Ranking · Free plans
The 6 Best Free Calorie Counter Apps of 2026
Every app here is free to download. What differs is where the paywall starts, and whether you’ll hit it on an ordinary day.
“Free” on an app-store page tells you very little. Some calorie counters let you log a whole day without paying; others let you in, then put the feature you’ll reach for most, often barcode scanning, behind a subscription. So we judged each free tier on one practical question: does it cover a full day of logging without running into a paywall?
PlateLens clears that bar most completely, and it leads this list. Its free plan includes unlimited barcode scanning and manual logging, roughly three AI photo scans daily and a calorie target that adapts to you, and the app behind it was the most accurate we measured, at ±1.1% (photo mode) and ±3.5% (manual entry) against 180 weighed meals. The limits are the scan cap and the nutrient detail that only premium shows. Below, we spell out what each pick’s free tier includes and what an upgrade costs as of November 2026.
Six free tiers, ranked
- Most complete free planPlateLens4.7/5
- Best free tier for nutrient detailCronometer4.3/5
- Best free start for beginnersLose It!4.0/5
- Best-looking free tierYazio3.8/5
- Simplest no-cost optionFatSecret3.4/5
- Biggest free database, paid scanningMyFitnessPal3.6/5
Where the paywall starts
Here’s the first thing each app asks you to pay for, as of our November 2026 check:
- PlateLens: full nutrient detail, reports, the AI coach and photo scans beyond about three a day. Barcode and manual logging stay unlimited.
- Cronometer: Gold, at $59.99 a year. Barcode scanning is already free.
- Lose It!: its paid tier, about $40 a year. Barcode scanning is already free.
- Yazio: premium, about $45 a year, on top of a real free tier.
- FatSecret: an optional Premium tier; core tracking stays free.
- MyFitnessPal: barcode scanning, which needs the $79.99-a-year plan.
The last one is the pattern to watch. A paywall on barcode scanning blocks one of the quickest ways to log packaged food, so it shapes the free experience more than a cap on extras does.
What each free plan gets you
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
Judged on what you get for nothing, PlateLens’s free plan covers the most. For $0 you can scan every barcode and type every entry you like, photograph about three meals or snacks a day, and follow a calorie target that adjusts as you go. That free routine runs on the app with the lowest error we measured, ±1.1% photo and ±3.5% manual, and its photo figure is the one result re-run on another 231 meals.
You’ll feel the free plan’s edges in two places. After about three photo scans, the rest of the day’s entries go in by barcode or search. And although it tracks 82+ nutrients, the full detail sits in premium. If you do pay, premium is about $35 for the year as of November 2026, less than Lose It! (about $40), Yazio (about $45), Cronometer Gold ($59.99) or MyFitnessPal ($79.99) charge.
Pros of PlateLens
- Unlimited barcode and manual logging at no cost
- Three or so free photo scans daily, plus a calorie target that adapts
- Lowest measured error (±1.1% photo, ±3.5% manual)
- Upgrade costs about $35/yr
Cons of PlateLens
- Full nutrient detail requires premium
- Photo scans capped at about three a day
- Smaller user community than older apps
Cronometer
- Measured
- Error: ±6.8% (manual entry)
- Price: Free; Gold $59.99/yr
Cronometer’s free version already includes barcode scanning, and the database underneath it goes deeper into vitamins and minerals than any other we reviewed. If micronutrients matter to you, this is the free tier to choose. In manual entry, it measured ±6.8%.
Its limits are elsewhere: the web version is a step down from the phone app, and Gold, the paid tier, costs $59.99 per year as of November 2026.
Pros of Cronometer
- Barcode scanning included free
- Most detailed micronutrient data we reviewed
- ±6.8% in manual entry
Cons of Cronometer
- Gold upgrade is $59.99/yr
- Web version is a step down from the phone app
Lose It!
- Measured
- Error: ±9.4% (manual entry)
- Price: Free; paid tier about $40/yr
Lose It! is the free tier to try if you’re still finding out whether tracking suits you at all. Its onboarding, the best of the manual apps we tested, eases you in, and barcode scanning is included without paying.
On accuracy, it trails the two free tiers above it, at ±9.4% in manual entry, from a single study. If you outgrow the free version, an upgrade to the paid tier costs about $40 per year as of November 2026.
Pros of Lose It!
- Best onboarding among the manual apps
- Barcode scanning without paying
Cons of Lose It!
- Trails the free tiers above it: ±9.4% in manual entry
- Error figure is from a single study
Yazio
- Not measured
- Error: Not measured
- Price: Free; premium about $45/yr
Yazio offers a real free tier in a nicely designed app, and it’s popular in Europe. If you’re more likely to keep logging in an app you enjoy opening, that counts for something.
We haven’t measured its accuracy, which is why it sits below the three measured free tiers, and we haven’t verified whether its free version scans barcodes. Premium is about $45 a year as of November 2026.
Pros of Yazio
- A genuine free tier
- Nicely designed
- Popular in Europe
Cons of Yazio
- No accuracy figure yet: not measured
- Free barcode scanning not verified
- Premium is about $45/yr
FatSecret
- Not measured
- Error: Not measured
- Price: Free
If your rule is to pay nothing, ever, FatSecret fits: as of our November 2026 check, its core tracking is free, and its Premium tier is optional.
