How Calorie Tape compares
Calorie Tape is a food and nutrient log for iPhone that needs no account and no connection. It searches more than a million foods from USDA and Open Food Facts on your phone, scans barcodes, and shows every nutrient a food reports and which foods it came from. Your log never leaves your iPhone, and every feature is free.
Six apps at a glance
| App | Price | Account | Data used to track you | Barcode scanning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
  Calorie Tape | PriceFree, no ads | AccountNone | Data used to track youNone. The app collects no data. | Barcode scanningFree, and works offline |
| Cronometer | PriceFree with ads; Gold is $59.99 | AccountRequired | Data used to track youContact info, identifiers, usage data | Barcode scanningFree |
| MyFitnessPal | PriceFree with ads; Premium is $79.99 | AccountRequired | Data used to track youIdentifiers, usage data | Barcode scanningPremium |
| Lose It! | PriceFree with ads; Premium is $79.99 | AccountRequired | Data used to track youContact info, identifiers, usage data | Barcode scanningPremium |
| MacroFactor | Price$71.99; no free plan | AccountRequired | Data used to track youNone listed | Barcode scanningIncluded |
| fatsecret | PriceFree; Premium varies by region | AccountRequired | Data used to track youNone listed | Barcode scanningFree |
Yearly US prices; monthly plans, where offered, cost more over a year. “Data used to track you” is each app’s App Privacy label on the App Store, which the developer fills in. Tap an app for the full comparison and its sources.
What Calorie Tape does differently
- No account. Nothing to sign up for, and no server holding your diary.
- Offline. Search, barcode scanning, label reading and logging all work without a connection.
- Every nutrient a food reports. 65 for USDA’s generic foods, the label’s for packaged foods. A missing value shows “—”, never zero, and each nutrient shows which foods it came from.
- Notes and export. Food notes and day notes for allergens, symptoms or mood. Export chosen days as text or a spreadsheet.
- Free. Every feature, with no ads.
What it doesn’t do
Calorie Tape keeps to a few jobs. Before you switch, know what it leaves out:
- No recipes, and no copying meals.
- No charts or trends over time.
- No weight, exercise or water tracking.
- No sync between devices.
- No meal-photo or voice logging. The camera reads barcodes and Nutrition Facts labels only.
- No restaurant menus.
- Made for iPhone only, with iOS 27 or later. No Android or web version.
- No importing from other apps.
Compare in detail
- Calorie Tape vs CronometerUp to 95 nutrients with an account, or a private log
- Calorie Tape vs MyFitnessPalA huge database and Premium tools, or a free scanner and no account
- Calorie Tape vs MacroFactorA paid coach that adjusts your macros, or a free log
- Calorie Tape vs Lose It!A weight-loss plan, or a nutrient log
- Calorie Tape vs fatsecretTwo free barcode scanners, one with an account
Looking for an alternative
- Cronometer alternativesOffline, private, bigger or coached
- MyFitnessPal alternativesFree scanners, nutrient detail, privacy or coaching
- MacroFactor alternativesFree and cheaper options
- Lose It! alternativesFree scanners, no ads, nutrient detail
- fatsecret alternativesOffline, deeper nutrients or coaching
Head to head
The comparisons people search for most, with Calorie Tape kept to its own section.
- MyFitnessPal vs CronometerDatabase size or nutrient depth
- MyFitnessPal vs Lose It!Two weight-loss trackers, both with Premium scanning
- MyFitnessPal vs MacroFactorFree with ads, or a paid coach
- Cronometer vs MacroFactorDeep nutrients, or weekly coaching
- Lose It! vs CronometerA weight-loss plan, or nutrient detail
Questions
Which calorie counters work without an account?
Of the apps compared here, only Calorie Tape. Cronometer, MyFitnessPal, Lose It!, MacroFactor and fatsecret all ask you to create an account, and keep your diary in it.
Which of these apps scan barcodes for free?
Calorie Tape, Cronometer and fatsecret. MyFitnessPal and Lose It! keep barcode scanning in Premium, and MacroFactor has no free plan. Of the three, only Calorie Tape needs no account.
Which app tracks the most nutrients?
Cronometer, which tracks up to 95 nutrients and compounds from sources that include lab-analyzed data. Calorie Tape keeps every nutrient its sources report: 65 for USDA’s generic foods and what the label lists for packaged foods, with missing values shown as unknown rather than zero.
Where does Calorie Tape’s food data come from?
From USDA FoodData Central, which covers generic foods (FNDDS) and branded foods, and from Open Food Facts, a volunteer-built database of packaged products. The whole catalog comes with the app, so search works offline, and each food shows its source under its name.
Get Calorie Tape
For iPhone, in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
How we compare
On September 29, 2026, we read each app’s App Store listing (US), website, pricing and privacy policy, and wrote down only what they say. Where we couldn’t confirm something, we left it out, and each comparison says where the other app is better. Every page lists its sources.
Calorie Tape isn’t on the App Store yet, so its column comes from the app and its privacy policy. Its food data is described on Food Data. Spotted something out of date? Email hellochillcreatures@gmail.com.
Cronometer, MyFitnessPal, Lose It!, MacroFactor and fatsecret are trademarks of their owners, used here only to name the apps. Calorie Tape and Chill Creatures aren’t affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.