Understanding the Free vs. Paid Model in 2025
For years, MyFitnessPal was known for its robust free offerings, which drew in millions of users. Over time, like many 'freemium' services, the company has shifted more features behind a paywall to incentivize subscriptions. This change was particularly noticeable when the beloved barcode scanner, a staple of the free version, became a premium-only feature in late 2022. In 2025, MyFitnessPal offers three distinct tiers: Free, Premium, and Premium+. The decision of which version to use depends entirely on your personal fitness goals and budget.
What You Get with the Free Version
Despite the move to restrict some features, the free version of MyFitnessPal remains a functional tool for basic health tracking. It is ideal for individuals beginning their health journey or those who only need a simple calorie counter.
- Food and Exercise Logging: The fundamental function of logging food and exercise entries is still completely free and unlimited. Users can manually search for and add items from MyFitnessPal's extensive food database of over 20 million items.
- Goal and Progress Tracking: You can set basic weight loss, maintenance, or gain goals and track your progress over time with weight logging.
- Nutrient Insights: Free users can view a breakdown of their food intake, showing a pie chart of macronutrient percentages (carbs, protein, fat) for the day.
- Community Forums: Access to MyFitnessPal's active community forums and discussion boards is available to all users, providing a space for motivation and shared tips.
- App and Device Syncing: The app syncs data across various fitness devices and partner apps, such as Apple Watch and Fitbit, to provide a more comprehensive view of your activity.
Features Exclusively for Premium Users
For those who want to take their tracking to the next level, the premium tiers offer a suite of advanced features. These are often geared towards more serious fitness enthusiasts or those who need greater detail and customization.
- Barcode Scanner: This is arguably the most requested and now most missed free feature. It significantly speeds up logging packaged foods by using your phone's camera.
- Custom Macro Goals: Instead of the percentage-based macro goals in the free version, premium users can set precise goals by the gram for carbohydrates, protein, and fat.
- Ad-Free Experience: The premium versions remove all third-party advertisements, providing a cleaner and faster user experience.
- Food Analysis Tools: Premium offers deeper nutritional insights, allowing you to see which foods have high concentrations of specific nutrients and compare nutrient information between different foods.
- Meal Scan and Voice Logging: Advanced logging methods like taking a photo of a meal to analyze its contents or speaking the food items aloud are available with a paid subscription.
- Intermittent Fasting Tool: The app's intermittent fasting tracker is an additional premium feature for users following this eating pattern.
Comparison: Free vs. Premium vs. Premium+
Choosing the right version depends on your specific needs. Here is a detailed comparison of what each tier offers.
| Feature | Free | Premium | Premium+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core Food/Exercise Log | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Barcode Scanner | No | Yes | Yes |
| Ad-Free Experience | No | Yes | Yes |
| Custom Macro Goals (by gram) | No | Yes | Yes |
| AI Meal Scan/Voice Log | No | Yes | Yes |
| Meal Plan Customization | No | No | Yes |
| Automated Grocery Lists | No | No | Yes |
| Intermittent Fasting Tracker | No | Yes | Yes |
| Detailed Food Analysis | Basic | Yes | Yes |
| Priority Customer Support | Standard | Yes | Yes |
| Community Forums | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Making the Decision: Is Free Enough for You?
For many casual users, the free version provides more than enough functionality to get started with a healthier lifestyle. The most significant loss for free users was the barcode scanner, which, while convenient, isn't essential for tracking. The core value of MyFitnessPal—using a food diary to foster awareness of your eating habits and understand calorie counts—remains freely accessible.
However, if you have specific fitness or dietary goals, like hitting precise macro targets for bodybuilding or following a medically-tailored diet, a premium subscription may be a worthwhile investment. It offers the precision and speed that serious trackers value. When the free version feels too restrictive or the constant ads become a nuisance, upgrading becomes a more attractive option.
Alternatives to Consider
If the loss of free features is a dealbreaker, several alternative apps offer robust free plans. Cronometer is a popular choice, with its free version including features like barcode scanning and detailed micronutrient tracking that are paywalled on MyFitnessPal. Lose It! is another strong competitor known for its user-friendly interface and comprehensive free features. MacroFactor, while not free, offers an advanced AI-based approach to nutrition coaching. For users on a budget who want community support, FatSecret offers a completely free calorie and diet tracker.
Conclusion
Yes, you can absolutely still get MyFitnessPal for free, and its fundamental calorie and exercise tracking capabilities remain intact. The free version is an excellent tool for basic diet monitoring and is still a go-to for many users starting their fitness journey. However, the shift towards a paywalled model for features like the barcode scanner and custom macronutrient goals means that the free version is now a more basic offering than it once was. The decision between free and paid depends on your dedication, the level of detail you require, and whether the convenience of premium features justifies the cost for your individual goals. For advanced trackers, the premium upgrades are a clear value proposition, but for the average person, the free app still delivers the essential tools needed for success.
