# Calorie Counter vs Dining Note

The clearest difference is ads: Calorie Counter at none against Dining Note's shown. Calorie Counter also leads on ratings volume (168K vs 857) and update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks). Dining Note's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Calorie Counter sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month and Dining Note sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 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 Calorie Counter against 4.8 for Dining Note. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Calorie Counter has 168K ratings behind it against 857, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 86% of Calorie Counter's written reviews are positive against 94% of Dining Note's.

Calorie Counter ships an update weekly, Dining Note every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Calorie Counter | Dining Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (168K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calorie-counter-mynetdiary/id287529757/reviews) | [4.8 (857 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dining-note-simple-diet-diary/id1194971321/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **168K** | 857 |
| Positive reviews | 85.6% of reviews | **93.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#20** | — |
| Size | 330 MB | 11 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [MyNetDiary Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/287529760) | [4th May Games Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/975488129) |

## What reviewers say

### Calorie Counter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calorie-counter-mynetdiary/id287529757)

**Currently charting:** #20 Top Grossing · Health & Fitness, #53 Top Free · Health & Fitness (US App Store)

Track your food intake and nutrition with a comprehensive calorie counter. Log meals quickly using a barcode scanner, photo analysis, or search. Monitor macros, vitamins, minerals, and more with detailed insights and progress charts.

**Highlights:** Barcode scanner, Meal Scan (photo logging), Macro and protein tracking, 108 nutrient tracking, Progress charts, Professional Connect, Meal planner

**Features:** Family Sharing, Siri integration, Apple Watch app, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| MyNetDiary Premium | $8.99 | per month |
| Premium Plus | $14.99 | per month |
| MyNetDiary Premium | $29.99 | per year |
| MyNetDiary Premium | $39.99 | per year |
| MyNetDiary Premium | $59.99 | per year |
| MyNetDiary Premium | $59.99 | per year |
| MyNetDiary Premium | $59.99 | per year |
| 3-months Subscription | $23.99 | one-time |
| 12-months Subscription | $59.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Fast barcode scanning
- 📊 Comprehensive data and analytics
- 💪 Helped with weight loss and healthy habits
- 🌟 Great app overall

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Inconsistent steps tracking
- 📉 Reduced free features over time
- 🔒 Privacy concerns with data access
- 💰 Expensive premium subscription

**Reported bugs**

- Issues with logging in and account management
- Incorrect food data and nutrition information

**Requested features**

- Add more exercise options
- Improve recipe and meal planning features
- Allow more customization of nutrient targets
- Integrate with other health apps/devices


### Dining Note

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dining-note-simple-diet-diary/id1194971321)

Easily track your daily food and drink intake, including meals and snacks. Record exercise, add photos, and set a password for privacy. Improve your eating habits with simple monthly statistics.

**Highlights:** Record meals and beverages, Track exercise, Add photos to entries, Password protection, Customizable themes, Monthly statistics

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Upgrade to Premium | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 🚀 Straightforward interface
- 💡 Flexible for recording food intake
- 🚀 Minimal and non-intrusive
- 👍 Doesn't focus on calories or weight loss

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or glitches
- 💡 Limited customization options
- 💡 Lack of syncing between devices
- 💡 No notes or mood tracking section

**Reported bugs**

- Swipe up gesture to exit app sometimes doesn't work
- Photo uploads can be unreliable or cause app to crash
- Inconsistent behavior when trying to save entries

**Requested features**

- Add ability to edit or delete entries
- Implement time stamps for meals
- Include option to export data
- Add more drink categories beyond just water and coffee
- Integrate with Apple Health or other fitness apps


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Calorie Counter free?

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

### Is Dining Note free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Calorie Counter or Dining Note?

Calorie Counter and Dining Note are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 168K and 857 ratings respectively.

### Do Calorie Counter or Dining Note have ads?

Dining Note shows ads; Calorie Counter does not.

### Which is updated more often, Calorie Counter or Dining Note?

Calorie Counter ships an update weekly, and Dining Note every 5 weeks. Most recently, Calorie Counter was updated on October 17, 2026 and Dining Note on October 13, 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.*