Cronometer vs MyFitnessPal (2026): Accuracy, Free Tiers and Price Compared

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title: "Cronometer vs MyFitnessPal (2026): Accuracy, Free Tiers and Price Compared" description: "Cronometer vs MyFitnessPal, compared on data accuracy, what each free tier includes, Gold vs Premium pricing, AI photo and voice logging, micronutrients, web apps and wearables. US App Store prices, October 2026." publishedAt: "2026-10-05" updatedAt: "2026-10-05" category: "App comparisons" tags: ["Cronometer vs MyFitnessPal", "MyFitnessPal vs Cronometer", "Cronometer", "MyFitnessPal", "Cronometer Gold", "most accurate calorie tracker", "free calorie tracker", "micronutrient tracker"] keyTakeaways:

• "Cronometer is the more accurate of the two. Its generic foods come from lab-analyzed sources such as NCCDB and USDA, and its staff check member submissions before other users see them. Most of MyFitnessPal's 20.5M+ foods are member-submitted, and unchecked entries have not been reviewed."
• "Cronometer has the stronger free tier. It includes barcode scanning, 84 nutrients and device syncing, with ads. MyFitnessPal's free tier covers manual logging and syncing, with ads, and puts barcode scanning, Meal Scan and voice logging in Premium."
• "Cronometer Gold is $59.99 a year. MyFitnessPal Premium is $79.99 a year. Both paid plans add AI photo and voice logging and remove ads."
• "Both have web apps and connect to the major wearables. MyFitnessPal lists 40+ integrations and 20 app languages. Cronometer's app is in English only."
• "Pick Cronometer if you care about vitamins and minerals, want a free tracker with a barcode scanner, or work with a dietitian. Pick MyFitnessPal if you eat a lot of branded and restaurant food, want a non-English app, or want the longest integration list." faq:
• question: "Is Cronometer more accurate than MyFitnessPal?" answer: "Generally, yes. Cronometer's generic foods come from lab-analyzed databases such as NCCDB, USDA and NUTTAB, and its staff check user-submitted foods before they are available to other members. MyFitnessPal's database is far larger but mostly member-submitted; entries without a green check have not been reviewed by MyFitnessPal. A barcode scan of a packaged food is accurate in either app, so the gap shows up most on whole foods and home cooking."
• question: "Is Cronometer free?" answer: "Cronometer has a free tier that includes food logging, barcode scanning, 84 tracked nutrients and device syncing, with ads. Cronometer Gold costs $10.99 a month or $59.99 a year on the US App Store as of October 2026, and adds photo and voice logging, the fasting tracker, the recipe importer, longer reports and an ad-free app."
• question: "Does MyFitnessPal's free version have a barcode scanner?" answer: "Not according to MyFitnessPal's own pages. Its Free vs Premium table and its App Store listing both place barcode scanning in Premium, alongside Meal Scan and voice logging. MyFitnessPal moved the scanner to Premium in October 2022. Some users report keeping free scanning in certain regions or on old accounts, so check your own app."
• question: "Which is cheaper, Cronometer Gold or MyFitnessPal Premium?" answer: "Cronometer Gold. It is $59.99 a year or $10.99 a month, against $79.99 a year or $19.99 a month for MyFitnessPal Premium, on the US App Store as of October 2026."
• question: "Do Cronometer and MyFitnessPal have AI photo logging?" answer: "Both do, on their paid plans only. Cronometer added Photo Logging for Gold members in September 2025; it suggests ingredients and lets you change servings and swap items before you log. It also has Voice Logging in Gold. MyFitnessPal has Meal Scan and Voice Log in Premium."
• question: "Which is better for micronutrients?" answer: "Cronometer, clearly. It tracks 84 nutrients and compounds even on the free tier, and its lab-analyzed entries carry full vitamin and mineral data. MyFitnessPal lets you set targets for nutrients like sodium and fiber, but many member-submitted entries only include what was on a nutrition label, or just calories and macros."

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Cronometer and MyFitnessPal are both search-and-log calorie trackers. They have been around for years and both have free tiers. They differ most on what sits behind each food entry. Cronometer builds its database from lab data and checks every submission. MyFitnessPal lets members add almost anything and reviews some of it.

Callie is our app, and it competes with both of these, so weigh this with that in mind. Callie stays out of the comparison below and gets one short section at the end. Prices come from the US App Store in October 2026, and claims about each app link to its own pages.

The 30-second answer

Cronometer is more accurate, tracks far more nutrients, and has the better free tier, with a barcode scanner and 84 nutrients included. Gold is $59.99 a year. MyFitnessPal has a much bigger database for branded and restaurant food, 20 app languages and the longest list of integrations, but its free tier leaves out barcode scanning and Premium costs $79.99 a year.

