MacroFactor vs Nu
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.
Nu
This app uses AI to provide personalized meal recommendations based on your fitness goals, dietary restrictions, and preferences. It simplifies food logging and offers instant meal inspiration for various eating scenarios, making healthy eating convenient for busy individuals.
- Personalized AI nutrition assistant
- Effortless voice-activated food logging
- Instant meal inspiration for dining halls
- Restaurant and menu item recommendations
- Tailored to fitness goals and preferences
- Designed for busy schedules
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Meet Nu-Trai Nu-Trai is an AI-powered nutrition and macro-tracking app designed for university students. It provides daily menu information for more than 350 university dining halls and helps students find, log, and plan meals that fit their nutrition goals. Unlike traditional food-tracking apps that require students to manually search a database for foods, Nu-Trai is designed to make nutrition tracking easier. Nu-Trai creates a personalized nutrition profile using your goals, activity level, dietary restrictions, food preferences, and favorite cuisines. It then recommends meals that fit your needs—whether you are eating at a university dining hall, ordering from a nearby restaurant, cooking at home, or grabbing food on the go. Personalized meal recommendations Ask Nu-Trai questions such as: - “What should I eat for dinner?” - “Where should I eat on campus?” - “What restaurant meal fits my remaining macros?” - “Do I have room for dessert?” Nu-Trai uses your personal profile, daily nutrition progress, preferences, and remaining calorie and macro targets to suggest relevant meal options. Natural-language food logging Log food by describing what you ate. For example: - “8 ounces of grilled chicken with rice and broccoli.” Nu-Trai estimates and records calories, protein, carbohydrates, and fat without requiring you to manually search through a food database. Multiple ways to log food Nu-Trai supports several food-logging methods: - Voice logging: Say what you ate. - Natural-language logging: Type a description of your meal. - Nutrition-label scanning: Take a photo of a nutrition label to record its information. Campus dining guidance At supported universities, Nu-Trai helps students explore dining hall menus and identify meals that fit their nutrition goals, food preferences, and dietary restrictions. Students can use Nu-Trai to see what is being served, decide where to eat on campus, and log dining hall meals more easily. Restaurant and everyday meal planning Nu-Trai can recommend meals from nearby restaurants and help users plan meals at home or on the go. Recommendations account for each user’s preferences, dietary restrictions, goals, and remaining daily calorie and macro targets. Built for busy lives Nu-Trai reduces the time required to plan meals and track nutrition. It is designed for university students, athletes, and other busy people who want to understand what they are eating without manually searching food databases or entering every ingredient. A New Try at Nutrition. Nu-Trai is developed and operated by Nutrai LLC. Nu-Trai is available on the Google Play Store. Terms of Use See here: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Disclaimer Nutrai does not provide medical advice. All recommendations should be viewed as suggestions and should not be considered a substitute for professional guidance. Please consult a qualified healthcare provider and do your own research before making changes to your diet or nutrition plan. Subscription Nutrai is free to download. A subscription is required to access personalized nutrition coaching, meal recommendations, and tracking features. Plans: Monthly $5.99 Annual $29.99 w/ 7 Day Free Trial Subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. Manage or cancel in your Apple ID Subscriptions.
Screenshots
Verdict
MacroFactor and Nu both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Nu's written reviews are positive against 71% of MacroFactor's. MacroFactor's advantage is ratings volume (24K vs 35) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, ads 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 Nu sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Nu holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MacroFactor has 24K ratings behind it against 35, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of MacroFactor's written reviews are positive against 100% of Nu's.
MacroFactor ships an update every 9 days, Nu every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | MacroFactor | Nu |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (24K ratings) | 5.0 (35 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 70.5% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 24K — better | 35 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #12 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 247 MB | 63 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Stronger By Science Technologies LLC | Nutrai LLC |
Customer experience
MacroFactor
Nu
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
Nu
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
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
Nu
- Nutrai - Elite7 Days trial$5.991 Month
- Nutrai - Elite$5.991 Month
- Nutrai - Standard7 Days trial$6.991 Month
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Nutrai - Elite7 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Nutrai - Elite$29.991 Year
- Nutrai - Standard7 Days trial$51.991 Year
- Nutrai - Elite7 Days trial$74.991 Year









