MacroFactor vs Cal AI
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MacroFactor
This nutrition app personalizes calorie and macro targets using adaptive algorithms and behavioral science. It offers advanced food logging, detailed breakdowns, and weight trend analysis to help users achieve sustainable diet goals.
- Adaptive nutrition coach
- Best-in-class expenditure estimate (TDEE)
- Fastest macro tracker
- Verified food database
- Weight Trend visualization
- Flexible plan modes
- AI photo food logging
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MacroFactor is a macro tracker, calorie counter, and nutrition coach app that helps you reach your diet goals to lose weight, gain muscle, or maintain with empowering, sustainable results, by combining innovative coaching algorithms with proven nutrition and behavioral science. KEY CAPABILITIES • Adaptive nutrition coach: smart algorithms personalize your calorie and macro intake targets, just like a nutrition coach would, and weekly check-ins keep you on track • Best-in-class expenditure estimate (TDEE): calculates how many calories you actually burn from your own logs and weight data, so your plan fits your body instead of a generic formula • Fastest macro tracker on the market: log food by AI photo, meal description, speech-to-text, barcode scanner, or nutrition label scanner, so logging takes seconds • Verified food database: more than 1.36 million entries, so you can trust the calorie and macro information of the food you log • Food and meal tracker: covers macros and micronutrients with detailed breakdowns for every meal and day, so you see exactly what you eat • Weight Trend: cuts through the noise of daily weight fluctuations, so you see your real progress • Flexible plans: choose Coached, Collaborative, or Manual mode with balanced, low-carb, keto, or carb-focused diets and different macros on different days, so your plan fits your health and fitness goal • Extra tools in one app: period tracker, habit tracker, data insights and visualization, integrations, and dark mode. HOW IT WORKS 1. Set your goal (lose, maintain, or gain) and choose your rate of weight change to set your calorie deficit or surplus. 2. Log your meals in the food log and weigh in with the weight tracker as usual. 3. Each week, MacroFactor compares your calorie and macro intake with your weight trend to calculate your true energy expenditure (TDEE) and detect changes in your metabolism. 4. It then adjusts your calorie, protein, and macro targets for the week ahead, so your diet plan keeps working and you avoid a plateau. FAQ • How does MacroFactor set my calorie target? It estimates your energy expenditure from your food logs and weight trend, then adjusts your targets at each weekly check-in. • What if I go over my targets or skip logging? Nothing breaks. The algorithm is adherence neutral, so your check-in and calorie adjustment still work, with no warnings or red numbers. • Can I set my own macros instead of following the coach? Yes. Choose Manual mode, and set different macros for different days. • How can I log food quickly? Snap a photo with AI food logging, describe your meal, speak it, or scan a barcode or nutrition label. NOTICES Contains information from Open Food Facts, which is made available here under the Open Database License (ODbL). Open Food Facts: https://openfoodfacts.org/ ODbL: https://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1-0/ SUBSCRIPTION PRICING & TERMS MacroFactor is a premium macro tracker app that offers three auto-renewing subscription options: $11.99 / month $47.99 / half year $71.99 / year (equal to $5.99 a month) MacroFactor has a free trial, but does not offer a free subscription tier. These prices are for US customers. Pricing in other countries may vary. Payment will be charged to your Apple account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription to MacroFactor will automatically renew, unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the current period ends. You can cancel or manage your subscription from your Apple account settings. Terms & Conditions: https://terms.macrofactorapp.com/ Privacy Policy: https://privacy.macrofactorapp.com/ MacroFactor is a macro counter, calorie tracker, and AI food tracker with a nutrition coach that adapts your calorie and macro targets every week, helping you lose weight, maintain, or build muscle without stress.
Cal AI
This app helps you achieve your fitness goals by providing personalized plans and nutritional breakdowns. Simply answer lifestyle questions, snap a photo of your meal, and receive an analysis to support your journey.
