8 Free Calorie Counter Apps [2024]
Many people want to track how many calories they are taking in their weight-loss journey. Here are 8 free apps to do that.
For many people, counting their calorie intake doesn’t only help them visualize their progress but also makes the journey exciting.
My aunt herself used a premium calorie counter app to help her track down what and how often she was eating.
She’s much better shape-wise now and most importantly, she was happy while on this journey.
It’s imperative to know that it’s useless to workout and go on a diet if all that makes you unhappy.
With that, let’s find out what exactly calorie counters are and how they can help you get into shape.
What Are Calorie Counter Apps?
These apps are like your personal food assistants, they help you track how many calories you are about to take with each and every meal.
For example, If you are about to make pocket ramen, scan the barcode with its scanner and you would get the approximate calorie count you’ll intake.
These apps generally have food databases, barcode scanners, a planner, a recorder, etc. built inside.
Do Calorie Counter Apps Work?
On a technological base, yes, their calculations are almost always in the ballpark of holding substantial value.
Otherwise, calorie counter apps only work in the sense that they can give you an approximate picture of the calories you are going to consume. Rest is your discipline.
It’s usually advised to do a proper workout regimen along with a healthy diet (nothing is off the menu except for junk foods) if you want to lose weight.
An approximate total of 2,500 calories per day is recommended for men and 2,000 calories per day is perfect for women.
The idea behind counting your calories is to eat better and stay away from unnecessary eating and junk foods. It’s not about eating less; it’s about eating smart as I have said before.
And yes, studies have said that people who unobsessively count their calories while trying to lose weight may get help from this activity.
Anyway, enough talk, let’s just dive into it and see which are the 8 best calorie counting apps in 2023 (that are also free) –
1. MyNetDiary
This app has more than 12 million members with even more coming in.
What sets it apart is its simplicity to use when compared to many other clunky calorie counter apps.
It has a clean and intuitive interface. You can just use the barcode scanner to count the overall calories and macronutrients of your meals.
It can also provide a meticulous breakdown summary of each micronutrient.
You can easily set a meal plan that is either mostly low-carb or high-protein. There are thousands of healthy and tasty recipes included as well from professional dietitians.
To provide you with more support it even has a FAQ section, an email contact, and a Help Center.
The Good
· Gives grades to foods so quick selection is easier for you.
· A wide range of meal-planning options included.
· Daily update of the in-built food database.
The Bad
· It doesn’t provide deeper information on all nutrients.
2. Cronometer
If you are looking for nothing more than a basic calorie counter app then Cronometer’s free version (for unlimited time!) is all you’ll need.
The staff behind this app makes every user verify the data they put in to ensure credibility.
That way, the summarization you get is maximum optimized for accurate results.
From macros and micros to supplements and summaries, you can track everything.
The premium version of this app unlocks some neat features like a priority in customer support, food suggestions, and timestamps on your entries.
You can expect to receive an FAQ section and a Help Center within this app for additional support.
The Good
· You get a verified database of food.
· You get the ability to report issues.
· It can easily sync with many other activity trackers.
The Bad
· Ads are irksome in the free version.
· It has a rather small database of foods.
3. Lose It!
If you are more into the quality of the food rather than just finding out the quantity of it, then Lose It! is the app for you.
It will automatically bring forth the protein, fat, and carb content of your foods, meaning you don’t have to click and click again to check the macro summarization for each snack.
You can even set personalized macro goal settings per your food choices and the app will automatically set up the counter meter for you.
What’s more, it also comes with its own barcode scanner which you won’t find in many calorie counter apps.
Its one-touch scan will break down your food’s macros and give you a general picture of all the nutrients in your food.
It has community support for workout guides and recipes.
There’s a feature that lets you figure out your eating pattern to check if your diet chart is working or not.
The Good
· Live chat option for your doubts.
· Greater focus on the quality of the food.
The Bad
· The library for exercises is limited.
