With the world advancing steadily with technology, if there is anything that gets affected the most, it has to be our fitness. Though you may already be health conscious, most people aren’t. And even if you are, let’s admit that it’s not as easy as it sounds. Regardless of whichever category you fall in, a good way to start is by keeping a check on the calories you consume daily. To do that, the best way is to take advantage of the technological advancement you carry with you everywhere – your smartphone. So without further ado, here is a list of the 15 best calorie counter apps for Android and iPhone in 2020.
Best Calorie Tracker Apps for Android and iOS (2020)
So, how do calorie counter apps work? Well, they offer you the desired flexibility to set your own goal based on what you want to achieve. Once your custom routine is battle-ready, you can go ahead with the plan following the set rules. With the detailed charts and super handy tips, they keep you guided. Some of them even offer apps for Android Wear and Apple Watch which makes it even easier to track your calories. What’s more, many of them also offer a ton of rewards to ensure the adrenaline remains in the top gear to achieve more. With that said, it’s time to cut the chase!
1. MyFitnessPal
Undoubtedly, MyFitnessPal is the most popular calorie tracker app out there. When you first open the app, you are asked a few questions like the goal that you wish to achieve, your activity level, and a few personal questions like your age, height, and weight. After you fill in all the details, you’ll be required to enter your email address and create a password to complete the sign up progress. All these details can be changed later, so you don’t have to worry about filling in the wrong information at that time. Now you will be shown your daily goal that the app recommends for you in order to achieve your desired goal. You can even choose to keep on track with regular reminders.
When you finally arrive on the home page of the app, you’ll find a simple equation that tells you how many calories you’re yet to take for the day in order to reach your goal. You can update this by adding the food that you eat and the exercise that you do. This can be done by tapping on the plus icon at the bottom-right of the home screen. You will also find a few other things that you can add like your weight progress, water consumption, and a status. You can use these as well to keep a detailed track of your health, but they won’t play a significant role in your calorie target.
A few other features of the MyFitnessPal app include “Diary” that has all the entries that you included in the app and can also be shared, “Progress” that shows the graphical representation of your progress, “Nutrition” that shows a detailed calorie intake for every meal that you take, and many more. The app also has a premium version that you can try for free for 30 days, and then buy afterward at a monthly or annual subscription for $9.99/month and $49.99/year respectively. This version gives you an ad-free experience with additional features like file export, setting different goals for each day, and food analysis among many others.
Install: Android, iOS (Free, Premium at $9.99/month or $49.99/year)
2. MyNetDiary
Very similar to MyFitnessPal, MyNetDiary takes an input of the food that you eat and then tracks your calorie intake accordingly. When you further enter details like your age, gender, height, current weight, and target weight, the app creates a “Calorie Budget” for you that is the number of calories that you must consume every day in order to achieve your desired target. If you ask me, this app is aesthetically more pleasing my MyFitnessPal with a beautiful interface and nice animations.
MyNetDiary also allows you to enter your exercise routine and then gives a calorie analysis and weight chart accordingly. You can add your before and after pictures in the app to help you stay motivated and on track. Furthermore, you can link your Google Fit account to allow suitable data to be shared among the two apps. You can upgrade to MyNetDiary Maximum that is billed annually at $39.99/year for even more features like linking more apps, detailed nutrient analysis, detailed body and health charts, etc.
Install: Android, iOS (Free, Maximum at $39.99/year)
3. FatSecret
Like MyFitnessPal, when you first open FatSecret, you are asked your goal and are required to enter a few personal details like your current weight, gender, activity level, your height, and the weight that you would like to gain. Once you complete that, you’ll be taken to your diary straight away. This diary is the place where you’ll see the calories that you are yet to take for the day in order to achieve your desired target and the calories you have already taken so far. On the same page, you can add the food items that you eat throughout the day, and the app will automatically reduce the number of calories from the day’s goal accordingly.
If you wish to dig deeper in your progress, you can go to the “Reports” tab that shows you a chart of the calories you’ve consumed along with macros and nutrients information for the same. FatSecret allows you to share your progress with professionals like your dietitian, trainer, or doctor. Furthermore, you can link your account with Google Fit, and use Fitbit to sync calories burned and steps taken throughout your day. You can also export your diary as a PDF file – a thing that most other apps offer in their paid variants.
4. Cronometer
Like most other apps in this list, you can use Cronometer only when you sign up on the app. Once you do that, enter details like your age, weight, height, and gender, and then you’ll be taken your diary. Here, you can enter the food items that you eat throughout the day and list the exercises, if you did any. The app will then calculate the net calories that you gained or lost accordingly. This helps you in keeping an eye on the number of calories that you should take for the day in order to achieve your daily target as prescribed by Cronometer.
