The Best Diet App For Weight Loss (After Testing 22 Apps)

Key Takeaway 

• Our team ranks MacroFactor as the best diet app for weight loss.  

• The main reason is that it dynamically adjusts your macros and calories according to your recorded progress and stated goal, giving you the best chance for sustainable weight loss.  

• Testimonial: Our in-house nutrition coaches have said that Macrofactor is like “having a coach in your pocket but at a fraction of the cost.”

The Search For The Best Diet App 

As nutrition coaches, the most common goal we hear from our clients is fat loss.  

To stay on top of tools that help with this goal, our team signs up for apps and platforms and uses them for weeks, months, or even years to experience their capabilities firsthand.  

We also collect feedback from our clients about what apps work best for them and why, as well as what apps are terrible and why.  

Based on this experience, we can confidently recommend the best apps based on unique user needs and circumstances. 

We’re not just guessing – we assess apps according to a variety of criteria and actually assign a score to each app so that they can be objectively ranked.

So, when we say that MacroFactor is #1, we mean it.  

In over three years of testing apps and pitting MacroFactor head-to-head with other competing macro-tracking apps like Cronometer and MyFitnessPal, MacroFactor consistently comes out on top.  

I don’t say it lightly when I say that it’s like having a coach in your pocket, given that I am a certified nutrition coach myself.

Meet Macrofactor: Your Digital Weight Loss Coach

According to the Macrofactor website, “MacroFactor offers an empowering, sustainable approach to nutrition tracking without stress, shaming or rigidity.”

You can learn all about how MacroFactor works from our in-depth YouTube video tutorial:

After an onboarding process (the most extensive I’ve experienced so far – more on that later), MacroFactor will devise a calorie and macronutrient goal for you to get started.  

If you choose, you can override that goal with your own targets if it seems too high or too low, or you can keep the calorie target but adjust the macros to suit your preferences.  

Personally, unless you have extensive experience with calorie and macro tracking, or you’re working with a nutrition coach, I’d just stick with the app’s recommendations. 

MacroFactor does a great job explaining that whatever number you start with is just an estimate, and the app will automatically adjust the target based on your actual results over the coming days and weeks.

Of course, this depends on you actually tracking your macros and recording your weight regularly.

MacroFactor not only adjusts your calories and macros each week based on your logging, but it also offers a more “human” experience in that it doesn’t expect users to hit their macro targets perfectly each day.  It looks at weekly average intake and weekly average weight trends. 

In fact, if you go over your calories and macros, MacroFactor actively warns AGAINST reducing macros/calories the next day in response.  That just perpetuates a harmful binge-restrict cycle.  This advice is completely consistent with what we, as Nutrition Coaches, recommend. 

It’s that “human touch” that really makes me say that MacroFactor is your digital weight loss coach.

Why MacroFactor Stands Out

Based on my experience using MacroFactor on and off since 2021 and now recently again for the past two months consistently, here are the top reasons why it stands out for weight loss goals:

1. Science-Based, Expert-Backed

MacroFactor founder Greg Nuckols started the blog Stronger by Science before launching MacroFactor.  Greg knows what it is to research a subject deeply and provide up-to-date science-backed information to help his audience reach their goals.  

The scientific algorithms that Greg has developed for providing macro targets will work to prioritize fat loss WITHOUT risking losing your hard-earned muscle mass.  

Greg also partnered with bodybuilder and YouTuber Jeff Nippard to develop the app, which has added credibility when a big name in the fitness industry is willing to associate himself with the brand’s mission.

Jeff himself used MacroFactor for what he described as his “easiest cut ever,” and he calls MacroFactor “the best nutrition app on the market.”

2. Accurate Targets

I was pleasantly surprised when I input my information upon signing up, and MacroFactor suggested a starting intake of 2200 calories per day.  

This is much more reasonable (and sustainable) than targets of 1500 calories or even as low as 1200 calories per day that other apps have recommended.  

I could even set a “floor” to declare an intake level I would never go below – that’s the first time I’ve seen a feature like this in a tracking app.

This means you won’t risk getting so hungry while losing weight that it’s impossible to adhere to your targets because of cravings.  Adherence over the long term to your targets is vital for success with weight loss.

I totally understand the desire and impulse to cut calories as low as possible to try to lose weight quickly, but I know from firsthand experience and clients that this approach backfires in the long term.  

Most of the weight loss on a super-low calorie diet is water weight at first, and then lean muscle mass along with fat, and most people end up so hungry and tired after just a few weeks that they end up bingeing and gaining all of the weight (and sometimes more) back.

3. Personalized Adjustments

Each week, on my “check-in day,” I would get a recommendation of targets for the week ahead.  

