Barcode + crowdsourced food database
DietPal vs MyFitnessPal
The largest, most recognized calorie tracker. Free logging is ad-supported and caps out at basic search and barcode scanning — macros, photo logging, and voice logging all sit behind Premium or Premium+.
Pricing checked September 2026 against MyFitnessPal's own pricing page. App store pricing changes — verify before you decide.
| Feature | DietPal | MyFitnessPal |
|---|---|---|
| Log a meal by speaking | Yes | Premium only |
| Photo / camera food recognition | No | Premium+ only |
| Primary nutrition source | USDA FoodData Central | Crowdsourced entries (accuracy varies by contributor) |
| Shows which source each log used | Yes | No |
| Free AI-assisted logs | 7 / month | 0 — AI features are paywalled |
| Unlimited manual logging, free | Yes | Yes |
| Ads on the free tier | Never, any tier | Yes |
| Cheapest paid tier | $5.99/mo | $19.99/mo |
Best for MyFitnessPal
Someone who eats a lot of packaged/restaurant food and wants the biggest barcode database, and doesn't mind ads or a search-first workflow.
Best for DietPal
Someone who wants to say what they ate instead of searching for it, and wants to know the calorie number came from a government database, not a random contributor.
Where MyFitnessPal is genuinely better
- Largest food database in the category, built over 15+ years — a specific restaurant or packaged item is more likely to already be in it.
- Deep integrations with wearables, other fitness apps, and social step/challenge features.
- Long track record and a huge existing user base, which is why crowdsourced entries stay current for popular items.
DietPal
$5.99/mo · $29.99/yr
7-day free trial on yearly. 7 free AI logs a month, unlimited manual, always.
MyFitnessPal
Premium $19.99/mo · $79.99/yr — Premium+ $24.99/mo · $99.99/yr
Free tier: Free (ads, basic logging only)
DietPal vs MyFitnessPal, in short
Yes. DietPal Premium is $5.99/month or $29.99/year with a 7-day trial. MyFitnessPal Premium is $19.99/month ($79.99/year), and Premium+ — the tier with photo and voice logging — is $24.99/month ($99.99/year), as of September 2026. Check both apps' current pricing before you decide; app store pricing changes.
Yes, but only on Premium — DietPal's voice logging is available on the free tier too, capped at 7 AI logs a month, with unlimited manual entry free on both apps.
MyFitnessPal's database is crowdsourced, so any user can add or edit an entry — useful for coverage, inconsistent for accuracy. DietPal checks USDA FoodData Central first because it's a single vetted government source; if USDA has no match, DietPal falls back to its own dish table, and only estimates as a last resort — and tells you which one was used.
Try the six-word version of logging
Free: 7 AI logs a month, unlimited manual. No card required.
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