FatSecret vs MyFitnessPal: Which Free App Is Better?

FatSecret is our pick if you want a free calorie tracker with barcode scanning. MyFitnessPal is still a reasonable choice if you mainly log food manually, reuse saved meals, or already have a routine you like.

The deciding factor is what happens at your next meal. Do you need to scan a yogurt tub? Reuse yesterday's breakfast? Check how much protein you have eaten? Those tasks reveal more than a long list of features.

FatSecret's official app page lists free barcode scanning and macro tracking. MyFitnessPal's barcode guide puts its scanner behind Premium. That gives FatSecret a practical advantage for packaged foods, but it does not settle every part of this comparison.

Checked September 5, 2026. This is a comparison of the companies' documented plans, not a hands-on speed or accuracy test. We publish CalorieCue, another calorie-tracking app. Our recommendations concern these two free plans, with a separate section explaining where CalorieCue fits.

FatSecret vs MyFitnessPal: the free-plan comparison

Both apps offer an ongoing free plan alongside optional paid features. A free plan and a temporary Premium trial are different offers.

Sources: FatSecret's free app features, FatSecret's Premium comparison, and MyFitnessPal's plan comparison.

The recipe row needs more explanation because the companies package these features differently. “You can log food” does not necessarily mean “you can save and repeat this whole meal in one tap.”

Barcode scanning: FatSecret has the clearer free advantage

If packaged foods make up much of your day, start with FatSecret. Scanning can save repeated searches for a particular brand, flavor, and package size.

Imagine a breakfast of cereal, milk, and a yogurt cup. You have three identifiable products. A scanner is useful here because you can compare each match with the package in your hand. For an unbranded banana, searching by name may be just as straightforward.

MyFitnessPal's documentation says its barcode scanner requires Premium on iOS and Android. You can still log those same products through a food search on the free plan. The paywall changes the entry method, not whether you are allowed to record breakfast. MyFitnessPal barcode documentation.

Do not confuse a barcode match with a portion measurement. A scan can identify a product; you still need to enter how much you ate. Check the serving unit before tapping save, especially when the container holds more than one serving.

Protein tracking: viewing grams and setting gram goals are different

You do not need MyFitnessPal Premium just to see how many grams of protein you ate. Its free-version guide shows nutrient amounts in grams and lets you review your intake. Free macro goals use percentages in five-percentage-point increments. MyFitnessPal free features.

The paid distinction is setting a custom target directly in grams. MyFitnessPal identifies that capability in its Premium feature guide.

Here is why that matters. Suppose someone wants to track against an illustrative target of 130 grams of protein within 2,000 calories. This is a math example, not a recommended intake.

Using approximately four calories per gram of protein:

• 130 grams × 4 = 520 protein calories.
• 520 ÷ 2,000 × 100 = 26% of total calories.
• A 25% setting corresponds to 125 grams at that calorie budget.
• A 30% setting corresponds to 150 grams.

The free percentage settings cannot express that particular target exactly. You can still read your logged protein grams and compare them with a separate target. Whether you want the app itself to display the exact goal is the purchasing decision.

FatSecret also includes free macro tracking. Do not infer that every goal-setting option is identical between the apps: check the goal controls you need during setup. For the underlying calculations, use our calories-per-gram guide.

Saved meals and recipes: a reason to consider MyFitnessPal

MyFitnessPal's free plan includes creating foods, meals, and recipes. Its guide describes recipe entry using ingredients or a web recipe, followed by reviewing matches and servings. MyFitnessPal's free recipe workflow.

FatSecret's current Premium comparison lists one-tap recipe logging, Custom Meals, and Copy Food as paid features. Its help category also identifies copying and custom meals as Premium conveniences. That does not mean free users cannot record the ingredients in a homemade meal. It means you should inspect the particular shortcut you plan to use. FatSecret Premium features and plan details.

For someone who eats the same oats, milk, and fruit most mornings, reusing a checked breakfast may matter more than scanning each package. If you already have those combinations saved in MyFitnessPal, rebuilding them elsewhere has a real time cost.

For batch cooking, try your usual recipe before choosing an app. Can you change an ingredient, correct the batch's serving count, and log a different portion tomorrow? These are more useful questions than whether the download page says “recipe support.”

Our homemade-food calorie guide explains how to calculate a batch and divide it into the portions you actually serve.

