---
title: "The Best MyFitnessPal Alternatives in 2026"
description: "MyFitnessPal's barcode scanner sits behind Premium, the subscription keeps climbing, and the app is reportedly for sale. These are the best alternatives, with 2026 prices and Apple Health support compared."
keywords: "myfitnesspal alternatives, best myfitnesspal alternative 2026, free myfitnesspal alternative, cronometer vs myfitnesspal, myfitnesspal barcode scanner, calorie counter apps, macrofactor, Ness"
date: "2026-09-11"
---


![A plate of food next to a smartphone running a nutrition app, hero](/images/myfitnesspal-alternatives-hero.webp)

MyFitnessPal is still the biggest name in calorie tracking. In 2026, it is also a worse deal than the apps chasing it. **The barcode scanner stays locked behind the $79.99-per-year Premium plan. The free tier shows ads. And Reuters reported in April that the owner wants to sell the whole app for more than a billion dollars.** Your data is not at risk today. But there are better places to put your money.

Here is why people leave, and the seven alternatives worth trying in 2026, with prices and Apple Health support compared.

## The short answer

- **Best overall replacement:** Cronometer. The free plan is the most generous in the category. Gold costs $59.99 a year and uses a checked food database.
- **Best for photo logging:** Cal AI. Or Ness, if you want your food log connected to sleep and recovery. MyFitnessPal's own photo logging trails both.
- **Best free option:** FatSecret. Every user can still scan barcodes for free.
- **Prices change often in this category.** We checked vendor and App Store pages in September 2026. We flag the places where sources disagree.

## Why people leave MyFitnessPal

**The barcode scanner paywall.** MyFitnessPal moved barcode scanning to Premium in late 2022. It has never brought it back. The free tier still logs food by hand. It shows ads while you do it.

**The price.** Premium runs $79.99 a year. A Premium+ tier costs $99.99 and adds meal planning and grocery lists. Monthly billing is roughly $20 to $25, depending on the source and the current deal. That is a hard sell when the most-used free feature is now paywalled.

**The ownership churn.** Under Armour bought MyFitnessPal for $475 million in 2015. It sold the app to the private equity firm Francisco Partners for $345 million in 2020, less than it paid. On April 9, 2026, Reuters reported that Francisco Partners is trying to sell the app through JPMorgan at a value above $1 billion. No sale has happened yet. Apps up for sale tend to raise prices first and answer feature requests later.

## The alternatives compared

| App | Free tier | Paid | Barcode scanner | Apple Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cronometer | Yes, deep nutrient data | $59.99/yr Gold | Yes, mobile app | Yes, two-way |
| MacroFactor | No | $71.99/yr | Yes, paid app | Yes |
| Cal AI | Trial | ~$29.99/yr | Photo-first logging | Unverified |
| Lose It! | Yes | ~$39.99/yr Premium | Premium only | Yes |
| Yazio | Yes, scanner included | ~$48+/yr Pro | Yes, free tier | Yes |
| Foodnoms | Yes | $39.99/yr | Yes, free | Yes |
| FatSecret | Yes, free | Free, ad-supported | Yes, free | Limited |
| Ness | Trial | $79.99 per year | Photo, voice, and barcode | Yes, import and export |

Prices move with sales. Check before you buy.

## The picks in detail

**Cronometer, best overall.** Its food database is checked against lab-tested sources, not typed in by users. That matters when you care about vitamins and minerals, not just calories. The free tier tracks up to 84 nutrients. Gold adds the rest at $59.99 a year. If you are leaving MyFitnessPal because the app got worse, not because tracking got old, start here.

**MacroFactor, best for coached targets.** It changes your macro targets each week based on your scale weight and your logs. It does not push any specific diet. There is no free tier. It costs $71.99 a year. The tradeoff is honest: you pay for the coaching math, not the barcode catalog.

**Cal AI, best pure photo logger.** Take a picture of your plate. Get calories and macros. It is the cheapest paid option here at about $29.99 a year, and the fastest way to log a meal. We put it head to head with Ness in our Cal AI comparison, including where photo-only logging falls apart. Think home cooking and mixed leftovers.

