# MacrosFirst vs The Build System App

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The Build System App at none against MacrosFirst's 9. The Build System App also leads on ads (none vs shown). MacrosFirst's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly) and chart position (#84 vs unranked). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. MacrosFirst sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $11.99 per month. The Build System App asks for nothing beyond the download.

MacrosFirst ships an update weekly, The Build System App fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MacrosFirst | The Build System App |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (23K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/macrosfirst-macro-tracker/id1253012487/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **23K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 74.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Best chart rank | **#84** | — |
| Size | 211 MB | 73 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [MacrosFirst, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1275597328) | [One Family Fitness Centre](https://appshunter.io/developer/1746960076) |

## What reviewers say

### MacrosFirst

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/macrosfirst-macro-tracker/id1253012487)

**Currently charting:** #84 Top Grossing · Health & Fitness (US App Store)

This app helps users track their food intake, calories, and macronutrients to achieve health and fitness goals. It offers features like custom goal setting, automatic serving size calculation, and quick food logging via barcode scanning or label analysis. Users can also monitor progress, share meals, and even convert alcohol calories into macro equivalents.

**Highlights:** Custom macro goal setting, Automatic serving size calculation, Barcode and label scanning for food logging, Detailed macro and nutrient tracking, Progress analysis and trend reporting, Meal sharing and social support, Alcohol calorie conversion

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

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| MacrosFirst Premium | $11.99 | per month |
| MacrosFirst Premium | $11.99 | per month |
| MacrosFirst Premium | $41.99 | per year |
| MacrosFirst Premium | $71.99 | per year |
| MacrosFirst Premium | $71.99 | per year |
| MacrosFirst Premium | $79.99 | per year |
| MacrosFirst Premium | $79.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Intuitive interface
- 💯 Accurate macro tracking
- 🔍 Extensive food database
- 🔓 Free features without paywall

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 📚 Limited food database for some users
- 🔢 Difficulty adjusting serving sizes
- 🔍 Inaccurate nutrition info for some items
- 🔧 Lacking certain customization options

**Reported bugs**

- Search function not working properly
- Time zone issues causing date discrepancies
- Scanning feature recording incorrect nutrition info

**Requested features**

- Integration with Apple Health
- Ability to share meals/recipes with friends
- Customizable macro goals (e.g., carb cycling)
- Improved reporting and progress tracking
- Option to submit food data corrections


### The Build System App

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-build-system-app/id6502836528)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MacrosFirst free?

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

### Is The Build System App free?

The Build System App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do MacrosFirst or The Build System App have ads?

MacrosFirst shows ads; The Build System App does not.

### Which is updated more often, MacrosFirst or The Build System App?

MacrosFirst ships an update weekly, and The Build System App fortnightly. Most recently, MacrosFirst was updated on October 16, 2026 and The Build System App on September 30, 2026.

---

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