Cronometer vs MyFitnessPal: which tracker fits how you eat

Pick Cronometer if you want to see vitamins and minerals, and you like a database built from lab-analyzed and verified entries. Pick MyFitnessPal if you want the biggest food database, a long list of device connections and the app most people already know. Both track calories and macros well.

The better choice is the one you are still using in month three. So this page compares what each app asks of you every day, not just what it can show you. Everything below about the two apps comes from their own pages, read on October 26, 2026.

Key takeaways

• Cronometer’s pitch is depth: up to 95 nutrients and a database of more than 1 million lab-analyzed or verified foods, with a free Basic plan.
• MyFitnessPal’s pitch is reach: over 18 million foods and 40+ connected apps and devices. Barcode scan, meal scan and voice log need Premium.
• In the one study that put both apps through the same 3-day food record, Cronometer landed closer to a research reference. It was a small test, so treat it as a clue.
• Both ask you to search a database and confirm portions. That daily chore is, in our view, a common reason people stop.

Which one should you pick?

That’s the short version. The rest explains the reasons, so you can check them against your own habits.

How do the two apps differ at a glance?

As of October 26, 2026, this is what each company says on its own pages.

Sources: the Cronometer home page, Gold page, free plan page and database page, and the MyFitnessPal home page and Premium page. Prices change, so check them before you subscribe.

What does Cronometer do best?

Depth. Its home page says you can track up to 95 nutrients and compounds, and that you can see which essential vitamins and minerals you get most and least of. If you are watching iron, magnesium or fiber, that view is the reason to use it.

Three more things stand out:

• The database. Cronometer says its entries come from lab-analyzed data and over 10 sources, including the Nutrition Coordinating Center database and USDA data. It also says each submitted item goes through a verification process.
• A generous free plan. The Basic plan includes all the nutrition data and the barcode scanner. What you give up is the long view: charts cover a 7-day window, and photo log, voice log and some insights sit in Gold.
• Targets by day. Gold lets you set different macro targets for different days of the week, which suits people who train on some days and rest on others.

The trade-off is that it is a lot of data. If you only want calories and protein, most of it is noise.

What does MyFitnessPal do best?

Reach. The company says its database holds more than 18 million foods, including restaurant items, packaged goods and recipes you save yourself. If you eat out or buy branded foods, a bigger database often means fewer “not found” moments.

It also connects to 40+ apps and devices. Its pages name Apple Watch, Fitbit, Garmin and Samsung Health. Premium adds barcode scan, meal scan from a photo, voice log, custom macro goals and an ad-free experience.

The trade-off is cost and ads. As of October 2026 the tools that save the most time are behind Premium, which is $19.99 a month or $79.99 a year. A first-time Premium user can start with a 7-day free trial.

Which one has the more accurate numbers?

Both companies stress data quality. Here is what independent research found.

A direct comparison on a 3-day record. A 2023 study in JMIR Formative Research (PMID 37327038) reviewed 11 apps. For accuracy, a researcher entered the same 3-day food record into five of them, including Cronometer and MyFitnessPal. A registered dietitian entered the same foods into a research database (NDSR) as the reference.

The reference total was 4,770 kcal. Cronometer’s total was 4,487 kcal, about 6 percent low. MyFitnessPal’s was 4,224 kcal, about 11 percent low. Cronometer was the only one of the five apps with no significant difference from the reference on calories or macros.

Look at the size of this test before you lean on it. It was one food record, entered by one person. The authors said that single-researcher entry could have caused input errors.

A larger test of MyFitnessPal alone. A 2020 study in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (PMID 33084583) had 50 people keep 4-day food records in MyFitnessPal. Researchers then compared the results with Belgium’s food composition database. After the researchers removed extreme values (2.8 percent of entries), calories correlated strongly with the reference (r=0.96), as did carbs, fat and protein (all 0.90).

Sodium and cholesterol did not hold up: the correlations were noticeably lower, around 0.5. The authors concluded the app was accurate for energy, macros, sugar and fiber, but not for cholesterol and sodium.

Put together, calories and macros look usable in both apps. If you care about specific micronutrients like sodium, that is where a database built for it could matter. Neither study tested photo logging in either app.

Which one is easier to keep using?

This is the question the feature lists skip. Both apps work the same basic way: you search for a food, pick an entry, and confirm a portion. That adds up over a week.

Both now sell shortcuts. Cronometer’s photo and voice logging, and MyFitnessPal’s meal scan and voice log, are each paid features. Both are meant to cut the search.

Whatever you choose, a few habits help it last:

• Log the same breakfast every day with a saved meal, so one meal is never a chore.
• Round, don’t skip. A rough entry beats an empty day.
• Keep the app where you’ll see it, or set a reminder at the time you usually eat.

If a week of logging feels heavy, that is useful information about the method, not about you.

Where does Getfiit fit?

We make Getfiit, so weigh this section accordingly. It is an AI nutrition and fitness coach in WhatsApp, and it takes a different route from both apps. You send a photo, a voice note or a sentence, and it replies with calories and macros. There is no food search, and nothing new to install, because WhatsApp is the app you already open.

Here is an illustration of what a log looks like. It is an example, not a measured result:

breakfast12:38

Looks like avocado toast with two poached eggs and a flat white. Was there oil or butter on the toast?12:39

no, just the avocado12:40

Got it, logged. If anything looks off, reply to the entry or tap Edit to fix it.12:41

It isn’t a substitute for what Cronometer does. If you want a full micronutrient breakdown, Cronometer is built for that, and we would point you there. Getfiit is built for logging that lasts: it estimates, it says so, and it asks when a photo leaves something open.

As of October 26, 2026, Getfiit costs $19.99 a month after a 3-day free trial, and you can cancel anytime. See how it works on the home page.

Frequently asked questions

Is Cronometer better than MyFitnessPal?

It depends on what you want to see. Cronometer is built for detailed nutrient tracking, and MyFitnessPal for the widest food search and the most connections. For calories and macros alone, either can do the job.

Is Cronometer free?

Cronometer has a free Basic plan that, as of October 26, 2026, includes all nutrition data, a barcode scanner and 7-day charts. Gold adds photo log, voice log and more, at $10.99 a month or $59.99 billed yearly.

Is MyFitnessPal free?

It has a free plan with food, weight and exercise tracking. As of October 26, 2026, barcode scan, meal scan, voice log and custom macro goals need Premium.

Which is more accurate, Cronometer or MyFitnessPal?

In the one study that tested both on the same 3-day record, Cronometer came closer to the reference. MyFitnessPal also performed well for calories and macros in a separate 50-person study. Neither is exact, and both depend on the entries and portions you pick.

Do I need to weigh my food in either app?

No. Weighing makes entries more precise, but a consistent estimate you keep logging is worth more than a perfect log you stop. For more, see how photo estimates work and the FAQ on the home page.

Your next step

Pick one app for two weeks and log breakfast and dinner only. If you are still opening it on day 14, keep going. If you are not, the problem is the chore, not your discipline, and a different way to log is worth trying.