Free MyFitnessPal alternative: the best option in 2026

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Why people are switching in 2026

Two reasons keep coming up. First, the MyFitnessPal redesign rolled out in April 2026 — the Diary tab replaced by a "Today" screen — drew heavy criticism from users, with the company saying there would be no going back to the old layout (source: PiunikaWeb, 24/04/2026). Second, the core problem hasn't changed since 2022: barcode scanning sits behind the Premium subscription (€79.99/year — official MyFitnessPal Premium page, taken 26/07/2026; price shown in euros, not converted), and a free app that lives off your data still means you're the product. If you just want to log what you eat without paying or being profiled, you're in the right place.

What changed at MyFitnessPal in 2026 (public figures)

Two dated, sourced facts worth knowing before you switch. In 2026, detailed macronutrient tracking — previously free — moved behind the Premium subscription, on top of barcode scanning, which was already paid. Over the same period, the publisher reported 2025 revenue of $310 million, down 5.7% year-over-year, despite more than 220 million total registered accounts (source: Business of Apps, 2026 statistics). These are public figures, not a judgment on product quality: it's up to each person to decide whether a pattern of features moving back behind a paywall over time works for them.

What a real free alternative has to cover

Typing “best calorie app 2026” into a search box returns rankings; what it rarely returns is the criterion behind them. Here is ours, written before the answer: what stays free, who holds your diary, and whether each number names its source.

• Free barcode scanner — not locked behind a paywall.
• No account required — you start in 5 seconds.
• Counting without a connection — it works on a plane or abroad; only scanning a product missing from the database and the AI assistant need the network. Anonymised usage statistics are also sent to Google (in the EU, only if you agree); your diary, foods and weight never are.
• Data that stays with you — nothing to sell: your diary stays on your phone — never sent to our servers (except AI or barcode scanning, if you use them).
• More than calories — Nutri-Score, micronutrients, processing level.

Radish: free to count, private by default

Radish checks all five boxes. The core is free for good: diary, barcode scanning (Open Food Facts), Nutri-Score, recipes, macros and 11 vitamins and minerals from public reference databases (CIQUAL/USDA). No account, no ad trackers, and your diary is never sent to our servers (except AI or barcode scanning, if you use them). An optional Pro — one single payment, not a subscription — only unlocks advanced features. In other words: you never pay for the basic feature MyFitnessPal put behind a paywall. It's a calorie counter without a subscription, period. Depending on your goal, our seven ways to track what you eat page points to the matching guide.

Whatever you call the category — a calorie counter app, a calorie counting app, or just a food tracker app for what you ate today — the part that decides it is the entry price: no sign up, no card, and barcode scanning included from the first day rather than sold back to you later.

What about the other options?

FatSecret, Cronometer, MyNetDiary and Lose It! are all well-known picks, each with real strengths (a huge community database, detailed micronutrients, and so on). But few combine free + no account + counting without a connection + a diary never sent to our servers (except AI or barcode scanning, if you use them) + Nutri-Score at the same time. If your top priority is counting calories without being watched and without pulling out your card, that's where Radish stands apart.

General information, not medical advice. Radish is not affiliated with MyFitnessPal; third-party app prices and features are cited for reference, taken in July 2026 from official pages — subject to change.

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