MyFitnessPal vs MyNetDiary: Which Calorie Tracker Fits You?

MyFitnessPal or MyNetDiary: which calorie counter should you use? Pick MyFitnessPal if you eat a wide mix of branded and restaurant food and want your tracker to talk to lots of other devices. Pick MyNetDiary if you want a free app that doesn't hide the barcode scanner or show ads. Both are free to download, both are well rated on the App Store, and both have been around for years. The real differences sit in the free tier, the food database and what you pay to upgrade.

Quick verdict

If you only read one section, read this one.

• MyFitnessPal wins on size. Its App Store listing says you can log from more than 20.5 million foods, including restaurant dishes, and connect more than 40 fitness trackers, smartwatches and health apps.
• MyNetDiary wins on what you get for free. Its listing includes a barcode scanner, voice logging, macro tracking, up to 108 nutrients per food and no ads in the free version.
• On price, MyFitnessPal Premium is $79.99 a year or $19.99 a month in the US as of October 2026. MyNetDiary sells Premium and Premium Plus inside the app, so check the in-app price before you subscribe.

Neither app is "the best" for everyone. The right pick depends on whether you value a huge database or a generous free plan more.

MyFitnessPal vs MyNetDiary compared

Every fact below comes from each company's official App Store listing or website, as of October 2026. App features change often, so check the listing before you decide.

Sources: MyFitnessPal on the App Store, MyFitnessPal Premium, MyNetDiary on the App Store.

A note on ratings: both scores are high, and a 0.1 difference tells you very little. MyFitnessPal's score comes from far more people, which makes it more stable but not more meaningful for your own needs.

Where MyFitnessPal is better

The food database is about ten times larger. MyFitnessPal lists more than 20.5 million foods against MyNetDiary's 2 million or so. If you eat at chain restaurants, buy regional brands or travel a lot, a bigger database means more foods turn up on the first search. The trade-off is that much of a large database comes from users adding entries, so you may see several versions of the same food with different numbers. A quick habit helps: pick the entry that matches the nutrition label on your pack, then save it as a favourite.

It connects to more things. MyFitnessPal says it links to more than 40 fitness trackers, smartwatches and health apps. If you already use a particular running app, scale or watch, there's a good chance it talks to MyFitnessPal. MyNetDiary syncs with Apple Health for free and with Fitbit, Garmin and Withings on Premium, which covers the big names but not the long tail.

Android watch users are covered. MyFitnessPal lists Wear OS support, with complications and a tile for quick logging. MyNetDiary's iPhone listing talks about an Apple Watch app instead.

Meal planning goes further at the top tier. Premium Plus adds personalised meal plans, integrated grocery delivery and more than 1,500 recipes. If you want the app to plan your week as well as count it, that bundle is the bigger one.

There's a big community. The listing mentions a community feature for finding friends and motivation. With millions of ratings on the App Store alone, you're unlikely to be the only person you know who uses it, which makes sharing progress easier.

Where MyNetDiary is better

The free version does more. This is the biggest practical difference. MyNetDiary's free tier includes a barcode scanner, voice logging, macro and protein tracking, water tracking, exercise tracking, progress charts and custom recipes. MyFitnessPal's Premium page lists barcode scanning, voice logging, custom macro goals and ad-free logging as paid features. If you never plan to pay, MyNetDiary gives you more to work with.

No ads, and no account needed. MyNetDiary's listing states that the free version has no ads and doesn't require an account. That suits people who want to try calorie counting for a couple of weeks without signing up for anything.

Nutrient detail is deeper. MyNetDiary says it tracks up to 108 nutrients per entry, covering vitamins, minerals, omega fats and amino acids, and that its foods come from USDA and NCC research sources. If you track iron, vitamin D or potassium for a reason (with your doctor's guidance), this matters more than raw database size. The USDA's own FoodData Central is a good free place to double-check any single food.

Staff review the database. MyNetDiary says its team reviews and updates 2,500 to 3,500 foods every day. A smaller, checked database usually means fewer duplicate entries to choose between, though you may need to create a custom food more often for niche items.

Sharing with a professional is built in. Its free Professional Connect feature lets you share your diary with a dietitian, coach or doctor. If you work with someone on your eating, that saves you exporting screenshots.

Which should you choose?

Use these quick rules:

1. You won't pay for an app: MyNetDiary. Free barcode scanning and no ads make daily logging faster.
2. You eat out a lot or buy many branded foods: MyFitnessPal. More foods means fewer custom entries.
3. You already own a tracker or smart scale from a smaller brand: MyFitnessPal, because of its 40+ connections. Check that your device is on the list first.
4. You care about micronutrients: MyNetDiary, for its 108-nutrient tracking in the free version.
5. You want an AI coach: both offer one now. MyFitnessPal lists a built-in AI Coach; MyNetDiary puts its AI Coach in Premium Plus.

One more test costs nothing: install both, log the same day of meals in each and see which one you'd still open on a busy Thursday. The best calorie counter is the one you keep using. That's also what research on self-monitoring keeps finding: people who record what they eat more consistently tend to do better with weight loss, as a review in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found.

Whatever you pick, set a sensible target. The NIH Body Weight Planner is a free government tool that estimates the calories you need to reach a goal weight by a date, and it's a useful cross-check against any app's number.

How Kelz can help

If neither app feels right because you want food tracking and workouts in one place, Kelz takes a different angle. It's an iPhone app that combines calorie counting and a meal planner with an AI personal trainer that builds workout plans around your goal and adjusts as you progress. It also includes fitness tracking, nutrition tips and insights on cravings and appetite. It doesn't try to match MyFitnessPal's database size or MyNetDiary's nutrient depth; it's built for people who want one simple plan for eating and moving. Premium is $9.99 a week or $49.99 a year. You can read more guides on the Kelz blog.

KelzTrack calories, plan meals and follow AI workout plans toward your weight goal.

Conclusion

MyFitnessPal vs MyNetDiary comes down to one question: do you want the biggest database or the best free plan? MyFitnessPal offers more foods, more integrations and a large community, but keeps barcode scanning and ad-free logging behind a $79.99-a-year Premium plan. MyNetDiary gives you a scanner, voice logging, deep nutrient tracking and no ads for free, with a smaller, staff-checked database. Try both for a few days, keep the one that fits your routine, and browse the Alic Systems blog for more practical guides.