Comparison

Cico vs Calorie Tracker + Counter

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

Head to head
About

Cico

This app helps you understand your body's daily calorie expenditure to support weight loss or maintenance goals. It offers quick food logging and clear visualization of your calorie deficit, promoting a sustainable approach to healthy habits.

Highlights
  • Calculates total daily energy expenditure
  • Fast and simple calorie logging
  • Visualizes calorie deficit
  • Supports weight loss and maintenance
  • Flexible and sustainable CICO method
  • No rigid meal plans
Features
Read full description

The simple calorie counter that shows what you actually burn. Cico calculates your total daily energy expenditure so you know exactly how many calories your body uses. Not just at the gym, but all day. Track your food in seconds, see your calorie deficit, and finally understand the math behind weight loss. KNOW YOUR DAILY BURN Most calorie trackers ignore the biggest number: how much you burn. Cico puts your daily expenditure front and center so you can set realistic goals and see real progress. FOOD TRACKING THAT DOESN'T SUCK No 47-step meal entries. No overwhelming dashboards. Just fast, simple calorie logging you'll actually stick with. SEE YOUR CALORIE DEFICIT Weight loss isn't magic, it's math. Cico shows the gap between calories in and calories out, day by day. When you can see it, you can manage it. THE CICO METHOD WORKS No fad diets. No forbidden foods. The calories in, calories out approach is flexible and sustainable. Eat what you want, stay aware, and build habits that last. MADE FOR REAL LIFE Whether you're losing weight, maintaining, or just want to understand your body better, Cico meets you where you are. No judgment. No rigid meal plans. Just clarity. Download Cico and start winning your day. NOTE: We do not offer medical advice. Consult with a professional before trying a new calorie plan. *Cico requires a monthly or yearly subscription for full access. Terms of Use: https://getcico.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://getcico.com/privacy

About

Calorie Tracker + Counter

This app offers a fast and private way to track your calorie intake and workouts. It uses AI to identify foods from photos, scans barcodes, and helps you set personalized weight loss goals. All features are free, with a focus on keeping your data on your device.

Highlights
  • AI food identification from photos
  • Barcode scanning for food logging
  • Workout tracking and calorie burn estimation
  • Personalized daily calorie and macro plans
  • Apple Health integration
  • Water and weight tracking
  • Home Screen widgets
Features
Read full description

A calorie counter that's actually free. No subscription, no paywall, no account — just a fast, private calorie tracker that takes seconds to use. Most calorie tracking apps put barcode scanning, macros, or AI behind a monthly fee. This one doesn't. Every tracking feature below is free. AI CALORIE TRACKER Point your camera at your plate. The AI identifies the foods, estimates portions, and fills in calories, protein, carbs, and fat. Every result is clearly labeled an estimate and fully editable before you log it — you stay in control of the numbers. You get free AI scans every single day. A FREE CALORIE COUNTER APP THAT LOGS IN SECONDS • Search 260+ built-in foods with typo-tolerant search • Scan any barcode — powered by the Open Food Facts database • Scan a nutrition label with your camera to create a custom food • Build multi-ingredient meals and save them for one-tap logging • Copy yesterday, quick-add calories, favorites and recents TRACK WORKOUTS TOO Log a run, a walk, or a lifting session in two taps and see the calories you burned. Not sure what something burned? Describe it in your own words and AI estimates it for you. Burned calories can add back to your daily budget — or not, if you'd rather keep a fixed target. Your choice, in Settings. SEE YOUR DAY AT A GLANCE A clean dashboard shows calories left, protein, carbs, and fat with progress rings, plus a week strip so you can spot trends instantly. YOUR GOALS, COMPUTED PROPERLY Onboarding uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation — the same formula dietitians use — to set a realistic daily calorie and macro plan. You choose the pace, from gradual to aggressive, and see the date each one actually lands on. Sensible limits are built in: the app won't push you past a safe rate of loss or below a safe minimum of calories, no matter what you pick. APPLE HEALTH, DONE RIGHT Optionally connect Apple Health to see your steps, workouts, active calories, and distance next to your nutrition — and sync your weight. Read-only, never uploaded anywhere, and the app works fully without it. TRACK MORE THAN FOOD • Water tracker with a daily goal • Weight log with trend chart and goal line • Progress charts: calories, activity, streaks • Streak protection — one gentle nudge before a streak breaks • Daily notes, calendar history, CSV export • Home Screen widgets PRIVATE BY DESIGN Everything you log stays on your device. No account. If you use AI Photo Scan, the photo is analyzed and discarded — never stored, never used to train anything, never linked to you. A couple of small banner ads keep the app free; they are never targeted using your data, and nothing about your food, weight, or Apple Health data is ever sent to an advertiser. WHY IT'S FREE Free calorie counter apps usually aren't — they're trials. This one is supported by two small banner ads and nothing else. No subscription prompt, no locked features, no "upgrade to see your macros." Download the calorie tracker free, keep your data on your device, and cancel nothing — because there's nothing to cancel. Free Calorie Counter is not a medical device and does not provide medical advice. Nutrition values and AI estimates are approximate — always verify against packaging when accuracy matters.

Screenshots

Cico4 screens
Calorie Tracker + Counter4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Cico at 100% against Calorie Tracker + Counter's 0%. Cico also leads on rating (4.8 vs 2.5) and update cadence (every 4 days vs monthly). Calorie Tracker + Counter's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4). On price, ads, 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. Cico sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Calorie Tracker + Counter asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Cico holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cico has 60 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Cico's written reviews are positive against 0% of Calorie Tracker + Counter's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cico ships an update every 4 days, Calorie Tracker + Counter monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Cico versus Calorie Tracker + Counter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCicoCalorie Tracker + Counter
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (60 ratings) — better2.5 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings60 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterMonthly
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size64 MB3 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperCico Wellness & Health SolutionsRobert Lyon

Customer experience

Cico

All ratings60 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.0%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Calorie Tracker + Counter

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Cico

Subscriptions4
  • Monthly Standard$9.991 Month
  • Yearly Rescue7 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Yearly Standard7 Days trial$29.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Yearly Pro7 Days trial$39.991 Year
None

Calorie Tracker + Counter

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Cico free?
Cico is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Calorie Tracker + Counter free?
Calorie Tracker + Counter is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Cico or Calorie Tracker + Counter?
Cico is rated higher. Cico averages 4.8 out of 5 from 60 ratings, while Calorie Tracker + Counter averages 2.5 from 4 ratings.
Do Cico or Calorie Tracker + Counter have ads?
Both Cico and Calorie Tracker + Counter show ads.
Which is updated more often, Cico or Calorie Tracker + Counter?
Cico ships an update every 4 days, and Calorie Tracker + Counter monthly. Most recently, Cico was updated on November 5, 2026 and Calorie Tracker + Counter on October 31, 2026.

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