**Yazio, best free-tier scanner.** Unusually, Yazio leaves barcode scanning in the free tier. Only the Pro features are paid. Pro pricing sources disagree, roughly $48 to $84 a year depending on region and sales. Check the App Store in your country.

**Foodnoms, best for the Apple ecosystem.** It is built for iPhone and iPad. Fast label scanning. Family sharing. A lifetime option around $39.99. If your whole digital life is already Apple Health, this fits it best.

**FatSecret, best free option.** Free barcode scanning. Supported by ads. No real paywall. It is clunkier than the paid apps. But free is free.

**Ness, best if nutrition is not the only number.** Ness logs meals by photo, voice, or barcode. It breaks down about 40 micronutrients and 11 amino acids per ingredient. And it connects the log to the rest of your health: your Recovery score, your sleep, and an AI coach that can tell you why a bad night followed a late dinner. It is $12.99 per month or $79.99 per year on the App Store. The health scores are computed on your phone.

## Switching without losing your history

Every app above except Cal AI syncs with Apple Health. Cronometer, Lose It!, and Yazio all import weight and activity from it. MyFitnessPal lets you export your logged days as a CSV file from its website settings. That covers your history if your streak matters to you. Nutrient totals will not transfer, because each app uses a different food database. Expect the first two weeks in a new app to re-learn your usual foods. After that, most of these apps are faster than MyFitnessPal, because there is less paywall between you and the scanner.

## FAQ

**Is there a truly free MyFitnessPal alternative with a barcode scanner?** FatSecret, and Yazio's free tier. Both scan barcodes without a subscription in 2026.

**Is Cronometer better than MyFitnessPal?** For nutrient accuracy, yes. Cronometer checks its database and shows vitamin and mineral detail that MyFitnessPal keeps behind Premium. MyFitnessPal has the bigger community and more recipes.

**Is MyFitnessPal going away?** No. A reported sale does not change the app today. It is a reason to expect more price increases, not a shutdown.

## Related reading

- [Photo Food Logging: How AI Calorie Tracking Works](/blog/how-ai-calorie-tracking-works)
- [Ness vs Cal AI](/blog/ness-vs-cal-ai)
- [The Best Micronutrient and Amino Acid Tracking Apps in 2026](/blog/best-micronutrient-tracking-apps-2026)

## Sources

1. Reuters. *Fitness and health app MyFitnessPal explores sale, sources say.* April 9, 2026. [https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/fitness-health-app-myfitnesspal-explores-sale-sources-say-2026-04-09/](https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/fitness-health-app-myfitnesspal-explores-sale-sources-say-2026-04-09/). Sale exploration, JPMorgan mandate, valuation above $1 billion.
2. Francisco Partners. *Francisco Partners announces acquisition of MyFitnessPal from Under Armour.* December 18, 2020. [https://www.franciscopartners.com/media/francisco-partners-announces-acquisition-of-myfitnesspal-from-under-armour](https://www.franciscopartners.com/media/francisco-partners-announces-acquisition-of-myfitnesspal-from-under-armour). Ownership history and $345 million price.
3. Cronometer. Pricing page. Checked September 11, 2026. [https://cronometer.com](https://cronometer.com). Gold pricing.
4. MacroFactor. App Store listing and FAQ. Checked September 11, 2026. [https://macrofactorapp.com](https://macrofactorapp.com). Subscription tiers.
5. MyFitnessPal. Apple Health support documentation, updated August 25, 2026. [https://support.myfitnesspal.com](https://support.myfitnesspal.com). HealthKit sync scope.
6. Foodnoms. *Foodnoms vs MyFitnessPal.* 2026. [https://www.foodnoms.com/vs/myfitnesspal](https://www.foodnoms.com/vs/myfitnesspal). Foodnoms pricing and features.

*Prices checked against vendor pages on September 11, 2026. Monthly MyFitnessPal and Yazio prices varied between sources at publish time; yearly prices are as stated above.*