Cronometer vs MyFitnessPal
Short answer: pick Cronometer if you want accurate data and vitamin and mineral tracking. Its database comes from lab-analyzed sources such as NCCDB and USDA SR28, and its barcode scanner is free. Pick MyFitnessPal if you want the largest food database, restaurant dishes, and the most app and device connections. In MyFitnessPal, barcode scanning needs Premium. We also list Calco, a photo-first calorie counter for iPhone. Calco is our app, and we state its gaps in the table. We checked every cell against an official page on the date shown.
Disclosure: Calco is our app. We include it as one option. We checked each fact in the table against the linked source on the date shown, and we do not take payment from the other apps.
Cronometer vs MyFitnessPal vs Calco: features and prices
| Feature | Cronometer | MyFitnessPal | CalcoOur app |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price (US App Store) | Free Basic plan; Gold $10.99/month or $59.99/yearSource, checked October 18, 2026 | Free plan; Premium tiers listed at $9.99-$19.99/month and $49.99-$79.99/yearSource, checked October 18, 2026 | Free to download; photo logging requires the premium subscriptionSource, checked October 18, 2026 |
| Paid tiers | One: Cronometer GoldSource, checked October 18, 2026 | Two: Premium and Premium Plus (adds meal plans and recipes)Source, checked October 18, 2026 | One premium subscription; photo logging requires itSource, checked October 18, 2026 |
| Food database size | Over 1 million food entries, all available on the free planSource, checked October 18, 2026 | 20.5M+ foods, including restaurant dishesSource, checked October 18, 2026 | No food search database; AI estimates each meal from a photoSource, checked October 18, 2026 |
| Data source and verification | Lab-analyzed sources (NCCDB, USDA SR28, CNF and more); submitted items are verifiedSource, checked October 18, 2026 | Many options per food, including non-verified consumer entriesSource, checked October 18, 2026 | AI estimate from your photo; you can adjust the portionSource, checked October 18, 2026 |
| Vitamins and minerals | Up to 95 nutrients and compounds, freeSource, checked October 18, 2026 | A short list: vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron, potassiumSource, checked October 18, 2026 | No. Calories and macros (protein, carbs, fat) onlySource, checked October 18, 2026 |
| Barcode scanning | Free, unlimited on the Basic planSource, checked October 18, 2026 | Premium onlySource, checked October 18, 2026 | Not a listed featureSource, checked October 18, 2026 |
| Photo / AI meal logging | Yes, Photo Log (Gold)Source, checked October 18, 2026 | Yes, Meal Scan (Premium)Source, checked October 18, 2026 | Yes, with the premium subscription: snap a meal, AI estimates calories and macrosSource, checked October 18, 2026 |
| Voice logging | Yes, Voice Log (Gold)Source, checked October 18, 2026 | Yes, Voice Log (Premium)Source, checked October 18, 2026 | Not a listed featureSource, checked October 18, 2026 |
| Fasting tracker | Yes, Fasting Timer (Gold)Source, checked October 18, 2026 | Yes, Intermittent Fasting (Premium)Source, checked October 18, 2026 | Not a listed featureSource, checked October 18, 2026 |
| Other paid features | Recipe Importer, Macro Scheduler, nutrient search, Crono CoachSource, checked October 18, 2026 | Custom macro goals, Net Carbs Mode, AI Coach, meal plans (Premium Plus)Source, checked October 18, 2026 | Set your goals once; adjust portionsSource, checked October 18, 2026 |
| Integrations | Apple Health, Health Connect, Samsung Health, Fitbit, Garmin, Oura, WHOOP, Dexcom and moreSource, checked October 18, 2026 | More than 40 apps and devices, incl. Apple Watch, Fitbit, Garmin, Samsung HealthSource, checked October 18, 2026 | None listed on the App Store pageSource, checked October 18, 2026 |
| Ads | Free plan shows ads; Gold is ad-freeSource, checked October 18, 2026 | Free plan shows ads; Premium is ad-freeSource, checked October 18, 2026 | Not stated on the App Store pageSource, checked October 18, 2026 |
| Free history and charts | Free plan: 7-day nutrition view and two basic charts; Gold: unlimited historySource, checked October 18, 2026 | Not documented on the pages we checkedSource, checked October 18, 2026 | Not documented in our product factsSource, checked October 18, 2026 |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, webSource, checked October 18, 2026 | iOS, Android, webSource, checked October 18, 2026 | iOS only (no Android, no web)Source, checked October 18, 2026 |
Prices and features change. Each cell links to its source and shows the date we last checked it.
Which app should you pick?
You want to track vitamins and minerals
Pick: Cronometer
Cronometer tracks up to 95 nutrients and compounds on the free plan. MyFitnessPal shows a short list of vitamins and minerals. Calco does not track micronutrients.
You care most about data accuracy
Pick: Cronometer
Cronometer draws on lab-analyzed sources such as NCCDB and USDA SR28 and verifies submitted items. A 2025 study of endurance athletes found Cronometer more reliable and valid than MyFitnessPal for most nutrients.
