MacroFactor's distinctive feature is the algorithm: it estimates your real energy expenditure from what you log and what the scale does, then adjusts your targets every week. If that is what you want and the price is the problem, Carbon does the same job for a similar price and Bay does it free over text. If you mostly want a precise food database, Cronometer. If you want the biggest database and barcode library, MyFitnessPal or Lose It!. Below is how they differ and who each one suits.
Prices were read from each app's US App Store listing or its own website on November 4, 2026. They vary by platform, region and promotion, so confirm at checkout.
What MacroFactor does, and why people look elsewhere
MacroFactor (from Stronger By Science) is a macro tracker with an adaptive coaching layer. You log food and weigh-ins; it fits a trend to your weight, infers your expenditure, and updates your calorie and macro targets weekly toward your goal rate. It has a fast logger, verified food entries, and no free tier: a 7-day trial, then $11.99 a month, $47.99 for six months or $71.99 a year.
The reasons people search for alternatives are consistent: the subscription with no free option, wanting a simpler experience than a macro-by-macro dashboard, wanting coaching that covers training as well as food, or wanting to stop opening an app to log every meal.
The five alternatives at a glance
| App | Adaptive targets | Best for | Price (checked Nov 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| MacroFactor | Weekly, from logged intake and weight trend | Data-minded lifters who want the algorithm | $11.99/mo, $47.99/6 mo, $71.99/yr; 7-day trial, no free tier |
| Carbon | Weekly check-ins adjust the plan | Same idea, with a coaching tone | $11.99/mo, $59.99/6 mo, $99.99/yr |
| Cronometer | No automatic adjustment | Micronutrient-level accuracy, curated database | Free; Gold $10.99/mo or $59.99/yr |
| MyFitnessPal | No automatic adjustment | Largest database, barcode scanning, recipes | Free with ads; Premium $19.99/mo or $79.99/yr |
| Lose It! | No automatic adjustment | Simple calorie budget, quick logging | Free; Premium $79.99/yr on its pricing page |
| Bay | Weekly review from 14 days of intake and weight trend, changes capped at 150 kcal | Coaching over text that also covers training and check-ins | Free right now |
Prices for Carbon and Lose It! are from their websites (joincarbon.com, loseit.com); the rest from the apps' App Store in-app purchase listings (Cronometer, MyFitnessPal). Lose It!'s App Store listing also shows shorter-term and promotional prices.
Carbon: the closest substitute
Carbon (originally "Carbon Diet Coach") was built around the same loop: you log, you weigh in, and a weekly check-in adjusts your plan. Its site is explicit that a slow week "leads to an adjustment, not a restart", which is the MacroFactor philosophy in different words. It costs about the same per month and more per year. Choose it if you like the coaching framing; choose MacroFactor if you prefer its logger and charts.
Cronometer: if accuracy matters more than adaptation
Cronometer's database is curated rather than crowd-sourced, with full micronutrient profiles, which is why dietitians tend to recommend it. It does not adjust your targets for you; you set them and it tracks. The free Basic plan includes barcode scanning and detailed micronutrients; Gold, at $10.99 a month or $59.99 a year, adds photo and voice logging among other extras.
MyFitnessPal and Lose It!: the big free databases
Both have been tracking food for well over a decade and both now have photo logging in their paid tiers. Neither adjusts targets from your weight trend. Their advantage is breadth: barcodes, restaurant items, recipes, and a community. Their weaknesses are ads and upsells on the free tier, and the accuracy of crowd-sourced entries, which you learn to check. MyFitnessPal Premium is $19.99 a month or $79.99 a year; Lose It! Premium is $79.99 a year.
Bay: the algorithm, without the app
Bay is a coach you text rather than an app you open. The part that matters here is the weekly review: every Sunday evening it estimates your real expenditure from the last 14 days of logged intake and your fitted weight trend, compares your rate of change with your goal, and proposes a target change when the two disagree. The change is bounded to 150 calories at a time, never goes below 1,500 (men) or 1,200 (women) calories, keeps protein fixed, and needs at least four weigh-ins spread over a week and ten logged days before it will propose anything. You accept with a tapback or decline, and a decline holds your targets for two weeks. "Am I on track?" runs the same analysis on demand.
Logging is where it differs most. A meal is a sentence ("chicken burrito bowl, no rice"), a photo or a voice note; barcodes in photos resolve to label data; published menus for 160+ US chains are built in; and Bay learns your usual portions so repeat meals take one line. See how to track calories by texting. The same thread handles your training plan and daily check-ins, which none of the apps above do. Bay is free right now, over iMessage, RCS or SMS.
What Bay lacks compared with MacroFactor: a macro-by-macro dashboard in your pocket (your dashboard is a private web page you ask for), and micronutrient tracking. If you want to see fibre and sodium charts daily, Cronometer is the better tool.
How to choose
- You want the adaptive algorithm and like dashboards: MacroFactor or Carbon.
- You want the adaptive algorithm but not another app: Bay.
- You want to know your micronutrients: Cronometer.
- You want the biggest database for free: MyFitnessPal or Lose It!, and check entries against the label.
Whichever you pick, the method underneath is the same: a sensible starting target (see how many calories to eat to lose weight), honest logging, regular weigh-ins and small adjustments. An AI nutrition coach is only as good as the data you give it.
Questions, answered.
Tap a question.
Is there a free alternative to MacroFactor?
Cronometer, MyFitnessPal and Lose It! have free tiers for calorie and macro tracking, without adaptive targets. Bay adjusts targets weekly from your weight trend and is free right now, over text.
What is the closest app to MacroFactor?
Carbon. Both adjust your calorie and macro targets weekly from your logged intake and weigh-ins, and both cost about $12 a month.
Does MacroFactor have a free version?
No. The App Store listing offers a 7-day trial and then a paid subscription, with no free tier.
Is MacroFactor worth it over MyFitnessPal?
If you want your targets adjusted automatically from your weight trend, yes; MyFitnessPal does not do that. If you mainly want a large database and barcode scanning, MyFitnessPal's free tier may be enough.
Related reading
Bay is a software assistant, not a doctor, dietitian or certified trainer. Nothing here is medical, nutrition or professional advice; check with a professional before changing your diet or training.