These Helpful Apps Make Intermittent Fasting Way Less Stressful
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Intermittent fasting (IF) reigns as a popular weight loss strategy thanks to its structured eating schedule and supposed benefits like improved body composition and insulin sensitivity. Whether you want to try 16:8, 5:2, or the eat-stop-eat diet, it can be confusing to keep your fasting and feeding windows straight—especially if you're an IF beginner. This is where intermittent fasting apps enter the chat.
Before we jump into the best apps, a quick reminder: Intermittent fasting isn’t for everyone, so it’s always best to talk with a dietitian or doctor to discuss your lifestyle, habits, and goals. "If you're on certain medications or have certain medical conditions, it can actually be extremely dangerous," says Ginger Hultin, RDN, the owner of ChampagneNutrition. A pro can guide you and determine a sustainable weight loss plan that's right for your body. From there, an app can help keep you on track.
Another thing to keep in mind: As effective as IF has been for many people, there's no set number of pounds you can expect to lose by doing a fasting diet, says Hultin. Everyone responds differently and results can vary depending on the person and chosen IF plan. Always consult a doctor or dietitian and check in with your body to see if it's right for you.
Meet the experts: Ginger Hultin, RDN, is a registered dietitian nutritionist, the owner of ChampagneNutrition, and author of Anti-Inflammatory Diet Meal Prep and How to Eat to Beat Disease Cookbook. Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, is a registered dietitian based in Sparta, New Jersey and the author of Belly Fat Diet For Dummies. Colleen Moltzen, RD, is a New York-based dietitian at Keatley MNT.
How To Find The Best Intermittent Fasting App For You
Look for apps that cater to your specific needs. “When looking for an app for your intermittent fasting plan, first consider what your goals are,” says Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, a registered dietitian based in Sparta, New Jersey. “Do you want the app to just track your fasting time? Track your progress? Or help you with meal planning?”
To help you get started, here are 12 dietitian-approved intermittent fasting apps designed to take the stress out of following any IF plan.
For IF Newbies: Window
Window is jam-packed with features that make intermittent fasting as simple as possible. It lets you schedule your eating windows, notifies you when eating windows open and close, lets you sync your data with the Apple Health app and Apple Watch, and provides a blog with tips on how to be healthier.
“If you're unsure of where to begin, the Window app can help with that,” says Colleen Moltzen, RD, a dietitian at Keatley MNT in New York, adding that the app can “keep you motivated with visuals” that easily allow you to monitor your weight loss progress.
The basic app is free, but you can also subscribe to the premium version for $9.99 monthly or $39.99 yearly. The upgrade unlocks all IF plans, individual meal plans, challenges that help you build new habits, and nutrition and mood trackers.
Price: Free to download. Premium version costs $9.99/month or $39.99/year.
Available for iOS & Android
For Extra Motivation: Fastin
Fastin has various capabilities to fuel your IF success, including a step-by-step guide to intermittent fasting, a comprehensive set of trackers, including weight, water, sleep, and activity, and reminders to help you hit your goals.
“Success is driven by motivation,” Moltzen says, and those mini reminders “can keep you alert and interested.”
You can enjoy basic features of this app for free. Upgrading (for $19.99 quarterly) will give you access to a personalized fasting plan that includes a nutrition guide.
Price: Free to download. Upgrade available for $19.99/quarter.
Available for iOS & Android
To Help You Make Nutritious Food Choices: Fastic
Fastic has more than 400 recipes incorporating many healthy, filling foods to help you make the most of your eating windows. It also tells you what your body is doing during your fast and offers a fasting timer and step counter, as well as connection with a large community of fellow fasters.
The community element is clutch, says Moltzen, because motivating one another can make success easier.
The app is free, but you can also join Fastic PLUS for a one-month, three-month, six-month, or yearly membership—prices vary. With a premium membership, you'll gain access to the full recipe book, a personalized fasting plan, daily and weekly challenges to keep you motivated, and more.
Price: Free to download. PLUS price varies based on selected membership.
Available for iOS & Android
For Eating Time Reminders: Zero
Zero can be customized to track your fasting times, which means it works regardless of the type of IF plan you’re on (even if you’ve sort of made up your own schedule). And this can make sure you stay consistent, says Palinski-Wade. You can choose from several pre-set fasting windows or create your own schedule for up to seven days.
The interface is clean and simple, making it super easy to navigate. The app also has a dashboard that can help you analyze your fasting habits over time.
You can use the app for free or sign up for Zero Plus. With a $9.99 one-month subscription or a $69.99 one-year subscription, you can track advanced statistics, create custom fasting plans, and connect with your FitBit or Oura ring.
Price: Free to download. Plus subscriptions cost $9.99 for a month or $69.99 for a year.
Available for iOS & Android
For Taking Notes: Fastient
If you want to track your fasting times and keep an eye on your diet, Fastient has some of the most comprehensive tracking functions out there, allowing you to maintain a record of your food intake and stay on top of your overall progress. It features a wide, open interface that leaves plenty of room for you to journal, view your data in easy-to-read graphs, and access your info within the app or on your desktop.