You want free barcode scanning
Pick: Cronometer
Cronometer includes unlimited barcode scanning on its free Basic plan. MyFitnessPal puts barcode scanning behind Premium.
You eat at restaurants and want the biggest database
Pick: MyFitnessPal
MyFitnessPal lists 20.5M+ foods, including restaurant dishes. That makes it more likely that a specific chain meal is already in the database.
You want the most app and device connections
Pick: MyFitnessPal
MyFitnessPal connects to more than 40 apps and devices, and it has a large community forum. Cronometer also syncs with the major platforms and devices.
You want meal plans and recipes in the app
Pick: MyFitnessPal
MyFitnessPal Premium Plus adds personalized meal plans, grocery delivery and more than 1,500 recipes. Cronometer Gold offers a Recipe Importer instead.
You want to log a meal from a photo on iPhone
Pick: Calco
Calco is built around one step: snap a photo, then adjust the portion. In all three apps, photo logging is a paid feature: Calco requires its premium subscription. Calco is iOS only and tracks calories and macros, not micronutrients.
Is Cronometer more accurate than MyFitnessPal?
The best evidence we found is a 2025 study in the *Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics*. Two raters entered the same 43 three-day food records from Canadian endurance athletes into both apps. The researchers compared the results with a reference database. Cronometer showed good to excellent reliability for all nutrients and good validity for most nutrients (not fiber, vitamin A or vitamin D). MyFitnessPal showed poor validity for energy, carbohydrates, protein, sugar and fiber. The authors suggest one cause: MyFitnessPal offers many entries for each food, including non-verified consumer entries (PubMed). The study is small and covers one group of people, but it agrees with how each app builds its database.
How each database works
Cronometer takes its nutrition data from more than 10 sources, including NCCDB, USDA SR28, the Canadian Nutrient File and the Nutritionix branded database. It verifies items that users submit and removes duplicates (Cronometer).
MyFitnessPal has a much larger database (20.5M+ foods). Members can add foods, so you can often find the exact product or restaurant dish. The tradeoff is that one food can have many entries with different values. Check the entry against the package label when it matters.
What the free plans include
Cronometer Basic is free with ads. It includes the full database, up to 95 nutrients, unlimited barcode scanning, custom meals and recipes, device sync, and a 7-day view of your nutrition data (Cronometer).
The free MyFitnessPal plan includes food search, nutrition and weight tracking, exercise tracking and device sync. Barcode scanning, Meal Scan, Voice Log, custom macro goals and ad-free logging need Premium (MyFitnessPal).
Ease of logging
Both apps let you search a database, and both now offer photo and voice logging on their paid plans. Cronometer shows more numbers per food, which helps if you track micronutrients, but some people find the diary dense. MyFitnessPal finds more branded and restaurant foods, but you may need to choose between several entries for the same food.
If searching and weighing food is the reason you stop tracking, a photo-first app is a third option. Calco (our app) lets you snap a photo of a meal. The AI estimates calories and macros, and you can adjust the portion before you save. Photo logging requires the premium subscription. It does not track vitamins or minerals, and it runs only on iPhone.
What about Lose It?
Some people compare all three: Cronometer, MyFitnessPal and Lose It. We compare Lose It and MyFitnessPal on a separate page: Lose It vs MyFitnessPal.
Try photo logging with Calco
Snap a photo of a meal and Calco estimates its calories and macros. You can adjust the portion before you save it. iPhone only.
Get Calco on the App StoreFrequently asked questions
Is Cronometer more accurate than MyFitnessPal?
In a 2025 study of 43 food records from endurance athletes, Cronometer was more reliable and valid than MyFitnessPal for most nutrients (PubMed ID 41133373). Cronometer uses lab-analyzed sources such as NCCDB and USDA SR28 and verifies submitted foods. MyFitnessPal includes non-verified member entries, so the values depend on which entry you pick.
Is Cronometer free?
Yes. Cronometer Basic is free with ads. It includes the full database, up to 95 nutrients and unlimited barcode scanning. Cronometer Gold is the paid plan. It adds photo and voice logging, a fasting timer, unlimited history and an ad-free experience.
Is MyFitnessPal barcode scanning free?
No. MyFitnessPal says that barcode scanning and Meal Scan are Premium tools. Free members use food search. Cronometer includes barcode scanning on its free plan.
Which is best for tracking macros?
Both track protein, carbs and fat for free. MyFitnessPal Premium adds custom macro goals by day and Net Carbs Mode. Cronometer Gold adds a Macro Scheduler for different targets on different days. If you also want micronutrients, Cronometer is the better fit. If you want to log macros from a photo on iPhone, Calco is an option; photo logging requires its premium subscription.
Which app has the bigger food database?
MyFitnessPal. It lists 20.5M+ foods, including restaurant dishes. Cronometer lists over 1 million food entries. Cronometer has fewer entries but draws on lab-analyzed sources.
Is Calco free?
Calco is free to download, and photo logging requires the premium subscription. It is available on iPhone only.