If my average weight was trending down at a rate in line with my goal rate of weight loss, there was no change, or perhaps only a small tweak to the macros while keeping the calories the same, such as increasing protein by a few grams or decreasing carbs by a few grams.  

If my rate of loss was faster than the target rate, my calories and macros would adjust upward slightly.  Similarly, if my loss rate were slower than the target rate, my calories and macros would adjust downward.

But, there was never a wildly dramatic swing in my targets – no panicked slashing of calories when my weight was trending up, and no doubling my intake overnight if my weight was dropping down.  

This is in contrast to other apps our team has tested, like RP Diet, where one day the target would be 200 grams of carbs and the next day 50 grams of carbs. 

Plus, on MacroFactor, I retained full control and could decline/ignore the recommended targets and continue with the past week’s plan.  

I was also free to change my goal at any time, as you can see in the screenshot below.

It really reminded me of my experience working with my own nutrition coach for nearly two years.  

We had a designated check-in day every week, and he would review my intake and weight trends for the week and then make careful adjustments to my targets.  

Those human-provided adjustments weren’t all that different from the types of adjustments the app provided!

4. Lightning-fast Logging

One of my favorite features of MacroFactor was the logging: the text-based search was smart enough to pull up matches even if I had words out of order (for example, putting the brand name after the product name).  

I could also scan the nutrition label if the bar code was missing or unreadable and input foods based on the label.

Each food option would show up with a summary of its calories and macros displayed in a line of text so that I knew immediately if it was the food I was looking for.  Other apps require you to click on the food to see those details to decide if it’s the correct option.

Finally, all I had to do was press a small plus sign “+” icon to the right of the food name to log it – fewer clicks than any other app I’ve used.

Fast logging means less time on the app, and this speed and ease of use is what I consistently hear from clients as to why they stick with certain apps and not others.  As I mentioned above, the best weight-loss approach is the one you can stick with.

5. Accurate And Verified Food Database

Of course, it doesn’t matter how quickly you can log your food if the information isn’t accurate.  

I know that Cronometer has one of the most carefully curated food databases, and I was pleased to see that MacroFactor’s entries were VERY consistent with Cronometer and leaps and bounds ahead of MyFitnessPal’s database. 

If your entries aren’t accurate, it’s just a guessing game as to whether you’re actually hitting your targets, which means your results won’t be predictable.

6. Progress Indicators

Regarding losing fat, progress isn’t measured by the scales alone.  

I was really happy to see that MacroFactor allows users to record body fat percentage after getting it from a scan or caliper measurement and detailed circumference measurements (right wrist vs. left wrist, for example – some apps only have “wrist” and don’t specify a side) and also to upload progress photos. 

Photos are worth a thousand words, and they can be valuable to show visible progress when the weight on the scales isn’t changing.  

This can help you stay the course and continue making good choices that are important for long-term weight loss when the scales aren’t changing in the short term.

And On the Downside

No app is perfect…so here are a few downsides to consider:

Time-based vs. Meal-based logging

One of the things that I don’t like is that MacroFactor doesn’t have an option to group foods into meals or snacks.  Rather, they are recorded according to the time of day.  

The default view shows all hours of the day (or you can adjust what hours are visible if there are certain hours you know you will not be eating), and you just add the foods when you eat them (or plan to eat them, if you log ahead of time, or when you think you ate them, if you log after the fact).  

The default view is also an “expanded” list that shows all foods logged for all times of the day.  There is no way to expand just one group (hour) to see the foods. 

I far prefer grouping foods into meals (like oatmeal + yogurt + banana is “Breakfast,” not my “8-9 AM entries”). 

But I need to emphasize that this is just my personal preference.  

Is it a big deal?  Not really.  But, having used nutrition apps for over a decade, I developed certain preferences, and this is just one of them for me. 

People trying to follow time-restricted eating (TRE) or intermittent fasting (IF) might actually prefer this view in MacroFactor, where you can see the exact times you’re eating.

It was also impossible to change the order/position of foods easily.  

For example, on Cronometer, I can just press on the phone screen to select a food and drag it with my finger to a new position.  In MacroFactor, I had to enter the editing screen on the food to move it by changing its timestamp.

Maybe I’m just extra picky, but if I accidentally record a banana in my 12-1 PM window, I want to easily move it to breakfast to the 8-9 AM window to ensure I’m getting my desired macros for certain meals. 

No Desktop Version

I do most of my logging on my phone, but MacroFactor doesn’t have a desktop version if that’s what you prefer.  

Sometimes, it’s nice to get more than a pocket-sized view of the data. Apparently, a desktop version of MacroFactor is in the works, so check back for updates.

