Macronutrients(macros) are proteins, carbs, and fats. Tracking your consumption of these can help with your weight loss or muscle-building goals. Thanks to a new crop of food diary apps available online, you can record your food and keep an eye on your daily macro percentages. We found the best macro tracking apps based on elements like cost, platform availability, ease of use, features offered, and more to make it easy for you to track your food, analyze your data, and make changes in your diet to reach your health goals. Best Macro Tracking Apps Best Macro Tracking Apps Final Verdict Macro Tracking Apps vs. Keto Apps Frequently Asked Questions How Do I Know What My Macros Should Be? How Do Macro Tracking Apps Work? How Much Should I Pay for a Macro Tracking App? What Are the Health Benefits Associated With Tracking Macros? Methodology Key Specs Why We Chose It MyMacros+ was chosen as best overall due to its straightforward design, extensive food library, and easy-to-use calendar. Pros & Cons Pros Over 5 million foods to choose from Macro coach upgrade adjusts your targets each week Can "quick-add" macros One-time price of $2.99 Cons Basic food tracking app Lacks features such as meal plans Premium features can be expensive Overview MyMacros+ is a food diary app that allows you to set your daily calorie and macros goals and document your weight as you go. You can track carbs, protein, fat, and calories for each day, as well as water intake. Within the app, you can add your own recipes and quickly enter macros from nutrition labels. You can use the barcode or nutrition label scanner to quickly add foods from the store, which can be a real time saver. With the Pro $1.99/month upgrade, you get access to features such as diet summaries, data analysis, mealtime reminders, and notes. For another upgrade, you can add on the macro coach option for $9.99/month to get a better idea of exactly how much to eat based on your goals. The macros coach feature updates your target intake each week to keep you progressing and on track. Overall, this app is great for those who already have a good understanding of what to eat, have their own recipes, or simply need a comprehensive app to track food accurately. Key Specs Why We Chose It MyFitnessPal was selected as the best free macro tracking app due to its ease of use, large food database, and integration with many other fitness apps. Pros & Cons Pros Easy to use app Extensive food database Compatible with many apps and devices Tracks exercise Free version is sufficient for most users Cons Community added foods may be inaccurate Too many options for food choices Doesn’t display remaining macros for the day No recipe suggestions in the free version Overview MyFitnessPal is the most popular free macro tracking app for a reason. The app's extensive database of food and simple interface make it a great choice for both beginners and more advanced users. It displays your food consumed, remaining calories, and exercise calories burned, which gives you an accurate snapshot of your day. You can view your macros percentages in their nutrition section but must upgrade to the premium version for $79.99/year to view macros for individual foods, scan food barcodes, or set your macros goals in grams for the day. MyFitnessPal allows you to add your own recipes, import them from a website, and change your serving sizes. It's also great for those who want to connect with friends for additional support or accountability. Overall, MyFitnessPal's free version is great for those who wish to keep track of how much they are eating, want to focus on overall calorie consumption, and need a place to track their food, weight, and progress photos all in one place. Key Specs Why We Chose It LifeSum was chosen as best for recipes due to its library of meal plans to choose from and bank of recipes suited to any diet. Pros & Cons Pros Large food database Includes many pre-made meal plans Clean interface Includes barcode scanner Cons No community or personal coaching Free version does not include meal plans Doesn’t synchronize with all fitness apps Overview Once you sign up for Lifesum and enter information such as height, weight, and target weight, the app gives you a target calorie goal for the day to help you meet nutrition goals. You can add your foods under breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snacks and track your water intake for the day. You can track food in advance and input your own recipes, meals, food photos, and daily weight log. The free version allows you to track food and exercise but is missing many of the features that make this app great. The upgraded version gives you macros percentages (vs. just showing grams) and you can set your target percentages for your fat, protein, and carb intake each day. It will also allow you access to detailed food information such as fiber, sugar, and sodium which may be important for those with dietary restrictions or specific goals. Lastly, the upgraded version gives you access to their library of meal plans such as the three-week weight loss or keto burn. These meal plans provide you with all your meals for the day, complete shopping lists, and recipes. Key Specs Why We Chose It If you like to eat at restaurants, Nutritionix Track is the best option given its extensive library of foods from almost 800 restaurants nationwide. Pros & Cons Pros Includes barcode scanner Can input your own recipes Has foods from almost 800 restaurants Developed by dietitians Free Cons Must upgrade to the pro version to export data Basic design User reports of app glitches Overview Nutritionix Track, created by dietitians, is an excellent option for those who often eat out or purchase prepared food. This app, which is available on Android and iOS, has an extensive selection of foods from grocery stores, restaurants, and more. They frequently update their database to reflect new menus and allow you to change the portion size and other details as you log your food. Like many other apps, you can upload your own recipes and save favorite foods for easy access, as well as use the barcode scanner for food from the grocery store. The app displays your daily totals, and it is quick and easy to see how many calories and macronutrients you have left after every meal. Overall, Nutritionix Track is a pretty straightforward and basic meal tracking app. It is great for those who want an accurate food database without the hassle of trying to input restaurant meals themselves, which can often be challenging. Key Specs Why We Chose It We chose LoseIt! as best for weight