MacroFactor vs. Cronometer: Which is Better in 2026?

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MacroFactor and Cronometer have long been two of our top-rated and recommended nutrition apps, based on what we personally use for ourselves and our clients.

I’ve personally had a love affair with Cronometer for my own use since I made the switch from MyFitnessPal in the fall of 2022, whereas my colleague Amanda Parker swears by MacroFactor.

The good news is that you don’t have to take either of our words for it: I’ve followed our honest review guidelines to reach a decision and I’ll share the results and reasons with you in this article.

Does MacroFactor deserve to keep its #1 ranking in 2026? I’ve reviewed the apps in ten key categories based on their latest offerings so that you can see the differences and decide what is best for you right now.

TLDR: 

With its built-in, scientifically-backed dynamic coaching adjustments, and the ability to seamlessly integrate with the new MacroFactor Workouts app, MacroFactor still reigns supreme for most users, especially those who want an all-in-one solution for nutrition and fitness coaching without paying to work with a professional.  

Cronometer is starting to up its game with the built-in AI assistant Crono Coach in Cronometer Gold, but this paid feature is currently only in beta mode. Cronometer is also a great choice for budget-conscious users since its free version is very strong, and MacroFactor does not have a free tier.

Key Takeaways

• MacroFactor takes the crown by winning against Cronometer in 6 out of 10 categories reviewed (and there was 1 tie, so Cronometer won in 3 categories – half as many as MacroFactor).  It’s not a slam dunk, though – you’ll see in the details that these two apps really are neck and neck in many categories.

• MacroFactor updates its scientifically-based algorithms to provide real-time adjustments to calorie and macronutrient targets based on actual logged data, while at the same time focusing on consistency over perfection when it comes to logging and hitting targets – just like a real human coach, but at a fraction of the cost.

• Cronometer has just started its offering for “Crono Coach,” an in-app AI assistant to analyze food logs and make suggestions.  It does not adjust calories or macro targets, and the “beta” mode version still has glitches.  That said, it offers a wealth of data for self-directed clients, or those already working with coaches or other health professionals.  

What is MacroFactor?

Is MacroFactor still worth it? You can watch our updated review here: MacroFactor Review After 2+ Years: Still Worth It? 

Like most nutrition apps, MacroFactor offers a way for users to log their food to track calorie and macronutrient intake, and log their body weight and other measurements, along with progress photos.  Unlike other nutrition apps, MacroFactor works like a “nutrition coach in your pocket” by comparing actual logged intake to actual logged progress, to seamlessly offer updated calorie and/or macronutrient targets to keep you on track with your goals.

These updates are based on real data input by the user.  When you first start using MacroFactor, it has a standard intake process to input age, gender, activity level and desired goal.  These inputs lead to a starting calorie target and macronutrient split to hit that target.

The real “magic” (and it’s actually science, not magic) is the fine-tuning that happens after the initial input.  As you log your intake and changes in body weight and/or body fat percentage, the app dynamically updates your targets, along with providing education about WHY the changes are recommended.

The app is also praised for its ability to look at the “big picture” and not focus on any one meal or day of logging.  MacroFactor describes this as “adherence-neutral” – it doesn’t matter if you completely miss your targets for a day, or fail to log a meal (or more).  This keeps the focus on consistency and not perfection.

Pros

• Dynamic adjustment of targets
• Multiple food logging options: advanced AI photo logging has seen improvements in 2026
• Comprehensive tracking for biometrics, including progress photos
• Customizable calorie & macronutrient distribution
• Verified food database

Cons

• No free version 
• No desktop version

What is Cronometer?

Here’s a great video on the pros and cons of Cronometer: I Tried Cronometer Gold, So You Don’t Have To

Cronometer also offers a way for users to log their food to track calorie and macronutrient intake, but it goes so much further in terms of micronutrients (over 90) and detailed biometrics.  Beyond just body measurements, users can track subjective indicators like mood and sleep quality, along with the results of medical tests and even bathroom habits (yup, it tracks your poop according to a standardized scale!).   

With various reports and dashboards, and the ability to generate your own custom reports and graphs in the paid Gold version of the app, all of this data becomes useful information to drive insights about what dietary decisions drive what results.  

Cronometer doesn’t currently auto-adjust macros the way MacroFactor does, but it’s an incredible collaboration tool to use with a nutrition coach or other healthcare professional because the Cronometer Pro account allows them to see your logs directly in the app and you can also export your food logs, reports, and graphs to share with them.

By linking your results to your intake with its custom charts and reports, you can easily make decisions about how to adjust your targets to meet your goals, putting you in the driver’s seat when it comes to your results.  This allows you to move forward with confidence in your own ability to manage your nutrition, rather than relying on a paid app in the long-term.