No Free Version

Unlike many other nutrition tracking apps, there is no free and paid version of MacroFactor; there is just a paid version.  

Prices are subject to change, but right now, a monthly subscription is $11.99 USD, or $71.99 for the annual subscription. 

So yes, there’s no free version, but for context, this pricing is a screaming deal – nutrition coaches charge hundreds of dollars per month, and this is less than most people spend on coffee, or 1-2 fancy drinks in A WEEK.

Sure, there are some free nutrition apps, but with the rare exception of Cronometer, the saying “you get what you pay for” holds true. 

Most free apps are so low quality that they are unusable, with ads clogging up the screen and slowing down app performance, as well as generic macro targets (if targets are provided at all).

If you’re serious about weight loss, then this is an investment in your health, not an expense in your budget.

In terms of getting a free trial before purchasing, you can use code FEASTGOOD, which gets you a 2-week free trial versus the standard 1-week free trial.  I know many clients appreciate this 2-week free trial because it allows you to see how the weekly check-ins work before you start paying. 

Overall, the downsides mainly come from personal preference, not the actual app performance.  I don’t consider any of them to be deal-breakers, and I still recommend the app to people who want a cost-effective alternative to coaching.

Real-World Results With MacroFactor

As a coach, here’s how I see MacroFactor working for clients. 

One of the biggest benefits is that it recommends macro adjustments each week, taking the guesswork out of making your own macro adjustments.  It will ensure that your rate of loss is sustainable and appropriate.

Clients also love that it ditches diet culture.  Fill your macros for a day with Twinkies and protein shakes?  No judgment.  Miss logging for a meal or an entire day?  No big deal; the app will work with the data that it DOES have.

Based on case studies of success stories at MacroFactor, clients also love how quickly they can log their food, which was one of the key perks I noticed.  

For those with the goal of weight loss, women are losing 20-50+ lbs, and men are losing 30-100+ lbs.

For example, Pascal lost 52 lbs in 14 months using MacroFactor, gaining peace of mind and trusting the process with efficient tracking and sustainable weight loss goals, even during life challenges.

As well, Davis, lost 20 lbs with MacroFactor, improved her relationship with food, fueled PRs, and achieved her first consistent maintenance phase.

Is MacroFactor Right For You?

MacroFactor is a great app for a variety of users:

Beginners

Because of MacroFactor’s high focus on user education, it can be a great choice for people who are new to tracking calories and macros, especially if they are keen to learn more about the underlying science. 

It should be said, however, that there are some beginners with health and dietary issues that extend far beyond just simply tracking your calories and macros.  

While I think that Macrofactor can make accurate week-to-week adjustments to your calories and macros, just like a nutrition coach would, an app can’t replace the full benefits of working with a nutrition coach. 

For example, a nutrition coach can provide advice on grocery shopping, preparing meals, and navigating the challenges of combining “real life,” such as preparing quick, family-friendly meals that are also macro-friendly or providing recommendations on fast food options that will fit the daily targets while running kids around to extracurricular activities.

Experienced

MacroFactor is a fantastic choice for experienced calorie and macro trackers, especially anyone who really wants to “geek out” on the science behind metabolism and body composition changes.

Like me, experienced users will likely have a general sense of what intake levels work best starting out for certain goals, and MacroFactor can really finetune those targets for optimal results.

These users often don’t need as much education, support, and accountability as they would get from a live coach, so paying a nominal fee for an app and adhering to its recommendations is more than enough.

Weight Maintenance

Obviously, the app has proven results if your goal is weight loss.  But I wanted to speak about weight maintenance.  In other words, after you’ve achieved your weight loss goal, does the app help you maintain that physique?  

Once you achieve your fat loss goal, you can switch your goal seamlessly on the app to weight maintenance.  MacroFactor then slowly ramps up your calorie intake over time and monitors your average weight trend to keep it within a target “maintenance range.”

The result here is that not only can you lose weight with Macrofactor, but you can use it long-term well after you’ve achieved your goal, too. 

How To Get Started

To simplify getting started, there’s only 5 things you need to do: 

• Download the app and use code FEASTGOOD for your free 2-week trial.

• Complete the initial onboarding questionnaire to get your starting targets.

• Consistently log your food intake and weight each day for a week.

• Keep an eye on your email for science-backed articles to explain what is happening behind the scenes regarding your body composition and why the targets are what they are for your given goal.

• Check in on your designated day to get your new targets.

That’s it!  Then, rinse and repeat steps 3-5 until you achieve your goal.

If you want a more in-depth guide on what to do after downloading the app, this video will explain how everything works and show you what the app looks like on the inside.