The Best Macro Tracking Apps to Help You Reach Your Goals in 2024

Tracking your macros can be challenging. Luckily, there are plenty of apps you can use to help with this, but the best macro tracking app will have features suitable for your overall tracking goals.

In this article, we’ll round up some of the best macro tracking apps currently available. We’ll provide a brief description as well as some pros and cons so you can make an informed decision about which meets your needs.

Why Use a Macro Tracking App?

Before jumping into the list, let’s think about why you might want to use a macro tracking app.

Put simply, using an app makes the process a lot easier. If you’ve ever tried to keep a food diary or journal, you’ll know how difficult it can be to monitor a meal’s macros, particularly if it’s something with numerous ingredients.

Sure, it’s easy to say a chicken breast has X grams of protein, but when you start looking at different portion sizes and adding simple ingredients like flour, it can become a bit complex.

To overcome this, a lot of tracking apps will have meals already set up, or will at least let you add ingredients and do all the calculations for you. Either way, tracking macros is almost a perfect use case for why you might want an app to do the hard work for you.

The Best Macro Tracking App

1. MyMacros+

MyMacros+ is the first paid-only macro tracking app on our list. However, it’s a one-off payment of $2.99, so it’s hardly breaking the bank! This provides you with access to the database of 5 million food items as well as a barcode and label scanner.

The app is really easy to use and includes an Apple Watch version, allowing you to track things on the move. You can add your own recipes based on ingredient macros or include information available on labels. This makes it quick and easy to track your macros throughout the day.

The Pro version costs $1.99 a month, which gives you access to deeper data analysis and diet summary. The Macro Coach option ($9.99 a month) tracks your weekly targets for better progress analysis. MyMacros+ is perhaps not the best option for newbies, as it’s helpful to have some starting information. But if this is you, then it’s a great way to level up your macro tracking.

Pros

·  Despite being paid-only, the app offers lots of good features for the price

·  Comprehensive options for tracking macros and diet goals

·  Apple Watch app is a nice addition

·  Macros Inc verified entries within the food database

Cons

·  Can be more time consuming to learn

2. MyFitnessPal

MyFitnessPal is a free app on Android and iOS, but it also has a website you can use. It has a library of 18 million foods, which is pretty impressive. As such, you won’t find it difficult to add in pretty much any meal you can think of!

The app is super easy to use and lets you set your goals, add recipes, and monitor other important factors. You can do all this in the free version, but there’s also a paid version that costs $79.99 a year when paid in full.

The Premium version offers extras such as barcode and meal scanning, custom tracking, and individual ingredient macros. While these aren’t necessary for every diet plan, they’re useful extras if you’re happy to pay the money.

Pros

·  Super easy to use

·  Free version offers pretty much everything you need

·  Included database is very large

Cons

·  Extensive database can often be inaccurate

3. Cronometer

Cronometer is another free to use app, although it has Gold option. This costs $9.99 a month or $54.99 a year. We’ll cover its features shortly, but let’s start with the free version.

Again, it’s on iOS and Android and offers a really clean look and straightforward user experience. Unlike MyFitnessPal, it doesn’t have user-uploaded recipes, meaning everything you’ll find on there is verified by the professionals. While this does result in a more limited scope, it means everything is accurate.

The free version includes a barcode scanner and detailed micros breakdown. You can also create your own custom recipes, but they won’t be public. The paid version offers fasting tracking and custom meal schedules and goals. Whether you consider this enough to justify paying really depends on your overall plan.

Pros

·  Free version is very comprehensive

·  Very clean app interface

·  High accuracy of macro information for meals

Cons

·  Paid version perhaps doesn’t offer enough features to justify the price (but this is largely because the free version is so good)

4. LoseIt!

LoseIt! is focused specifically on weight loss rather than other diet plan goals. As such, it tracks metrics like water consumption and exercise as well as macro tracking. If you want an all-in-one location specifically for weight loss, it’s a great option.

The base app is free, but there’s a Premium version for $39.99 a year. The free option provides macro tracking, along with goal setting metrics and an extensive food database. You also get a barcode scanner and food suggestions.

The Premium version offers extras such as device and app syncing, food insights, workout plans, and personalized goals. It’s a reasonable price to pay for these features, especially if you’re new to weight loss and don’t really know how to start. Of course, if you have some experience, you likely won’t need them.

Pros

·  Food database includes common restaurant items

·  Free option offers a good weight loss management platform

·  Provides a holistic approach to weight loss

Cons

·  Setting up and tracking all the metrics can be time-consuming

5. Lifesum

Lifesum is a free app, although it’s probably the first on this list where you’d want to go straight in with the Premium version ($44.99 a year). The free app gives you access to the extensive food database and uses the LifeScore system to focus on nutritional eating. You also get access to macro tracking in grams based on recipes and individual ingredients.

But the Premium version is what truly stands out. You can track macro percentages and set your own target percentages for daily consumption. The paid version gives you information such as fiber and sodium, which is helpful if you have extra dietary requirements. There are also meal plans for things like keto and crash diets, which can be handy.

Either way, the app is clear and easy to use, and all its metric tracking features are visually appealing. While the Premium version is vastly better than the free version, you can find a lot of its features in other free apps on this list. Its main selling point is the focus on recipes, particularly those suited to dietary requirements.

Pros

·  Offers a lot of recipes for different diet plans

·  Focus on nutrition and recipe scoring is a useful change

·  Colors and layout are just really clean

Cons

·  Free version is vastly outshined by the premium one, more so than with other apps

What is the Best Macro Tracking App?

So, now we’ve reviewed some of the top players, we can ask, what is the best macro tracking app?

The short answer is that they’re all good in their own way. For a straightforward, all-round app, MyMacros+ is probably the top contender. Cronometer is a close second, provided you have some base knowledge of macro tracking and diet plans.

Of course, it’s worth thinking about which is best suited to your needs. Also, consider downloading each app and playing around with it. All but MyMacros+ offer free versions, so you’re not really losing anything by giving them a go.