You can also view detailed information about the macros that you consume and the individual targets for each one of them. Once you use the app for a while, you can further track your progress using the detailed calorie charts and nutritional reports provided by the app.
5. Lose It!
When you open the app for the first time, enter details like age, height, and weight, and then you’ll be taken to a screen where you’ll be asked about your goal. Here, you can mention your target weight how fast you would like that to be achieved. You will then, accordingly, see a “Calorie Budget” that is the number of calories you must consume each day in order to achieve your goal.
Similar to the food diaries in other apps, you can enter the food items that you consume throughout the day and the exercise that you do, and the app will fill in the calorie details accordingly. An additional feature that you get with Lose It! is calorie breakdown for each meal. This means that you will see the number of calories that the app suggests you can consume in each meal. The calorie suggestions for other meals are adjusted as you enter a food item under any meal.
With Lose It!, you can also track your weight goals and share your progress with your friends. In the section called “My Day”, you can even dig deeper and find the nutrient breakdown for the food that you eat. Lastly, you can get the premium version of the app with an in-app purchase to create custom goal settings and get access to exclusive content.
Install: Android, iOS (Free, Premium at $39.99/year)
6. Lifesum
You can start using Liefesum by entering your basic details like age, height, current weight, and target weight. You can then choose the time frame till which you want to achieve your goal. Your daily calorie goal will differ accordingly. Once everything is set up, you’ll be taken to your diary that keeps the track of your calories. Here, you can add the food items that you eat, the amount of water that you drink, and the exercise that you do. You can even scan a food item using its barcode. When you finally add a food item, you can see its macro breakdown right from that screen.
In the app, there is another tab called “Plans”. If you have a premium membership of the app, you can access specially designed diet plans for specific goals. You can choose any one and the calorie target will change accordingly. With this membership, you can also view recipes for a variety of dishes under the “Recipes” tab.
Install: Android, iOS (Free, Premium starts at $34.99/year)
7. ControlMyWeight
There are very few calorie counter apps which are both good and free to use. Well, ControlMyWeight is one of the few ones that are both free and offers a good selection of features which will help you track your calorie intake and lose weight. The app starts simply by asking basic information such as your weight, height, age, and more. Then it uses BMI calculations to give you a range of weight that should be good for your health. You can either use that range as your target or set the target range yourself. The last thing to do is to add the expected exercise data that you can clock every day.
Once you input all this information, it will give you the amount of calories that you need to intake to lose weight. The figure changes depending on your daily exercise input and weight tracking. The app also makes it really easy to log your calories. Just hit the big plus button and then input your food intake. The app hosts a huge collection of food ingredients with calorie data allowing you to input the calorie data accurately. It even has a barcode scanner which you can use to scan packaged food and enter the data automatically.
I also love the chart function of this app which allows you to see your progress in a visual manner. One of the good things about this app is that you can not only track your calorie and carbs data but also fat, sugar, sodium, cholesterol, and more. The best part is that the app is completely free to use without ads which makes it great for users who cannot afford to buy an app just to count their calories. The only drawback of this app is that it’s not available for Android devices.
Install: iOS (Free)
8. SparkPeople
Not dissimilar to other apps in this list, SparkPeople requires you to create an account on the app. On the next screen, you can opt to receive notifications for meal reminders and coaching tips that help you stay on track. After you make your selection on this screen, you’ll be taken to the home screen of the app. Here, like other apps in this list, you can add your food and water consumption details, exercise information, and weight tracking. When you enter a food item for the first time, you’ll be asked to set your goals first. For this, you’ll be required to enter you gender, age, weight, target weight, and height. When you fill these details, refine your goal by choosing the most appropriate activity level from the options that you get. Now when you add any food item, your calorie target will get updated.
SparkPeople also has some other useful features like “Community Feed” where you can ask and solve people’s queries, and browse through several topics and “Recipes” where you can find the recipes for many different dishes. For the “Recipes” tab to work, you may need to install another app that you will taken to from within SparkPeople. There is a premium version of the app also available that gives you an ad-free experience, allows you to export data from the app, and view advanced reports.
Install: Android, iOS (Free, Premium at $4.99/month or $29.99)
9. MyPlate
As obvious as it has become now, you need to sign up on MyPlate before starting to use it. Enter details like your age, gender, height, and current and target weights before finally selecting your goal. When you reach the calorie goal page, you will see options like easy, moderate, challenging, extreme, and custom. Each of these options are planned out to achieve your target over different time spans. On the next page, you can choose the time at which you have your meals and opt to get a reminder for them every time so that you don’t forget to stick to your calorie target. The following screen gives you the option to connect the app with your Google Fit account. You can skip this if you want.