loss due to its easy-to-use interface, ability to enter target weight, and ability to sync with other fitness apps. Pros & Cons Pros Free Has a large database including restaurant items Can input custom foods and recipes Syncs with many fitness apps Can email reports from the app Cons Time-consuming Calorie Burn Bonus is confusing No progress photos Overview LoseIt! is a diet and weight loss app that helps you easily track calories, macros, and other metrics such as water consumption and sleep. It encourages exercise as it allows you to earn bonus calories for hitting specific exercise goals. We loved that it seamlessly integrates with many fitness apps, so your data automatically syncs over, saving you time.Unfortunately, you can’t store progress photos in the app, but the ability to email your food logs from the app is quite helpful. The free version is a great way to get started, thanks to a large database of food, community support, and an easy-to-use interface where you can see all your information at a glance. It includes features similar to other apps, such as a barcode scanner and food suggestions based on your history. Premium features include carb tracking, analyzing patterns, food insights, sample meals, workouts, and the ability to personalize more goals like sleep and exercise minutes. Overall, this is a great choice for someone who wants to lose weight and needs an app that will help them make better food choices. Key Specs Why We Chose It If you’re a first-time food logger, Carb Manager is a great option due to its built-in macro calculator, recipes, meal plans, and extensive data tracking capabilities. Pros & Cons Pros Built-in macros calculator Easy to track food Includes low carb recipes and meal plans Can track weight, body measurements, and other health markers Cons Emphasis on the keto diet No place to upload progress photos Can’t export food logs on the free version Free version doesn't link with other activity apps Overview Carb Manager is a great macro tracking app for first-time loggers as it is easy to use, has a built-in macros calculator, and gives you many options to customize your plan. This app, which was originally designed for those following the keto diet, has an extensive library of foods to choose from, and gives you many options to customize meals when you add them. We liked that even though it is a food-tracking app, it also offers recipe ideas, meal plans, and the ability to connect with friends who are also using the app. The premium version gives you access to more recipes and meal plans, and shopping lists to help with meal planning. This version also lets you track more complex health information such as glucose or ketones readings, which helps those following the keto diet, and allows you to connect your fitness devices. The premium version includes Carb Manager’s Keto Academy courses to learn everything you need to know about the keto diet. It also includes “auto magic” food logging, which uses image recognition technology to track your meals automatically. Overall, this app is great for people who want to learn more about tracking macros, copy foods to multiple days, and get new recipe ideas. If you are required to follow a therapeutic diet for a medical condition, such as diabetes, hypertension, or high cholesterol, tracking your macros can help you. When it comes to the best macros tracking apps, MyMacros+ is our overall favorite option thanks to its streamlined user experience, large library of trackable food, and a custom macro coach (in the premium version). Other great options include MyFitnessPal, which has the largest library of food and meals, and Nutritionix Track, which has an extensive restaurant meal tracking option. Macro tracking apps allow you to log and monitor protein, carbs, fats, calories, and many other key stats like fitness, mood, sleep, and water consumption. Many of these apps are typically broad in scope and not tailored to a specific diet, allowing users to customize the features and tracking tools to fit their needs. Keto apps, on the other hand, are designed to support the Keto lifestyle. They typically include Keto/low-carb meal ideas, food plans, and recipes. While this is a handy tool for people following that program, it might not be the best choice if you’re looking for an app that tracks macros and exercise for general nutrition and diet goals. It is best to work with a qualified professional to determine what your macros should be each day, since macros should be adjusted based on height, weight, age, activity level, medical conditions, etc. Macros tracking apps allow you to input your food each day, adjust serving sizes, and set target calorie and macro goals. Most apps ask you to enter your current weight and height, target weight, activity level, and timeline to reach your goals. They then calculate a suggested calorie goal and may suggest macros percentages to strive for. Many macros tracking apps are free to download and use the basic version. Upgraded versions often include additional useful features and can range from $28–$80/year. Tracking macros can help you lose weight, improve your body composition, and make better food choices. It helps those who simply want to live a healthier lifestyle, want to learn more about nutrition, or need to monitor their diet due to health concerns such as heart disease or diabetes. It not only gives you an accurate snapshot of how much you are eating but brings awareness to what is in the food you're eating. We researched more than 10 macro tracking apps to choose the ones we felt were best suited for each category. To be considered, the app must be available in the U.S. on iOS or Android, have a free or low-cost option, and include an extensive library of foods. We felt it was important to have a low entry barrier and an extensive food library to cater to many different diet preferences. We also explored online reviews, evaluated customer ratings on the app store, and tried the apps ourselves to compile our choices.Best Macro Tracking Apps of 2024
Best Overall : MyMacros+
Best Free App : MyFitnessPal
Best for Recipes : LifeSum
Best for Eating Out : Nutritionix Track
Best for Weight Loss : LoseIt!
Best for First Time Loggers : Carb Manager
Final Verdict
Macro Tracking Apps vs. Keto Apps
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Know What My Macros Should Be?
How Do Macro Tracking Apps Work?
How Much Should I Pay for a Macro Tracking App?
What Are the Health Benefits Associated With Tracking Macros?
Methodology
See Also
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