Noom review: what it costs, how it works, and who it suits

Noom is a weight-loss program, not just a calorie counter. Its main plan, Noom Weight, gives you short daily lessons on habits, food logging with a color guide, and an AI coach with human coaches behind it. As of November 3, 2026, it costs $70 for one month or $209 for a year, billed upfront.

It suits people who want structure and a reason behind each habit. It suits people less well if they only want to count calories, or want to pay as little as possible.

This Noom review is built from Noom’s own site, help center and official app store listings, plus published research, all read on November 3, 2026. We didn’t sign up or test the app, so there are no “we tried it” claims here.

Key takeaways

• Noom Weight is a program “designed by psychologists”: 5 to 15 minutes of lessons a day, plus food logging. A quiz of about 15 minutes sets a suggested daily calorie range.
• As of November 3, 2026, plans run from $70 for 1 month to $209 for 12 months, all billed upfront and auto-renewing. The trial lasts 7 or 14 days, at a price you choose.
• Coaching on the base plan is Welli, an AI chat, with a team of human coaches you reach through it. A dedicated 1:1 coach is a separate paid add-on.
• In a 2020 randomized trial, a coached Noom program led to more weight loss than usual care in adults with prediabetes. Two authors worked for Noom, and it tested a different program from today’s Noom Weight.
• Noom is worth it if you’ll do the lessons. If you mostly want numbers, a cheaper tracker does that job.

Noom pros and cons

How this review was put together

We read Noom’s home page, its guide to how much Noom costs, and its help center pages on plan pricing, free features, coaching, cancellation and refunds. We also read its US App Store and Google Play listings, all on November 3, 2026.

For research, we searched PubMed and read the studies through NCBI’s database. Plans and prices change, so check the screen you’re shown before you pay.

What is Noom, and how does it work?

Noom’s home page calls Noom Weight a “program designed by psychologists” that “focuses on behavioral changes, daily lessons, and food logging”. That order matters. The lessons are the core, and logging supports them.

Here’s how it starts, per Noom’s cost guide:

1. A quiz of about 15 minutes about your goals, habits and health.
2. A plan, “usually for around 16 weeks”, with a suggested calorie range for each day.
3. Daily lessons of “5 to 15 minutes”, which Noom describes as “psychology-focused”. Its guide says they draw on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) techniques.

The idea is that you learn why you reach for food when you’re bored or stressed, and build habits around that. If you want that kind of explanation, this is where Noom differs most from a plain tracker.

Noom also sells Noom Med, a separate medication program. This review covers Noom Weight only.

How does food logging work in Noom?

Noom logs meals four ways. Its help center says you can “log meals using a photo, voice, or typed description”, and that “Noom’s AI will identify ingredients and portion sizes”.

You then review the entry and adjust the ingredients. There’s a barcode scanner too.

Then each food gets a color. Noom’s color system is based on calorie density, meaning calories per gram. For solid foods:

Drinks, soups and sauces use lower cutoffs on the same page.

Noom says it doesn’t believe in “good” or “bad” foods, and its help page says “the goal isn’t to avoid orange foods”. Orange is a portion cue, not a ban.

Its US App Store listing mentions “1M+ food items”. MyFitnessPal’s home page claimed “20.5M Foods” when we read it on November 2, 2026; we compare the two in Noom vs MyFitnessPal.

Any photo log is an estimate. Oils, butter and sauces are the usual blind spot for every photo tracker; our guide to how AI calorie counters work explains why.

What does Noom’s coaching include?

Less human contact than many people expect, unless you pay for the add-on. Noom’s coaching page says coaching “is only available with a paid subscription”, and describes three levels:

• Welli, an AI chat. For general nutrition questions, recipes, habits and how the program works. Noom says not to ask it for medical advice or personalized questions based on age, weight or goals.
• A team of Noom Coaches. Human, but reached “through an escalation from Welli”. Noom says they don’t reach out first, set goals or check in regularly.
• A 1:1 Coach, only with the Premium add-on. It’s “charged separately”, available to new Noomers in the US on iOS and Android, and adds personalized meal and exercise plans. Your coach checks in weekly and replies “within 24 hours on business days”.

Noom doesn’t list the Premium price on those pages. Its weight-loss page says Noom “offers every user a personal coach”, so read the plan screen closely to see which kind you’re getting.

Noom also says its 1:1 coaches can’t act as licensed nutrition or mental health professionals, and can’t give medical advice.

So on the base plan, your coach is mostly AI. That’s fine for quick questions. If a real person in your corner is the reason you’re signing up, budget for Premium and check its price at signup.

How much does Noom cost?

As of November 3, 2026, Noom Weight costs $70 for one month and $209 for a year, before tax. Noom’s pricing page lists a price for every length from 1 to 12 months, and says plans “renew unless canceled”. Its cost guide adds that “all plans are billed upfront”.

The chart shows the pattern. The first four months cost $169. After that, each extra month adds only $4 to $6 to the upfront price.

That’s why Noom puts the annual plan at $17.50 a month, while the monthly plan is $70.

Noom says most users start with the 4-month plan, which is $169, or about $42 a month. Three more things to know:

• Your price can differ. Noom says your plan recommendation is personalized from your quiz, and that “your pricing may vary slightly depending on promotions or your signup method”. Its US App Store listing shows purchase options from $44.99 to $199.99, without plan lengths.
• The trial is pay what you choose. Noom’s cost guide says the trial lasts “7 or 14 days”. It lets you pick the trial’s price, with options like “$0.50, $3, $10, or $18”. When it ends, you’re charged for the plan you selected.
• Is Noom free? Partly. A free account gets “select app features”, which may include some lessons, movement tracking and meal logging, depending on where you live. Coaching needs a paid plan.

How do you cancel Noom, and can you get a refund?

