With the world advancing steadily with technology, if there is anything that gets affected the most, it has to be our fitness. Though you may already be health conscious, most people aren’t. And even if you are, let’s admit that it’s not as easy as it sounds. Regardless of whichever category you fall in, a good way to start is by keeping a check on the calories you consume daily. To do that, the best way is to take advantage of the technological advancement you carry with you everywhere – your smartphone. So without further ado, here is a list of the 15 best calorie counter apps for Android and iPhone in 2020.
So, how do calorie counter apps work? Well, they offer you the desired flexibility to set your own goal based on what you want to achieve. Once your custom routine is battle-ready, you can go ahead with the plan following the set rules. With the detailed charts and super handy tips, they keep you guided. Some of them even offer apps for Android Wear and Apple Watch which makes it even easier to track your calories. What’s more, many of them also offer a ton of rewards to ensure the adrenaline remains in the top gear to achieve more. With that said, it’s time to cut the chase!
Undoubtedly, MyFitnessPal is the most popular calorie tracker app out there. When you first open the app, you are asked a few questions like the goal that you wish to achieve, your activity level, and a few personal questions like your age, height, and weight. After you fill in all the details, you’ll be required to enter your email address and create a password to complete the sign up progress. All these details can be changed later, so you don’t have to worry about filling in the wrong information at that time. Now you will be shown your daily goal that the app recommends for you in order to achieve your desired goal. You can even choose to keep on track with regular reminders.
Very similar to MyFitnessPal, MyNetDiary takes an input of the food that you eat and then tracks your calorie intake accordingly. When you further enter details like your age, gender, height, current weight, and target weight, the app creates a “Calorie Budget” for you that is the number of calories that you must consume every day in order to achieve your desired target. If you ask me, this app is aesthetically more pleasing my MyFitnessPal with a beautiful interface and nice animations.
MyNetDiary also allows you to enter your exercise routine and then gives a calorie analysis and weight chart accordingly. You can add your before and after pictures in the app to help you stay motivated and on track. Furthermore, you can link your Google Fit account to allow suitable data to be shared among the two apps. You can upgrade to MyNetDiary Maximum that is billed annually at $39.99/year for even more features like linking more apps, detailed nutrient analysis, detailed body and health charts, etc.
Like MyFitnessPal, when you first open FatSecret, you are asked your goal and are required to enter a few personal details like your current weight, gender, activity level, your height, and the weight that you would like to gain. Once you complete that, you’ll be taken to your diary straight away. This diary is the place where you’ll see the calories that you are yet to take for the day in order to achieve your desired target and the calories you have already taken so far. On the same page, you can add the food items that you eat throughout the day, and the app will automatically reduce the number of calories from the day’s goal accordingly.
Install: Android, iOS (Free)
Like most other apps in this list, you can use Cronometer only when you sign up on the app. Once you do that, enter details like your age, weight, height, and gender, and then you’ll be taken your diary. Here, you can enter the food items that you eat throughout the day and list the exercises, if you did any. The app will then calculate the net calories that you gained or lost accordingly. This helps you in keeping an eye on the number of calories that you should take for the day in order to achieve your daily target as prescribed by Cronometer.
5. Lose It!
When you open the app for the first time, enter details like age, height, and weight, and then you’ll be taken to a screen where you’ll be asked about your goal. Here, you can mention your target weight how fast you would like that to be achieved. You will then, accordingly, see a “Calorie Budget” that is the number of calories you must consume each day in order to achieve your goal.
Install: Android, iOS (Free, Premium at $39.99/year)
You can start using Liefesum by entering your basic details like age, height, current weight, and target weight. You can then choose the time frame till which you want to achieve your goal. Your daily calorie goal will differ accordingly. Once everything is set up, you’ll be taken to your diary that keeps the track of your calories. Here, you can add the food items that you eat, the amount of water that you drink, and the exercise that you do. You can even scan a food item using its barcode. When you finally add a food item, you can see its macro breakdown right from that screen.
7. ControlMyWeight
There are very few calorie counter apps which are both good and free to use. Well, ControlMyWeight is one of the few ones that are both free and offers a good selection of features which will help you track your calorie intake and lose weight. The app starts simply by asking basic information such as your weight, height, age, and more. Then it uses BMI calculations to give you a range of weight that should be good for your health. You can either use that range as your target or set the target range yourself. The last thing to do is to add the expected exercise data that you can clock every day.
