Best Calorie Counting App in Australia (Free Options Compared)

The best calorie counting app in Australia for most people is one that handles kilojoules and Australian foods, and Easy Diet Diary does both for free with no ads. If you would rather snap a photo or speak your meal than search a database, Calo AI is a free AI tracker on Android and in the browser, paid for by ads, though it shows kcal rather than kJ.

Disclosure: this page is written by the Calo AI Team, and Calo AI is our app. Every competitor fact comes from the app’s own website or Australian app store listing, checked on 1 October 2026. Prices are in Australian dollars.

Which calorie apps work best for Australians?

Why do kilojoules matter in Australia?

Australian nutrition information panels show energy in kilojoules (kJ). If your app shows only kcal, you have to convert. The rule is simple: 1 kcal = 4.184 kJ. A 250 kcal snack is about 1,046 kJ, and a 2,000 kcal day is about 8,368 kJ.

Easy Diet Diary lets you choose kJ or Cal throughout, which saves effort if you read labels in kJ. Calo AI works in kcal, so you would convert when comparing with a label.

Is Easy Diet Diary the best free option?

For many Australians, yes. Its App Store listing says it is “the Australian-made calorie counter”, “completely free” with “no ads”, and that it has an “extensive Australian food database” with nutrient data “based on official sources”. It includes a free barcode scanner, custom foods and recipes, and kJ or Cal tracking.

It also links to professional care. Xyris, the developer, makes Foodworks, software used by dietitians, and you can share your Easy Diet Diary with a dietitian through it. Xyris’s Foodworks support pages describe its AusFoods data as derived from AUSNUT 2011-13 and the Australian Food Composition Database. We could not find Easy Diet Diary’s own pages naming AUSNUT, so treat that link as likely rather than confirmed.

What about MyFitnessPal and Lose It! in Australia?

Both have enormous global databases: MyFitnessPal’s listing says over 20.5 million foods, and Lose It!’s says 56+ million items and recipes. Both are free to download, and both keep barcode scanning in paid tiers. MyFitnessPal’s Australian listing names barcode scan, meal scan and voice logging as Premium features. We compare them in MyFitnessPal alternatives for Australia and Lose It! alternatives.

Where does Calo AI fit?

Calo AI is for people who find searching databases tedious. Every feature is free:

• AI photo meal scanning, plus voice and text logging.
• Calorie and protein targets with macro and weight analytics.
• An AI nutrition coach, an intermittent fasting timer and step tracking.
• Meal plans using dishes from your own country’s cuisine.

The trade-offs are honest ones. It shows kcal, not kJ. It has no barcode scanner. Photo results are estimates, and portion size is the hardest part, though you can correct entries by voice or text. The free version shows ads, including one before each meal scan. Premium removes ads and waiting without adding features. On iPhone, use the web app. Try one meal in our photo calorie calculator first.

What should Australians look for in a calorie app?

A few things matter more here than in US-focused reviews:

• Kilojoules. If you read labels in kJ, an app that shows kJ saves constant conversion.
• Local foods and brands. Supermarket own brands, Australian bread, yoghurt and cereal, and local takeaway chains need to be in the database, or you will spend time creating custom foods.
• Price in AUD. App store prices are set per country, so a US review’s price is not what you pay. The App Store prices above are the Australian ones.
• Ads versus subscriptions. Free apps are paid for by ads, a subscription, or both. Easy Diet Diary says it has no ads and no hidden costs, which is unusual.
• Your dietitian. If you see an Accredited Practising Dietitian, ask which app they prefer. Easy Diet Diary links with Foodworks, which is built for professionals.

If you mostly eat home-cooked meals that are hard to find in any database, photo or voice logging can be quicker than building recipes. If you mostly eat packaged food, a barcode scanner will save more time.

When is another app the better choice?

• Easy Diet Diary if you want kJ, Australian brands, free barcode scanning, no ads, or to share logs with your dietitian.
• MyFitnessPal if you eat at many chains and want the biggest database, or already have years of history there.
• MacroFactor if you want an ad-free app with an adaptive calorie algorithm and are happy to pay.
• Calo AI if you want free photo and voice logging and an AI coach, and do not mind ads or converting kcal.

How do I work out my kilojoule target?

Calo AI uses the revised Harris-Benedict equation with an activity multiplier and a 250, 500 or 750 kcal deficit, never below 1,200 kcal for women or 1,500 kcal for men. Multiply by 4.184 for kilojoules: a 1,500 kcal target is about 6,276 kJ. Our TDEE calculator and calorie deficit calculator give you a starting point.

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, under 18, or have diabetes, PCOS, kidney disease or a history of eating disorders, speak to your GP or an Accredited Practising Dietitian before following any calorie target. Results vary from person to person.