You can cancel in the app, on the web through Noom’s Subscription Portal, or through the App Store or Google Play if you subscribed there. Noom’s cancellation page warns that uninstalling the app does not cancel your subscription.

Its refund policy says Noom Weight refunds “may be available” if you ask within 14 days of your first charge. Renewal charges aren’t refundable. If you choose a long plan, set a reminder a week before it renews.

Does Noom work? What research found

Several studies have looked at Noom. Read them with care: each of the three below was funded by Noom, had authors tied to Noom, or used data Noom supplied. None tested Noom Weight exactly as it’s sold today.

• A 2020 randomized trial in JMIR mHealth and uHealth (PMID 32459631) randomized about 200 adults with prediabetes at Stony Brook Medicine. One group got Noom’s coach-guided Diabetes Prevention Program, the other usual care with a paper curriculum. At 6 months, weight was 2.64 kg (about 5.8 lb) lower on average in the Noom group, a significant gap that held at 12 months. Blood sugar (HbA1c) didn’t differ. Two authors worked for Noom.
• A 2026 randomized trial in Obesity Research and Clinical Practice (PMID 42957555) followed 600 adults for up to 30 months. Its published protocol (PMID 35969439) describes the two arms: Noom’s program, which includes a coach, and a Noom control app. At 6 months the difference wasn’t significant. At 30 months, the change in self-reported BMI favored the coached group. Noom sponsored it, and two authors own equity in Noom.
• A 2016 study in Scientific Reports (PMID 27819345) looked back at 35,921 people who used the older Noom Coach app. Each had logged data two or more times a month for six months in a row. Of those, 77.9% reported weight loss. Noom supplied the data. There was no control group, the data was self-reported, and only engaged users were counted, so it can’t show the app caused the change.

What these studies support is narrower than the marketing. A coached Noom program beat usual care in one trial of people with prediabetes. People who kept using the app and logging tended to do better, which is an association, not proof.

That last point holds beyond Noom. A 2011 systematic review in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association (PMID 21185970) found a link between self-monitoring and weight loss “consistently”, though it rated the evidence weak. We cover it in food diary apps.

Is Noom worth it?

Noom is worth it if you’ll open the lessons most days and you want the program, not just the log. At $169 for four months, you’re paying for structure and psychology content. A calorie counter alone costs less, and some are free.

It’s a good fit if:

• You’ve counted calories before and want to understand the habits behind your eating.
• You like a plan with a start, a daily routine and a color cue instead of only numbers.
• You’re happy for coaching to be mostly AI, or you’ll pay for Premium.

It’s a weaker fit if:

• You only want numbers. A tracker does that for less. MyFitnessPal had a free plan and a much larger database when we compared the two on November 2, 2026; see Noom vs MyFitnessPal.
• You want detail. If you track vitamins and minerals, Cronometer is built for that; see Cronometer vs MyFitnessPal.
• You don’t want to pay upfront. Even the shortest plan is $70 at once.

For a wider list, our MyFitnessPal alternatives roundup covers other options and what each costs.

Noom isn’t right for everyone

Noom’s own home page says you can’t use the service if you’re under 18, pregnant, underweight or have an eating disorder. Its US App Store listing is rated 18+.

Tracking food isn’t right for everyone either. Maybe counting brings on stress, anxiety or restriction, or you have a history of disordered eating. If so, talk to a doctor or a registered dietitian before you start any program.

Where does Getfiit fit?

We make Getfiit, so weigh this section with that in mind. It’s an AI nutrition and fitness coach that lives in WhatsApp, so there’s no new app to install. You send a photo, a voice note or a sentence, and it replies with calories, protein, carbs and fat.

It isn’t a program or a curriculum, and there are no lessons or human coaches. It sets daily calorie and macro targets from your goal and profile, answers questions about food and training, and checks in at a time you pick. Here’s an illustration of a log, not a measured result:

lunch12:38

Salmon poke bowl with rice, avocado and edamame. Was there a sauce on it, like spicy mayo or soy?12:39

a bit of spicy mayo12:40

Logged with a drizzle of spicy mayo. Your calories, protein, carbs and fat for today are updated. Reply to the entry or tap Edit if anything's off.12:41

If you want daily lessons and a structured program, Noom is built for that. If the logging itself is what keeps stopping you, Getfiit is built for that.

As of November 3, 2026, it costs $19.99 a month after a 3-day free trial, and you can cancel anytime. See how it works.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Noom cost per month?

It depends on the plan length. As of November 3, 2026, the 1-month plan is $70. Longer plans are billed upfront: $169 for 4 months (about $42 a month) and $209 for 12 months ($17.50 a month, by Noom’s figure). Prices are before tax and can vary with promotions.

Is Noom free?

There’s a free version with “select app features”, which may include some lessons, movement tracking and meal logging, depending on where you live. The full program, including coaching, needs a paid plan, and its trial lets you choose a price, with $0.50 as one option.

Does Noom have real coaches?

Yes, but not one-on-one on the base plan. Paid plans include Welli, an AI chat, and a team of human coaches you reach through it. A dedicated 1:1 coach comes with the Premium add-on, charged separately.

Can I get a refund from Noom?

Possibly, for the first charge only. Noom’s refund policy says Noom Weight refunds may be available if you ask within 14 days of your first charge. Renewal charges aren’t refundable.

Is Noom better than counting calories myself?

It’s different. Noom adds lessons and a color guide on top of calorie tracking. If you only want the numbers, a tracker or counting without an app costs less, and the better choice is the one you’ll still use in month three.

Your next step

If Noom appeals, start the trial at a price you’re comfortable with, and decide before day 7 whether you’re doing the lessons. If you’re still weighing it against a tracker, read Noom vs MyFitnessPal next.