Cronometer vs MacroFactor: Which Precision Tool Fits?

Quick disclosure before anything else: we make Macros.gg, a third tracker. These two are our competitors. We're still going to tell you they're both good, because they are. And every price in this post was checked against the vendor's own site or App Store listing on August 20, 2026. Why does that matter? Because the top pages for this exact search quote three different prices for the same Cronometer plan. More on that mess below.

From a distance, these apps look the same. Both are built for people who like data. Both expect you to log honestly. But under the hood, they're making opposite bets.

Cronometer bets on measurement. It tracks 84 micronutrients against a verified database. Log an egg and it knows the selenium and choline, not just the protein. There are no user-submitted entries, so what you log matches the label. All that depth is on the free tier, which is rare. It's the app whose exports doctors and dietitians actually read. The catch? Cronometer shows you the data and stops. It won't tell you what the numbers mean or move your targets. It's a very good sensor, not a coach.

MacroFactor bets on the feedback loop. Say you log 2,400 calories a day for two weeks and your weight doesn't move. MacroFactor notices, does the math, and quietly adjusts your targets. That's its whole thing: every week, it works out your real burn from your logs and your weight trend, then updates your numbers. It's the best version of that idea on the market, and we say so in our own comparison page. The catches? It tracks about 48 micronutrients, well short of Cronometer's depth. And there's no free version at all. After a 7-day trial, it's subscription or nothing.

Put simply: Cronometer measures more. MacroFactor does more with the measurements. Which one you want depends on the question you're asking.

A quick warning about the rest of the internet. As of this writing, the top pages for this comparison quote Cronometer Gold at $39.99, $49.99, and $59.99 a year. Three pages, three prices, one right answer. (Spoiler: it's the highest one.) Old reviews don't get updated, so check the vendor before you subscribe. Here's what the vendors themselves listed on August 20, 2026:

Notice how the prices match the bets. Cronometer can afford a generous free tier because Gold sells comfort: no ads, photo and voice logging, custom charts. MacroFactor's algorithm is the product, so everything sits behind the subscription. Want the same map for every big tracker? See our paywall comparison.

Pick Cronometer if the data itself is the point. Maybe your doctor asked you to watch your iron, your sodium, or your B12. Maybe your dietitian reads your exports. Or maybe you just want a database you can trust. It's also the obvious pick if you want to pay nothing: the free tier does more than most apps' paid tiers. Here's our full Cronometer comparison.

Pick MacroFactor if you're mid-cut or mid-bulk, you already log everything anyway, and you want the app to move your targets so you don't have to. It's a hands-off coach for people whose logging habit is already solid. Just go in knowing it's $71.99 a year with no free fallback. Stop paying, stop tracking.

Don't pick either for the company. Both are solo tools on purpose. Cronometer has forums; MacroFactor skips social features entirely. If logging alongside other people is what keeps you logging, neither app is built for you. Which brings us to the part we warned you about.

Macros.gg is not a third way to do what these apps do. We track calories, protein, carbs, and fat. No 84-nutrient depth, no adaptive algorithm. If you came here needing either of those, pick from the two above and skip us.

Our bet is different. Most food diaries don't fail because the numbers were wrong. They fail because you stopped logging in week three. The perfect target doesn't help an empty diary. So we built the part that keeps you showing up: streaks that forgive a missed day, quests, ranked seasons, parties with friends, and logging quick enough to survive a busy Tuesday. Free, no ads, no time limit.

If both apps above sound like homework, that's the itch we scratch. If they sound great, they probably are exactly what you need. Our wider roundup covers the rest of the field.

Whichever way you go, take your history with you. Cronometer lets you export your full diary, weigh-ins, and custom foods as CSV files. Here's the step-by-step export walkthrough. It takes ten minutes, and it's worth doing even if you stay, as a backup. If you land on Macros.gg, those same files import directly, with an undo button.

One last thought. A year from now, the app you picked this week won't be the thing that mattered. The habit will.