MyFitnessPal has the largest food database of any calorie-tracking app and that single fact explains most of its staying power. Logging a meal by scanning a barcode or searching a restaurant name returns results quickly and accurately far more often than competitors. For anyone who takes food tracking seriously, the breadth of that database is genuinely hard to replace.
The recent AI-assisted logging features (suggesting meals from descriptions, generating nutrition estimates) are a meaningful step forward. The macro breakdown, goal-setting, and water tracking cover the basics well. The catch is that premium features have expanded significantly and the free tier now feels like a demo. Macro goals, meal planning templates, and food analysis features that were free a few years ago now sit behind a subscription.
The app has also grown bloated over time with a social feed that few people use and workout tracking that remains weaker than dedicated fitness apps. It’s still the go-to for calorie counting but it’s drifting toward doing many things adequately rather than one thing excellently.
Verdict: Still the gold standard for calorie tracking thanks to its database, but years of feature expansion and paywall creep have diluted what made it exceptional.
