Free Calorie Counter Apps Compared: What Is Actually Free

Which free calorie counter app actually gives you the most for free?

MyFitnessPal, Yazio and FatSecret are all free for basic food logging, but they lock different things: Yazio keeps its barcode scanner free, FatSecret lists barcode and photo recognition among its basic features, and MyFitnessPal puts barcode scanning, meal scanning and voice logging behind Premium. If you count calories with a personal trainer, Trainera is a free client app in 28 languages where your meal plan, check-ins and your coach's messages sit in one place.

Updated 28 October 2026

We checked these apps in the Croatian App Store on 28 October 2026, because this comparison started as a search for a calorie counter in Croatian. That is also why one Croatian-language app is in the table, and why the subscription prices are the euro prices Apple shows in Croatia; prices in your country can differ. Below you will find the comparison with sources, what "free" really means, how to set a daily target in five minutes and the logging mistakes that make the app disagree with the scale.

Five apps compared

We took languages, in-app purchases and feature descriptions from each app's page in the Croatian App Store, checked 28 October 2026. Subscription prices are the ones Apple displays for Croatia and can change.

We checked the Android versions of MyFitnessPal, Yazio and FatSecret on Google Play. For Brojač kalorija - Mršavljenje we only confirmed the iPhone version. Its App Store page also says the provider has not identified itself as a trader, so EEA consumer rights do not apply to a contract with it. Worth knowing before you pay for a yearly subscription.

What "free" really means

All four apps in the table are free to download. The difference is what is locked behind the subscription:

• MyFitnessPal says in its description that barcode scanning, meal scanning and voice logging are part of Premium. On the free version you search for foods by hand.
• Yazio keeps the barcode scanner free, and you pay for meal plans, deeper analysis, connecting fitness trackers and an ad-free app.
• FatSecret lists barcode and image recognition among its basic features and describes Premium as meal plans, planning meals ahead and water tracking. Its description also says the app is built around American foods and brands.
• Brojač kalorija - Mršavljenje offers a Croatian interface, barcode scanning and an AI meal scanner, but the description does not say which of these are free. Try it before you pay.

No app can promise you "free forever", because terms change. A practical rule: after a week of use, count how many times you hit a locked feature. If it happens every day, the free version is not for you.

Local foods and supermarket products

None of these apps says on its store page how many products from a given country are in its database, so we could not check that, for Croatia or anywhere else. In practice the rule is the same for all of them: scan the barcode, compare the calories with the label on the pack and, if they differ, create your own entry once. Next time logging takes two seconds. For home-cooked dishes such as a stew or stuffed cabbage, the most accurate way is to enter the recipe ingredients, not a ready-made dish from the database.

If you use AI food recognition from a photo, keep in mind that it is an estimate. What studies say about its accuracy is in AI calorie counter accuracy: what the studies show.

How to set daily calories and macros in five minutes

1. Work out your basal metabolic rate. The most common formula is Mifflin-St Jeor: 10 × weight in kg + 6.25 × height in cm - 5 × age, then + 5 for men or - 161 for women.
2. Multiply by your activity level. Common factors are 1.2 for a desk job with no training, 1.375 for light activity, 1.55 for three to five workouts a week and 1.725 for very active people.
3. Set your goal. To lose weight, start with a moderate deficit; to build muscle, a slight surplus. How much exactly is explained in how many calories to lose 1 kg.
4. Split your macros. Protein first, then fat, and the rest is carbohydrates. The step-by-step method is in how to calculate macros for any fitness goal.
5. Enter the numbers in the app and leave them alone for two weeks. Only then compare your weekly average weight with the goal.

Example: a 30-year-old woman who weighs 65 kg and is 168 cm tall has a basal metabolic rate of about 1,389 kcal (650 + 1,050 - 150 - 161). With three to five workouts a week that is about 2,150 kcal for maintenance. If you would rather not do the maths by hand, use the fitness calculators. The formula is an estimate, not a measurement, so the real test is your weight after two to three weeks.

Counting calories with a personal trainer

A standalone calorie counter is good for tracking, but it does not tell you what to change when your weight stalls. That is where a trainer comes in. In Trainera your personal trainer sends your meal plan and training plan in the same app, and check-ins, habits and chat are in the same place. The meal plan can also be built from a library of 1,650+ recipes.

The client app is free, available on iOS, Android and Apple Watch, and runs in 28 languages, so a client and a coach who do not share a first language can each use their own. It can pull data from phones and smartwatches through Apple Health, Health Connect, Fitbit, Polar and Garmin Connect. AI food recognition from a photo is part of the Client Premium plan, which costs $6.99 a month at US dollar prices. Prices are fixed per country and listed on the pricing page.

To be honest: if all you need is a counter without a trainer, the apps in the table are built for exactly that. Trainera makes most sense when you work with a trainer or are looking for one, for example through the personal trainer marketplace. FatSecret, by the way, also lets you share your diary with a professional through fatsecret Professional.

If you are wondering whether the AI in an app can replace a coach, we looked for the answer in the research: can AI replace a personal trainer.

The most common logging mistakes

• Eyeballed portions. A tablespoon of oil is not "a bit of oil". A kitchen scale for the first couple of weeks teaches you fastest how much you really eat.
• Cooked or raw. 100 g of raw rice and 100 g of cooked rice do not have the same energy value. Pick one and stick with it.
• Weekends. Five precise days and a Saturday and Sunday logged "roughly" can wipe out the week's deficit. Log at the weekend too, even roughly.
• Drinks and sauces. Coffee with milk, juice, beer, mayonnaise. Small things that add up.
• Logging only in the evening. By evening you have forgotten half the day. Log a meal straight away or take a photo of it.

Which app to download today

• You want a free barcode scanner: Yazio.
• You want the best-known app and do not mind searching by hand: MyFitnessPal.
• You want to share your diary with a professional: FatSecret or, if you work with a trainer, Trainera.
• You or your clients want the interface in Croatian and use an iPhone: Brojač kalorija - Mršavljenje, but check what is free before you subscribe.
• You want training as well as calories: see our overview of the best free workout apps, and for a wider ranking of counters, the best free calorie counter app.

Working with a trainer or looking for one? Get the free Trainera client app in your own language.