Carby vs MyNetDiary: free calorie diary or budget dinners?
MyNetDiary is a strong free calorie diary: no ads, free barcode scan, no account required to start. Carby is not that. Carby plans dinners under a grocery cap. Keep MyNetDiary to count. Use Carby to shop.
Side by side
| Criterion | Carby | MyNetDiary |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Weekly dinners built around a named US grocery store and a budget you type first, with estimated ingredient costs and one aisle-grouped list. | A calorie tracker with a staff-verified food database, free barcode scan, up to 108 nutrients, no ads, and no account required to start. Premium adds Meal Scan and diet plans. Premium Plus adds AI Coach, voice logging and restaurant menu scan. |
| Starter price | $39.99/year after a 3-day trial on web yearly checkout | Free. Premium $8.99 a month or $59.99 a year. Premium Plus $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year, on MyNetDiary’s about and AI scanner pages. |
| Cost if you stay a year | $39.99 if you stay on the web yearly plan after the 3-day trial | $0 on Free. $59.99 on Premium yearly. $99.99 on Premium Plus yearly. A $179.99 lifetime option is listed on the free-tracker page. |
| Trial | 3-day trial on the web yearly offer visitors actually see. Monthly ($9.99) and weekly ($4.99) plans also exist. Read the checkout. | Free tier needs no trial. Premium trial on iOS is documented in MyNetDiary’s FAQ index; length is shown in the store checkout. |
| Refunds | Web Stripe charges: email within 30 days of the charge for a refund. App Store charges go through Apple. Cancel during the trial and you are not charged. | Premium can be bought on MyNetDiary.com (Paddle) or as an in-app purchase. App Store and Google Play refunds follow those stores. |
| Grocery list | One shopping list for the week, grouped by aisle. You shop it yourself. | Free tier includes a shopping list, per the FAQ on the homepage. It is still a food-diary shopping list, not a store-priced family dinner plan. |
| Store cost estimates | Yes | No |
| Food diary / calorie log | No. Carby does not log calories, carbs or photos of food you already ate. | A calorie tracker with a staff-verified food database, free barcode scan, up to 108 nutrients, no ads, and no account required to start. Premium adds Meal Scan and diet plans. Premium Plus adds AI Coach, voice logging and restaurant menu scan. |
| App Store rating | 4.0 from 29 ratings (small sample) | 4.8 from 169,585 ratings |
Cost if you actually stay
Carby: $39.99 if you stay on the web yearly plan after the 3-day trial
MyNetDiary: $0 on Free. $59.99 on Premium yearly. $99.99 on Premium Plus yearly. A $179.99 lifetime option is listed on the free-tracker page.
MyNetDiary facts are from its public site and US iTunes Lookup, checked October 20, 2026. Missing dollar amounts were omitted, not guessed. Carby web yearly is $39.99 after a 3-day trial, with a 30-day web refund. Grocery purchases are extra on both sides. Carby does not replace a food diary.
Where they win
- Free barcode scan, up to 108 nutrients, no ads, no account to start.
- Staff-verified database and a published Premium / Premium Plus price.
- A free shopping list on the diary, plus GLP-1 companion tools.
Where we win
- Five dinners generated around a typed grocery budget.
- Store-specific catalog estimates, not only a diary shopping list.
- The constraint is the grocery bill, not calories in the log.
Choose us if / pick them if
Choose Carby if: Choose Carby if you already know you are not going to log every bite, and you still need dinner decided.
Pick MyNetDiary if: Pick MyNetDiary if you want a free, ad-free calorie counter with a verified database.
MyNetDiary alternatives by jobFrequently asked questions
Is MyNetDiary really free?
Their site says the core diary, barcode scanner, macros, water, shopping list and community are free, with no ads. Premium is $59.99 a year. Premium Plus is $99.99 a year.
Does Carby have a free forever diary?
No. Carby is not a diary. The full dinner plan is subscription-based after a 3-day web trial.
Which has a shopping list?
Both, for different jobs. MyNetDiary’s free list comes from the diary. Carby’s list comes from the week of dinners and includes estimated costs.
Sources checked October 20, 2026: App Store listing · iTunes Lookup id 6779585429 · Carby billing policy · Carby refund help · MyNetDiary homepage · MyNetDiary about · MyNetDiary free tracker page · App Store listing · iTunes Lookup id 287529757. Competitor facts come from those public pages and US iTunes Lookup. Missing cells were omitted, not guessed.