Pros

• Extensive tracking capabilities (also includes AI photo logging)
• Detailed micronutrient analysis
• Customizable, shareable charts and reports
• Verified food database
• Excellent community support

Cons

• No dynamic adjustment of targets
• Glitchy Crono Coach is in beta mode only

MacroFactor vs. Cronometer: Head To Head Comparison

1. Food Database

MacroFactor

MacroFactor’s food database is mostly, but not fully, verified.  Food entries include standard macronutrient information, as well as subsets such as fiber vs. sugar in carbs, and the amino acid distribution within protein.  The app currently tracks approximately 40 micronutrients.

Cronometer

Cronometer’s food database is fully verified.  When users submit entries for inclusion in the database, they have to include photos of the nutrition labels, and these are checked by Cronometer staff before they are included in the database (where they will be noted as Cronometer User Database (CRDB).  

When logging entries from the CRDB, the micronutrient information will be enhanced beyond what shows on the standard food label, with information for similar foods from the Nutrition Coordinating Center Food & Nutrient Database (NCCDB) or United States Department of Agriculture National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (USDA).

2. Tracking Capabilities

MacroFactor

MacroFactor offers tracking for calories, macronutrients, ~40 micronutrients, water intake, exercise, body measurements, and habits.  

MacroFactor also creates a forward-facing weight trend trajectory, by applying an algorithm to past weigh-ins, cutting through the noise of daily weight fluctuations.

Cronometer

Cronometer is a data lover’s dream with tracking of calories, macronutrients (including alcohol as its own macronutrient), >90 micronutrients, water intake, exercise, body measurements and health test results and the ability to create custom metrics (in the paid version) for anything else you could possibly want to track.

Anything you’ve tracked can then be plotted on a graph and compared to another variable to see if you can identify insightful patterns (for example, do you always have a poor sleep score after a day of high sugar intake?), or just to see changes in variables over time (such as weight).  Cronometer can also forecast a projected date for reaching your goal

Cronometer also added “Snapshots” for progress photos in 2023.  The functionality in this area is still somewhat limited, though.    

3. Calorie Recommendations

MacroFactor

MacroFactor actually has its own custom basal metabolic rate (BMR) equations, building off of the research-backed Oxford/Henry equations and 1991 Cunningham equation, but then applying their own data, based on the background and experiences of the founders and their millions of clients.

MacroFactor’s equations take into account users’ age, gender, height, weight, activity level and fitness experience level to come up with a custom, scientifically-based (and real world-validated) calorie recommendation for the users’ stated goals.  

On a go-forward basis, MacroFactor will dynamically update the targets to keep users on track toward their stated goals, based on actual food and body weight logs.

You can override the targets if you opt for the “manual” coaching mode, where users take responsibility for setting and updating their own target.  

Cronometer

Cronometer uses the BMR Mifflin-St. Jeor method to take user inputs about age, gender, height, weight and activity level to come up with a scientifically-based calorie recommendation for the user’s stated goal (weight loss, weight maintenance, or weight gain).

You can override the targets based on your own input, or your coach’s, or you can adjust elements of the overall target, such as by selecting a higher (or lower) activity multiplier, or inputting a higher (or lower) estimated basal metabolic rate (BMR).

On a go-forward basis once you start using the app, Cronometer does not update the calorie targets unless you reset your goals, so you will have to make adjustments yourself if you’re not seeing the desired progress.

4. Level of Customization

MacroFactor

MacroFactor offers a very high level of customization in terms of not just goals (rate of weight loss or weight gain), but also how you get there (preferred macro splits, e.g. low carb vs. low fat; level of coaching support, e.g. coached, collaborative, or manual; and distribution of calories for different days of the week). 

We as nutrition coaches also really like the customizable “calorie floor”: MacroFactor will suggest a minimum number of calories that users should not go under in their pursuit of weight loss.  This ensures that the rate of loss is healthy and sustainable, and minimizes the risk of losing hard-earned muscle mass.

Cronometer

Cronometer is similarly customizable in terms of macro splits and calorie distributions: its Target Scheduler (a paid feature in Cronometer Gold) allows for different calorie targets AND macronutrient splits on different days of the week to be planned in advance (in the free version, you can still manually toggle to a different “Template” for calorie/macronutrient targets each day).  

While Cronometer doesn’t have the same explicit “calorie floor” as MacroFactor, it offers a high level of customization in terms of its charts and reports.  Its new Crono Coach also offers insights into what variables I might want to chart against one another, for example, sleep scores and self-ratings of appetite.

5. Education Opportunities

MacroFactor

Unlike Noom, with built-in daily lessons, MacroFactor does not contain a curriculum within the app itself, but it does regularly send emails with links to blogs published by the founders to better explain the nutrition science behind the app.  

MacroFactor’s recommended calorie and/or macro adjustments are also accompanied by brief explanations for their basis, allowing users to learn about what approaches lead to achieving stated goals, and why.

Cronometer

In the Gold version of Cronometer, the new Crono Coach in-app AI assistant can analyze food logs to look for nutrient deficiencies, or point out if logged food deviates significantly from suggested targets, and then make recommendations about nutrients to include and foods that are good sources of that nutrient (whether it’s a micronutrient or macronutrient).  

