# Cronometer vs Carb Pilot

The clearest difference is ads: Carb Pilot at none against Cronometer's shown. Carb Pilot also leads on review sentiment (83% vs 69%). Cronometer's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (100K vs 15). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Cronometer sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $10.99 per month and Carb Pilot sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Cronometer holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cronometer has 100K ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 69% of Cronometer's written reviews are positive against 83% of Carb Pilot's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Cronometer ships an update weekly, Carb Pilot every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Cronometer | Carb Pilot |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (100K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cronometer-calorie-counter/id1145935738/reviews)** | [4.5 (15 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/carb-pilot/id6448928903/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **100K** | 15 |
| Positive reviews | 69.4% of reviews | **83.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#16** | — |
| Size | 154 MB | 18 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.5** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Cronometer Software Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/465173201) | [Dana Lewis](https://appshunter.io/developer/1683991711) |

## What reviewers say

### Cronometer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cronometer-calorie-counter/id1145935738)

**Currently charting:** #16 Top Grossing · Health & Fitness, #17 Top Free · Health & Fitness (US App Store)

Track your diet and exercise with an extensive food database and detailed nutrient breakdowns. Monitor progress towards health goals, integrate with fitness devices, and gain insights into sleep patterns. Offers premium features for enhanced tracking and an ad-free experience.

**Highlights:** Extensive verified food database, Detailed nutrient and calorie tracking, Fitness goal setting and progress monitoring, Integration with fitness trackers and devices, Enhanced sleep tracking and analysis, Customizable diary groups and charts

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Gold Monthly | $10.99 | per month |
| Gold Monthly | $10.99 | per month |
| Cronometer Gold | $10.99 | per month |
| Gold Subscription | $10.99 | per month |
| Gold Monthly | $10.99 | per month |
| Gold | $34.99 | per 6 months |
| Gold Annual | $54.99 | per year |
| Gold Annual | $59.99 | per year |
| Gold Annual | $59.99 | per year |
| Gold Annual | $59.99 | per year |
| Cronometer Gold | $59.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Excellent functionality
- 👍 Best tracker out there
- 👍 Logging food is super simple
- 👍 Easy to set up and use
- 👍 Comprehensive micronutrient tracking

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Doesn't allow hiding email
- 🐛 Widgets don't update properly
- 🐛 Recipes don't always import correctly
- 🐛 Slow performance and glitches
- 🐛 Inaccurate calorie and nutrient data for some items

**Reported bugs**

- Widgets don't update in real-time
- Occasional app freezes and crashes
- Issues with syncing fitness data from other apps
- Inaccurate calorie and nutrient tracking for some foods

**Requested features**

- Allow separating meals into breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Add more ethnic and international food options
- Implement Siri integration for logging food
- Provide more customization options for the home screen
- Add ability to edit database entries if information is inaccurate


### Carb Pilot

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/carb-pilot/id6448928903)

Estimate carbohydrate and macronutrient counts for meals using natural language input.  Quickly log food, track nutritional data, and export to HealthKit.  Features include voice entry, recipe building, and meal sharing.

**Highlights:** AI-powered carb estimation, Natural language meal input, Voice entry option, Track carbs, fat, protein, fiber, calories, HealthKit export, Recipe builder, Meal sharing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Membership | $1.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Cronometer free?

Cronometer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Carb Pilot free?

Carb Pilot is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Cronometer or Carb Pilot?

Cronometer is rated higher. Cronometer averages 4.8 out of 5 from 100K ratings, while Carb Pilot averages 4.5 from 15 ratings.

### Do Cronometer or Carb Pilot have ads?

Cronometer shows ads; Carb Pilot does not.

### Which is updated more often, Cronometer or Carb Pilot?

Cronometer ships an update weekly, and Carb Pilot every 2 months. Most recently, Cronometer was updated on October 29, 2026 and Carb Pilot on October 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*