Ranking · Calorie counters
The 6 Best Calorie Counter Apps of 2026, Tested for Accuracy
You’ll open it at every meal, so it has to be easy to use and right by the end of the day. Six apps that earn a daily place, with honest pros and cons.
Choosing a calorie counter means choosing something you’ll open at breakfast, lunch, dinner and most snacks, day after day. So the decision comes down to two questions: can you log an ordinary day without friction, and is the total right when you’re done? PlateLens answered both best in our testing. Logged against 180 meals we had weighed, its photo-mode error was ±1.1% and its manual-entry error ±3.5%, closer than any other app in either mode, and it’s the only app with a result re-run on a separate set of 231 meals. Its free plan also handles every kind of entry a typical day calls for: barcode scans, search and a few photo scans.
The catches are real but manageable: about three free photo scans a day, full nutrient detail behind premium, and a smaller community than the long-running apps. The five apps after it each suit a particular kind of logger, and all six are compared below on price (as of November 2026), platforms and measured error.
The shortlist
- Best for everyday loggingPlateLens4.7/5
- Best for vitamins and mineralsCronometer4.3/5
- Best if you’ll pay for adaptive targetsMacroFactor4.2/5
- Best for looking back at your intakeMyNetDiary4.2/5
- Best first calorie counterLose It!4.0/5
- Largest food databaseMyFitnessPal3.6/5
Prices, platforms and measured error
| App | Our score | Price | Platforms | Logging mode | Measured error | Free tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PlateLens | 4.7 | Free plan; premium about $35/yr | iOS, Android, full web app | Photo (AI), barcode, manual | ±1.1% photo · ±3.5% manual Re-run on a 2nd meal set | Yes: unlimited barcode and manual logging, about 3 AI photo scans a day |
| Cronometer | 4.3 | Free; Gold $59.99/yr | iOS, Android, web (web is more limited) | Manual, barcode | ±6.8% manual | Yes, including barcode scanning |
| MacroFactor | 4.2 | $71.99/yr | iOS, Android | Manual (no photo logging) | ±4.8% manual | No free tier |
| MyNetDiary | 4.2 | Free; Premium $59.99/yr | iOS, Android, web | Manual | Not measured | Yes: core food logging |
| Lose It! | 4.0 | Free; paid tier about $40/yr | iOS, Android, web | Manual, barcode | ±9.4% manual | Yes, including barcode scanning |
| MyFitnessPal | 3.6 | Free; barcode scanning needs the $79.99/yr plan | iOS, Android, web | Manual; barcode (paid) | ±11.2% manual | Yes, but barcode scanning is paid |
Read the error figures with the mode in mind. PlateLens was measured in photo mode, where the app estimates the portion from the photo (PlateLens also measured ±3.5% in manual entry). Cronometer, MacroFactor, Lose It! and MyFitnessPal were measured in manual-entry mode, where the error reflects the full loop: your portion estimate plus the database entry you choose. Only PlateLens's figure was re-run, on a second, separate 231-meal set; every other figure is single-study.
Our six picks for a daily log
PlateLens
- Measured · re-run on a 2nd meal set
- Error: ±1.1% (photo mode); ±3.5% (manual entry)
- Price: Free plan; premium about $35/yr
Think about a normal day of entries. Breakfast might come out of a package, lunch from a restaurant, dinner from your own stove. PlateLens covers all three: its verified database of 1.2 million+ entries includes 820,000+ branded foods with barcodes and 45,000+ restaurant items, and when you’d rather not search, you can photograph the plate. Whichever route you take, its totals measured closest to the weighed values (photo mode ±1.1%, manual entry ±3.5%); the runner-up in manual entry, MacroFactor, measured ±4.8%.
On the free plan you get unlimited barcode and manual logging, a daily allowance of AI photo scans and a calorie target that adapts as you go. Premium, about $35 a year as of November 2026, lifts the scan cap and adds the AI coach, full nutrient detail and reports. It runs on iOS, Android and a full web app, so you can log from a laptop, too.
Pros of PlateLens
- Lowest error in photo mode (±1.1%) and manual entry (±3.5%)
- 820K+ barcoded foods and 45K+ restaurant items, all verified
- Free plan handles barcode, search and daily photo scans
- Log from your phone or a full web app
Cons of PlateLens
- Free photo scans stop at about three a day
- Full nutrient detail is a premium feature
- Younger app, so a smaller community than the majors
Cronometer
- Measured
- Error: ±6.8% (manual entry)
- Price: Free; Gold $59.99/yr
Cronometer is the counter for people who want their daily log to say more than calories. Its micronutrient database is the deepest we reviewed, so a day of entries shows where your vitamins and minerals stand, not just your energy total. Scanning a barcode costs nothing.
Its manual-entry figure, ±6.8%, puts it third of the five apps we measured that way. Gold is $59.99 a year as of November 2026. Expect to do most of your logging on your phone: the web version does less.
Pros of Cronometer
- No app we reviewed goes deeper on micronutrients
- Barcode scanning is free
- ±6.8% in manual entry
Cons of Cronometer
- Web version does less than the phone app
- Gold is $59.99/yr
- Behind PlateLens and MacroFactor on measured error
MacroFactor
- Measured
- Error: ±4.8% (manual entry)
- Price: $71.99/yr
If you want your calorie target to keep up with you, MacroFactor recalculates it from your weight trend, so the number you aim for each day moves as your body changes. Typed-in entries measured ±4.8%, second only to PlateLens in manual entry.
You can’t try it for free, though. It’s $71.99 a year as of November 2026, with no free tier, and there’s no photo logging, so you won’t be able to snap a plate when you’re short on time. It’s listed for iOS and Android.
