Compared by criteria, not ranked

Best AI Calorie Counter Apps, Compared by What They Do

AI calorie counters estimate a meal from a photo, a sentence or your voice. They differ in what the AI logs, how much of it is free and whether a barcode scanner sits beside it. This page compares seven on exactly those points.

Try CalorTracker free

How we compared

The criteria, chosen before we filled in the table:

Logs a meal from a photo
The point of an AI counter: no searching a database.
Voice logging
Logging by speaking is quicker than typing when you cooked the meal yourself.
Barcode scanner
Packaged food is more exact from a barcode than from a photo.
AI logging without paying
Whether you can judge the AI before you subscribe.
Free trial
A trial is how you test a paid app without committing.

What we checked: each app’s own site (home, pricing, feature and help pages), on October 23, 2026. Not review sites, blogs or app-store listings.
“Not listed” means we found nothing on the pages cited; it does not mean the app lacks the feature. Prices are left out because they change and differ by country.
Order: alphabetical by app name, CalorTracker included. It is not a ranking, because the right app depends on which criterion matters to you; the section after the table lists, per criterion, which apps do it.
CalorTracker’s own row comes from our code, not from a web page.

The comparison

7 apps compared on 5 criteria, in alphabetical order
App	Logs a meal from a photo	Voice logging	Barcode scanner	AI logging without paying	Free trial
Cal AI	Yes. Yes^[1]	Not listed. Not listed on the pages checked^[1]	Yes. Yes^[2]	Not listed. Not listed on the pages checked^[1]	Yes. 3 days, on its sign-up banner^[1]
CalorTracker (our app)	Yes. Free: 1 a day. Premium: more	Yes. Premium	No. No barcode scanner; reads the label from a photo	Yes. 1 photo scan and 2 text logs a day	Yes. 10-day Premium trial
Lifesum	Yes. Premium (AI Tracking)^[3]	Yes. Through AI Tracking (Premium)^[3]	Yes. Yes^[4]	No. AI Tracking is a Premium feature^[3]	Not listed. Not listed on the pages checked^[5]
MacroFactor	Yes. Yes^[6]	Yes. Speech-to-text logging^[6]	Yes. Yes^[6]	No. No free version^[6]	Yes. 7 days^[6]
MyNetDiary	Yes. Meal Scan (full access in Premium)^[7]	Yes. AI voice logging in Premium Plus^[8]	Yes. Free^[9]	Yes. A limited number of Meal Scans on free accounts^[7]	Not listed. Not listed on the pages checked^[9]
SnapCalorie	Yes. Yes^[10]	Yes. Hands-free voice commands^[10]	Not listed. Not listed on the pages checked^[10]	Not listed. Not listed on the pages checked^[10]	Not listed. Not listed on the pages checked^[10]
Yazio	Yes. Yes^[11]	Not listed. Not listed on the pages checked^[11]	Yes. Yes^[11]	Not listed. Not listed on the pages checked^[11]	Not listed. Not listed on the pages checked^[11]

Last verified October 23, 2026. Numbers in brackets point to the sources below.

One app at a time: Cal AI alternative, MacroFactor alternative, MyNetDiary alternative. CalorTracker features mentioned here: AI food scanner, All features. Our post on how accurate AI calorie counting is explains why every AI estimate should be checked.

By criterion

Apps whose cell says yes, in alphabetical order. Read the table for the conditions (Premium, limits).

Logs a meal from a photo: Cal AI, CalorTracker, Lifesum, MacroFactor, MyNetDiary, SnapCalorie, Yazio
Voice logging: CalorTracker, Lifesum, MacroFactor, MyNetDiary, SnapCalorie
Barcode scanner: Cal AI, Lifesum, MacroFactor, MyNetDiary, Yazio
AI logging without paying: CalorTracker, MyNetDiary
Free trial: Cal AI, CalorTracker, MacroFactor

Worth knowing

Cal AI's FAQ says nutrition values can vary and gives tips for better scans, such as good light and a clear frame.^[2]
MyNetDiary's Meal Scan page says AI tends to underestimate portions and that invisible ingredients such as cooking oil may need adding by hand.^[7]
MacroFactor's app page says there is no free version, only a free trial.^[6]

Where CalorTracker falls short

No barcode scanner: packaged food is logged from a photo of the label or by hand.
The free allowance is one AI photo scan and two AI text logs a day; voice logging needs Premium.
AI results are estimates to check before saving, and CalorTracker publishes no accuracy percentage.
The iOS app is not public yet: today CalorTracker runs on the web and on Android.

Sources and last verified

Every fact about another app on this page comes from that app’s own site, checked on October 23, 2026. Plans and limits change, so check the app before you decide.

We re-verify this page every quarter. Next review due by January 21, 2027. We also re-read every source before a page goes live if its facts are more than 90 days old.

Cal AI home page: https://www.calai.app/ (checked 2026-10-23)
Cal AI FAQ: https://www.calai.app/faq (checked 2026-10-23)
Lifesum help: AI Tracking: https://help.lifesum.com/en/article/ai-tracking-how-does-it-work-15sw7rk/ (checked 2026-10-23)
Lifesum home page: https://lifesum.com/ (checked 2026-10-23)
Lifesum help: subscriptions and purchases: https://help.lifesum.com/en/category/subscriptions-purchases-vryvr9/ (checked 2026-10-23)
MacroFactor app page: https://macrofactor.com/macrofactor/ (checked 2026-10-23)
MyNetDiary Meal Scan page: https://www.mynetdiary.com/ai-food-scanner.html (checked 2026-10-23)
MyNetDiary Premium Plus article: https://www.mynetdiary.com/premium-plus-and-plateai.html (checked 2026-10-23)
MyNetDiary home page: https://www.mynetdiary.com/ (checked 2026-10-23)
SnapCalorie home page: https://www.snapcalorie.com/ (checked 2026-10-23)
Yazio home page: https://www.yazio.com/en (checked 2026-10-23)

Frequently asked questions

Which AI calorie counters can I try without paying?

In the table, CalorTracker and MyNetDiary list AI logging for free accounts, both with daily limits. MacroFactor and Lifesum put it behind a subscription or trial, and the rest do not say on the pages we read.

How accurate are AI calorie counters?

All of them estimate. Two of the apps above say so on their own pages. Our post on AI calorie counting explains how to check a result and what makes photos easier to read.

Why is CalorTracker in a list we wrote?

Because it fits the query. We say so at the top, order the apps alphabetically, and list where CalorTracker falls short next to where it does not.

Does CalorTracker have a barcode scanner?

No. For packaged food, photograph the nutrition label so the AI can read it, or type the numbers in.

Try it on your own meals

Start free, log your first meal from a photo, and see whether it suits the way you track.

Start free on the web

Every app name is a trademark of its respective owner; this page is an independent comparison.