A free calorie counter instead of a subscription.
Most calorie trackers are free until you want the useful part: the barcode scanner, the photo, the nutrients, a view of your own data past last week. Food Tracker has no paid tier because no AI runs inside it. ChatGPT or Claude, on the free version if that is what you have, does the logging from a photo, a voice note or a sentence, and the app shows you the numbers.
Compared, one by one
Prices and paywalls as last checked, and an honest paragraph on where each app is still the better choice.
- Food Tracker vs MyFitnessPalThe biggest name, and the one that moved barcode scanning behind a paywall. Premium is $79.99 a year.Checked October 2026
- Food Tracker vs HealthifyMeIndia's default. Strong on Indian food and human coaching, but the photo and AI features sit in paid plans.Checked October 2026
- Food Tracker vs Lose It!Fast to log by search, with a free barcode scanner. Premium doubled to $79.99 a year in 2026 and Snap It is mostly behind it.Checked October 2026
- Food Tracker vs CronometerThe accurate one: lab-verified data and 84 nutrients. Free comes with ads and a 7-day window; photo and voice logging are Gold.Checked October 2026
- Food Tracker vs MacroFactorThe smartest targets, and no free version at all: $71.99 a year after a week's trial.Checked October 2026
What every comparison comes down to
- No database to searchEvery app above makes you find your meal in a list and type a serving. Food Tracker never does: your assistant works out the items and portions from a photo, a voice note or a line of text, shows you the numbers and logs them on your yes.
- Nothing behind a paywallPhoto logging, voice notes, seventeen micronutrients, per-meal targets, thirty-day charts and weekly reports are all free, with no ads.
- Where they winBarcode scanning of packaged foods, verified databases, device sync, human coaches and adaptive targets are things Food Tracker does not do. Each page says so.
- Where you liveMicronutrient goals follow Indian RDAs from ICMR-NIN, and Indian dishes log as easily as anything else, because nothing has to be in a database first.