MacroFactor vs MyFitnessPal: Prices, Features and Which to Pick

MacroFactor is the better pick if you want an ad-free coach that adjusts your calorie and macro targets every week from what you eat and how your weight changes, and you are happy to pay for it. MyFitnessPal is the better pick if you want to start free, need a huge food database with restaurant dishes, or want your fitness watch connected, but its barcode scanner, photo logging and voice logging need Premium.

Disclosure: this page is written by the Calo AI Team. Calo AI is our own app, and we have no link to MacroFactor or MyFitnessPal. Every fact about them comes from their own websites, help centres and app store listings, checked on 26 October 2026 (MyFitnessPal’s free plan help article on 19 October 2026). Prices and plans change, so treat them as a snapshot.

MacroFactor vs MyFitnessPal at a glance

What is the main difference between MacroFactor and MyFitnessPal?

The way your targets are set. MacroFactor says it “finds your true caloric burn and auto-adjusts your macro plan every week”. Its expenditure estimate is “a deterministic calculation based on your calorie intake and changes in body weight”, so it works backwards from your own logs rather than from a watch. It offers Coached, Collaborative and Manual modes, so you can let it adjust targets or keep control yourself.

MyFitnessPal works like a classic food diary. You set a calorie goal and macro split, then log against it. The free and Premium pages we checked do not list a MacroFactor-style weekly adjustment based on your intake and weight trend. Premium adds more control instead: macros by gram, goals by meal and different goals on different days.

If you would rather adjust by hand, a TDEE calculator gives you a starting point, and you can lower your target a little if your weight trend stalls over two to three weeks.

Which is cheaper, MacroFactor or MyFitnessPal?

MyFitnessPal is cheaper if you stay on its free plan, because MacroFactor has no free tier. If you compare paid plans, MacroFactor costs less in the US.

The App Store listings show several prices for the same plan length, and neither app explains each one, so some are likely offers. The US App Store also lists a MacroFactor yearly item at $59.99 and MyFitnessPal yearly items at $49.99. The price on your own upgrade screen is the one that applies.

Both offer a 7-day free trial. MyFitnessPal’s trial is for people who have never upgraded or started a Premium trial before. MacroFactor’s App Store listing says subscriptions renew automatically unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the period ends.

Which app has the better food database?

MyFitnessPal has the bigger one. Its US App Store listing says you can log “from 20.5M+ foods”, including restaurant dishes. That breadth helps if you eat out a lot or buy many different packaged foods.

MacroFactor goes for checked entries over sheer size: it says you can “search and log more than 1.36 million verified food entries”. It also says its barcode support is excellent in the US, Canada, Australia and several other countries. So the trade is breadth (MyFitnessPal) against a smaller, verified list (MacroFactor).

Neither database makes your log accurate on its own. Portion size matters more than which entry you pick, and our guide on how accurate AI calorie trackers are explains where the errors come from.

How does logging compare?

MacroFactor sells one subscription with no free tier. Its help centre lists five logging methods: barcode and label scanning, food search, Quick Add, Describe (you “type (or speak)” a meal) and custom foods and recipes. AI photo logging adds Photo, Photo and Text, and Upload options, and MacroFactor’s help article notes that AI can make mistakes, so you can edit results before logging.

On MyFitnessPal’s free plan you log by searching the database, and you can create your own foods, meals and recipes. Barcode Scan, Meal Scan and Voice Log are on its Premium feature list, along with intermittent fasting, food insights, multi-day logging and net carbs. MacroFactor calls itself “the fastest food logger in the world”, but that is the company’s own claim, and we have not seen independent testing of it.

Which works with my watch, phone and computer?

MyFitnessPal is stronger here. Its premium page says more than 35 apps and fitness devices connect to it, and it works on Android, iPhone and the website with one account.

MacroFactor supports Apple Health and Google Fit, but its FAQ says “we don’t pull data from smart watches or activity trackers”, because it uses your weight and nutrition data to set targets. There is no web or desktop version: “Not right now, but that’s something we’re planning on adding in the future.”

If you are moving from MyFitnessPal to MacroFactor, MacroFactor says it can import the last 30 days of data through Apple Health or Google Fit. Its help centre says this brings in daily calorie and macro totals, not the specific foods or meals, so your saved recipes will not come across.

When is MacroFactor the better choice?

• You want your targets adjusted for you every week, based on your own intake and weight trend.
• You want no ads, plus a barcode and label scanner, photo logging and describe logging in one app.
• You are running a structured cut or bulk and like to check your expenditure trend.
• You are comfortable paying, and the US price is lower than MyFitnessPal Premium.

Our MacroFactor alternative page covers cheaper and free options if the price is what is holding you back.

When is MyFitnessPal the better choice?

• You want to start free and only pay later, if at all. Our Is MyFitnessPal free? page lists exactly what the free plan includes.
• You eat out often and want restaurant dishes in the database.
• You use a fitness watch or other apps and want them connected.
• You want to log on a computer as well as your phone.
• You want meal plans and grocery lists, which MyFitnessPal sells as Premium+.

If you are comparing MyFitnessPal with other apps too, see our Cronometer vs MyFitnessPal page.

Is there a free option with photo and voice logging?

Yes. If you like MacroFactor’s photo and describe logging but do not want a subscription, Calo AI is a free calorie and macro tracker for Android, with a web app at caloai.fit/app that works in the browser on iPhone, iPad, Mac and PC.

To be fair about the trade-offs: Calo AI does not adapt your targets the way MacroFactor does. It uses the revised Harris-Benedict equation with an activity multiplier and a 250, 500 or 750 kcal deficit, with a floor of 1,200 kcal for women and 1,500 kcal for men, so you adjust your plan yourself. It has no barcode scanner, no native iPhone app, and a far smaller set of device connections than MyFitnessPal. Photo results are estimates, and portion size is the hardest part, so describing the dish or correcting the result by voice or text gives a closer number.

You can try the web app free or get Calo AI on Google Play.

A note on safety: if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, under 18, or have diabetes, PCOS, kidney disease or a history of eating disorders, speak to a doctor or registered dietitian before following a calorie target from any app. Real results vary from person to person.