Does MyFitnessPal Calculate Carbs? Yes, and Here’s How

December 28, 2025 •

3 min read

A 2020 study published in the journal JMIR mHealth and uHealth found that MyFitnessPal's nutrient calculations for macronutrients, including carbohydrates, were highly accurate when compared to a professional food database. This confirms that the popular app is a reliable tool for anyone monitoring their carbohydrate intake.

Quick Summary

MyFitnessPal accurately calculates total carbohydrates for all users, relying on its extensive food database. Premium subscribers can also track net carbs by activating a special setting in the app's diary options. The app automatically adjusts macronutrient goals by percentage, but granular, per-gram control requires the paid version.

Key Points

Total Carbs Calculation: MyFitnessPal automatically calculates and tracks total carbohydrates based on food items logged by all users.
Net Carbs for Premium: Net carb tracking is a feature exclusively for Premium subscribers, who can enable 'Net Carbs Mode' in the app settings.
Accuracy and Verification: The app features a green checkmark to indicate machine-verified food entries, improving accuracy over user-submitted data.
Custom Macro Goals: Users can adjust their carbohydrate goals by percentage, but precise, per-gram control is a Premium feature.
Log with Accuracy: Using the barcode scanner for packaged foods provides the most reliable nutritional data for your carb tracking.
Create Custom Entries: For unique or homemade meals, manually creating custom food entries ensures the highest level of accuracy for carb tracking.

How MyFitnessPal Tracks Total Carbs

MyFitnessPal's core functionality centers on its vast food database, which contains nutritional information for millions of food items. When you log a food item into your diary, the app pulls the carbohydrate data from its database and adds it to your daily total. This process is available to both free and Premium users and forms the basis of all macronutrient tracking within the app.

Food Logging: Users can log food items in several ways: by searching the database, scanning a barcode on packaged foods, or using the quick-add feature.
Goal Setting: By default, MyFitnessPal allocates 50% of your total daily calories to carbohydrates. You can adjust this percentage in 5% increments in your goal settings.
Progress Visualization: The app visually represents your carb intake against your set goal on the main dashboard and the detailed nutrition page.

Accessing Net Carb Tracking in MyFitnessPal

For those on low-carb diets like keto, tracking net carbs is a critical feature. Net carbs are calculated by subtracting the grams of dietary fiber and sugar alcohols from the total grams of carbohydrates, as these have a different impact on blood sugar levels. MyFitnessPal offers a dedicated 'Net Carbs Mode' for its Premium subscribers.

How to activate Net Carbs Mode:

Open the MyFitnessPal app on your iOS or Android device.
Navigate to the 'More' menu.
Select 'Settings,' then 'Diary Settings'.
Toggle on the 'Track Net Carbs' option.

Once activated, all carbohydrate references in your diary will display as net carbs, simplifying the process of following a keto or low-carb diet. It's important to note that this feature is exclusive to Premium accounts and is not available on the web version.

Accuracy and Limitations of Carb Calculations

While MyFitnessPal is a powerful tool, it's essential to understand the potential for discrepancies in its data. A significant portion of the food database is user-generated, which can lead to inaccuracies. To mitigate this, MyFitnessPal uses a green checkmark to indicate entries that have been machine-verified for greater accuracy.

Another factor influencing accuracy is the rounding of nutritional values. A 2024 Reddit thread pointed out that the 4-4-9 calorie-to-macro ratio is a general approximation, and the total calories for a food item on a label are often calculated with greater precision. This can result in slight discrepancies when you manually sum the calories from the macronutrients shown.

MyFitnessPal Carb Calculation Comparison


Feature	Free Version	Premium Version
Total Carb Tracking	Yes, based on percentage goals	Yes, based on precise gram goals
Net Carb Tracking	No, requires manual calculation	Yes, with an 'On/Off' toggle in settings
Macro Customization	Adjust carb percentages in 5% increments	Adjust carb grams with greater precision
Verified Foods	Accessible with a green checkmark	Accessible with a green checkmark
Data Accuracy	Relies on user-submitted data, with some verified entries	Relies on user-submitted data, with more data analysis features

Maximizing Carb Tracking on MyFitnessPal

To get the most accurate carb tracking experience, consider these best practices:

Use Barcode Scanning: For packaged foods, scanning the barcode is often the most accurate way to log nutritional information, as it comes directly from the product.
Verify User Entries: When searching for unverified foods, compare multiple entries to find the one that most closely matches the nutritional label on your product. Look for the green checkmark for the highest confidence in data.
Create Custom Foods: For homemade meals or unique items, create your own custom food entry by inputting the nutritional data manually. This ensures complete accuracy for your personal needs.
Premium for Specific Diets: If you are strictly following a low-carb diet like keto, the Premium subscription with 'Net Carbs Mode' will save you considerable time and effort.
Focus on Nutrient-Dense Carbs: MyFitnessPal's blog and other resources emphasize prioritizing high-quality carbohydrates like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables that are rich in fiber and other nutrients.

Conclusion

Does MyFitnessPal calculate carbs? The simple answer is yes, comprehensively. For all users, it accurately tracks and sums total carbohydrates from logged foods, aligning them with your caloric and macro goals. For Premium subscribers, the app offers an invaluable 'Net Carbs Mode' that automatically performs the calculations required for keto and low-carb diets. While the app’s reliance on user-submitted data can introduce inaccuracies, using best practices like scanning barcodes and verifying entries ensures a highly reliable tracking experience for managing your carbohydrate intake effectively.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare provider or a registered dietitian for personalized nutrition guidance.

Frequently Asked Questions

No, net carb tracking is a Premium feature. The standard, free version of MyFitnessPal only tracks total carbohydrates. Free users must manually subtract fiber from total carbs for each food item.

To enable Net Carbs Mode, you must have a Premium subscription. Navigate to the 'More' menu, then 'Settings,' and 'Diary Settings,' where you can toggle 'Track Net Carbs' on.

Setting specific gram goals for carbohydrates is a feature of MyFitnessPal Premium. Free users can only adjust their macro goals by percentage increments.

Small discrepancies can occur because food label values are often rounded, and the app's total calorie calculation may use more precise data than the general 4-4-9 macro-to-calorie factors.

Not always. Much of the data is user-generated and can contain errors. For the most accurate information, look for entries with a green checkmark or use the barcode scanner for packaged foods.

MyFitnessPal's default setting for carbohydrate intake is 50% of your total daily calories, though this can be adjusted in your goal settings.

No, the net carbs feature is not currently available on the web version of MyFitnessPal, even for Premium users. It is a mobile app-exclusive feature.