Home / Comparisons / Cronometer vs MyFitnessPal: why Cronometer wins in 2,200 store reviews
Cronometer vs MyFitnessPal: why Cronometer wins in 2,200 store reviews
Which app wins?
MyFitnessPal
Cronometer wins: a 3.85 mean rating against MyFitnessPal's 2.63 across 1,100 reviews each, and only 41 of its 253 low ratings complain about price, against 205 of 601 for MyFitnessPal.
- Calorie and macro tracking: Cronometer
- Ease of use: Cronometer
- Value for money: Cronometer
- Tracking on the web: Cronometer
- Fewest sync complaints: MyFitnessPal
How do Cronometer and MyFitnessPal compare?
| App | Price | Free tier | Platforms | Reviews analyzed | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cronometer | $8.99 a month, $49.99 a year, checked Oct 6, 2026 (example price) | Not listed | ios, android, web | 1100 (as of 2026-10-06) | Best for detailed micronutrient tracking |
| MyFitnessPal | $19.99 a month, $79.99 a year, checked Oct 6, 2026 (example price) | Not listed | ios, android | 1100 (as of 2026-10-06) |
What are the pros and cons of each app?
Cronometer
Pros
- Verified food database
- Detailed micronutrients
Cons
- Slower food logging
- Dense interface
Which should you pick?
Pick Cronometer. Its reviewers are much happier, it lists a lower price, and far fewer of its unhappy reviewers are angry about the paywall. Of 1,100 reviews each, 745 Cronometer reviewers gave four or five stars against 359 for MyFitnessPal, and the mean rating is 3.85 against 2.63. Source: Cronometer reviews on the App Store and Google Play, MyFitnessPal reviews on the App Store and Google Play, collected October 6, 2026.
MyFitnessPal is still a working calorie counter, and its fans praise its tracking at a similar share to Cronometer’s. But right now more than half of its reviewers give it one or two stars, and the biggest reason is money. Unless you are already settled in it, start with Cronometer.
What does each app cost?
Both prices are in the verdict box above, checked October 6, 2026: the Cronometer figure from its Gold pricing page and the MyFitnessPal figure from its App Store listing. MyFitnessPal’s listed monthly and annual prices are both higher than Cronometer’s. Both are marked as example prices until we confirm them on each vendor’s own pricing page, and our product file has no confirmed free tier or free trial for either, so check the sign-up screen before you subscribe.
That price gap shows up in the reviews. Of MyFitnessPal’s 601 one- and two-star reviews, 205 (34.1%) mention the price, the paywall or a subscription. For Cronometer it is 41 of 253 (16.2%). Source: Cronometer reviews on the App Store and Google Play, MyFitnessPal reviews on the App Store and Google Play, collected October 6, 2026.
Which app wins for what?
Our verdict for each use, with the review counts behind it. Source: Cronometer reviews on the App Store and Google Play, MyFitnessPal reviews on the App Store and Google Play, collected October 6, 2026, and our product file.
- Calorie and macro tracking: Cronometer. 324 of 745 positive reviews (43.5%) praise its tracking, against 142 of 359 (39.6%) for MyFitnessPal, and our product file lists its detailed micronutrients.
- Ease of use: Cronometer. 187 of 745 positive reviews (25.1%) call it easy or intuitive, against 61 of 359 (17.0%).
- Value for money: Cronometer. It lists the lower price, and price complaints are 16.2% of its low ratings against 34.1% for MyFitnessPal.
- Tracking on the web: Cronometer. Our product file lists it on iOS, Android and the web; MyFitnessPal is listed on iOS and Android.
- Fewest sync complaints: MyFitnessPal. Sync or lost data comes up in 17 of its 601 low ratings (2.8%), against 13 of 253 (5.1%) for Cronometer.
How do reviewers rate them?
Cronometer comes out well ahead. Of 1,100 Cronometer reviews, 745 (67.7%) gave four or five stars and 253 (23.0%) gave one or two. Of 1,100 MyFitnessPal reviews, 359 (32.6%) gave four or five stars and 601 (54.6%) gave one or two. Source: Cronometer reviews on the App Store and Google Play, MyFitnessPal reviews on the App Store and Google Play, collected October 6, 2026.
| Stars | Cronometer | MyFitnessPal |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 606 (55.1%) | 276 (25.1%) |
| 4 | 139 (12.6%) | 83 (7.5%) |
| 3 | 102 (9.3%) | 140 (12.7%) |
| 2 | 88 (8.0%) | 161 (14.6%) |
| 1 | 165 (15.0%) | 440 (40.0%) |
| Mean | 3.85 | 2.63 |
| Source, collected October 6, 2026 | App Store, Google Play | App Store, Google Play |
Each sample is 1,100 reviews (500 App Store, 600 Google Play), collected October 6, 2026. The Cronometer sample runs from May 22, 2026 to October 4, 2026 on the App Store and from July 29, 2026 to October 5, 2026 on Google Play, across 26 app versions. The MyFitnessPal sample runs from August 14, 2026 to October 4, 2026 on the App Store and from August 26, 2026 to October 5, 2026 on Google Play, across 29 app versions. Source: the store review pages linked in the table; see How we research.
So MyFitnessPal’s figures describe only its last seven weeks or so, against about four and a half months for Cronometer. Store reviews also lean towards very happy and very unhappy users, so read these as what reviewers said, not what every user thinks.
What do reviewers love about each app?
