I've been tracking macros on and off for three years. Every January I try again, every March I quit because the apps make it miserable.
This year I actually tested four different approaches back to back. Here's what happened.
1. MyFitnessPal (Free + Premium)
The OG. Massive food database. But the UX has gotten worse every update. The barcode scanner is solid, but manually searching their database for a home-cooked meal? You'll spend 5 minutes logging a single plate.
The recent UI changes have the subreddit in flames. Premium costs $20/month now and half the features used to be free.
Verdict: Still works if you eat packaged food. Falls apart for home cooking.
2. Cronometer (Free + Gold)
Better database accuracy than MFP (they use NCCDB). The micronutrient tracking is genuinely excellent if you care about vitamins/minerals beyond just calories and protein.
But the UI feels like it was designed in 2015 and never touched again. Adding custom recipes is painful. The learning curve is steeper than it needs to be.
Verdict: Best for nutrition nerds who want micronutrient data. Overkill if you just want calories and macros.
3. Lose It! (Free + Premium)
Clean UI, actually pleasant to use. The snap-it photo feature exists but it's hit or miss on accuracy. Social features are nice if you're into that.
Limited free tier though. And the food database isn't as comprehensive as MFP.
Verdict: Best free option for casual trackers. Not great for serious macro tracking.
4. MetricSync ($3/month)
This is the one that actually stuck. You take a photo of your plate, the AI identifies what's on it and fills in the macros. No searching databases, no scrolling through 47 versions of "chicken breast."
It also does text input - you can type "two eggs and toast with butter" and it logs everything. The Apple Health sync is seamless.
The catch: it's iPhone only and it's $3/month after a 3-day free trial. No free tier.
Verdict: If you cook at home and hate searching food databases, this is the move. The photo logging genuinely saves 5+ minutes per meal.
The Bottom Line
- MyFitnessPal - Best for packaged food/barcode scanning. Free/$20mo. No photo logging.
- Cronometer - Best for micronutrient tracking. Free/$9mo. No photo logging.
- Lose It! - Best for casual tracking. Free/$40yr. Partial photo logging.
- MetricSync - Best for home cooking/speed. $3/month. Full AI photo logging.
I've been using MetricSync for six weeks now and haven't quit yet. That's a personal record. The difference is literally just friction - when logging takes 10 seconds instead of 3 minutes, you actually do it.
If you're someone who quits calorie tracking because it's tedious, try the photo-based approach. It's a completely different experience.
What calorie tracker are you using? Have you tried any AI-based ones? Drop your experience in the comments.
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