At a glance

Feature	Cronometer	MyFitnessPal
Food database	1.1M+ verified foods	20.5M+ foods, mostly member-submitted
Main data sources	NCCDB, USDA, NUTTAB, staff-checked submissions	Member submissions, some staff-reviewed
Nutrients tracked	84 (free and Gold)	Calories, macros and label nutrients
Free tier
Barcode scanner on free tier
Ads on free tier
AI photo logging	Gold	Meal Scan (Premium)
Voice logging	Gold	Premium
Annual price (US)	$59.99 (Gold)	$79.99 (Premium)
Monthly price (US)	$10.99 (Gold)	$19.99 (Premium)
Web app
Apple Watch
Wearable integrations	Apple Health, Fitbit, Garmin, Oura, Whoop and more	40+ trackers and apps
App languages	English	20
US App Store rating	4.8 (99K)	4.7 (2.4M)

Data accuracy

This is the main reason people pick Cronometer.

Cronometer's own guide to getting accurate nutrition data explains where its entries come from. Generic whole foods are marked NCCDB, USDA or NUTTAB, and these are lab-analyzed entries with detailed nutrient data. Foods that members submit go into a community database, and "each of these entries are checked by a staff member before being made readily available to the rest of our users." Its App Store listing describes a curated database of more than 1.1 million verified foods.

MyFitnessPal's App Store listing claims more than 20.5 million foods. Most were added by members. MyFitnessPal puts a green check on entries it has reviewed and says on its blog that entries without a check were submitted by members and have not been reviewed. Search for a common food and you will often get a long list of near-duplicates whose numbers don't agree.

The gap is smaller than it sounds for packaged food. A barcode scan pulls the label data in either app, and the label is the same. Where Cronometer pulls ahead is whole foods, home cooking and anything where you care about more than calories. Where MyFitnessPal pulls ahead is coverage. A local chain's burrito or an imported snack is more likely to be in MyFitnessPal at all.

What each free tier includes

Feature	Cronometer free	MyFitnessPal free
Food logging by search
Barcode scanner
Nutrients tracked	84	Calories, macros, label nutrients
Device syncing
Photo logging	Gold	Premium
Voice logging	Gold	Premium
Ads

Cronometer's Free vs Gold page lists the barcode scanner, 84 nutrients and device syncing in the free plan. The main limits are ads and reports and charts that only cover a 7-day window.

MyFitnessPal's Free vs Premium table puts "Barcode Scan & Meal Scan," voice logging and custom macro goals in Premium. The barcode scanner moved there in October 2022, and MyFitnessPal moved Meal Scan, recipe URL import and macro-by-meal goals behind the paywall in May 2026. Some users report that free scanning still works in certain regions or on long-standing accounts, so check yours before you assume.

If you want to track for free, Cronometer gives you more.

Price

Feature	Cronometer Gold	MyFitnessPal Premium
Monthly	$10.99	$19.99
Annual	$59.99	$79.99
Higher tier	None	Premium+ (meal plans, grocery tools)

Cronometer Gold is $20 a year cheaper on the annual plan and $9 a month cheaper on the monthly plan. Gold adds photo and voice logging, the fasting tracker, the recipe importer, longer-range reports, the Crono Coach and an ad-free app. MyFitnessPal Premium adds barcode scanning, Meal Scan, voice logging, custom macro goals, net carbs mode and an ad-free app.

AI logging

Both apps added AI logging recently, and both keep it on the paid plan.

Cronometer launched Photo Logging for Gold members on September 8, 2025. You take a photo, Cronometer suggests the ingredients, including likely hidden ones like oil or butter, and you review them, change serving sizes and swap items before logging. The matched foods come from its verified database. Voice Logging followed, also for Gold, and lets you speak or type a meal.

MyFitnessPal has Meal Scan for photos and Voice Log for spoken meals, both in Premium. We could not find MyFitnessPal documentation describing a review step for Meal Scan results, so check what it adds to your diary.

We have not weighed meals against either app's AI. Photo estimates in this category tend to miss by 10 to 25 percent, mostly on portion size, so the review step matters more than the model. Our guide to tracking calories from a photo explains how to reduce the error.

Micronutrients

Cronometer wins this one easily. It tracks 84 nutrients and compounds on both plans, including vitamin D, B12, iron, magnesium, choline and omega-3s, and you can set a target for each. Because its whole-food entries are lab-analyzed, the vitamin and mineral numbers are filled in, not left blank. Cronometer's guide notes that branded and member-submitted foods often carry only the nutrients on the label, and that it fills gaps from matching lab-analyzed foods where it can.

MyFitnessPal tracks calories and macros well and lets you set custom targets for nutrients like sodium and fiber. Its member-submitted entries often include only what was on a nutrition label, and sometimes only calories and macros, so a micronutrient total built from them is incomplete.