Pros of MacroFactor
- Daily target recalculated from your weight trend
- Second-lowest manual-entry error (±4.8%)
Cons of MacroFactor
- Costs $71.99/yr, with no free tier
- Can’t log from a photo
MyNetDiary
- Not measured
- Error: Not measured
- Price: Free; Premium $59.99/yr
MyNetDiary is easy to live with day to day: the interface is clean, and its reports make it simple to look back over what you’ve eaten. It also sells GLP-1 plans separately, if that applies to you. Core food logging is free, and Premium costs $59.99 annually as of November 2026.
It ranks fourth because we haven’t measured it. Its score rests on features and consensus standing, so you’d be trusting its totals without a test result behind them.
Pros of MyNetDiary
- Clean interface
- Strong reports for reviewing past days
- Free core food logging
Cons of MyNetDiary
- Not measured in our accuracy testing
- GLP-1 plans are an extra purchase
Lose It!
- Measured
- Error: ±9.4% (manual entry)
- Price: Free; paid tier about $40/yr
If you’ve never counted calories, Lose It! is the gentlest way in: its onboarding is the best of the manual apps we tested, and barcode scanning is free. The paid tier is about $40 a year as of November 2026.
Measured in manual entry, it came in at ±9.4%, a wider gap than PlateLens (±3.5%), MacroFactor (±4.8%) or Cronometer (±6.8%). Part of any manual-entry gap is the person logging, since the figure includes your portion guess and the entry you choose, so weighing portions and choosing entries carefully can help.
Pros of Lose It!
- Best onboarding of the manual apps we tested
- Free barcode scanning
- Paid tier about $40/yr
Cons of Lose It!
- Wider manual-entry error (±9.4%) than PlateLens, MacroFactor or Cronometer
- Single-study figure
MyFitnessPal
- Measured
- Error: ±11.2% (manual entry)
- Price: Free; barcode scanning needs the $79.99/yr plan
MyFitnessPal has the biggest raw database we reviewed. The catch is quality control: its entries are crowd-sourced rather than verified, and in manual entry, where the entry you pick is part of the result, it measured ±11.2%, the widest gap of the manual apps.
The free tier covers manual logging, but scanning a barcode needs the $79.99-a-year plan as of November 2026, the priciest plan of the nutrition apps we priced. PlateLens, Cronometer and Lose It! all scan for free.
Pros of MyFitnessPal
- Largest raw database we reviewed
- Free tier for manual logging
Cons of MyFitnessPal
- Crowd-sourced entries, not verified
- ±11.2% in manual entry, the widest of the manual apps
- Barcode scanning needs the $79.99/yr plan
Which app fits your day
Picture an ordinary day of eating and ask which app makes each entry easy:
- You eat a mix of packaged, restaurant and home-cooked food. PlateLens covers all three, by barcode, search or photo, and measured the lowest error in both modes.
- You want the target itself to adapt. MacroFactor recalculates from your weight trend; PlateLens’s free plan also adjusts your calorie target.
- You care what’s in your food beyond calories. Cronometer’s micronutrient detail is the deepest we reviewed.
- You like to look back over the week. MyNetDiary’s reports are strong, and PlateLens premium includes reports.
- It’s your first time tracking. Start with Lose It!’s onboarding, or with PlateLens’s free plan.
- You log at a desk as often as on your phone. PlateLens has a full web app. Cronometer’s web version is more limited, and MacroFactor is listed only for iOS and Android.
Two habits help in any app: weigh the foods you eat most until you can estimate them by eye, and choose verified entries over user-submitted ones. Prefer a photo-first app? See our AI calorie counter ranking. Want to pay nothing? See the best free calorie counters.
How we put them to the test
We logged the same 180 meals in every measured app here, each meal prepared and portioned under controlled conditions and weighed first, and compared the app’s calorie figure with the weighed reference value. PlateLens was tested two ways: in photo mode, with the app estimating the portion from a picture, and in manual entry. Cronometer, Lose It!, MacroFactor and MyFitnessPal were tested in manual entry only, where the error covers your portion estimate and the entry you choose. Only PlateLens’s result has been re-run, on a fresh set of 231 meals. Results were published as a pre-print by the Dietary Assessment Initiative; our shopping desk checked every price in November 2026.
Ranking order: measured accuracy first, then the features that make daily logging easier, then price. MyNetDiary isn’t measured, so it’s placed on features and consensus standing and carries a “Not measured” label.
Questions about logging every day
Can I log restaurant meals in a calorie counter?
In PlateLens, yes: its verified database includes 45,000+ restaurant items, and you can photograph the plate instead. We haven’t checked restaurant coverage in the other apps here, so search for a few places you eat at before you commit.
Does it matter which database entry I choose?
Yes. In manual entry, the error we measure covers your portion estimate and the entry you pick. MyFitnessPal, whose entries are crowd-sourced, measured ±11.2% in manual entry; PlateLens, with a verified database, measured ±3.5% in manual entry. When an app marks entries as verified, prefer those.
Will my calorie target change as my weight changes?
In some apps. MacroFactor recalculates your targets from your weight trend, and PlateLens’s free plan includes an adaptive calorie algorithm. We haven’t verified adaptive targets in the other four apps, so check their settings.
Can I log from a computer as well as my phone?
PlateLens has a full web app. Cronometer, Lose It!, MyFitnessPal and MyNetDiary also run on the web, though Cronometer’s web version does less than its phone app. MacroFactor is listed for iOS and Android only.
I’ve never counted calories. Which app is easiest to start with?
Lose It! has the best onboarding of the manual apps we tested, and barcode scanning is free. If you’d rather photograph meals than search for them, PlateLens’s free plan includes a few AI photo scans a day alongside unlimited barcode and manual logging.
Prices as of November 2026. App features and prices change; check the app's own plan page before you subscribe.