community, Lifesum provides all the tools you need to succeed on your wellness journey.
| Lifesum | Features |
|---|---|
| Personalized Nutrition Plans | Lifesum offers customized nutrition plans based on individual goals, dietary restrictions, and lifestyle. |
| Meal Plans and Shopping Lists | The app provides ready-made meal plans and convenient shopping lists to simplify healthy eating. |
| Food Tracking | Lifesum allows users to easily track their calorie intake and gain insights into macronutrients and micronutrients. |
| User-Friendly Design | The app features an attractive and intuitive interface for a seamless user experience. |
| Supportive Community | Lifesum offers a community where users can connect, share their progress, and find motivation. |
Best for diet quality: MyNetDiary
When it comes to tracking diet quality, MyNetDiary is the top choice. This calorie counter app offers a detailed food database with over 988,000 products, ensuring that users have access to accurate and comprehensive nutritional information. The app also features a convenient barcode scanner, making it easy to log foods and stay on track.
But MyNetDiary goes beyond just tracking calories. It also provides a platform for community support, where users can connect with others, exchange tips, and find recipe ideas. This sense of community can be invaluable for individuals on a health journey, providing motivation, inspiration, and a place to share experiences.
In addition to the community support, MyNetDiary offers personalized nutrition plans to help users achieve their specific dietary goals. Whether users are following a low-carb, high-protein, or low-fat diet, MyNetDiary can tailor recommendations to suit their needs.
With MyNetDiary, users can easily track their intake of key nutrients and monitor their carb, protein, fat, saturated fat, salt, and fiber consumption. By focusing on diet quality, users can ensure they are nourishing their bodies with the right nutrients to support their overall health and well-being.
To summarize, MyNetDiary is the best calorie counter app for individuals looking to prioritize diet quality. With its detailed food database, barcode scanner, community support, and personalized nutrition plans, MyNetDiary provides all the necessary tools to make informed dietary choices and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Key Features of MyNetDiary:
- Detailed food database with over 988,000 products
- Barcode scanner for easy food entry
- Community forum for support and recipe sharing
- Personalized nutrition plans
- Tracking of carbs, protein, fat, saturated fat, salt, and fiber
Conclusion
Counting calories can be a helpful tool for weight loss and maintaining a healthy diet. In this article, we have reviewed the best calorie counter apps that offer a range of features and options to suit different needs and preferences.
Whether you’re looking for an overall calorie tracker, free features, specific diet tracking, weight loss support, habit-building, or a focus on diet quality, there is an app to fit your goals. These apps, including MyFitnessPal, Lose It!, FatSecret, Cronometer, Noom, Lifesum, MyNetDiary, and Calory, provide a variety of functions such as tracking weight, recommended daily calorie intake, food diaries, exercise logs, nutrition databases, and more.
While using these calorie counter apps, it is important to choose one that aligns with your individual needs and health goals. Additionally, it is crucial to be mindful of developing healthy behaviors and avoiding obsessions or disordered eating patterns. Remember, the goal is to use these apps as tools to support you on your weight loss and healthy lifestyle journey.