Install: iOS (Free)
Not dissimilar to other apps in this list, SparkPeople requires you to create an account on the app. On the next screen, you can opt to receive notifications for meal reminders and coaching tips that help you stay on track. After you make your selection on this screen, you’ll be taken to the home screen of the app. Here, like other apps in this list, you can add your food and water consumption details, exercise information, and weight tracking. When you enter a food item for the first time, you’ll be asked to set your goals first. For this, you’ll be required to enter you gender, age, weight, target weight, and height. When you fill these details, refine your goal by choosing the most appropriate activity level from the options that you get. Now when you add any food item, your calorie target will get updated.
9. MyPlate
As obvious as it has become now, you need to sign up on MyPlate before starting to use it. Enter details like your age, gender, height, and current and target weights before finally selecting your goal. When you reach the calorie goal page, you will see options like easy, moderate, challenging, extreme, and custom. Each of these options are planned out to achieve your target over different time spans. On the next page, you can choose the time at which you have your meals and opt to get a reminder for them every time so that you don’t forget to stick to your calorie target. The following screen gives you the option to connect the app with your Google Fit account. You can skip this if you want.
You can start using YAZIO by choosing your goal straight away. Once you do that, enter your details like age, weight, height, etc. and then you will be given a calorie goal. You can change this goal to one that suits you the best. When this setup is complete, you’ll be taken to your diary. Just like other calorie counter apps, you can enter your food intake and exercise information here. You will then see the updated calorie counter along with the corresponding counter for nutrients. A graphical analysis for the same is also available in the “Analysis” tab of the app. Lastly, if you become a pro member of the app, you can view recipes of different dishes and even view different diet plans.
Despite being a less popular app, Joy Health Tracker has the potential to give its competitors a run for their money. To use the app, enter the details like your age, weight, height, etc. Once you do that, you’ll be ready to use the app. Unlike other apps in this list, you don’t get a prescribed target by Joy Health Tracker. Rather, you have to enter one manually. This can be done by tapping on the target. One of the biggest advantages of this is that you can create a target for each day individually by creating different “Templates”. Lastly, under the “Reports” tab, you can view the graphical statistics of your calories and weight.
12. Simple Diet Diary
Simple Diet Diary is one of the few calorie counter apps that does not require you to create an account on the app. This means that you can start using it right after installing it. You can add a food item that you eat either by searching in the app or manually. If you choose to search it, then you will be required to have an additional add-on installed on your device as well. This will auto-fill the calorie and nutrient information as well. Though you can’t set a calorie target, you can view your intake count for each day. Also, you can view the statistics and graphs accordingly. It is a simple app but works out pretty well as a calorie counter app. Lastly, there is a premium version of the app available as an in-app purchase and offers a dark theme and a customizable widget.
Whether you are a fitness freak or someone who is desperately trying to lose a lot of pounds to get fitter and stronger, HealthifyMe can be a smart pick for you. What makes this calorie counter so handy is the ability to simplify two pivotal things: planning the meal and tracking the eating habits. So, based on what your goal is, you can plan your meal and keep a track of the calories that you consume. Moreover, the app also offers helpful expert tips so that you can stay focused and easily find out the areas that need more attention. One of my favorite features of HealthifyMe is the seamless syncing with the stock health app for iOS which helps me find out the calories that I have burned. Everything considered; HealthifyMe is one of the top calorie counters for iOS and Android due largely to the seamless experience.
Install: Android, iOS (Free, Smart Plan starts at $5.99/month)
Looking for a personal diet coach to keep you guided throughout your weight loss journey? If yes, “My Diet Coach” could be the right answer to your goal. Probably the best part about this app is the flexibility that allows you to create a custom plan based on how fast you want to lose all the extra pounds. And once your custom plan is ready, it helps you stay motivated to achieve that coveted goal. With the much-needed insight, helpful tips, and also inspiring quotes, it keeps your adrenaline in the high spirit. Thanks to a handy panic button, it enables you to take control of the food craving. Not just that, My Diet Coach also offers a ton of rewards so that you can always feel at the top of your game.
For a simplified calorie counting experience, “Calorie Counter+” is one of the better options. The biggest highlight of this app is a massive food database which makes it pretty simple to log foods. And with the built-in barcode scanner at the disposal, it offers a straightforward calorie counting experience. Another notable feature is the ability to set a daily target for things like water, fruit, and veg to help you stay tuned in to your fitness goal. Furthermore, Calorie Counter+ also provides pre-set nutrient guides to let you put more spotlight on the essential nutrients. But what has made me want this app is a solid library of more than 1, 000 activities that play a crucial role in losing weight or attaining the desired figure.
