10 Best Free Calorie Counter Apps for iPhone
Updated September 27, 2026 · written by AppHunt
A calorie counter only works if you keep using it, and people quit when logging a meal takes longer than eating it. So the real difference between these apps is how you get food into the diary: a photo, a barcode, a search, or your voice. Here is how each of the ten handles it.
FOOD IQ
AppHunt partner · promo codeFOOD IQ logs a meal from a photo. Point the camera at the plate: the app names the dish, estimates the portion and the calories, and waits for you to confirm. A plate with several foods works from one shot, and you can correct the portion or the number before saving. The daily total and the history are kept simple.
Good for: People who gave up counting because typing every meal is tedious
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MyFitnessPal
The best-known tracker in the category: calories, macros, water and workouts in one diary, with an intermittent fasting tracker and an AI coach in recent versions. Almost any packaged product is already in its database.
Good for: People who want everything in one place
Keep in mind: A Premium plan unlocks extra tools.
View in the App Store
Lose It!
Sets a daily calorie budget from your goal and keeps logging quick. Food, exercise, macros and fasting windows share one diary, and the app shows how you are progressing toward the target weight.
Good for: Weight loss with a clear daily budget
View in the App Store
Carb Manager
Made for low-carb eating — keto, paleo, carnivore. According to the developer, net carb tracking is always free and barcode scanning is unlimited on the free plan. Recipes, meal plans and monthly challenges come on top.
Good for: Keto and other low-carb diets
View in the App Store
Cal AI
A photo-first tracker: answer a few questions to get a plan, then photograph what you eat and receive a nutritional breakdown.
Good for: Logging with the camera only
Keep in mind: The developer states that photo analysis results require a subscription.
View in the App Store
MyNetDiary
A fast diary without ads. The food database is checked by staff rather than crowdsourced, the barcode scanner is free, and Meal Scan recognises a plate from a photo.
Good for: People who care about accurate data
View in the App Store
Lifesum
Log a meal by photo, voice, text or barcode — whichever is quickest at the moment. The tone is gentle: small habits like drinking water or adding vegetables count as progress.
Good for: A softer, habit-based approach
View in the App Store
Cronometer
The choice for detail. Besides calories and macros it tracks more than ninety vitamins and minerals, using a curated food database, so you can see not only how much you eat but what is missing.
Good for: Tracking micronutrients, not just calories
View in the App Store
Fooducate
Looks at the quality of calories, not only the amount: it analyses sugar intake and lets you log sleep, mood and hunger next to food. Your own recipes get a nutritional value too.
Good for: Learning to choose better food
View in the App Store
Yazio
A calorie counter combined with an intermittent fasting tracker and AI-assisted logging. It covers losing weight, gaining muscle and simply holding your weight.
Good for: Combining calorie counting with fasting
View in the App Store
Questions and answers
Which calorie counter is the fastest to use?
Photo-based apps are the quickest: you take a picture and confirm the result. FOOD IQ, Cal AI, MyNetDiary and Lifesum all log from a photo. Barcode scanning is the fastest way to log packaged food.
Is there a completely free calorie counter app?
All ten are free to download, and on each of them you can log food and see your daily calories without paying. Paid plans add things like detailed macros, meal plans or unlimited scans. Carb Manager and MyNetDiary state that barcode scanning is free.
Is there a free alternative to Cal AI?
Cal AI's photo analysis needs a subscription, according to its developer. FOOD IQ also logs a meal from a photo, and with the AppHunt promo code its premium is free for a year. MyNetDiary and Lifesum offer photo logging as well.
How accurate is counting calories from a photo?
It is an estimate. A photo cannot see oil, sauces or the exact portion, so treat the number as a starting point and correct the portion when you know better.
How do I use the FOOD IQ promo code?
Tap Get on the FOOD IQ card. If you are not signed in to AppHunt you will be asked to log in, and the code appears right after. Redeem opens the App Store's own redemption screen with the code filled in.
How is the list ordered?
First place is FOOD IQ, an AppHunt partner app we have a promo code for. Places 2–10 are ordered by the number of ratings in the US App Store.