Like other apps, enter the food items that you eat, the glasses of water that you drink, and the exercise that you do. Entering these details will update your remaining target for the day accordingly. You can also see the macro breakdown of the food that you have consumed on the same page. In the “Progress” tab, you can view the graphical representation of your progress. Lastly, to gain access to detailed analysis like macros by meal, top food sources, and calories burned, you can subscribe to the gold membership of the app.
Install: Android, iOS (Free, Gold starts at $9.99/month)
10. YAZIO
You can start using YAZIO by choosing your goal straight away. Once you do that, enter your details like age, weight, height, etc. and then you will be given a calorie goal. You can change this goal to one that suits you the best. When this setup is complete, you’ll be taken to your diary. Just like other calorie counter apps, you can enter your food intake and exercise information here. You will then see the updated calorie counter along with the corresponding counter for nutrients. A graphical analysis for the same is also available in the “Analysis” tab of the app. Lastly, if you become a pro member of the app, you can view recipes of different dishes and even view different diet plans.
Install: Android, iOS (Free with in-app purchases)
11. Joy Health Tracker
Despite being a less popular app, Joy Health Tracker has the potential to give its competitors a run for their money. To use the app, enter the details like your age, weight, height, etc. Once you do that, you’ll be ready to use the app. Unlike other apps in this list, you don’t get a prescribed target by Joy Health Tracker. Rather, you have to enter one manually. This can be done by tapping on the target. One of the biggest advantages of this is that you can create a target for each day individually by creating different “Templates”. Lastly, under the “Reports” tab, you can view the graphical statistics of your calories and weight.
Install: Android, iOS (30-day free trial, $2/month)
12. Simple Diet Diary
Simple Diet Diary is one of the few calorie counter apps that does not require you to create an account on the app. This means that you can start using it right after installing it. You can add a food item that you eat either by searching in the app or manually. If you choose to search it, then you will be required to have an additional add-on installed on your device as well. This will auto-fill the calorie and nutrient information as well. Though you can’t set a calorie target, you can view your intake count for each day. Also, you can view the statistics and graphs accordingly. It is a simple app but works out pretty well as a calorie counter app. Lastly, there is a premium version of the app available as an in-app purchase and offers a dark theme and a customizable widget.
Install: Android (Free with in-app purchases)
13. HealthifyMe
Whether you are a fitness freak or someone who is desperately trying to lose a lot of pounds to get fitter and stronger, HealthifyMe can be a smart pick for you. What makes this calorie counter so handy is the ability to simplify two pivotal things: planning the meal and tracking the eating habits. So, based on what your goal is, you can plan your meal and keep a track of the calories that you consume. Moreover, the app also offers helpful expert tips so that you can stay focused and easily find out the areas that need more attention. One of my favorite features of HealthifyMe is the seamless syncing with the stock health app for iOS which helps me find out the calories that I have burned. Everything considered; HealthifyMe is one of the top calorie counters for iOS and Android due largely to the seamless experience.
Install: Android, iOS (Free, Smart Plan starts at $5.99/month)
14. My Diet Coach
Looking for a personal diet coach to keep you guided throughout your weight loss journey? If yes, “My Diet Coach” could be the right answer to your goal. Probably the best part about this app is the flexibility that allows you to create a custom plan based on how fast you want to lose all the extra pounds. And once your custom plan is ready, it helps you stay motivated to achieve that coveted goal. With the much-needed insight, helpful tips, and also inspiring quotes, it keeps your adrenaline in the high spirit. Thanks to a handy panic button, it enables you to take control of the food craving. Not just that, My Diet Coach also offers a ton of rewards so that you can always feel at the top of your game.
Install: Android, iOS (Free, premium plan starts at $4.99/month)
15. Calorie Counter +
For a simplified calorie counting experience, “Calorie Counter+” is one of the better options. The biggest highlight of this app is a massive food database which makes it pretty simple to log foods. And with the built-in barcode scanner at the disposal, it offers a straightforward calorie counting experience. Another notable feature is the ability to set a daily target for things like water, fruit, and veg to help you stay tuned in to your fitness goal. Furthermore, Calorie Counter+ also provides pre-set nutrient guides to let you put more spotlight on the essential nutrients. But what has made me want this app is a solid library of more than 1, 000 activities that play a crucial role in losing weight or attaining the desired figure.
Install: iOS (free, the premium version is available for $2.99/month)
Monitor Calorie Intake with Best Calorie Counter Apps
When it comes to health and fitness, it’s important to know the calories you are taking. Now that you know about some of the best calorie counter apps for both Android and iOS, you can go ahead and eat without worrying about consuming extra calories. So, what are you waiting for? Try out the best calorie tracker apps and let us know if there is any other such app that you feel is good enough to be on the list. I’d love to know from you in the comments section below.
Abubakar Mohammed
