Comparison

CDC vs Plated

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

Head to head
About

CDC

Access the latest health information and news directly from the official source. Organize your home screen to prioritize what matters most and receive real-time updates. Explore a variety of content including disease data, videos, podcasts, and journal articles.

Highlights
  • Up-to-date health information
  • Customizable home screen
  • Disease case counts
  • Videos and podcasts
  • Journal articles
  • Searchable web content
Features
Read full description

Get the official CDC Mobile application to access the most up to date health information. FILTERING OPTIONS Organize your home screen so that the information that’s most important to you appears first! Turn off the content you don’t want with just a flip of a switch and reset it all with the tap of a button. CONTENT The app ensures that you’re getting the most up to date health information. The home screen lets you see all your information in one place and updates whenever your device is connected to WI-FI. Enjoy a greater variety of content such as Image of the Week, disease case counts, videos, and podcasts to give you the most current health information from CDC. Browse the latest articles, stay on top of health news in the Newsroom section, and view CDC Images of the Week. If you’re a journal reader, view the latest Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, Emerging and Infectious Disease journal, or the latest on Preventing Chronic Diseases. You can even search CDC’s web content from the app. We'd love to hear your thoughts about the app! Rate the CDC Mobile App in the App Store or leave a comment to let us know how we're doing. You can even send us an email through the app if you have suggestions for improvements! DISCLAIMER THE MATERIALS EMBODIED IN THIS SOFTWARE ARE PROVIDED TO YOU "AS-IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESSED, IMPLIED OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION (CDC) OR THE UNITED STATES (U.S.) GOVERNMENT BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANYONE ELSE FOR ANY DIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, LOSS OF PROFIT, LOSS OF USE, SAVINGS OR REVENUE, OR THE CLAIMS OF THIRD PARTIES, WHETHER OR NOT CDC OR THE U.S. GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH LOSS, HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE POSSESSION, USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.

About

Plated

Features
Read full description

Plated is a nutrition and training app for people who actually log. Scan a barcode, finish a set, run a route — and see the whole picture in one place instead of three apps that don't talk to each other. NUTRITION • Calories left and a ring per macro, against targets the goals calculator sets for you • Scan a barcode to log a packaged food in seconds — live, or from a photo you already took • Search a large food database and foods other users have added • Restaurant menus from 49 US chains, from each chain's published nutrition • Build a custom food or a multi-ingredient recipe once, then log it in a tap • Copy a previous day, lay out your meals your way, and keep a logging streak TRAIN • Start from a saved workout or build one as you go; the timer keeps running while you use the rest of the app • Tick sets as you finish them — PRs are spotted automatically • Pick the machine you're on; each brand keeps its own history and PRs • Cardio for outdoor runs and machines, with free GPS route tracking, per-mile splits, elevation and stickers of your route and PRs • Import your whole history from Hevy, Strong and other apps, and export it any time as a CSV • Workouts are written to Apple Health PROGRESS • A calendar of every day you trained • Steps and walking distance from Apple Health — a year of it, with totals over any range you pick • Bodyweight and body measurements, logged any day and charted over time • Switch between lb/in and kg/cm FEED & PROFILE • Share a workout, a meal or a run; follow friends and see what they're doing • Four views of you: posts, workouts, awards and an overview of your numbers • Go private and only approved followers see your posts • Report or block from any post; reports are reviewed within 24 hours • Dark or light mode, in Settings PLATED PRO Everything above is free. Pro adds the parts that lean on AI, sensors and your training history: • AI label scanner — reads nutrition labels in any language — and AI food lookup, for anything a barcode can't answer • Fill My Macros — dinner suggestions built from your own foods • Rest-day targets — fewer carbs on the days you rest: carb cycling that keeps the week's calories the same, or simply lower rest days. Protein and fat stay put, and you can switch any day between rest and training • Calorie calculator — turn any macro split into a calorie total • Micronutrients for every food and meal, and each day against the FDA Daily Value • Live heart rate from a chest strap, watch or band, recorded onto the session • Progressive overload — the next weight and reps to aim for, from what you have already lifted • Training analytics — a muscle heatmap, and per-exercise charts of max weight, estimated one-rep max, best set and volume • Your whole workout history, all time (free accounts browse the last 60 days; nothing is deleted) • Compare with friends — their muscle heatmap and workout calendar, all time, beside yours • Story stickers of a whole workout, one exercise or one set • A plate calculator — what to load on each side of the bar, from the plates you own, in kg or lb • Unlimited saved workouts (free accounts keep four) • Save workouts and exercises from other people's posts into your own library • Send a food or recipe directly to a friend • No ads Plated Pro is a monthly auto-renewing subscription, with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers. Payment is charged to your Apple ID when the trial ends, or at purchase if there is no trial. It renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before it ends. Manage or cancel it in your Apple ID settings. Plated is a tracking tool, not medical advice. Calorie and macro targets are estimates; talk to a professional before changing your diet or training around them. Terms of Use: https://plated-fitness.com/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://plated-fitness.com/privacy/

Screenshots

CDC4 screens
Plated4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CDC at none against Plated's 1. CDC also leads on ads (none vs shown). Plated's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs monthly). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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. Plated sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per month. CDC asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CDC ships an update monthly, Plated every 3 days. Both last shipped on November 5, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
CDC versus Plated: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCDCPlated
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.9 (413 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews22.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings413 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size38 MB69 MB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperCenters For Disease Control and PreventionDavin Kaiser

Bugs and requests

CDC

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Links within articles not working
  • App freezing or not loading past the splash screen
  • Symptom checker and other features not functioning properly

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improved contact tracing tools
  • More up-to-date and comprehensive disease data
  • Better integration with other health apps and platforms
  • Landscape mode support for tablets

Plated

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

CDC

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Plated

Subscriptions1
  • Plated Fitness Pro7 Days trial$9.991 Month

Questions

Is CDC free?
CDC is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Plated free?
Plated is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do CDC or Plated have ads?
Plated shows ads; CDC does not.
Which is updated more often, CDC or Plated?
CDC ships an update monthly, and Plated every 3 days. Most recently, CDC was updated on November 5, 2026 and Plated on November 5, 2026.

Other comparisons