Yes, basic food tracking is free on MyFitnessPal
While MyFitnessPal heavily promotes its premium features, the core function of logging food and tracking calories is completely free for all users. You can create a free account on the website or mobile app and immediately start recording your meals, exercises, and weight. The free version offers a strong foundation for building healthy habits without requiring a financial commitment.
What's included in the free version?
The free tier of MyFitnessPal provides a comprehensive suite of tools for basic tracking:
- Extensive Food Database: Access to a database of over 18 million foods, including generic items, packaged goods, and restaurant meals.
- Food and Exercise Logging: Manually search for and log foods, create and save your own recipes and meals, and track various cardio and strength exercises.
- Basic Nutritional Insights: View your daily calorie count and a simple macronutrient breakdown (carbohydrates, protein, and fat) by percentage.
- Weight and Progress Tracking: Log your weight to see your progress over time with charts and reports.
- Sync with Partner Apps: Connect with a variety of fitness trackers and health apps like Fitbit and Apple Watch.
- Water Tracking: Monitor your daily water intake alongside your food.
The key differences: Free vs. Premium
While the free version is functional, it lacks some of the advanced features and conveniences found in the premium tier. This can impact your workflow, especially if you rely on certain tools.
- Manual Entry for Free Users: All food logging in the free version relies on manual searching and inputting. You can create your own custom entries for homemade recipes, but the process is slower than with premium features.
- Ads: The free version is ad-supported, which can be distracting for some users.
- Limited Customization: Free users have less control over their macronutrient goals, which can only be set in 5% increments.
- No Barcode Scanner: For new free users, the barcode scanner is now a premium-only feature, making it more time-consuming to log packaged foods.
- Basic Analysis: You won't get advanced food analysis, deep nutritional insights, or a macronutrient breakdown for individual meals in the free version.
Comparison: MyFitnessPal Free vs. Premium Features
| Feature | Free Version | Premium Version | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food Logging | Manual search and entry | Manual search, plus barcode and meal scanning | Faster, more convenient logging for packaged and prepared foods. |
| Barcode Scanner | Not included for new users | Yes, included | Scan packaged foods instantly. |
| Meal Scan | Not included | Yes, included | Point your camera at a meal for logging suggestions. |
| Advertisements | Yes, ad-supported | No ads | An uninterrupted logging experience. |
| Macro Tracking | View by percentage (daily total) | Custom goals by gram or percentage (daily and per meal) | More precise control for specific dietary strategies. |
| Custom Goals | Basic calorie goals | Custom calorie and macro goals by meal, different goals by day | Fine-tune your targets for specific times or days. |
| Intermittent Fasting | No native support | Yes, built-in tracker | Track fasting periods within the app. |
| Export Data | No | Yes, export CSV files of your data | Share your dietary records with a professional or for personal analysis. |
| Support | Standard support team | Priority customer support | Receive faster assistance with questions or issues. |
How to get the most out of MyFitnessPal for free
For those who don't want to pay for a premium subscription, you can still effectively use the app to reach your goals by focusing on the free features.
- Set Up Your Account: Go to the MyFitnessPal website or download the app on iOS or Android to create a free account. You will need to input your basic information and weight goals.
- Use the Search Function: Utilize the robust food database to search for items. The search function is powerful and includes millions of entries.
- Create Custom Meals and Recipes: For homemade dishes, use the "Create a Recipe" function to enter all the ingredients once. This saves you from having to log each item separately every time you eat it.
- Track Consistently: Make a habit of logging all your food and exercise. Consistency is the most powerful tool for seeing progress. The app will remind you to log your meals and water intake.
- Engage with the Community: Join the free community forums to find support, inspiration, and tips from other users.
The verdict on logging food for free
In conclusion, you absolutely can and should log food for free on MyFitnessPal, especially if you are a beginner or on a budget. The free version offers all the essential tools needed for effective calorie and basic macro tracking. The vast, user-driven food database is a significant advantage, and features like exercise logging and progress tracking make it a very powerful tool. The primary trade-off is the inconvenience of manual entry over barcode scanning and the presence of ads. However, these are minor obstacles that do not prevent you from successfully monitoring your health and nutrition.
Whether to upgrade to premium depends on your personal needs. If you want faster logging, more detailed nutritional analysis, or an ad-free experience, premium is the way to go. But for most users simply looking to track what they eat, the free version of MyFitnessPal is more than sufficient and an excellent place to start.
For more detailed information on MyFitnessPal's features and options, visit the official support page on what is included in the free version.
