The 10 Best Calorie-Counting Apps to Help You Hit Your Weight Loss Goals

Dietitans share their picks.

If you are trying to lose weight, get into shape or improve your overall health, you should consider downloading a calorie-counting app. “Calorie counting is the ultimate in accountability,” explains Tara Collingwood, MS, RDN, CSSD, LD/N, ACSM-CPT, a board-certified sports dietitian. “Not only can you learn a lot about your habits when you are keeping track of every single bite or sip you take throughout the day, but it also helps educate you about what is in food in terms of calories, macronutrients and even micronutrients.”

“Calorie-counting apps can be helpful for some people and harmful for others,” adds Bonnie Taub-Dix, RDN, creator of BetterThanDieting.com. While they can help you stay accountable and keep track of what you are eating, for others they “welcome disordered eating and obsessions about every food detail, taking the enjoyment out of eating altogether.”

With so many calorie-counting apps available, choosing one can be difficult. Jackie Newgent, RDN, CDN, a New York City-based plant-forward culinary nutritionist, suggests selecting one that matches your goals and even your personality, looking beyond the numbers. She also notes that you don’t need to be on a “diet” or be a calorie counter to use a diet-related app. “Some apps are great if you find community support beneficial—and others are ideal for helping you meet physical fitness goals,” she says.

Related: Best Free Apps for Managing Diabetes

10 Best Calorie Counter Apps of 2023

MyFitnessPal

Newgent notes that MyFitnessPal, available in a free and premium version, “can be especially helpful if you’re focused on fitness goals” in addition to calorie counting. Collingwood adds that it has a very extensive database. “You can also save meals that you might eat over and over again so you don’t have to enter all of the ingredients each time,” she says. Another great feature of this app is that you can scan the barcodes of packaged foods. “This could help provide feedback right in the supermarket to help you decide which foods to throw in your cart and which to pass up,” says Taub-Dix. (Android, iOS, free version available, $9.99 a month or $49.99 per year.)

Related: Hey, Parents! We've Got 3 Weeks of Family Meal Plans To Make Weeknights Easier

Lose It

According to Newgent, Lose It is very beneficial for those looking for community support. However, it might not be for everyone. “Although some people find food challenges to be motivating, I find them to provide more pressure to accomplish a goal rather than allowing progress to unfold naturally,” says Taub-Dix. “If you like to be challenged…then this app may be for you.” (Android, iOS, free version available, or $49.99 per year.)

WW (Weight Watchers)

Newgents maintains that WW (Weight Watchers) is another great app for anyone seeking community support. “You can also have access to in-person or virtual workshops with Weight Watchers,” she says. “Weight Watchers has been built on a foundation of sensible meal planning including balance and variety, so their app is based upon the same science-based approach,” adds Taub-Dix. (Android, iOS, from $10 per month).

Related: Whole30 vs Keto—Which Diet Is Better for Losing Weight?

Noom

“Noom uses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which makes it a standout compared to apps that are more calorie-counting focused,” says Newgent. “The positive aspect of this app is that it considers more than just food intake as a factor in a weight loss journey by focusing on eating behaviors as well,” adds Taub-Dix. However, she also mentions the biggest con of the app: There is no free version, so you will have to pony up. (Android, iOS, from $70 per month or $209 per year).

See How You Eat

Collingwood appreciates the convenience of See How You Eat. “You just take pictures of your food and upload them,” she says. “There is no calorie counting, but still accountability when you look at everything you ate for the day.” (Android, iOS, free download, services priced a la carte).

FatSecret

While Taub-Dix isn’t a fan of the name, she maintains that FatSecret has some helpful features including a barcode scanner to be used to assess packaged foods, an exercise log, a food diary and recipe suggestions. Plus, it’s free. “I don’t like that it presents ‘net carbs’ since this is a term that has not been legally defined and is often used by food companies to make their products seem healthier,” she adds. (Android, iOS, and web, free).

MyNetDiary

Taub-Dix also appreciates the features of MyNetDiary. “Logging into this app can be done via a food’s barcode or your voice,” she says. This app takes special diets (gluten-free, etc.) and special conditions (pregnancy) into consideration, however, if you are on a special diet for medical needs or you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, you should speak with your doctor or dietitian before following any suggestions made by an app.” (Android, iOS, and web, free version available or $9 per month/$60 per year).

MyPlate Calorie Counter

Carrie Underwood is a fan of MyPlate by Livestrong, an app that helps change eating habits with an eight-week meal plan. It offers nutritional information for every meal and tracks calories consumed and burned with various workouts. There is a free version, but if you want access to “clean eating” recipes you will have to subscribe to the $9.99 per month option. (Android, iOS, free version available, or $9.99 per month).

Carb Manager

For those on the keto diet who are more concerned about carbs than calories, Carb Manager is a great option. Not only does it make tracking carbs and net carbs simple, but helps track protein, fat, nutrients, and calories as well. The app also comes in handy for keto cooking, offering lots of recipes, meal plans, and shopping lists. (Android and iOS, free version available or $39.99 per month).

Related: Best Diet Apps for Keto

Lifesum

This simple-to-use app is a calorie counter and then some. For example, Lifesum offers one-to-three-week diet plans for a variety of lifestyles, including keto and vegan, each with four pre-planned recipes per day. The calorie counter allows you to scan barcodes or choose from a food database, simplifying tracking. It also gives you a daily Life score so you can stay accountable. (Available on Android and iOS, free version available or from $8.33 per month).

Expert Tips on How To Use Calorie Counter Apps

Use them in conjunction with an RDN

Apps may be most effective when used in conjunction with individual consultations with an RDN, notes Newgent. You can find a nutrition expert through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Log in realtime

Make sure you log in real time because you do forget at the end of the day what you ate, especially snacks, says Gidus.

Related: 20 Best Workout Apps

Weigh and measure food

Gidus also suggests weighing and measuring your food so you know exactly how much to log. “There is a big difference between 1/2 cup and 1 cup of rice, how much cereal you poured, how big that piece of salmon was, etc,” she says.

Don’t forget about condiments and cooking oils

Don’t forget about condiments like salad dressing, mayo, oil, ketchup, butter, jam, peanut butter, etc., notes Gidus. “Dissect the food you are eating to make sure you are getting everything accounted for,” she suggests. “Try to estimate the fat used in cooking, like if you are sautéing veggies.”

Scan barcodes

Gidus suggests scanning barcodes for prepackaged foods if the app has that feature and you are eating something in a package. Also, pick the exact food from a chain restaurant if it is in the database.

When in doubt, overestimate

When in doubt, overestimate. “We tend to underreport,” says Gius. For example, if you ate a cookie, how big was it, 3 inches, 5 inches, or larger? “If it was really big but they don’t have that size available, put in two of a smaller size for example,” she says.

Next up: 13 Best Intermittent Fasting Apps

Sources

• Bonnie Taub-Dix, RDN, creator of BetterThanDieting.com

• Jackie Newgent, RDN, CDN, a New York City-based plant-forward culinary nutritionist

• Jackie Newgent, RDN, CDN, a New York City-based plant-forward culinary nutritionist