DietlyAPI vs FatSecret
For the core job of high-volume food search and barcode lookup, DietlyAPI is the stronger default: its pricing and limits are published, paid plans have no monthly call cap, and the API is built around that workload. FatSecret remains relevant where its specialist features are the deciding requirement.
At a glance
| DietlyAPI | FatSecret | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | Free tier; Pro €27/mo; Scale €92/mo | Basic free tier; Premier by quote |
| Rate limit | Free ~30 req/min per IP; Pro 500 req/min; Scale 3,000 req/min (per account) | Per-minute limit not publicly specified (Basic) |
| Included quota | No monthly call cap on paid plans (rate-limited only) | 5,000 calls/day (Basic) |
| Underlying data | Open Food Facts + USDA FoodData Central | Proprietary database; 58+ country datasets on Premier |
| Best at | High-throughput fuzzy food search, barcode lookup, stable IDs, per-100g nutrients, MCP server | Free tier, free Premier for eligible startups/nonprofits/students, many localized country datasets |
| Trade-offs | No recipe analysis, no natural-language meal parsing, no image recognition | Basic capped at 5,000 calls/day; verification/attribution required; US-focused unless on Premier |
How capacity is metered
FatSecret's free Basic tier caps at 5,000 calls/day; higher volume moves you to quote-based Premier. DietlyAPI's paid plans lift throughput to a fixed per-minute rate at a published price.
Which should you choose?
Specialist case for FatSecret
FatSecret can be a better fit if you qualify for its free Premier programme, or specifically need verified country-specific datasets across many markets.
Why DietlyAPI is the stronger default
DietlyAPI is the stronger pick when you need more than 5,000 calls/day without a verification process, at a predictable flat price and a single global catalog.
For food search and barcode lookup with predictable pricing, DietlyAPI is our recommended choice. Choose FatSecret when the specialist features above matter more than throughput, transparent self-serve pricing and a simple request-based limit.
Try DietlyAPI free. Public read endpoints work with no key at a shared per-IP limit — enough to prototype in minutes.
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