Choose MyFitnessPal if you want a very large food database, apps on Android, iPad, Apple Watch and the web, or an AI coach to chat with. Choose Calorix if you’re on iPhone and want an AI photo estimate you can check ingredient by ingredient, a barcode scanner that’s free, Toasty, a living pet who eats, drinks and celebrates with you as you log and celebrates habits rather than numbers, and a lower yearly price.
We make Calorix, so we’re not neutral. That’s why every claim about MyFitnessPal on this page comes from a public source (its App Store listing, its own website, its help center or press coverage) and was checked on October 11, 2026. Prices are US App Store prices unless noted; they vary by country and can change, including through A/B tests.
Some context: MyFitnessPal is owned by the private equity firm Francisco Partners, and on March 2, 2026, it announced that it had acquired Cal AI, another AI calorie app, in a deal that closed in December 2025 (Athletech News). MyFitnessPal says Cal AI remains an independent app (TechCrunch). We compare Calorix and Cal AI on a separate page.
Logging and AI
MyFitnessPal is built around its food database, which its App Store listing puts at more than 20.5 million foods, including restaurant dishes. Free members can search it. Meal Scan (photo logging), voice logging and the barcode scanner are part of Premium, according to its help center; the barcode scanner has been Premium-only since October 1, 2022. Since June 2026, Premium and Premium+ members in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand can also chat with an AI Coach that draws on their own logs and goals (9to5Mac). The latest release notes add meal ideas from a photo of your fridge.
Calorix starts from the camera. You photograph a meal and get a review card that lists each ingredient with its portion, grams, calories and a confidence badge. You can also scan a barcode or a nutrition label, describe a meal by text or voice, or use food search, recents, favorites, custom foods, the recipe builder and quick-add calories. Here’s how the Calorix scanner works.
Editing and accuracy
Any photo estimate is a starting point. In a preliminary NIH study presented at NUTRITION 2026, researchers ran photos of 102 weighed meals through four apps, including MyFitnessPal. All four underestimated calories by about 250 to 345 kcal per meal on average, roughly a third, and fat by about 30 g; early follow-up results suggest they struggle most with higher-fat meals (EurekAlert, Healio). The release also noted that MyFitnessPal estimated higher-calorie meals more accurately than lower-calorie ones, and one of the researchers, Aaron Hengist, advised checking portions rather than taking photo results at face value. Calorix was not part of the study, and we don’t claim it would do better.
Day to day, what matters is how easily you can correct an estimate. MyFitnessPal’s CEO told TechCrunch that Meal Scan lets users fine-tune what it recognized, down to the number of pickles on a burger, and MyFitnessPal says Voice Log lets you review what it heard before you tap Log. In Calorix, you can change any ingredient’s portion or grams, add or remove items, use the portion slider, or tell Fix with AI what to change by text or voice; every change is shown for your approval first. You can add a note such as “cooked in butter” and re-analyze the meal from the stored photo. There’s more in How accurate are AI calorie apps?
Targets and tracking
MyFitnessPal tracks calories, macros, micronutrients, water, weight, exercise and steps, and connects to more than 40 apps and devices. Its website says calorie goals start from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation; custom macro goals and the intermittent fasting tracker are Premium features. The App Store listing also describes GLP-1 tracking: logging doses, setting reminders and noting how you feel.
Calorix sets daily targets for calories, protein, carbs, fat, fiber and water, also based on Mifflin-St Jeor, with the pace capped at 1% of body weight per week and calorie floors of 1,200 kcal a day for women and 1,500 for men. It suggests meal ideas that fit your remaining macros, shows a weight trend with a projected goal date and keeps progress photos. Fasting covers 12:12, 14:10, 16:8, 18:6, 20:4, OMAD and custom schedules, with a timer, reminders, a Live Activity and a widget. Apple Health works both ways: Calorix reads steps, workouts and weight, and writes calories, macros, water and body mass. Calorix doesn’t offer GLP-1 dose tracking. See the macro tracker and the fasting tracker.
Motivation: mascot, streaks and community
MyFitnessPal’s listing points to its community, where you can find friends and motivation.
Calorix uses Toasty, an original ember mascot whose energy grows as you keep up your habits. Toasty never shames a food or comments on your body. Daily and weekly challenges earn coins for Toasty’s outfits, and at launch coins are earned, not sold. Streaks come with earned freezes and a sick-day pass, and neither is ever sold. Smart reminders are capped at two a day.
Platforms and languages
This is where MyFitnessPal leads. Its App Store listing covers iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch in 20 languages, its website links to the Android app, the listing mentions Wear OS support, and you can log in on the web (MyFitnessPal Help Center).
Calorix 2.0 is iPhone-only and needs iOS 17 or later. There’s no Android, iPad or web version, and an Apple Watch app is planned but not available yet. The app comes in 16 languages, including Spanish, French, German, Portuguese (Brazil), Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Arabic, Turkish, Vietnamese and Indonesian.
Pricing and trial
Both apps have a free version. MyFitnessPal’s covers logging, macros and recipes, without the barcode scanner. Its Premium page lists $9.99 a month or $49.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial if you haven’t tried Premium before. In the US App Store, MyFitnessPal’s monthly Premium purchases appear at $9.99 and $19.99 and its yearly ones at $49.99 and $79.99 (checked October 11, 2026), and the listing doesn’t say which price you’ll see. Premium+ adds a meal planner, grocery lists and more than 1,500 recipes; MyFitnessPal’s October 2025 pricing post put it at $24.99 a month or $99.99 a year. The full breakdown is in Is MyFitnessPal free?
Calorix’s free version includes barcode lookups, food search and manual logging with no limit, water, weight and every fasting schedule, plus 3 AI scans a day. Pro costs $3.99 a week, $9.99 a month or $39.99 a year after a 3-day free trial (US App Store prices on October 9, 2026; they vary by country). You manage or cancel the subscription in Apple’s Settings. Accounts are optional: Sign in with Apple or Google is only for backup and sync, and you can delete your account in the app.
When MyFitnessPal is the better choice
- You want a very large database: more than 20.5 million foods, including restaurant dishes.
- You use Android, an iPad, the web or a Wear OS watch, or you want an Apple Watch app today.
- You’d like an AI coach to chat with (Premium, in five countries).
- You take a GLP-1 medication and want to log doses, reminders and side effects in your food app.
- You value a long track record: MyFitnessPal has been on the App Store since 2009 and connects to more than 40 apps and devices.
When Calorix may suit you better
- You’re on iPhone and want to see each ingredient of a photo estimate with its grams and a confidence badge, then fix it by text or voice.
- You want a free barcode scanner, and to scan nutrition labels as well.
- You’d like a mascot that celebrates consistency and never shames a food or comments on your body, with streak freezes you earn.
- You’d rather not create an account.
- You prefer a lower yearly price: $39.99 for Calorix Pro, against $49.99 on MyFitnessPal’s website or up to $79.99 in the app for yearly Premium (checked October 11, 2026).
Change log
- October 11, 2026: prices and free features re-checked; added a dated price table, Calorix’s free version, the closing date of the Cal AI acquisition and MyFitnessPal’s barcode scanner history.
- October 9, 2026: page published.
Updated October 11, 2026
