Comparison

Calorie Counter vs MacrosFirst

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Calorie Counter

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
Read full description

MyNetDiary is the calorie tracker you'll actually stick with: fast, accurate, and ad-free. Log meals in seconds with the free barcode scanner, Meal Scan (just photograph your plate), or quick search. Then get on with your day. Trusted by 32 million people. Named the top weight loss app by Forbes Health (2025). Scored highest of 30 apps for behavioral strategies in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The New York Times called it simpler, quicker, and better-looking than the competition. Featured in Today's Dietitian. WHY PEOPLE SWITCH Accuracy: MyNetDiary runs on a staff-verified food database of over 2 million foods with up to 108 nutrients per entry, built on USDA and NCC research-grade sources, the same databases used in clinical research. Most apps rely on crowdsourced data full of duplicates and errors. Our team reviews and updates 2,500-3,500 foods every day. An independent 2026 study in Nutrition and Health found MyNetDiary's calorie totals within 5 calories of the reference records and rated it highest of 17 apps for overall quality. Speed: In our January 2026 test, we logged the same 127 foods in every major app over a week. MyNetDiary took 31% fewer taps than the most popular calorie tracker. Results: In a peer-reviewed JMIR study of 5,132 MyNetDiary users (2026), those who tracked food 6-7 days a week lost 11.33% of body weight on average over 6 months. Value: The free version is generous, with barcode scanning, full macro tracking, 108 nutrients, and water tracking. No ads, no account required, no paywall tricks. WHAT YOU GET FOR FREE • Unlimited food diary with search, favorites, recent meals, and copy-from-day. • Free barcode scanner with accurate nutrition data from the verified food database. • Voice logging. • Macro tracking, planning, and protein tracking. • 108 nutrients - deep, accurate nutrition tracking (vitamins, minerals, omegas, amino acids). • Exercise tracking. • Water tracking. • Calorie calculator. • Customizable dashboard. • Weight loss progress charts and reports - no chart caps. • Custom foods and recipes. • Food sharing with friends and family. • Apple Watch app and widgets. • Apple Health sync: writes 51 data types, reads 14. • Coaching tips, meal reminders, shopping list. • Logging streaks to keep you going. • Professional Connect: share your diary with a dietitian, coach, or doctor. Used by dietitians and health professionals at no cost. • In-app Community. • Articles by Registered Dietitians. • Works offline. PREMIUM • Meal Scan: snap your plate and log it, matched against the staff-verified database. • GLP-1 Companion: nutrition-first support for Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound, and other semaglutide or tirzepatide medications, with protein targets and muscle protection while you lose weight. • Calorie and macro cycling. • Autologging: your regular meals logged automatically. • Intermittent fasting. • Advanced Autopilot, adaptive TDEE: estimates your actual energy expenditure from logged food, exercise, and Trending Weight and updates calories and macros weekly. • Health tracking: measurements, blood pressure, blood glucose, A1C, ketones, and more. • Medications and diabetes tracking. • Sync with Fitbit, Garmin, and Withings. • Trend Analysis to spot patterns and optimize. • Meal Planner. • Recipe import. • 600+ recipes and diet plans by Registered Dietitians: High-Protein, Low-Carb, Keto, and more. PREMIUM PLUS: AI COACH AI Coach is built on 20 years of nutrition expertise. • Daily guidance based on what you actually ate, not just what you planned. • AI voice logging: describe your meal out loud. • Meal suggestions matched to your calorie budget and preferences. • AI Restaurant Menu Scan: find the best options when eating out. Results may vary. MyNetDiary does not provide medical advice. All product names, logos, and brands are the property of their respective owners. Research: www.mynetdiary.com/research.html Terms of Use: www.mynetdiary.com/terms.html

