MyFitnessPal vs Cronometer: Free Plans, Prices and Nutrients
Pick MyFitnessPal if you eat out a lot and want the biggest food database, including restaurant dishes, and you are fine paying for Premium to get barcode scanning. Pick Cronometer if you care about vitamins and minerals, want barcode scanning for free, and want a cheaper paid tier.
Both apps let you log food and count calories for free. They differ in what the free plan includes, how much detail they track, and what the upgrade costs.
MyFitnessPal vs Cronometer at a glance
| MyFitnessPal | Cronometer | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free; Premium is paid (US App Store yearly options listed at $49.99 and $79.99) | Free; Gold $10.99 a month or $59.99 a year |
| Free plan | Yes: food, weight and exercise tracking | Yes: food logging, barcode scanner, up to 84 nutrients |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Android, web | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Android, web |
| Open source | No | No |
| Barcode scanner on free plan | No, Premium only | Yes |
| Food database | 20.5M+ foods, including restaurant dishes | 1.1M+ verified foods |
| Best for | Quick calorie counting with the widest food coverage | Detailed micronutrient tracking on a budget |
Which is cheaper, MyFitnessPal or Cronometer?
Cronometer is cheaper, and its prices are easier to pin down. Its Gold page lists $10.99 a month, or $59.99 billed once a year, which works out to $4.99 a month. Cronometer says the yearly option saves 54%.
MyFitnessPal shows Premium prices in your local currency, so the number depends on where you are. Its US App Store listing shows yearly Premium purchases at $49.99 and $79.99 and monthly ones at $9.99 and $19.99, without saying which applies to whom. Either way, the lowest yearly Premium price on that listing is close to Cronometer Gold, and the highest is $20 more.
MyFitnessPal offers a 7-day free Premium trial if you have never had Premium or a Premium trial before. Cronometer's Gold page does not mention a free trial.
Which free plan does more?
Cronometer's. The biggest difference is barcode scanning. Cronometer's App Store listing says "Scan barcodes for free," and its Gold page shows the scanner in the free Basic plan. MyFitnessPal's Premium page lists "Barcode and meal scan" as a Premium feature, not a free one.
Beyond that, MyFitnessPal's Premium page puts these behind the paywall: voice logging, macro tracking with custom goals, macros by grams or percentage, ad-free logging, intermittent fasting, food insights, multi-day logging and Net Carbs Mode. The free plan keeps nutrition, weight and exercise tracking.
Cronometer's free plan keeps the barcode scanner and tracking of up to 84 nutrients, but limits reports and charts to a 7-day window. Gold adds Photo Log, Voice Log, a fasting timer, a recipe importer, a macro scheduler, nutrition scores, custom charts, printable reports, unlimited history and no ads.
What did we check ourselves?
On 6 November 2026, we compared each app's own upgrade page. MyFitnessPal's Premium page listed "Barcode and meal scan" as not included in the free plan. Cronometer's Gold page listed the barcode scanner as included in its free Basic plan, and its App Store listing said "Scan barcodes for free." If scanning packaged food is how you plan to log most meals, that one row decides whether you pay.
The same day, MyFitnessPal's Premium page, viewed from Pakistan, showed PKR 1,000 a month or PKR 5,200 a year, which is a reminder that its price really does change by country.
Which is more accurate for nutrients?
Cronometer tracks more detail. Its App Store listing says it tracks "95+ vitamins and minerals," and its Gold page says the free plan covers up to 84 nutrients. Its database is described as "more than 1.1 million verified foods."
MyFitnessPal goes for size instead. Its listing says you can log from "20.5M+ foods, including restaurant dishes." A bigger database means you are more likely to find the exact meal you ate at a chain restaurant. A smaller, verified one means fewer duplicate or wrong entries to pick through. Which matters more depends on how you eat: home cooks who weigh ingredients tend to get more from verified entries, while people who eat out most days need the restaurant coverage.
Do both work on Apple Watch and Android?
Yes. Both list Apple Watch support on the App Store, both have Android apps on Google Play, and both can be used on the web. Cronometer's iPhone app needs iOS 15.5 or later. MyFitnessPal's needs iOS 18 or later, so older iPhones may only run Cronometer.
Neither app is open source. If neither fits, our list of MyFitnessPal alternatives has more free and paid trackers.
Which should you choose?
- You eat at restaurants often: MyFitnessPal, for its 20.5M+ food database with restaurant dishes.
- You want to scan barcodes without paying: Cronometer.
- You track vitamins and minerals, not just calories: Cronometer.
- You want the cheapest paid tier with a clear price: Cronometer Gold at $59.99 a year.
- You want to test a paid tier first: MyFitnessPal's 7-day Premium trial.
- You have an older iPhone: Cronometer, which supports iOS 15.5 and later.
FAQ
Is the MyFitnessPal barcode scanner free?
No. MyFitnessPal's Premium page lists barcode and meal scan as a Premium feature.
Is Cronometer free?
Yes. The Basic plan is free and includes the barcode scanner and up to 84 nutrients. Gold costs $10.99 a month or $59.99 a year.
Does MyFitnessPal have a free trial?
Yes, a 7-day Premium trial for people who have never had Premium or a Premium trial. Billing starts when it ends unless you cancel.
Which app has more foods?
MyFitnessPal, with more than 20.5 million foods. Cronometer lists more than 1.1 million verified foods.