If you are vegan and watching B12 and iron, managing a deficiency, or sharing a diary with a dietitian, Cronometer is the right tool.

Web apps

Both have a working web version, which is rarer than it should be. You can log food and view your diary at cronometer.com and myfitnesspal.com. Cronometer's free tier limits charts and reports to the last 7 days, and Gold removes that limit.

Wearables and integrations

Cronometer's App Store listing names Apple Health and Apple Watch, Fitbit, Garmin, Oura and Whoop, and it imports workouts, energy expenditure and sleep. Device syncing is on the free tier.

MyFitnessPal's listing says it connects to 40+ fitness trackers, smartwatches and health apps, and it has apps for Apple Watch and Wear OS. If you use a less common device, MyFitnessPal is more likely to support it. Check both lists for your exact device.

Languages

MyFitnessPal's US App Store listing shows 20 languages. Cronometer's shows English only. If you want the app in your own language, MyFitnessPal is the only choice of the two.

When Cronometer is the better choice

1. You want accurate data. Lab-analyzed whole foods and staff-checked submissions.
2. You track vitamins and minerals. 84 nutrients on both plans, with a target for each.
3. You want a free tracker that scans barcodes. Cronometer's free tier includes the scanner. MyFitnessPal's does not.
4. You work with a dietitian. A full nutrient diary gives you both more to work with.
5. You want the cheaper paid plan. Gold is $59.99 a year against $79.99 for Premium.

For weight loss on a budget, Cronometer's free tier is the pick. Calories and protein are what matter most, and the free plan logs both from cleaner data.

When MyFitnessPal is the better choice

1. You eat a lot of branded, imported or restaurant food. Its database is about 18 times larger, so you will find more of what you eat.
2. You want the app in a language other than English. MyFitnessPal lists 20 languages. Cronometer lists English only.
3. You use a device Cronometer does not list. MyFitnessPal connects to 40+ trackers and apps, plus Wear OS.
4. You already have years of history in it. Your saved meals and recipes are a real reason to stay.

If neither fits: a third option

We make Callie: AI Calorie Tracker, so weigh this accordingly. If you want AI photo, voice and text logging at the center of the app, Callie costs $34.99 a year after 3 free AI logs, and every estimate goes to a review screen before it is saved. Its interface is in six languages (English, French, Spanish, German, Arabic and Japanese). It tracks calories and macros, not 84 nutrients, and it has no free tier, so it is not the pick for micronutrient tracking or for tracking without paying. The full comparison is Callie vs Cronometer, and there is also Callie vs MyFitnessPal.

Related reading

• MacroFactor vs MyFitnessPal
• MyFitnessPal vs Lose It!
• Best MyFitnessPal alternatives
• How to track calories accurately

Sources

1. Cronometer App Store listing (accessed October 5, 2026). https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cronometer-calorie-counter/id1145935738
2. MyFitnessPal App Store listing (accessed October 5, 2026). https://apps.apple.com/us/app/myfitnesspal-calorie-counter/id341232718
3. Cronometer. "Cronometer Gold" Free vs Gold comparison (accessed October 5, 2026). https://cronometer.com/gold
4. MyFitnessPal. "Compare Free vs Premium" (accessed October 5, 2026). https://www.myfitnesspal.com/premium
5. Cronometer Blog. "7 Tips For Getting The Most Accurate Nutrition Data." https://cronometer.com/blog/accurate-data-tips/
6. MyFitnessPal Blog. "Understanding MyFitnessPal's Food Database and Logging Accuracy." https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/how-food-database-works/
7. Cronometer press release via PR Newswire (September 8, 2025). "Cronometer Launches Premium Photo Logging: Fast, Verified Nutrition Tracking for Real Life." https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cronometer-launches-premium-photo-logging-fast-verified-nutrition-tracking-for-real-life-302549752.html
8. Cronometer Blog (September 8, 2025). "Photo Logging: The Easiest Way to Track Your Meals in Cronometer." https://cronometer.com/blog/photo-logging/
9. Cronometer Support. "Mobile - Voice Logging." https://support.cronometer.com/hc/en-us/articles/47549391461780-Mobile-Voice-Logging
10. Consumer Tech Wire (May 2026). "MyFitnessPal Moves Scan-a-Meal, Recipe Import, Macro-by-Meal to Premium." https://consumertechwire.com/news/myfitnesspal-paywall-expansion-may-2026/
11. Pocket-lint (2022). "MyFitnessPal put its popular barcode scanner feature behind a paywall." https://www.pocket-lint.com/apps/news/162386-wow-myfitnesspal-put-its-popular-barcode-scanner-feature-behind-a-paywall/