Nutrition Tracking — Cronometer & MyFitnessPal
Cronometer, MyFitnessPal, Lose It, FatSecret, Lifesum — log food, count macros and micros, track over time.
The "I want to know what I'm actually eating" page. For workout-driven macros and physique-flavored tools see Macros & Physique Tracking; for calorie-targeted meal planning see Meal Planning Apps; for the food databases that power lookups see Food Databases & Open Food Facts; for diet-specific trackers (keto / plant-based) see Diet-Specific Apps; for allergen / symptom logging see Allergen & Intolerance Tracking.
The honest comparison
- ★ ★ Cronometer — most accurate database (USDA + NCCDB + curated additions), micronutrient tracking that actually works, less ad-stuffed than MFP. The right pick for serious nutrition — anyone investigating deficiencies, anyone tracking 30+ micronutrients, anyone with medical reasons to be careful. Free tier is generous; Gold ($55/yr) adds custom foods, recipe importer, integrations.
- ★ MyFitnessPal — biggest community-entered food DB; the "everyone has heard of it" default; 2024 paywall locked the barcode scanner behind Premium ($20/mo or $80/yr) which annoyed everyone. Database accuracy is terrible — community entries duplicate and contradict. Use it if your friends use it.
- Lose It — paid + free; cleaner UX than MFP; smaller DB; iOS-favored. Underrated.
- FatSecret — free + paid; old-school; community DB.
- MyNetDiary — paid + free; doctor-recommended; clean.
- Lifesum — paid + freemium; Scandinavian; opinionated about Mediterranean / plant-based; pretty UI.
- Yazio — paid + free; EU-focused; intermittent fasting friendly.
Why Cronometer wins for serious tracking
- Database curated, not crowd-sourced. USDA SR Legacy + USDA Branded + NCCDB. No "Frosted Mini-Wheats — generic" ten times with different macros.
- Micronutrients. Magnesium, vitamin K2, omega-3 EPA/DHA split, choline. MFP tracks ~10 micros; Cronometer tracks 80+.
- Food quality flag. Cronometer differentiates "raw broccoli" vs "boiled broccoli" vs "frozen broccoli" — the cooked-vs-raw distinction matters more than people realize.
- Stable pricing, no ads. Indie-feeling despite being mid-sized.
Self-host / FOSS options
The honest answer is: there isn't a great one yet.
- Wger — FOSS workout tracker with a nutrition module; food DB is sparse outside Germany; more workout-first than nutrition-first. AGPLv3.
- Open Nutrition Tracker (community projects, varying activity) — none have hit critical mass.
- Cronometer + manual exports is what most self-hosters actually do.
- Build-your-own: Open Food Facts API + USDA FDC API + a daily SQLite log + a Streamlit / Grafana dashboard. ~weekend project. See Food Databases & Open Food Facts and Data Apps.
Barcode-scanning workflows
- ★ Open Food Facts mobile app — free, OSS; scan a barcode, see Nutri-Score + ingredients + nutrition. Pairs with most trackers via export.
- Yuka — paid + free; consumer-facing health-rating app; opinionated; not really for tracking.
- Cronometer — has built-in barcode scan on iOS / Android; uses a curated subset of OFF / USDA Branded.
- MFP barcode scanner — paywalled since 2024.
Apple Health / Google Fit / wearable integrations
- Cronometer ↔ Apple Health / Google Fit / Garmin / Fitbit / Oura / Whoop — bidirectional; food + macros out, weight / steps / activity in.
- MFP ↔ Apple Health / Google Fit — works; less granular.
- Withings, Renpho, Eufy smart scales — write weight to Apple Health / Google Fit; flow into both Cronometer and MFP. See Smart Kitchen Scales for a sister section on kitchen-side hardware.
Pricing landscape (mid-2026)
| App | Free tier | Paid | Best at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cronometer | Full nutrition tracking | Gold $55/yr | Accuracy + micronutrients |
| MyFitnessPal | Limited (no barcode) | Premium $80/yr | Network effect, recipe import |
| Lose It | Generous | Premium $40/yr | Clean UX |
| FatSecret | Full + ads | Premium $25/yr | Free DB |
| MyNetDiary | Limited | $9/mo or $60/yr | Health-condition-flavored |
| Lifesum | Limited | $50/yr | Aesthetics + Mediterranean |
| MacroFactor | None | $72/yr | Algorithmic adaptive macros — see Macros & Physique |
Practical guidance
- ★ Pick Cronometer if you'll do this for ≥6 months. The DB quality compounds.
- Pick MFP if it's social — your trainer / friend uses it.
- Don't trust restaurant entries blindly. Off by 30–50% routinely. Photograph the meal and use the food's recipe-deconstruction tool instead.
- Weigh, don't volume-measure. A "cup of berries" varies 2x. Pair with a kitchen scale (see Smart Kitchen Scales).
- Body composition > weight. Pair tracking with a smart scale that does bioimpedance — useful trend, terrible absolute numbers.
- Stop logging eventually. Most people overshoot the value of long-term logging; 90 days of careful logging teaches you what your meals actually contain, then maintenance only requires occasional spot-checks.
Pick this if…
- Default for serious nutrition tracking: Cronometer.
- Your friends are on it: MyFitnessPal.
- Cleaner UX, you're iOS: Lose It.
- Algorithmic macro adaptation, no free tier OK: MacroFactor — see Macros & Physique.
- EU / intermittent-fasting flavored: Yazio.
- Self-host, willing to live with rough edges: Wger or DIY with OFF + USDA FDC.