FatSecret alternatives: another free counter, or a dinner planner
Stay with FatSecret if a free calorie log with barcode scan is enough. MyNetDiary, Cronometer, MyFitnessPal and Lose It! are other diaries. Carby is the alternative if you wanted dinners planned around a grocery budget instead of a food log.
Pricing comparison
FatSecret core is free; Premium is in-app. MyNetDiary Free $0. Cronometer Basic $0. MyFitnessPal diary $0. Lose It! Basic $0. Carby $39.99 a year after a 3-day trial.
| App | Starter price | If you stay a year | Trial | Refunds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FatSecret | Free core app. Premium is a paid in-app upgrade; fatsecret.com says pricing varies by region and is viewed in the app. | $0 if you stay on the free tracker. Premium yearly cost is the in-app price in your region. Grocery is extra. | Free core needs no trial. Premium trial, if any, is shown in the store checkout. | App Store or Google Play purchases follow those stores. This page does not invent a web refund window, because the public FAQ does not state one. |
| Carby | $39.99/year after a 3-day trial on web yearly checkout | $39.99 if you stay on the web yearly plan after the 3-day 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. | 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. |
| MyNetDiary | 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. | $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. | Free tier needs no trial. Premium trial on iOS is documented in MyNetDiary’s FAQ index; length is shown in the store checkout. | Premium can be bought on MyNetDiary.com (Paddle) or as an in-app purchase. App Store and Google Play refunds follow those stores. |
| Cronometer | Free Basic. Gold $4.99 a month billed annually at $59.99, or $10.99 a month billed monthly, on cronometer.com/gold. | $59.99 on Gold yearly. $131.88 if you stay on Gold monthly at $10.99. $0 on Basic. Grocery is extra. | Basic is free with no time limit. Gold checkout is on the Gold page and in the apps. | Web Gold: set Do Not Auto-Renew in Account Settings and access continues to the end of the term. App Store or Google Play Gold follows those stores. |
| MyFitnessPal | Free food diary. Premium $79.99 a year or $19.99 a month. Premium+ $99.99 a year or $24.99 a month, on MyFitnessPal’s Premium+ page. | $79.99 on Premium yearly. $99.99 on Premium+ yearly. $0 if you stay on the free diary. Grocery is extra. | 7-day Premium or Premium+ trial if you have never upgraded or redeemed a trial. First charge is after the trial unless you cancel. Auto-renews. | Cancel at least 24 hours before renewal to avoid the next charge. Premium features stay until the paid period ends. App Store or Google Play purchases follow those stores. |
| Lose It! | Free to download, with an optional Premium subscription. Lose It! does not publish a dollar price on the public Premium page; read the in-app checkout. | Free if you stay on Basic. Premium yearly cost is shown in the app, not on loseit.com/premium. Grocery is extra. | Free Basic needs no trial. Premium trial, if offered, is shown in the App Store or Google Play checkout you see. | App Store or Google Play purchases follow those stores. Deleting the app does not cancel a store subscription. |
Grocery purchases are extra on every row. Read the checkout you actually see.
What each tool is best for
- Family dinners under a grocery budget, not a food diary: Carby
- Carby does not count calories or carbs. It plans five dinners and one aisle list around a store and a spending limit. Use it when the next job is shopping, not logging last night’s plate. Compare
- A free verified diary with no ads: MyNetDiary
- Staff-verified foods, free barcode, no ads. Closer to FatSecret’s free-core idea with more nutrient fields. Compare
- Free barcode plus micronutrients: Cronometer
- Heavier than FatSecret. Gold is $59.99 a year if you outgrow Basic. Compare
- The default huge diary: MyFitnessPal
- Free log; scans are Premium. 2.38 million App Store ratings. Compare
- A calorie-budget UI: Lose It!
- Free Basic. Photo and barcode on Premium. Compare
Verdict
Keep FatSecret for a free simple log. MyNetDiary or Cronometer if you want more nutrient detail for $0. MyFitnessPal or Lose It! if you want those brands. Carby only for grocery dinners.
Carby vs FatSecret in one tableFrequently asked questions
What is the best FatSecret alternative?
MyNetDiary or Cronometer for another free diary. Carby for a dinner planner. This is by job, not a ranking test.
Does Carby have a free calorie counter?
No. Carby is not a calorie counter.
Does FatSecret plan dinners for my store?
Premium lists meal plans. It does not publish store catalog estimates for a named US grocer.
Sources checked October 20, 2026: FatSecret homepage · App Store listing · iTunes Lookup id 347184248 · 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 · Cronometer homepage · Cronometer Gold · Cronometer subscription types · App Store listing · iTunes Lookup id 1145935738 · MyFitnessPal homepage · MyFitnessPal Premium · MyFitnessPal Premium+ · App Store listing · iTunes Lookup id 341232718 · Lose It! homepage · Lose It! Premium · App Store listing · iTunes Lookup id 297368629. Competitor facts come from those public pages and US iTunes Lookup. Missing cells were omitted, not guessed.