About

MacrosFirst

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
Read full description

MacrosFirst is the most powerful macro tracker, food logger, calorie counter, and meal planner—designed to help you easily achieve your health and fitness goals, no matter your diet or fitness level. [ SET & TRACK YOUR MACRO GOALS ] • Create custom daily and meal-level macro goals, including unlimited custom meals, to fit any schedule or diet plan. [ AUTO-CALCULATE SERVING SIZES ] • Automatically calculate serving sizes to hit your specific macro targets with precision. [ LOG FOODS & MEALS IN SECONDS ] • Search a database of over 3M+ verified foods or scan barcodes with the barcode scanner for quick, accurate tracking—and easily copy meals or entire days between dates. [ SCAN NUTRITION LABELS ] • Instantly import nutrition facts by scanning food labels with your camera—no manual entry required. [ TRACK MACROS & NUTRIENTS ] • Get detailed breakdowns of calories, protein, carbs, fats, and more, and customize your view to track the metrics that matter most. [ ANALYZE YOUR PROGRESS ] • Track body weight trends and compare them with your food intake over time using detailed progress reports. [ SHARE MEALS & STAY CONNECTED ] • Share meals, foods, and recipes with friends and family, and view their daily logs for mutual support. [ CONVERT ALCOHOL INTO MACROS ] • Allocate alcohol calories as carbs, fat, or a combination of both, keeping your calorie and macro tracking perfectly aligned. ▶ GET EVEN MORE WITH PREMIUM ◀ [ UNLIMITED DAILY GOALS ] • Set personalized macro targets for specific days, perfect for carb cycling or training and rest days. [ SMARTER FOOD SEARCH ] • Find foods fast using AI—just describe your meal with voice or text, or snap a photo of your plate. [ PERSONALIZED EXPERIENCE ] • Save meal and day notes, and use Extra Meals to track unplanned or one-off meals seamlessly. [ ANALYZE YOUR NUTRIENT TRENDS ] • View nutrient trends and averages over any date range to track long-term progress and insights. [ SAVE & EXPORT DATA ] • Export your meal history to Excel or sync your data to Google Sheets for a deeper analysis of your nutrition. [ IMPORT RECIPES ] • Import recipes from any website, complete with ingredients and step-by-step instructions. [ MACRO MATH CALORIE REPORTING ] Calculate calories based on the actual macros to ensure that calories and macros always match, even when nutrition labels are inconsistent. [ UNLIMITED CONNECTIONS ] • Follow unlimited friends and share your progress, meals, and nutrition insights with your support network. [ VIP SUPPORT ] • Enjoy priority VIP support for Premium subscribers, ensuring your questions and needs are addressed promptly. ▶ SUBSCRIPTION PRICING & TERMS ◀ MacrosFirst is free to download and use, with optional Premium features available through auto-renewing subscriptions. Privacy & Security Policy: https://www.macrosfirst.com/privacy-policy.html Terms of Use: https://www.macrosfirst.com/terms.html

Screenshots

Calorie Counter4 screens
MacrosFirst4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Calorie Counter at none against MacrosFirst's shown. Calorie Counter also leads on ratings volume (166K vs 22K) and review sentiment (84% vs 75%). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Calorie Counter sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month and MacrosFirst sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $11.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Calorie Counter against 4.9 for MacrosFirst. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Calorie Counter has 166K ratings behind it against 22K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 84% of Calorie Counter's written reviews are positive against 75% of MacrosFirst's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Calorie Counter versus MacrosFirst: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCalorie CounterMacrosFirst
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (166K ratings)4.9 (22K ratings) — better
Positive reviews84.1% of reviews — better74.7% of reviews
Number of ratings166K — better22K
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
Best chart rank#19 — better#84
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size331 MB209 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperMyNetDiary Inc.MacrosFirst, Inc.

Customer experience

Calorie Counter

All ratings166,458 ratings
Positive96.3%
Neutral2.1%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews3,994 reviews
Positive84.1%
Neutral4.8%
Negative11.0%

MacrosFirst

All ratings22,103 ratings
Positive97.2%
Neutral1.5%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews501 reviews
Positive74.7%
Neutral6.6%
Negative18.8%

User reviews

Calorie Counter

From 166K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

MacrosFirst

From 22K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Bugs and requests

Calorie Counter

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Issues with logging in and account management
  • Incorrect food data and nutrition information

Requested features

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

MacrosFirst

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

5 requests
  • 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

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Calorie Counter

Subscriptions7
  • MyNetDiary Premium3 variants$8.991 Month
  • Premium Plus$14.991 Month
  • MyNetDiary Premium$29.991 Year
Show 4 more
  • MyNetDiary Premium2 variants$39.991 Year
  • MyNetDiary Premium$59.991 Year
  • MyNetDiary Premium7 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • MyNetDiary Premium1 Year trial2 variants$59.991 Year
One-time2
  • 3-months Subscription$23.99
  • 12-months Subscription$59.99
7 purchases

MacrosFirst

Subscriptions7
  • MacrosFirst Premium7 Days trial2 variants$11.991 Month
  • MacrosFirst Premium14 Days trial2 variants$11.991 Month
  • MacrosFirst Premium7 Days trial$41.991 Year
Show 4 more
  • MacrosFirst Premium7 Days trial$71.991 Year
  • MacrosFirst Premium14 Days trial$71.991 Year
  • MacrosFirst Premium7 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • MacrosFirst Premium14 Days trial$79.991 Year

Questions

Is Calorie Counter free?
Calorie Counter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MacrosFirst free?
MacrosFirst is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Calorie Counter or MacrosFirst?
MacrosFirst is rated higher. Calorie Counter averages 4.8 out of 5 from 166K ratings, while MacrosFirst averages 4.9 from 22K ratings.
Do Calorie Counter or MacrosFirst have ads?
MacrosFirst shows ads; Calorie Counter does not.
Which is updated more often, Calorie Counter or MacrosFirst?
Calorie Counter ships an update weekly, and MacrosFirst weekly. Most recently, Calorie Counter was updated on September 25, 2026 and MacrosFirst on September 25, 2026.
Which is more popular, Calorie Counter or MacrosFirst?
Calorie Counter currently peaks at #19 in the App Store charts, and MacrosFirst at #84. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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