- Personalized lifestyle plans
- AI-powered meal analysis
- Nutritional breakdown
- Weight management support
- Food scanning feature
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HOW TO USE CAL AI: 1) Answer lifestyle questions to build your plan 2) Snap a photo of your meal* 3) Get your nutritional breakdown* If you want to get your dream body, Cal AI will help you get there with less time spent than anyone else. We aren't another complicated diet app. We want to empower everyone to be confident in their bodies with minimal time spent, but you have to work hard. We will support you and give you the tools and information you need. If you have any ideas or questions, please email us at team@calai.app. NOTE: We do not offer medical advice. Any and all recommendations should be viewed as suggestions, please consult with a professional and do your own research before trying a new calorie and nutrient plan. *FOOD SCANNING ANALYSIS RESULTS REQUIRE A SUBSCRIPTION TERMS: https://calai.app/tos
Screenshots
Verdict
MacroFactor and Cal AI both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 71% of MacroFactor's written reviews are positive against 32% of Cal AI's. MacroFactor also leads on ads (none vs shown) and device support (4 vs 2). Cal AI's advantage is ratings volume (375K vs 24K). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. MacroFactor sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Cal AI sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for MacroFactor against 4.8 for Cal AI. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cal AI has 375K ratings behind it against 24K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 71% of MacroFactor's written reviews are positive against 32% of Cal AI's.
MacroFactor ships an update every 9 days, Cal AI weekly. Both last shipped on November 10, 2026.
| Parameter | MacroFactor | Cal AI |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (24K ratings) — better | 4.8 (375K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 70.6% of reviews — better | 32.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 24K | 375K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #10 | #6 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 247 MB | 319 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Stronger By Science Technologies LLC | Viral Development LLC |
Customer experience
MacroFactor
Cal AI
User reviews
MacroFactor
From 24K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Easy to use
- 🔍 Detailed analytics and data
- 🤖 Intelligent algorithm adjustments
- 👍 Flexible and customizable
- 💯 Comprehensive food database
Room to improve
- 🔍 Limited food database for some regions
- 🤔 Steep learning curve for some users
- 💰 Subscription-based model
- 🤖 Occasional inaccuracies in AI-generated entries
- 🔀 Convoluted navigation in some areas
Cal AI
From 375K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Convenient and easy to use
- 💡 Innovative AI-powered calorie tracking
- 👍 Helps with weight loss/gain goals
- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 👍 Affordable subscription
Room to improve
- 🐛 Inaccurate calorie/macro calculations
- 🐛 Inconsistent performance
- 🐛 Limited food database
- 🔒 Lack of free trial
- 🔒 Paywall to access full features
Bugs and requests
MacroFactor
Reported bugs
2 issues- Disappearing food entries
- Inconsistent syncing with Apple Health
Requested features
5 requests- Apple Watch integration
- Micronutrient tracking
- Ability to edit database entries
- Improved barcode scanning for international users
- Customizable dashboard and widgets
Cal AI
Reported bugs
4 issues- Freezing/crashing issues
- Incorrect data entry and logging
- Syncing problems across devices
- Unreliable barcode scanning
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to manually adjust portion sizes
- Integration with fitness trackers
- Detailed macro and nutrient breakdowns
- Saved meal/recipe functionality
- More customization options
In-app purchases
MacroFactor
- Monthly Subscription14 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$11.991 Month
- Monthly Subscription$11.991 Month
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- Monthly Subscription14 Days trial$11.991 Month
- Semiannual Subscription7 Days trial$47.996 Months
- Semiannual Subscription14 Days trial$47.996 Months
- Annual Subscription14 Days trial$59.991 Year
- Annual Subscription7 Days trial$71.991 Year
- Annual Subscription14 Days trial$71.991 Year
- Annual Subscription Bundle$89.991 Year
Cal AI
- Unlimited$2.997 Days
- Unlimited3 Days trial$5.991 Month
- Unlimited$5.991 Month
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- Unlimited$9.991 Month
- Unlimited$19.991 Year
- Unlimited Plan3 Days trial$19.991 Year
- Unlimited$29.991 Year
- Unlimited3 Days trial2 variants$29.991 Year
- Streak Restore$0.99
Questions
Is MacroFactor free?
Is Cal AI free?
Which has better reviews, MacroFactor or Cal AI?
Do MacroFactor or Cal AI have ads?
Which is updated more often, MacroFactor or Cal AI?
Which is more popular, MacroFactor or Cal AI?
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