The Deficit vs SmartLifter
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Deficit
Read full descriptionHide full description
Understand your calorie balance. Log food your way. The Deficit brings your calorie intake, energy expenditure and progress together in a clear daily overview, using Apple Health data from the apps and devices you already use. SEE THE BIG PICTURE • Follow your calorie balance across days and custom date ranges. • See intake, macros, resting and active energy, and exercise. • Set a goal and compare your estimated progress. Days with incomplete intake can be excluded from the balance calculation. AGENTIC FOOD TRACKING — OPTIONAL, EFFORTLESS Tell the AI agent what you eat and it logs the meal for you. Dictate foods and amounts, or photograph a nutrition label and say or type “Log 200 g of this food.” The agent reads the label, calculates the portion and adds it to your diary. When you do not know the portion, it can estimate it for you to review and adjust. • Log meals by typing, dictating or taking a photo on iPhone or iPad. • Log multiple meals at different times in one request. • Dictate food and review your diary directly on Apple Watch. • Ask follow-up questions in chat or start a live voice conversation. • Add a personal coaching goal for more relevant feedback. • Review and edit portions and nutrition values. • Reuse familiar foods from your food memory. • Keep your diary and conversation in sync across iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. • Start dictation with Shortcuts or the Action Button on supported devices. KEEP YOUR EXISTING TRACKER Prefer another food app? Turn off food tracking and continue using The Deficit as your Apple Health calorie-balance overview. YOUR CHOICES Sign in with Apple keeps your account connected across devices. Onboarding explains OpenAI processing when you use AI features. Apple Health access and optional transcript sharing remain under your control in Settings. You can turn off food tracking and delete your account in the app. AI uses credits. New accounts receive welcome credits; additional packs are available as one-time in-app purchases. Purchased credits do not expire while your account exists. At zero credit, AI pauses; your existing data and manual features remain available. Internet access is required for AI and cloud synchronization. Nutrition values and projected weight changes are estimates. Check suggested foods and portions before relying on them. The Deficit is not a medical device and does not provide medical diagnosis or treatment.
SmartLifter
Read full descriptionHide full description
SmartLifter is a lifting tracker that tells you what your numbers mean. When to add weight. When you're stalled. When you're overreaching and need a deload. Built for experienced lifters — fast logging, clear signals, no program prescriptions. • Log sets in seconds (pre-filled weight/reps, Watch companion) • On-device analysis: progression, plateaus, fatigue • One-tap deload when the data says recover • No account. No ads. No subscription. Free forever: unlimited logging, templates, history, trends. Pro (one-time): insights, stall/fatigue alerts, smart deload, PRs & weekly reports. SmartLifter Pro is free for your first 3 months. Buy once to keep Pro after — no subscription.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The Deficit at none against SmartLifter's 1. The Deficit also leads on iOS requirement (17.5 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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. SmartLifter sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. The Deficit asks for nothing beyond the download.
The Deficit ships an update weekly, SmartLifter every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The Deficit | SmartLifter |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 34 MB | 39 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 5 LADISLAV HRBACEK | Mikael Bertlin |
In-app purchases
The Deficit
No in-app purchases
SmartLifter
- SmartLifter Pro$14.99
Questions
Is The Deficit free?
Is SmartLifter free?
Do The Deficit or SmartLifter have ads?
Which is updated more often, The Deficit or SmartLifter?
Other comparisons















