The best dieting and weight loss app in 2026 is MyFitnessPal, with Cronometer the pick for accuracy and Lose It! for simplicity. This list ranks nine apps that are current and active today, from calorie trackers to coaching apps, and explains who each one suits. The old list had apps that have since disappeared or stalled, so we rebuilt it.
| Rank | App | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MyFitnessPal | All-round calorie tracking |
| 2 | Cronometer | Accuracy and micronutrients |
| 3 | Lose It! | Simple calorie budget |
| 4 | WW | Structure and coaching |
| 5 | MacroFactor | Serious macro tracking |
| 6 | Noom | Behavior and psychology |
| 7 | Fooducate | Packaged food grades |
| 8 | Cal AI | Photo-first logging |
| 9 | Google Health | Fitbit users |
1. MyFitnessPal: best all-round calorie tracker
MyFitnessPal logs food, drink, macros and exercise, and it still has the largest user base in the category: the company says 280 million users in over 120 countries as of 2026. It launched in 2005 and went through two owners: Under Armour bought it for $475 million in 2015, and Francisco Partners bought it for $345 million in 2020.
The free plan covers nutrition, weight and exercise tracking. Premium adds barcode and meal scan, voice logging, custom macro goals by day of the week, intermittent fasting tools and ad-free logging, with a 7-day trial for new users. In March 2026 it bought the AI calorie counter Cal AI, so expect more photo-based logging. The Premium price varies by country, so check your app store.
Cost: Free tier, paid Premium. Available: iOS and Android, plus the web.
2. Cronometer: best for accuracy and micronutrients
Cronometer tracks up to 95 nutrients and compounds, well beyond calories and macros, and draws on a database of over one million verified foods. That makes it the pick if you care about iron, magnesium or fiber as much as calories.
You can log by barcode, photo, voice or text search, and it syncs with Apple Health, Health Connect, Garmin, Oura, Withings, Whoop and Dexcom. The barcode scanner is free, and a Gold plan adds more insights.
Cost: Free tier, paid Gold. Available: web, iOS and Android.
3. Lose It!: best for a simple daily calorie budget
Lose It! has been around since 2008 and still does the job it started with: it gives you a daily calorie budget based on your weight, goal and activity, and you log against it. It was an early mover on photo logging, launching the Snap It beta in 2016.
Premium adds diet-specific tracking such as keto, heart healthy or Mediterranean. It connects with apps like Fitbit and has groups for support. It is the least intimidating app on this list.
Cost: Free tier, paid Premium. Available: iOS, Android and web.
4. WW (formerly WeightWatchers): best for structure and coaching
WeightWatchers rebranded as WW in 2018. It remains the one that turns food into Points, and its app now lets you use your phone camera to track meals and see their Points value. It also lists more than 350 ZeroPoint foods you do not need to track, and chat with coaches.
WW has changed a lot. It filed for Chapter 11 protection in May 2025 as part of a debt restructuring, and its current plans include a Core program and a clinic-linked Med+ tier, where qualifying members can get a prescription for GLP-1 medications from licensed clinicians. Those are medical decisions to make with your own doctor. Pricing is on the WW site and is not a flat app fee.
Cost: Paid membership. Available: iOS and Android.
5. MacroFactor: best for people who track macros seriously
MacroFactor positions itself as a diet coach. It sells two apps, MacroFactor Nutrition and MacroFactor Workouts, and an optional Expenditure Modifier that adds step data and goal-based adjustments to your calorie targets.
It has no free tier, but offers a free trial. If you have plateaued with a basic tracker, this is the one to try next.
Cost: Subscription after a free trial. Available: iOS and Android.
6. Noom: best for the psychology of eating
Noom was founded in 2008 and launched its app in 2016. It builds programs around behavior-change psychology, with goal-setting and CBT-style lessons rather than just a food diary. In 2024 it added a 3D body scan feature to measure lean muscle mass and started offering a compounded GLP-1 medication, which is something to discuss with a doctor.
It is subscription-based and more expensive than a pure tracker, so it makes sense if habits are your problem rather than data.
Cost: Paid subscription. Available: iOS and Android.
7. Fooducate: best for understanding what is in packaged food
Fooducate grades the food you eat. Its Food Grades rate the quality of your calories, and a scanner lets you log packaged foods. It supports low-carb, vegan, paleo and keto eating, and has recipes, tips and a community. The company says it has 8 million downloads.
A paid PRO tier is promoted, with a free trial. It is a good second app next to a tracker, rather than a replacement.
Cost: Free tier, paid PRO. Available: iOS, Android and web.
8. Cal AI: best for photo-first logging
Cal AI is an AI calorie counter built around food recognition from a photo. MyFitnessPal acquired it in March 2026, with more than $30 million in annual revenue at the time, and took on its food recognition technology and nutrition database.
The standalone app may change as MyFitnessPal integrates it, so treat it as a trend rather than a long-term pick.
Cost: Check the app store. Available: mobile.
9. Google Health (formerly the Fitbit app): best if you already wear a Fitbit
Google renamed the Fitbit app to Google Health in June 2026 and introduced Google Health Coach (formerly Fitbit Coach). It is useful for activity, sleep and weight trends rather than detailed food logging.
Pair it with a food tracker above if you want both sides of the energy equation.
Cost: Free app; some coaching features may need a subscription. Available: iOS and Android.
Which dieting apps did we drop from the old list?
The original version of this article listed Low Fat Recipes, Diet Plan, Weightbot, Diet Watchers Diary, Superfoods and My Diet Coach. We could not confirm that these are maintained today, and Weightbot was reportedly removed from the App Store years ago, so we replaced them with apps that are current and clearly active. The ideas behind them live on: recipe apps, simple weight logging and motivation are now features inside the apps above.
How do you choose a weight loss app?
Pick one for how you behave, not for features. If you hate typing, choose photo logging. If you need accountability, choose coaching. If you are numbers-driven, choose accuracy. Stick with it for a month before switching. This is general information, not medical advice.
Keep reading
- The 10 foods that burn calories: what to eat once your app shows your numbers
- The best brain foods: eating choices that help focus, not only weight
- 15 little habits to have a better day: small routines that make a diet stick
FAQ
What is the best dieting and weight loss app in 2026?
MyFitnessPal is our best all-round pick: it has the biggest user base, a free tier and strong barcode and meal-scan tools. Cronometer is better for accuracy and micronutrients.
Are there free weight loss apps that work?
Yes. MyFitnessPal, Lose It!, Cronometer and Fooducate all have free tiers that cover food logging. Paid tiers mostly add scanning, insights and ad-free use.
Is WeightWatchers still around?
Yes, under the name WW. The company rebranded in 2018, filed for Chapter 11 in May 2025 to restructure its debt, and continues to operate an app with Points and coaching.
What happened to Weightbot and the older apps?
Weightbot was reportedly pulled from the App Store after Tapbots stopped supporting it. We dropped it and five other older apps because we could not confirm they are maintained.
Do AI calorie counters from a photo work?
They are convenient and improving, which is why MyFitnessPal bought Cal AI in March 2026. Treat photo estimates as approximate and check portions yourself.
Should I use a weight loss app with a doctor’s advice?
Yes, if you have a medical condition or take medication. Apps are tools for tracking, not medical care.
How we put this list together
We ranked the apps by who they help most, using each company’s own product pages and public company history, checked in October 2026. We did not rank by download counts or paid placement.
Prices change by country and by app store, so we describe whether each app has a free tier and leave exact prices to the store.
Last updated: October 2026.
