The 8 best free MyFitnessPal alternatives in 2026
MyFitnessPal’s free tier has ads, and barcode scanning, photo and voice logging and the CSV export are all Premium ($19.99/mo or $79.99/yr). Every app below has a free tier you can keep. We make Forkmate, so it’s first; each entry says when to skip it.
| App | Free tier | Barcode | Ads on free | Paid tier | Web diary | Imports MFP history |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. ForkmateThat’s us | Everything: logging, the diary, AI connections and import | Free | None | None; Forkmate is free | Yes | Yes, your whole history, numbers kept as you logged them |
| 2. Cronometer | Unlimited food logging with deep micronutrient data and raw-data export | Free | Yes, on the free tier | Gold $10.99/mo or $59.99/yr | Yes | None documented |
| 3. Lose It! | Calorie budget and food logging, plus a web diary | Premium; some free members keep it during the switch | Yes; a one-time purchase removes them | Premium $79.99/yr; Lifetime $299.99 | Yes | No; its help centre says importing isn’t possible |
| 4. FatSecret | Food diary and barcode scanner | Free | Not verified | Premium $14.99/mo or $59.99/yr (US App Store) | Yes | Not verified |
| 5. Yazio | Calorie counter with barcode scanning | Free | Yes, on the free tier | Pro; no price published on its site | No; its help centre says there is no web version | Not verified |
| 6. Lifesum | Traditional tracking, including the barcode scanner | Free | Not verified | Premium; prices vary by app store listing | No; the website can’t be used to track food | Not verified |
| 7. PlateLens | A free plan that doesn’t expire, with a daily photo-scan allowance | Not verified | Not verified | Premium $9.99/mo or $34.99/yr | Not verified | Not verified |
| 8. Nutrition MCP | Everything; MIT-licensed, hosted or self-hosted | Free, via your AI chat | None | None; free | No; you review meals inside the chat | Not verified |
Checked September 30, 2026 against each vendor’s own website and help centre (FatSecret’s against its US App Store listing, because its site blocked us). US prices. “Not verified” means the vendor publishes nothing we could confirm, not that the answer is no. Plans and prices change often; check theirs before you decide.
1. Forkmate: best free alternative that brings your MyFitnessPal history
Type what you ate in plain words, or tell Claude or ChatGPT, and it lands in one calorie and macro diary. Each food shows where its numbers came from.
See the full Forkmate vs MyFitnessPal comparison.
- Free tier
- Everything: logging, the diary, AI connections and import
- Barcode
- Free
- Paid tier
- None; Forkmate is free
- Web diary
- Yes
- Imports MFP history
- Yes, your whole history, numbers kept as you logged them
- Skip it if
- you want an app-store app with in-app photo scanning, or micronutrient detail
2. Cronometer: best free tier for micronutrients
Lab-sourced nutrient data with the source shown on every food, and free barcode scanning.
- Free tier
- Unlimited food logging with deep micronutrient data and raw-data export
- Barcode
- Free
- Paid tier
- Gold $10.99/mo or $59.99/yr
- Web diary
- Yes
- Imports MFP history
- None documented
- Skip it if
- you want photo or voice logging free (both are Gold), or to bring your MFP history over
3. Lose It!: closest free feel to MyFitnessPal, with a web diary
A familiar, budget-style tracker on phone and web.
- Free tier
- Calorie budget and food logging, plus a web diary
- Barcode
- Premium; some free members keep it during the switch
- Paid tier
- Premium $79.99/yr; Lifetime $299.99
- Web diary
- Yes
- Imports MFP history
- No; its help centre says importing isn’t possible
- Skip it if
- you want free barcode, photo or voice logging, or your MFP history
4. FatSecret: free barcode scanning on phone and web
A long-running free tracker whose barcode scanner sits in the free feature list.