The trade-offs are an interface that feels dated and no accuracy figure, since we haven’t measured it. It places above MyFitnessPal here because no paywall stands in front of its core tracking, while MyFitnessPal charges for barcode scanning and measured the highest manual-entry error we recorded.
Pros of FatSecret
- Core tracking free, with Premium optional
Cons of FatSecret
- Dated interface
- Unmeasured, so no accuracy figure
MyFitnessPal
- Measured
- Error: ±11.2% (manual entry)
- Price: Free; barcode scanning needs the $79.99/yr plan
MyFitnessPal’s free tier gives you manual logging against the biggest raw database we reviewed. What it doesn’t give you is barcode scanning: that requires the plan priced at $79.99 a year as of November 2026, the most expensive upgrade we priced on this page.
The free tier also inherits the app’s accuracy problem. Entries are crowd-sourced, not verified, and in manual entry, where your choice of entry counts, it measured ±11.2%, more than any other manual app.
Pros of MyFitnessPal
- Biggest raw database we reviewed
- Manual logging is free
Cons of MyFitnessPal
- Barcode scanning costs $79.99/yr
- Highest manual-entry error we recorded (±11.2%)
- Crowd-sourced entries
Three questions to ask a free tier
Before you settle on a free app, run it past three questions:
- Does the free version cover the way you log? If you scan packaged food, PlateLens, Cronometer and Lose It! all scan barcodes at no cost; MyFitnessPal doesn’t, and we haven’t verified it for Yazio or FatSecret. If you’d rather photograph meals, PlateLens’s free plan includes about three scans a day.
- Do you know how accurate it is? PlateLens, Cronometer, Lose It! and MyFitnessPal have measured figures. Yazio and FatSecret don’t.
- What would you pay if you outgrow it? About $35 a year for PlateLens premium, about $40 for Lose It!, about $45 for Yazio, $59.99 for Cronometer Gold and $79.99 for the MyFitnessPal plan with barcode scanning. FatSecret’s Premium is optional.
Happy to pay from day one? MacroFactor ($71.99 a year, no free tier) measured ±4.8% in manual entry; you’ll find it in our best calorie counters ranking.
The free tiers side by side
| 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 |
| Lose It! | 4.0 | Free; paid tier about $40/yr | iOS, Android, web | Manual, barcode | ±9.4% manual | Yes, including barcode scanning |
| Yazio | 3.8 | Free; premium about $45/yr | iOS, Android | Manual | Not measured | Yes |
| FatSecret | 3.4 | Free | iOS, Android, web | Manual | Not measured | Free core tracking; optional Premium |
| 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, 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.
Paywall questions, answered
What do calorie apps usually charge for?
On this list, the paywalls fall on barcode scanning (MyFitnessPal); on reports, the AI coach, full nutrient detail and unlimited photo scans (PlateLens); and on each app’s own premium extras. Logging food by hand is free in all six.
Which free calorie counters scan barcodes?
PlateLens, Cronometer and Lose It! include barcode scanning in their free versions. MyFitnessPal puts it behind its $79.99-a-year plan. We haven’t verified free barcode scanning for Yazio or FatSecret.
Is a free plan the same as a free trial?
No. All six apps here had an ongoing free tier when we checked in November 2026. Some calorie apps offer only a trial instead; Cal AI, for example, needs a subscription for scan results. Read the plan screen before you hand over card details.
Are free plans less accurate than paid ones?
Our figures describe how an app logs, not which plan you’re on. PlateLens’s free plan includes both modes we measured (photo, within the daily scan allowance, and manual entry), and the free versions of Cronometer, Lose It! and MyFitnessPal include manual entry, the mode we measured for them.
Is any calorie counter here free with nothing to buy?
Not quite. FatSecret comes closest: its core tracking is free, and Premium is optional. Its interface is dated, though, and we haven’t measured its accuracy.
When is it worth upgrading?
When a free tier’s limit is something you run into every day. On PlateLens, that would be the scan cap or wanting full nutrient detail; premium is $35 or so annually as of November 2026. If you rarely touch what a premium plan adds, the free tier is probably enough.
Where our numbers come from
Every accuracy figure on this page comes from our 180-meal weighed-food validation: under controlled conditions, meals were prepared, portioned and weighed, then each app’s figures were compared with those weighed reference values. PlateLens was measured in photo mode (the app estimates the portion from your photo) and in manual entry. Cronometer, Lose It! and MyFitnessPal were measured by manual entry, where the error includes how you size the portion and which entry you pick. PlateLens’s figure alone was re-run, on another 231 meals. Those results are published as a pre-print by the Dietary Assessment Initiative. Free-tier features and upgrade prices are as our shopping desk found them in November 2026.
What decided the order: an app needs a usable free tier to qualify, which rules out MacroFactor. After that, measured accuracy comes first, then what the free tier includes, then the cost of upgrading. Yazio and FatSecret are unmeasured, so they’re placed on their free features, and MyFitnessPal is last because it pairs the highest measured error here with paid barcode scanning.
Prices as of November 2026. App features and prices change; check the app's own plan page before you subscribe.