4. MyPlate
MyPlate app is backed up by the US Department of Agriculture!
The biggest thing you’ll notice about this app is that you won’t get irritated by all kinds of bells and notification rings, it also has a liquid interface, another great reason to use it.
You can set simple goals like “More Vegetables” and if you haven’t made up your mind about where to start from, this app will pick out some suggestions for you.
After entering your foods, you’ll see real-time progress to take the most out of the food groups per your choices.
You earn badges and set up your daily goals like a video game challenge when you use this app so there’s a competitive side to using this app as well.
The Good
· FAQs and Email support.
· Auto-breakdown of food groups.
· Minimalistic design.
· The gamification of your daily goals could present a healthy challenge to many.
The Bad
· No personal coaching.
5. Healthi
Get It Now — Android
This was formerly known as iTrackbites, with this app you are offered six varieties of plans.
Whether you want to take control of your food portion, improve your insulin levels or just make your mind up with the finer details of your meal, Healthi allows all that.
There’s a way to make that all happen. You don’t exactly get a calorie count for your foods, instead, you get ‘bites’ chart per food.
This app tells you how many bites you can take out of your food.
An unconventional method. Yes. But this just might be a new and fun way to hop on the self-care bandwagon for many.
The food and activity tracking features of this app are free but upgrading to premium gives you access to macronutrient tracking and premium plans for losing weight.
The Good
· Gives personalized programs as per your goals.
· It has a large database of over 6 million foods.
· Has access to a large community and coaches.
The Bad
· As per many reviews online, sometimes the interface gets frustrating.
6. MyFitnessPal
With this app, you can both log and count calories, view your weight loss progress, track those workouts you do, and even connect with friends and the support group.
The interface is simple and doesn’t hurt the user experience at all.
It has the largest food database so far with 11 million food items covered.
The barcode scanner in it recognizes millions of food items. The restaurant logging feature will let you log your favorite meals from your favorite food places.
You also get an auto calorie counter from all the food you log in.
The personalized diet profile is easy and the flexibility to do just about anything in this app is really supportive.
The Good
· 11 million food items in its database.
· Has its own barcode scanner.
· Can connect with over 50 apps.
The Bad
· Free version has no recipe suggestions.
· The macros on user-generated foods may be wrong.
· Daily weight and calorie predictions could be inaccurate.
7. Carb Manager: Keto Diet Tracker
For someone willing to try low-carb or keto diet, this app is going to be really useful to them.
There is a lot of confusion for someone who’s trying to figure out the Keto diet but with the Carb Manager app, you have every keto-related information readily available.
So you don’t stand much chance to make mistakes in your keto diet plan. Instead, you’ll be more educated about ketones and glucose level fluctuation.
This app has a barcode scanner and picture recognition technology so your food loggings are not just informative but a fun game of sorts.
The Good
· A database of over 3 million foods.
· It tracks macros, micros, water, and workout data.
· Integrates with other fitness devices.
· Has thousands of keto-friendly recipes.
The Bad
· Interface is confusing for someone just starting.
· The search for favorite recipes doesn’t work properly sometimes.
8. FatSecret
It is a fast and simple calorie counter which many budget-conscious users will love.
It doesn’t force you to upgrade since the free version is robust enough on its own.
This one is also great for the keto diet but it can go just fine as a calorie counter and food diary with any diet plan you want to use.
It is simple, comprehensive, and quick and you get a large food database, weight journal and chart, an exercise diary, and a huge assortment of healthy recipes.
The Image recognition feature also makes logging your food easy.
The Good
· Free Version is very effective on its own.
· Considerably large food database.
· Exercise diary, weight chart, and journals.
The Bad
· Premium plans have some much-needed features not included in the free version.
· Physical activities are not given preference.
So, What’s Cooking?
It’s all about knowing what you want to eat and why!
And calorie counter apps free or paid, in general, provide the basic support you’ll need to articulate your weight-loss journey.
Take care, see you next time.