Which app is more accurate?

We cannot name an accuracy winner from these feature documents. A larger database or a faster scanner does not establish that the food entry you select is correct.

MyFitnessPal itself notes that community-built data can have missing products or incorrect barcode matches, and explains how to correct them. MyFitnessPal's barcode troubleshooting.

Use the same entry check in either app:

1. Match the food. Check the brand, flavor, and fat level where relevant.
2. Match the unit. A serving, a container, and 100 grams are different quantities.
3. Match the preparation. Select a raw or cooked entry that matches how you measured the food.
4. Include additions. Oil, dressings, milk, and sauces need their own entries when they are not already included.

For example, imagine a 300-gram yogurt tub whose label lists 90 calories and 8 grams of protein per 100 grams. Eating the whole tub means logging three of those portions: 270 calories and 24 grams of protein. Leaving the entry at one portion misses 180 calories and 16 grams of protein, even if the product match is perfect.

That is an invented label example, not a measurement of either app's accuracy. It illustrates an error you can prevent before it reaches your diary.

Choose based on the meals you actually repeat

Our recommendation is to give the most weight to the task you perform most often.

Run a three-meal trial of the free plans

You do not need a month of parallel diaries to decide. Use three representative meals as a short comparison exercise:

• One packaged breakfast: find the correct products and adjust the quantities.
• One homemade lunch: include every ingredient and enter your portion.
• One repeat meal: attempt to log the same meal again using the available shortcuts.

For each, note whether you found a suitable entry, could correct it easily, and encountered a paywall on a feature you expected to use. You can also time yourself, but compare completed, checked entries rather than the first number that appears.

Then pick one primary diary. If a scanner saves little time because you mostly eat the same saved meals, do not make scanning the deciding factor. If you regularly abandon searches for packaged foods, give it more weight.

Should you switch from MyFitnessPal to FatSecret?

Switch when the new app solves a recurring problem. Free barcode access is a concrete reason. Disliking a subscription prompt is understandable, but it is worth checking whether moving would actually improve your daily routine.

Before changing apps:

1. Save a personal record of the targets and recipes you want to keep.
2. Check that your most frequently eaten foods are easy to find in the new app.
3. Choose a start date for the new diary so you do not accidentally split one day's intake between two places.
4. Keep the old account if you still need its history.

MyFitnessPal says returning from Premium to Free preserves your logs, recipes, and progress. That is different from transferring those records into FatSecret; this comparison does not establish an automatic migration path. MyFitnessPal's downgrade guidance.

If your main concern is how to log meals consistently, start with our practical calorie-tracking guide. If you are considering other products too, the free calorie-app roundup covers the wider shortlist.

Where CalorieCue fits

If you specifically want free manual logging, the comparison above should help you choose. You do not need a third app just because this article is published by CalorieCue.

If describing mixed meals is the part you find difficult, CalorieCue offers meal-photo calorie and macro estimates alongside other logging methods. Its App Store listing identifies in-app purchases and subscription features. Check the current offer and limits before subscribing.

Photo estimates still need review: confirm the foods, portion sizes, and additions the image may not reveal. Our guide to how photo food logging works explains the approach.

Download CalorieCue

Frequently asked questions

Is FatSecret better than MyFitnessPal for free users?

For someone who needs barcode scanning without a subscription, it is our first choice. For someone with a useful library of saved meals and an established MyFitnessPal routine, staying may be the better decision.

Is FatSecret completely free?

It has a free plan and optional Premium features. The official app page includes free macro tracking and barcode scanning; the Premium comparison separates paid conveniences.

Does MyFitnessPal still have a free barcode scanner?

Its published scanner policy requires Premium. The comparison here uses the documented plans checked September 5, 2026; check your own account's offer if it differs.

Can I track protein grams in MyFitnessPal without paying?

Yes. Viewing intake in grams is included. Setting custom goals directly in grams is the paid feature. The free plan uses percentage-based macro goals.

Which app counts calories more accurately?

This documentation review does not establish one as more accurate. Check the food match, portion, and preparation state in whichever app you choose.

Will I lose my MyFitnessPal history if I cancel Premium?

MyFitnessPal says your logs, recipes, and progress remain on the free plan. Paid features become unavailable. That does not automatically move your records into another app.