Best calorie counter apps in 2026
For a free food diary with a big database, start with fatsecret. For the largest community and the most integrations, MyFitnessPal. If logging a meal from a photo is the point, Welmi and Lose It! do it, but in both the photo feature needs a subscription. Full breakdown, and new calorie trackers worth a look, below.
How we picked: a calorie counter lives or dies on how fast you can log a meal, because you do it several times a day. We checked each app’s own store description for how it logs food (search, barcode, photo, voice), which of those are free and which sit behind a subscription, and where it runs, then added a separate section for new calorie trackers surfaced by real visit traffic from the Censuus ranking.
New calorie trackers, rising by real visit traffic from Censuus
The same few big names top every calorie-app list. Censuus runs a live count on real traffic, so it sees the newcomers earning an audience right now. Among tracked apps, these calorie and nutrition trackers are climbing:
Intake: Calorie Counter & Log4.8★ App Storea minimalist calorie counter for people who just want to track, sold as a one-time purchase.
YouCal - AI Calorie Tracker4.4★ App Storean AI calorie and food tracker for people tired of bloated calorie apps.- Your app hereFree, foreverList my app
Macrova: AI NutritionApp Storeaims at weight, muscle and health goals without the guesswork.
Calorie Counter: TrackAI4.7★ App Storelogs meals from a snap, built around quick AI logging.
Can a calorie counter really count from a photo?
Yes, and it is the feature everyone is adding. Welmi recognises the food on your plate from a photo or from what you say, Lose It! has photo meal logging, and fatsecret lists image recognition among its features. Treat the number as an estimate: portion size is the hard part, so the good apps let you correct the result. And check the price first, because in most apps photo logging is a paid feature.
Which calorie counter is free?
fatsecret says in its store listing that it is free, with Premium adding dietitian meal plans. MyFitnessPal and Lose It! are free to download with a basic diary, while barcode scanning and photo or meal scanning are Premium features in both. If you mostly search and type, a free diary is enough; if you want to scan, expect to pay.
| App | Best for | Platforms | Price | How you log |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| fatsecretApp StoreGoogle Play | a free food diary | iOS, Android | free; Premium for meal plans | search, barcode, photo recognition |
| MyFitnessPalApp StoreGoogle Play | the biggest community and integrations | iOS, Android, Web | free; barcode and meal scan in Premium | search; scan and voice in Premium |
| Lose It!App StoreGoogle Play | simple weight-loss logging | iOS, Android | free basic; Premium subscription | search; photo and barcode in Premium |
| WelmiApp Store | logging by photo or voice | iOS | AI analysis needs a subscription | photo, voice, barcode |
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free calorie counter app?
fatsecret describes itself as free, with Premium only for extras such as dietitian meal plans. MyFitnessPal and Lose It! are free to download with a basic diary, but barcode and photo logging are Premium in both.
Is photo calorie counting accurate?
It is a fast estimate, not a lab result. The app recognises the food well, but portion size is hard to judge from a picture, so pick an app that lets you correct the dish and the weight after the scan.