Tracking, first and foremost, for both. Cronometer’s fans also talk far more about how easy it is and about its support team. We counted themes by keyword tagging: a review matches a theme when its title or text contains one of the theme’s keywords, praise counts come from four- and five-star reviews, and one review can match more than one theme. Source: the store review pages linked in the table, collected October 6, 2026; see How we research.
| Praise theme | Cronometer (of 745) | MyFitnessPal (of 359) |
|---|---|---|
| Macro tracking (macros, calories, protein, tracking) | 324 (43.5%) | 142 (39.6%) |
| Ease of use (easy, simple, intuitive, user friendly) | 187 (25.1%) | 61 (17.0%) |
| Recipes (recipes, variety, delicious) | 39 (5.2%) | 17 (4.7%) |
| Customer support (support, customer service, responsive) | 22 (3.0%) | 1 (0.3%) |
| Source, collected October 6, 2026 | App Store, Google Play | App Store, Google Play |
What do reviewers complain about?
For MyFitnessPal it is the paywall and recent updates, by a wide margin. The same keyword method applied to one- and two-star reviews gives these themes. Source: the store review pages linked in the table, collected October 6, 2026.
| Complaint theme | Cronometer (of 253) | MyFitnessPal (of 601) |
|---|---|---|
| Price or paywall (price, paywall, subscription, premium, charges, refunds, cost) | 41 (16.2%) | 205 (34.1%) |
| Recent update (update, new version, latest version) | 35 (13.8%) | 155 (25.8%) |
| Login or crashes (logging in, crashes, freezing, bugs) | 30 (11.9%) | 104 (17.3%) |
| Sync or lost data (sync, not saving, lost entries) | 13 (5.1%) | 17 (2.8%) |
| Source, collected October 6, 2026 | App Store, Google Play | App Store, Google Play |
MyFitnessPal has more than twice as many one- and two-star reviews (601 against 253), and a bigger share of them name the price and recent updates. Sync and lost data is the one theme where Cronometer’s share is higher. Source: the store review pages linked in the table, collected October 6, 2026.
What changed recently?
The Cronometer App Store listing shows version 4.59.1, with a release note dated September 14, 2026 that lists bug fixes and general improvements. The MyFitnessPal App Store listing shows version 26.39.0, with a release note dated September 29, 2026 that reports no major fixes or changes. Each listing returned one release note, so this page does not chart earlier versions. Source: the App Store listings for Cronometer (listing) and MyFitnessPal (listing), checked October 6, 2026.
Want meals planned for you rather than logged? Our meal planner review covers that. On a keto or low-carb diet? See which tracker wins for keto.
How did we research this comparison?
The counts on this page come from public App Store and Google Play reviews, the App Store release notes and the store listings, collected and sorted with AI assistance and checked against the evidence files. We do not test apps by hand. We did not analyze Reddit or forum threads, because Reddit blocks automated collection. The full method is on the how we research page.
Our bias. Cronometer runs an affiliate program on Awin, listed in our product file as a recurring commission. MyFitnessPal runs an affiliate program on Pepperjam, listed as a one-off commission for US consumers. The terms of both are not yet confirmed and neither link is live on this page. The winner comes from the review evidence, not from the commission. See the affiliate disclosure.
What is our recommendation?
Go with Cronometer. It has the happier reviewers, the lower listed price and far fewer paywall complaints, and it works on the web as well as your phone. Download it, log a few days of meals, and decide on Gold once you know you will stick with it. Stay on MyFitnessPal only if you already rely on it and its recent updates have not bothered you.
Where can I read more?
What are the most common questions?
Is Cronometer better than MyFitnessPal?
In the reviews, yes. Cronometer’s mean rating is 3.85 against MyFitnessPal’s 2.63, each from 1,100 App Store and Google Play reviews collected October 6, 2026.
Which is cheaper, Cronometer or MyFitnessPal?
Cronometer lists the lower monthly and annual price; both are in the verdict box, checked October 6, 2026. Both are marked as example prices until they are confirmed on each vendor’s own pricing page.
What do MyFitnessPal reviewers complain about most?
Of 601 one- and two-star reviews, 205 mention the price, the paywall or a subscription, and 155 mention an update or a new version. Counts are keyword matches, so one review can count under more than one theme.
What do Cronometer reviewers complain about most?
Of 253 one- and two-star reviews, 41 mention the price, the paywall or a subscription, and 35 mention an update. The same keyword method was used for both apps.
Is there anything MyFitnessPal does better?
Sync and lost-data complaints make up a smaller share of its low ratings: 17 of 601, against 13 of 253 for Cronometer. On everything else we counted, Cronometer’s reviews come out ahead.
Why do the review dates differ between the two apps?
Each sample is the most recent 500 App Store and 600 Google Play reviews the stores returned on October 6, 2026. MyFitnessPal’s reviews start in August 2026 and Cronometer’s in May 2026, so MyFitnessPal’s sample covers a shorter, more recent period.
Did Plate Scales test either app?
No, we do not test apps by hand. This page reports what store reviews, release notes and the store listings say, with counts.
Does Plate Scales earn money from this page?
Cronometer runs an affiliate program on Awin and MyFitnessPal one on Pepperjam, and neither link is live on this page yet. The winner comes from the review evidence, not from the commission.
Where do the numbers come from?
- Cronometer on the App Store (listing, reviews, release notes), accessed October 6, 2026
- Cronometer on Google Play (listing, reviews), accessed October 6, 2026
- MyFitnessPal on the App Store (listing, reviews, release notes, screenshots, listed price), accessed October 6, 2026
- MyFitnessPal on Google Play (listing, reviews), accessed October 6, 2026
- Cronometer Gold pricing page, accessed October 6, 2026
Updates log. October 6, 2026: Rewritten in the site's new voice: Cronometer named the overall winner, per-use winners with reasons, price up front and a closing recommendation. Every count is unchanged from the evidence files. October 6, 2026: Page drafted from 2,200 store reviews (1,100 per app) collected October 6, 2026.