- Free tier
- Food diary and barcode scanner
- Barcode
- Free
- Paid tier
- Premium $14.99/mo or $59.99/yr (US App Store)
- Web diary
- Yes
- Imports MFP history
- Not verified
- Skip it if
- you want the paid features’ prices published on the vendor’s own site
5. Yazio: free barcode scanning in a phone-only app
A polished phone app with free barcode scanning.
- Free tier
- Calorie counter with barcode scanning
- Barcode
- Free
- Paid tier
- Pro; no price published on its site
- Web diary
- No; its help centre says there is no web version
- Imports MFP history
- Not verified
- Skip it if
- you want a web diary or free photo logging (now Pro)
6. Lifesum: free manual tracking with a clean phone app
Free barcode scanning, with AI voice, text and photo tracking on Premium.
- Free tier
- Traditional tracking, including the barcode scanner
- Barcode
- Free
- Paid tier
- Premium; prices vary by app store listing
- Web diary
- No; the website can’t be used to track food
- Imports MFP history
- Not verified
- Skip it if
- you want AI logging free or a web diary
7. PlateLens: free photo scanning with a daily allowance
If snapping a photo is how you want to log, its free plan lets you try it daily.
- Free tier
- A free plan that doesn’t expire, with a daily photo-scan allowance
- Barcode
- Not verified
- Paid tier
- Premium $9.99/mo or $34.99/yr
- Web diary
- Not verified
- Imports MFP history
- Not verified
- Skip it if
- you want unlimited photo scans free, or your numbers traced to a named database
8. Nutrition MCP: free, open-source tracking inside your AI chat
Log from Claude or ChatGPT with text, photos or barcodes, and run it yourself if you like.
- Free tier
- Everything; MIT-licensed, hosted or self-hosted
- Barcode
- Free, via your AI chat
- Paid tier
- None; free
- Web diary
- No; you review meals inside the chat
- Imports MFP history
- Not verified
- Skip it if
- you want a diary you can open outside the chat
The facts, side by side
Price, ads, platforms and the features people switch for, for the six trackers people compare most. Each cell names its source and when it was checked.
| Fact | Forkmate | MyFitnessPal | Cronometer | Lose It! | MacroFactor | Cal AI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free. There is no paid planForkmate FAQ · Checked | Premium $19.99/mo or $79.99/yr; Premium+ $24.99/mo or $99.99/yrMyFitnessPal Premium · Checked | Gold $10.99/mo or $59.99/yrCronometer Gold · Checked | Premium $79.99/yr; Lifetime $299.99Lose It! help: tiers and pricing · Checked | $11.99/mo, $47.99 per 6 months or $71.99/yrMacroFactor · Checked | 3-day trial; no price published on its sitecalai.app · Checked |
| Ads | No adsForkmate pledge · Checked | Ads on the free tierMFP help: Free, Premium and Premium+ · Checked | Ads on the free tier (no ads is a Gold feature)Cronometer help: subscription types · Checked | Ads on the free tier; a one-time fee removes themLose It! help: ad-free version · Checked | No ads; no free tier (7-day trial)MacroFactor · Checked | Not statedCal AI on the App Store · Checked |
| Where it runs | Web app on any phone or computer; adds to your home screen. No app-store appInstall Forkmate · Checked | iOS, Android and a web appMFP help: the free version · Checked | iOS, Android and a web appCronometer help: subscription types · Checked | iOS, Android and a web appLose It! help: logging food · Checked | iOS and Android; no web app yetMacroFactor · Checked | iOS and Android; no web app foundCal AI FAQ · Checked |
| Log from ChatGPT or Claude | Yes: Claude, Cursor and any MCP client; ChatGPT where your plan allows custom connectorsConnect your AI · Checked | A ChatGPT app for recipes and targets; it doesn’t log mealsMyFitnessPal blog, 2026-01-07 · Checked | None found on its site or help centreCronometer Gold · Checked | None found on its help centreLose It! help: tiers and pricing · Checked | None found on its siteMacroFactor · Checked | None found on its sitecalai.app · Checked |
