MyFitnessPal vs macros.gg
One has the biggest food database ever assembled. The other is free, has no ads, and is built like a game.
Quick verdict
The short version.
- You eat out a lot and need the deepest restaurant database
- You sync with other fitness apps and devices
- You've used it for years and your history matters to you
- You've started and abandoned trackers before
- You want the scanner and AI logging without paying
- You don't want ads in your food diary
- You want to track with friends
Feature comparison
Both apps, feature by feature — July 2026.
Pricing
Full prices, July 2026.
MyFitnessPal
- Shows ads
- No barcode scanner
- Basic food and exercise logging
- Barcode scanner
- No ads
- Meal Scan and voice logging
Macros.gg
- No ads, ever
- Barcode scanner
- 10 AI logs a week
- Quests, XP, and ranked seasons
- Unlimited AI logging
- 365-day trends
- Streak shields
MyFitnessPal Premium runs $79.99 a year, and the free version shows ads and locks the barcode scanner. Macros.gg includes both for free. Pro costs $59.99 if you ever want it.
Pros & cons
Where each app is strong, and where it isn't.
MyFitnessPal
- 20+ million foods, including restaurants
- Large community and forums
- Extensive exercise database
- Syncs with most fitness apps and devices
- Around since 2005
- Ads in the free version
- Barcode scanner requires Premium
- Logging a meal takes a lot of taps
- User-submitted entries are often wrong
- Price has gone up several times
- Restaurant-heavy diets
- People with a big device and app setup
- Long-time users with years of history
Macros.gg
- Free with no time limit, no ads, no card required
- Log a meal by typing a sentence or snapping a photo
- Barcode scanner included free
- XP, daily quests, and ranked seasons
- Parties and a Discord server
- Recurring meals — set up once, log in one tap
- Imports your Cronometer history
- No micronutrient tracking
- No adaptive coaching algorithm
- No health app sync yet (Apple Health, Garmin)
- No voice logging
- Newer app with a shorter track record
- People who've quit other trackers
- Anyone motivated by streaks, levels, and ranked seasons
- Friends tracking together
Where they differ
Logging speed
Logging a meal means searching the database, picking the right entry out of several near-duplicates, setting the portion, and saving. It works, but it takes a minute or two per meal.
You type what you ate and the AI fills in the macros. Free users get ten AI logs a week. Barcode scanning and manual entry are there too.
Staying motivated
There's a streak counter and community forums. Past that, staying consistent is up to you.
Logging earns XP and completes daily quests. A ranked ladder resets weekly, and you can form parties with friends. It's built for people who need the pull.
Food database & accuracy
The largest food database anywhere — 20+ million entries, with restaurant items most apps miss. Entries are user-submitted, so the top search result isn't always right.
Barcode lookups plus AI estimation instead of a fixed database. You trade encyclopedic coverage for not having to double-check entries.
Why people switch
Faster logging
Typing a sentence beats searching a database and comparing duplicate entries. Most meals log in a few seconds.
The scanner is free
MyFitnessPal moved barcode scanning to Premium in 2022. On Macros.gg it's free.
Built-in motivation
Quests and ranked seasons give you a reason to open the app besides guilt.
No ads
MyFitnessPal's free version shows ads in your food diary. Macros.gg never does.
Sign in with Discord or Apple and log your first meal. Setup takes about a minute.
Questions people actually ask
Yes. The free plan includes food and weight tracking, the barcode scanner, ten AI logs a week, quests, XP, streaks, and the Discord. There are no ads and you don't enter a card. Pro costs $59.99 a year — or $9.99 a month — and adds unlimited AI logging, 365-day trends, and streak shields.
Different pricing philosophies. Macros.gg keeps day-to-day features free and charges for depth: unlimited AI logs, year-long trends, streak shields. Scanning stays free.
You type what you ate — "chipotle bowl, double chicken, no rice" — or snap a photo, and the AI works out the macros. Free users get ten logs a week. Pro removes the limit.
There's no automatic import from MyFitnessPal yet — Cronometer import shipped first, and more are on the way. Your old diary stays behind for now, but your targets carry over in your head, and the first levels and quests come quickly.