This builds on the pre-existing “Ask the Oracle” feature that provided lists of foods in response to queries about how to get more of a certain micronutrient. 

6. Coaching

MacroFactor

MacroFactor sets itself apart from other nutrition apps with its in-app coaching options.  From the lowest level of coaching support to highest, here they are :

• Manual: individual users take responsibility for changing their calorie and/or macronutrient targets as they wish.  This is a good option if they are working with a coach or other healthcare professional outside of the app; they can override the app’s recommendations with targets from their coach.

• Collaborative: the user can choose to take the app’s recommendations for calorie and/or macronutrient target updates, or keep the targets as is, or make their own updates.

• Coached: the app makes automatic adjustments to calories and/or macronutrient targets based on user-recorded food logs and progress toward goals.  

Users can switch coaching styles and/or adjust their goals whenever they want if their needs or preferences change.

Cronometer

While Cronometer’s  Cronometer Pro allows healthcare professionals (such as nutrition coaches) to connect with their clients within Cronometer, Cronometer does not have built-in coaching features for adjusting targets.

That said, Cronometer is currently piloting its in-app AI “Crono Coach” to perform the functions I described in the section above.  This beta option is only available for mobile (not the desktop version of the app), and it still glitches at times.  

7. Recipe Database

MacroFactor

MacroFactor does not come with a built-in preloaded database of recipes.  Users can build and maintain their own personal recipe library in the following ways:

• Manual recipe creation: search for and input ingredients, with the option to record steps.

• Recipe URL import: paste a link from any recipe website and the app will automatically import the ingredients and steps, and calculate the calories and macros per serving.

• AI & photo import: take a picture of a recipe, or copy and paste the recipe text, and AI will analyze it to pre-fill the recipe ingredients and details for you.

• Recipe sharing: share your personal recipes with other MacroFactor users via text, email or airdrop.

Cronometer

Cronometer similarly does not come with a built-in preloaded recipe database.  Users can also build and maintain their own personal recipe library:

• Manual recipe creation: search for and input ingredients, with the option to record steps.

• Recipe URL import: paste a link from any recipe website and the app (Gold version) will automatically import the ingredients and steps, and calculate the calories and macros per serving.

• Recipe sharing: share your personal recipes with other Cronometer users (including your coach in Cronometer Pro).

8. Exercise Calories

MacroFactor

MacroFactor does not take “exercise calories” into account directly when making its dynamic calorie adjustments.  The “nutrition coach” algorithm will look at weight trends, body fat percentage, and recorded food logs to determine its calorie and/or macronutrient recommendations.

So, it considers exercise calories indirectly, as they will have a bearing on your results, and your results will drive the recommendations.

Cronometer

Whether “exercise calories” are added to daily calorie targets is up to the user.  My stance is that Cronometer’s “activity multiplier” already takes exercise into account when coming up with its starting targets, so I don’t log exercises in Cronometer, and I don’t adjust my intake based on estimated calorie burn from exercise (e.g., based on activity trackers).

9. Price

MacroFactor

MacroFactor does not have a free version, beyond an introductory 7-day free trial (get an extra week free when you sign up with our link).

Like most subscriptions, if you’re in it for the long haul, your monthly rate is lower based on an annual subscription: MacroFactor is $11.99 US/month, $47.99 for 6 months ($7.99 US/month), or $71.99 for 12 months ($5.99 US/month).

Cronometer

Cronometer has a robust free version.  What’s missing are: template Target Scheduler, custom biometrics, custom charts & reports, and recipe sharing.  

Cronometer Gold is $4.17 US/month for a yearly subscription ($49.99 US) or $10.99 US/month monthly. Use this link to get 10% off Cronometer Gold.

10. Reviews

MacroFactor

MacroFactor has a rating of 4.8/5 on 18k ratings in the Apple App Store.  It fares even better in the Google Play store, with a rating of 4.9/5 on 15k reviews and over 1M downloads.

Cronometer

Cronometer has a rating of 4.8/5 on 93k ratings in the Apple App Store.  Results are similar in the Google Play store, with a rating of 4.6/5 on 55k reviews and over 5M downloads.

Conclusion

It’s a balance of budget and functionality: the real winner for you will depend on your needs and preferences.

Other Diet App Comparisons

• Cronometer vs MyFitnessPal
• MacroFactor vs Lose It

References

Henry CJ. Basal metabolic rate studies in humans: measurement and development of new equations. Public Health Nutr. 2005 Oct;8(7A):1133-52. doi: 10.1079/phn2005801. PMID: 16277825.

Cunningham JJ. Body composition as a determinant of energy expenditure: a synthetic review and a proposed general prediction equation. Am J Clin Nutr. 1991 Dec;54(6):963-9. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/54.6.963. PMID: 1957828.

Karagun, B., & Baklaci, N. (2024). Comparative analysis of basal metabolic rate measurement methods in overweight and obese individuals: A retrospective study. Medicine, 103(35), e39542. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000039542