Free calorie counter apps: what you get without paying, and who's watching
Nearly every calorie counter is free, with in-app purchases. What the subscriptions cost on the UK App Store, which apps declare tracking, and how to spot a fair free version.
Search the App Store for "calorie counter free" and nearly every app says Get, free. Underneath, in small grey letters: In-App Purchases. So the real question is what you're left with if you never pay, and who's making money from you in the meantime.
Short answer: almost every big calorie counter is funded by a subscription, and several also share data for advertising. Ampsu is completely free right now, with no paid tier and no ads. I built it, so take my enthusiasm with a pinch of salt, which is why every figure below says where it came from.
What do the subscriptions cost?
| App | In-app purchases on the UK App Store | Data used to track you, per the App Store |
|---|---|---|
| MyFitnessPal | £7.99 to £64.99 | Identifiers, usage data |
| Nutracheck | £3.99 to £34.99 | Purchases, location, identifiers, usage data |
| Lose It! | £9.99 to £75.99 | Contact info, identifiers, usage data |
| Cronometer | £8.99 to £59.99 | Contact info, identifiers, usage data |
| Yazio | £4.99 to £35.90 | Identifiers |
| FatSecret | £7.69 to £44.99 | None declared |
| Ampsu | None, everything is free right now | Not on the App Store; no tracking for advertising |
From the UK App Store on 10 November 2026. The ranges cover every package, monthly to yearly, including offers.
Why is "free" hardly ever free?
For most apps the free version is the shop window. What's in it and what moves behind the paywall changes over time, and rarely in the free version's favour, so a list of who gives away which feature this month goes stale fast. It's more useful to look at how the app makes its money.
If it's a subscription, that's a straight deal: you pay, you get. If it's ads on top, you're also what's being sold. With a food diary that's not abstract. What you eat, when, and whether you're dieting is exactly the kind of information advertisers pay for.
How can I tell who's watching?
Every App Store page has a section called "Data Used to Track You". If anything is listed there, data from the app can be combined with other companies' data, usually for advertising. Five of the six apps in the table list something. Developers fill those labels in themselves, so read them as the minimum.
Where each app keeps your diary, and which ad tools turn up in their privacy policies, is in the post on a European alternative to MyFitnessPal, with every policy linked.
What's free in Ampsu?
Right now, all of it. Barcode scanning, supermarket own-brands included, meal photos, recipes by cooked weight, a target that adjusts to what your weight actually does, and the daily coach. There are no ads and no tracking for advertising, and your diary sits on servers in Frankfurt.
How do I spot a fair free version?
- You can scan a barcode without a subscription screen popping up. Try it in the shop with an own-brand yoghurt.
- The App Store lists nothing under data used to track you, or you know what it's for.
- You can export your data, so your history comes with you if you ever switch.
If you want to try Ampsu, install it and scan three things from your fridge. Coming from MyFitnessPal or Cronometer, you can import your old diary as a CSV.