Compare the part of fatsecret you would replace
Comparison table. Scroll horizontally to see every column.
| Choice | Useful change | Access boundary | What to check before moving |
|---|---|---|---|
| 123 Cal, our app | Editable photo estimates and protein remaining | First 3 days advertised free; Pro for continued scans [1][2] | Whether the meal-review process suits you; no verified transfer of your sharing setup |
| Cronometer | Detailed nutrient records and raw-data export | Basic is free indefinitely; Gold and Professional are separate paid tiers [4] | Whether your professional accepts the records you can share |
| MacroFactor | Weekly target adjustments using intake and weight trends | Paid subscription after a 7-day trial; no ongoing free version [5] | Whether you want automated target changes and can supply sufficiently complete records |
| Keep fatsecret | Familiar diary, community and professional sharing | Core diary is advertised free; meal plans and advanced meal planning are Premium [3] | Whether a missing feature matters enough to rebuild the surrounding routine |
A food export, a professional portal and a social feed do different jobs. Compare the job you actually rely on before comparing subscription prices.
OUR RECOMMENDATION · OUR OWN APP
1. 123 Cal: our recommendation for reviewing a meal before saving it
Open the App Store ↗
English UI. Developer-supplied iPhone images, not our test results. Official source.
123 Cal's listing describes taking a meal photo, adding portion or cooking notes, then reviewing the result. You can correct the estimate by voice or text before confirming it. Barcode and nutrition-label scanning are documented too. This is worth trying if correcting a mixed meal is the part of logging that you want to change. A photo still cannot establish the exact weight of every ingredient. [1][2]
Fatsecret already advertises image recognition, barcode scanning, Apple Health integration and an Apple Watch app. Moving to 123 Cal is therefore a choice between particular logging routines. It should not be sold as gaining a camera or a Watch companion that fatsecret lacks. Try a meal you regularly eat and judge the corrections you need to make. [1][3]
Trial and sharing limits
123 Cal advertises the first 3 days free, followed by Pro for continued meal scans. The US and Ukrainian storefronts show different public purchase offers, so check the price, billed period and eligibility in your own offer. If free ongoing logging is the reason you chose fatsecret, a trial is not an equivalent replacement. [1][2]
We have not verified a way to bring your fatsecret followers or professional-sharing connection into 123 Cal. Keep your existing arrangement until you and anyone reviewing your diary have agreed on how to share the information you need.
2. Cronometer: for a free diary you can inspect in more detail
English UI. Developer-supplied iPhone images, not our test results. Official source. From the press kit; images belong to the developer. No endorsement implied.
Cronometer Basic includes nutrient data from lab-analyzed sources and its community database, custom foods and recipes, limited analysis and raw-data export. Basic can be used indefinitely. Gold adds features such as longer-term charts, recipe importing and ad removal. This makes it a candidate when your reason to leave fatsecret is the way you want to inspect food records. [4]
Professional access and sharing
The important distinction for an existing fatsecret Professional user is access for the professional. Cronometer documents a separate Professional subscription with client-diary management, messaging and reports. A free personal account does not by itself establish that your professional can continue the same workflow at no cost. Fatsecret's listing says the professional gets free access to its sharing tools. Discuss that difference before changing diaries. [3][4]
If you mainly want to send an occasional file, Basic's raw-data export may be enough. If someone checks your diary regularly in a portal, ask them which product and account arrangement they can use. Our Cronometer alternatives guide looks at other reasons to leave or keep that app.
3. MacroFactor: when you want targets to respond to your records
English UI. Developer-supplied iPhone images, not our test results. Official source. From the press kit; images belong to the developer. No endorsement implied.
MacroFactor estimates energy expenditure from calorie intake and changes in body weight, then adjusts its calorie and macro plan weekly. It also documents coached, collaborative and manual modes. This may fit a fatsecret user who is comfortable logging food but wants a different process for revising targets. [5]
Logging requirements and paid access
That decision needs useful inputs. MacroFactor specifically warns that partially logged days can distort its expenditure estimate. If your diary routinely contains breakfast and lunch while dinner is missing, a target-adjustment feature does not repair the missing record. Consider whether that logging routine is likely to change before paying for adaptive targets. [5]
MacroFactor's nutrition app advertises a 7-day trial and says there is no free version. Its public FAQ also says there is no built-in coaching portal, while describing spreadsheet export for sharing information with a coach. It would be misleading to present this as a direct replacement for fatsecret Professional. [5]
For the choice between detailed nutrient records and adaptive targets, read MacroFactor vs Cronometer. Neither an app's algorithm nor this comparison replaces advice from a professional who knows your circumstances.
Reasons to keep fatsecret
Fatsecret's listing brings together a food diary, exercise and weight tracking, a journal, community comments and followers, and sharing with a chosen health professional. If those relationships help you return to the diary, there is a practical reason to stay even when another app has a feature you prefer. [3]
Its Premium offer includes dietitian-created meal plans, advanced meal planning, extra meal headings and water tracking. Check which of these you use. A replacement's recipe editor does not necessarily provide a meal plan, and a calorie target does not tell you what is scheduled for dinner. [3]
The US listing says the app is customized for US foods and brands. Before switching because of food search, try the packaged foods and serving units you use locally. We have not compared database coverage for Ukrainian groceries, and the size of a database would not answer that question on its own. [3]
Keep the support arrangement intact while trying a new diary
Start with a typical meal and a day you want your professional to review. In the candidate app, check portion editing, the nutrients you need and the actual file or screen you would share. Ask the person receiving it whether it is usable before giving up the existing connection.
Keep the original records while checking any transfer. We did not verify a full migration of foods, recipes, journal entries or social connections. If both apps write nutrition data to Apple Health, review their permissions and the resulting records rather than assuming two installed diaries will stay in agreement.
If you pay for fatsecret Premium, deal with that subscription separately from installing another app. Apple provides cancellation steps for Apple-billed subscriptions; another billing provider may have a different process. [6]
Questions before leaving fatsecret
Is a subscription necessary for every alternative?
Cronometer Basic is available indefinitely without a subscription. MacroFactor is paid after its trial, and 123 Cal requires Pro for continued meal scanning after the advertised trial. Decide which feature needs to remain free rather than treating every free download as a free tracker. [1][4][5]
Will my professional see the new diary automatically?
No automatic transfer was verified here. Fatsecret documents its own professional connection, while Cronometer describes a separate Professional subscription. Agree on the destination and account setup with your professional first. [3][4]
Should I leave just to get photo logging or an Apple Watch app?
Fatsecret already documents image recognition and Watch support. Compare the action you want to perform, its access conditions and the result you can edit. Feature names alone do not establish that changing apps will solve your problem. [3]