“When it comes to following a meal plan for results, tracking is key for progress and accountability,” says Palinski-Wade, who likes that Fastient allows you to manage all your goals in one place and adjust as needed for different fasting styles.
This one is free for download, with the option to buy Fastient Premium. A yearly subscription costs $4.99, while a lifetime subscription costs $11.99. The purchase grants you access to a dark mode along with "quick-tag" emojis for recording your moods, and allows you to upload progress pictures.
Price: Free to download. Premium costs $4.99 for a yearly subscription or $11.99 for a lifetime subscription.
Available for iOS & Android
For Meal-Planning Advice: BodyFast
BodyFast gives you 10 different IF plans to choose from—and also serves up loads of coaching and meal planning tips. If you’re committed to IF but struggling with the daily mechanics of it, this app might give you what you need to troubleshoot your challenges.
Palinski-Wade says she loves all the support BodyFast offers, but warns that it could be a little misleading. “The BodyFast coach provides tips based on data such as your age and weight-loss goals, but this is not a replacement for working with a medical professional like a registered dietitian who can truly customize your meal plan for your own unique needs,” she notes.
The app comes with a set of free features. Getting the BodyFast Coach will unlock even more tools. Pricing varies, but you can choose from one-month, three-month, six-month, and yearly plans. You'll have access to over 100 recipes, weekly challenges, and the ability to build a personal plan.
Price: Free to download. Coach pricing varies based on selected plan.
Available for iOS & Android
For Community Support: Vora
This is a pretty standard IF tracking app, but Palinski-Wade points out it includes one unique—and important—component: community support.
“Research has shown that accountability and social support lead to greater success when it comes to making behavior change,” she says. “By engaging in a community of people with similar goals, this app may help you stick with your IF plan long-term for the best results.”
So, if you’re the only one of your friends who’s doing IF and could use some peer support, Vora might be your perfect fit.
Another great thing about this app is that you can use it for free or upgrade to Vora Pro for $4.99. The upgrade will give you more ways to track your progress, access to the community forum, and the ability to measure your own statistics.
Price: Free to download. Pro costs $4.99.
Available for iOS
For IF Advice: DoFasting
DoFasting provides a customized IF plan, a library of educational articles and workouts, and over 5,000 recipes. "They also have a bunch of workout videos embedded," Hultin adds, so all of your fitness and wellness advice is in one place.
Plus, the app will help you track your calories, water intake, and steps.
The app is free to download, but you'll need to purchase a plan. Currently, plans start at a rate of $32.99 per month.
Price: Free to download. Plans start at $32.99/month.
Available for iOS & Android
For Testing Different Fasting Schedules: FastHabit
If you change up your fasting goals all the time (like doing 5:2 one week and alternate day fasting the next), then FastHabit is one of the best ways to keep up with your shifting preferences. Just set up your desired fasting window in the app when you’re ready to begin and go.
You can also set reminders and notifications for yourself or check out your fasting stats over the past 10 days via the simple dashboard, but tracking more than that will require a premium membership.
FastHabit Pro costs $2.99. The upgrade will allow you to sync the app with your Apple Watch.
Price: Free to download. Pro upgrade costs $2.99.
Available for iOS & Android
For IF *and* keto advice: LIFE Intermittent Fast Tracker
If you're following the keto diet at the same time, the LIFE Intermittent Fast Tracker can help you track how long you've likely been in ketosis. Plus, you can connect with others who use the app to fast together and keep each other going.
The basic features are free. Subscribing to LIFE+ for $2.99 per month will allow you to create custom fasting schedules, get notifications when it's time to start and end your fast, access your monthly and yearly IF history, and more.
Price: Free to download. $2.99/month for LIFE+
Available for iOS & Android
For social media accountability: Ate Food Diary
The Ate Food Diary helps you keep a visual food diary, showing you how much time has lapsed between meals and snacks and helping you look back on your food choices and how they made you feel. If you're into social media accountability, Ate makes it easy to share what you've been eating on your channels.
The app's free trial lasts seven days. After that, you'll have to sign up for a paid plan billed monthly or yearly.
Price: Free to download. Prices vary based on selected plan.
Available for iOS & Android
For just the basics: Simple
Simple: Intermittent Fasting is a very (as the name implies) simplistic, all-encompassing fasting app, according to Hultin. The app offers features including recipes, articles, and a progress tracker. It also connects to the Health app on your iPhone to track your steps, weight, sleeping patterns, and water intake—so those important numbers stay in one place.
It's a free app to download, but you can also upgrade to Simple Premium for "full access to features and content." Subscription prices vary based on your selected subscription period.
Price: Free to download. Premium upgrade prices vary based on subscription period.
Available for iOS & Android
How Our Team Chose The Best Intermittent Fasting Apps
Women’s Health editors and writers, including Andi Breitowich, vetted the most popular and top-rated intermittent fasting apps. Our team consulted three registered dietitians and then evaluated customer reviews and ratings to narrow down the best intermittent fasting apps for a wide range of preferences and needs.
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