MacroFactor vs MyFitnessPal

Updated November 2026 · AppBreakup editorial

MacroFactor

Subscription macro tracker that estimates your real calorie burn and adjusts targets weekly

Paid

Visit MacroFactor MacroFactor profile

MyFitnessPal

Calorie and macro tracking app with a very large food database, barcode scanning and device sync.

Free plan + paid

Visit MyFitnessPal MyFitnessPal profile

The short answer

Pick MacroFactor if you log consistently, weigh yourself often and want calorie and macro targets that adjust each week to your measured metabolism, with no ads. Pick MyFitnessPal if you want a free starting point, the largest food database, a web version and sync with 40+ apps and devices. The core difference: MacroFactor is a paid adaptive coach, MyFitnessPal a broad freemium food diary.

MacroFactor or MyFitnessPal: our take

MacroFactor, from the team behind Stronger By Science, treats logging as input for coaching. You log food by barcode, label scan, photo, voice or its verified database, weigh in regularly, and the app back-calculates your real energy expenditure and updates your targets every week. Its coaching is 'adherence neutral', so a bad week changes the data rather than the tone. It supports bulking, cutting and maintenance, per-day targets and full micronutrient tracking. MyFitnessPal is a food diary first: about 20.5M foods including restaurant dishes, totals for calories, macros and many micronutrients, plus exercise, weight and steps.

Pricing is the clearest split. MacroFactor has no free version, only a 7-day trial, and then a subscription starting at $71.99 per year, with no ads. MyFitnessPal has a free plan that covers basic food and weight tracking but shows ads; Premium adds Barcode Scan, Meal Scan, Voice Log, custom macro goals by day and an ad-free experience, with a 7-day trial for first-time Premium users.

Data sources and platforms also differ. MacroFactor deliberately ignores wearable calorie-burn estimates and runs on iPhone and Android only, with no web or desktop app; its barcode coverage is thinner outside a handful of countries. MyFitnessPal runs on iPhone, Android and the web and syncs with 40+ apps and devices such as Apple Watch, Fitbit and Garmin. Its database is broad, but user-added entries can be duplicated or inaccurate, while MacroFactor leans on verified entries.

Choose MacroFactor if you are lifting or dieting seriously, will log nearly every day, and want targets driven by your own weight trend. Choose MyFitnessPal if you want to start free, count calories casually, log on a computer, or rely on device sync and restaurant entries.

Choose MacroFactor if…

Lifters and dieters who log consistently and want targets that adapt to their measured metabolism
Weekly target changes based on your own intake and weight trend
Fast logging with barcode, label, photo and recipe-URL import

Choose MyFitnessPal if…

People who want the biggest food database and wide device sync for everyday calorie counting
You want a free option (MacroFactor is paid only)
You need Web, which MacroFactor doesn't list
Food database of over 20 million items, incl. restaurant dishes
Syncs with 40+ apps and devices

What is MacroFactor?

MacroFactor is a food logging and diet coaching app for iPhone and Android, built by the team behind the Stronger By Science fitness content. You log meals by barcode, label scan, photo, voice or a verified food database, and weigh yourself regularly. From those two streams the app back-calculates your actual energy expenditure and updates your calorie and macro targets every week, rather than relying on a fixed formula or a smartwatch estimate. The coaching is 'adherence neutral': a bad week changes the data, not the plan's tone. It supports bulking, cutting and maintenance, keto or carb-focused splits, different targets per day and full micronutrient tracking. There is no free tier and no ads; you pay a monthly, six-monthly or yearly subscription after a free trial. There is no desktop or web version, and it does not pull calorie burn from wearables. A separate MacroFactor Workouts app covers strength training.

What is MyFitnessPal?

MyFitnessPal is the best-known calorie counter. You log meals into a food diary drawn from a database of more than 20 million foods, including restaurant menu items and user-added entries, and the app totals calories, macros and many micronutrients against your goals. Exercise, weight and steps can be logged too, and it syncs with dozens of apps and devices such as Apple Watch, Fitbit and Garmin. The free version covers basic food and weight tracking. Premium adds barcode scanning, photo-based Meal Scan, Voice Log, custom macro goals by day, a net-carbs mode, intermittent fasting tools and an ad-free experience, with a free trial for first-time subscribers. It runs on iPhone, Android and the web. The trade-off: barcode scanning, once free, is now a paid feature, the free tier shows ads, and because many foods are added by users, entries can be duplicated or inaccurate. People who care about micronutrient accuracy often prefer Cronometer.

Side by side

Attribute	MacroFactor	MyFitnessPal
Pricing	Paid	Free plan + paid
Open source	No	No
Self-hostable	No	No
Platforms	iOS, Android	iOS, Android, Web
Best for	Lifters and dieters who log consistently and want targets that adapt to their measured metabolism	People who want the biggest food database and wide device sync for everyday calorie counting
Status	Active	Active

Verified facts, compared

Facts both apps publish, checked on each vendor's own site.

Fact	MacroFactor	MyFitnessPal
Free plan	No	Yes
Free trial	7 days	7 days for first-time Premium users