| Photo logging | Through your AI assistant, saved as an estimate. No in-app photo reading yetForkmate home FAQ · Checked | Meal Scan, Premium only, in the phone appsMFP help: Meal Scanner · Checked | Photo Log, Gold onlyCronometer help: photo logging · Checked | Snap It, Premium onlyLose It! help: Snap It · Checked | Yes, in the subscriptionMacroFactor · Checked | Yes, its core feature; results need a subscriptionCal AI on the App Store · Checked |
| Barcode scanning | Free: scan in the web app or type the numberForkmate FAQ · Checked | Premium onlyMFP help: Barcode Scanner · Checked | FreeCronometer Gold · Checked | Premium; some free members keep it during the switchLose It! help: barcode scanner · Checked | Yes, in the subscriptionMacroFactor · Checked | Yes; which tier is not statedcalai.app · Checked |
| Import MyFitnessPal history | Free: drop in MyFitnessPal’s export, kept as you logged itSwitch from MyFitnessPal · Checked | Not applicableMyFitnessPal · Checked | No importer documentedCronometer blog: MyFitnessPal to Cronometer · Checked | No: its help centre says importing isn’t possibleLose It! help: download your data · Checked | No direct import; 30 days of daily totals via Apple Health or Google FitMacroFactor · Checked | Not yet, by its own FAQCal AI FAQ · Checked |
| Export your data | Free, any time: your whole diary from SettingsForkmate pledge · Checked | CSV export on Premium; free accounts get a printable reportMFP help: export your data · Checked | Free CSV export of all your dataCronometer help: account settings · Checked | Yes, from loseit.com; tier not statedLose It! help: download your data · Checked | Yes, a spreadsheet exportMacroFactor help: export your data · Checked | PDF export; which tier is not statedCal AI FAQ · Checked |
How to move your MyFitnessPal history
Years of logged meals are the main reason people stay. You can take them with you.
- Export your data. The CSV export is Premium-only, but you can request a copy of your data through MyFitnessPal’s Privacy Request Center. How to export MyFitnessPal data free walks through it step by step.
- Check the new app can read it. Lose It! says it can’t import data, and we found no documented MyFitnessPal importer for Cronometer. Ask before you commit.
- Import it. Forkmate takes the export directly and keeps your numbers exactly as you logged them. See how the import works.
Questions people ask
What is the best free alternative to MyFitnessPal?
It depends on what you're leaving for. If it's ads and paywalled basics, Forkmate is free with no ads and no paid tier, and it imports your MyFitnessPal history. If you want micronutrient depth, Cronometer's free tier is the strongest, with free barcode scanning. Lose It! is the closest in feel and has a web diary, but barcode scanning is moving to its Premium tier. Yazio, Lifesum and FatSecret all keep barcode scanning in their free tiers.
Which calorie tracker has free barcode scanning?
Forkmate, Cronometer, FatSecret, Yazio and Lifesum include barcode scanning on their free tiers, by their own published feature lists. MyFitnessPal moved barcode scanning to Premium in October 2022, and Lose It! is moving it to Premium.
Can I take my MyFitnessPal history with me?
Yes, if the new app can read it. MyFitnessPal's CSV export is Premium-only, but you can request a copy of your data through its Privacy Request Center; our guide walks through the free route. Forkmate imports that export directly and keeps your numbers exactly as you logged them. Lose It!'s help centre says it can't import data, and we found no documented MyFitnessPal importer for Cronometer.
Is there a calorie tracker with no ads?
Forkmate and Nutrition MCP show no ads at all. MyFitnessPal, Cronometer, Lose It! and Yazio show ads on their free tiers and remove them on paid plans (Lose It! also sells a one-time ad removal).
Want AI in the mix? See the best AI calorie trackers, compared.
Bring your history to a free tracker
No card, no ads. Import your MyFitnessPal history, then log by typing what you ate or telling your AI.
MyFitnessPal and the other named apps are trademarks of their respective owners. Forkmate is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any of them. Comparisons reflect publicly available information checked on the date above and may change.