Calorie Tracking

10 Best Free Calorie Tracking Apps in 2026

Updated July 28, 2026 · 8 min read

TL;DR

Most calorie trackers have a usable free tier, but photo recognition, detailed reports, and coaching features are usually paywalled. MyFitnessPal, Lose It!, and Yazio offer the most functional free plans for manual logging; mochi's core text-based logging is free to start with no account setup required.

Free tiers typically include manual logging and barcode scanning but limit or paywall photo recognition and detailed reports
MyFitnessPal's free tier includes its full food database with ads
Lose It! and Yazio both offer functional free manual logging with premium upsells
Mochi requires no account creation — your phone number is your login, and core logging is free to start

What "free" actually means across these apps

Every app on this list advertises a free tier, but the free experience varies a lot. Some (MyFitnessPal) give you the full database with ads. Others (Cal AI, Lose It!) meter your free photo scans per day or week, then ask you to subscribe once you're relying on the feature you liked most.

Best free calorie tracking apps

mochi

No account to create — your phone number is your login. Text-based logging works immediately with no app download or setup flow.

Best for: Getting started with zero setup friction

MyFitnessPal

Full food database available on the free tier, supported by ads; premium removes ads and adds deeper analytics.

Best for: Manual logging with the largest free food database

Lose It!

Free manual logging and a limited number of free Snap It photo scans before premium is required for unlimited use.

Best for: Trying photo-based logging before committing to a paid plan

Yazio

Free manual logging plus basic intermittent fasting timers; meal plans and advanced stats are premium.

Best for: Combining basic fasting tracking with free calorie logging

Cronometer

Free tier includes full micronutrient tracking, which is unusually generous compared to competitors that paywall depth features.

Best for: Free micronutrient tracking depth

What to check before committing to a "free" app

Is the feature you actually want (photo scanning, barcode, detailed reports) behind the paywall?
Does the free tier cap how many meals or scans you can log per day?
Do you need to create an account with an email/password, or can you start immediately?

frequently asked questions

Is mochi free to use?

Mochi's core text-based logging is free to start with no account setup — your phone number is your login. Text mochi to begin tracking immediately.

What's the best completely free calorie tracker?

MyFitnessPal offers the most complete free experience for manual database logging, while mochi offers the fastest free setup since there's no account or app to install.

try mochi — text your meals instead of logging them

text mochi