What is the best calorie counter app in the UK?

It depends on how you like to log. For the fastest logging, an AI photo app such as Calori is best because you snap your plate instead of searching for each food. For a big UK food database and barcode scanning, Nutracheck and MyFitnessPal are popular. For detailed vitamins and minerals, Cronometer is the strongest.

What is the best free calorie counter app?

MyFitnessPal, Lose It! and Cronometer all have free versions that cover basic calorie counting, though some features such as barcode scanning or ad-free use may need a subscription. The NHS Weight Loss Plan app is completely free. Most paid apps, including Calori, offer a free trial so you can try every feature first.

Do calorie counting apps work?

Yes, when you use them consistently. Studies of weight loss programmes repeatedly find that people who track what they eat lose more weight than those who do not. The best app is the one you will still be using in three months, which is why the speed of logging matters so much.

Is there a calorie counter app that uses photos?

Yes. AI calorie counters such as Calori let you take a photo of your meal; the app identifies each food, estimates the portion and logs the calories and macros. You can adjust anything before saving.

The best calorie counter apps in the UK

We compared the calorie counting apps most used in the UK on how fast it is to log a meal, how good the food data is, and what you get for free.

By the Calori team · Updated 21 October 2026 · 9 min read

Note: this guide is written by the team that makes Calori, which is one of the apps listed. Where another app does something better, we say so.

The best calorie tracker apps compared

App	Best for	How you log	Free version
Calori	Fastest logging, tracking with friends	Photo, barcode, search	7-day free trial
MyFitnessPal	Largest food database	Search, barcode (Premium)	Yes, with ads
Nutracheck	UK supermarket and restaurant foods	Search, barcode	Trial, then paid
Cronometer	Vitamins and minerals	Search, barcode	Yes
Lose It!	Simple weight-loss budgets	Search, barcode, photo	Yes
MacroFactor	Adaptive calorie targets	Search, barcode	Trial, then paid
Cal AI	Photo-only logging	Photo, barcode	Paid
NHS Weight Loss Plan	A free, structured 12-week plan	Food diary	Completely free

App features and prices change often, so check the App Store or Google Play listing for the latest before you subscribe.

What makes a good calorie counter app?

Every app on this list can count calories. What differs is how long logging takes, and that is the main reason people stop tracking. When choosing, look at:

Speed of logging. How many taps does it take to log a home-cooked dinner with five ingredients? This matters more than any other feature.
UK food data. British supermarket own-brand products, high-street chains and kilocalories by default. Apps built for the US can be patchy here.
Macros, not just calories. Protein in particular. Our protein guide explains why.
What is behind the paywall. Some free versions hide barcode scanning or show a lot of adverts.
Motivation. Streaks, progress charts and other people to keep you accountable.

1. Calori: best for fast logging

Calori is an AI calorie counter built in the UK. Instead of searching for every ingredient, you take a photo of your plate. The AI picks out each item, estimates the portion and logs the calories, protein, carbs and fat. Packaged food can be scanned by barcode, and anything can be edited before you save it.

It is also built around a social feed. You can follow friends, see what they are eating, and like or comment on their meals, which helps a lot of people stay consistent. Progress charts cover days, weeks, months and years, and your rings show on Apple Watch and a Home Screen widget.

Good: logging a meal takes seconds; tracks macros and micronutrients; friends feed for accountability; rated 4.8 on the App Store.
Less good: photo estimates are estimates, so very precise trackers may still want to weigh some foods; full features need a subscription after the 7-day trial.

2. MyFitnessPal: best for database size

MyFitnessPal is the best-known calorie counter in the world and its food database is enormous, with a lot of UK products. Because most entries are added by users, the same food can appear many times with different numbers, so it is worth picking verified entries. Barcode scanning moved behind the Premium subscription in 2022, and the free version shows adverts.

Thinking of switching? We compared the options in MyFitnessPal alternatives.

3. Nutracheck: best for UK foods

Nutracheck is a British app with a food database focused on UK supermarkets, restaurants and takeaways, and it is well regarded for accuracy. It is a paid app after the trial, and the interface is more traditional than the newer AI apps, but if most of what you eat comes in a packet from a UK shop, it is a strong choice.

4. Cronometer: best for micronutrients

Cronometer uses curated nutrition databases and tracks dozens of vitamins and minerals, which makes it popular with people on specific diets and anyone who wants to see their iron, calcium or vitamin D. The free version is generous. Logging is search-based, so it is slower day to day than a photo app.

5. Lose It!: best for simple calorie budgets

Lose It! keeps things simple: set a goal weight and it gives you a daily calorie budget. It has a free version, barcode scanning and a photo feature. It is US-first, so British products and units are less complete than in UK-focused apps.

6. MacroFactor: best for adjusting your targets

MacroFactor stands out for its algorithm, which uses your logged food and weigh-ins to estimate how many calories you are burning and adjusts your targets each week. It suits people who are already comfortable tracking and want coaching-style adjustments. There is no free version after the trial.

7. Cal AI: photo-only logging

Cal AI made photo calorie counting popular. Like Calori, you snap your meal and it estimates the calories and macros. It focuses on individual tracking, while Calori adds a social feed, Apple Watch rings and detailed progress history. If you want to compare the two, both offer ways to try them before paying.

8. NHS Weight Loss Plan: best free option

The NHS Weight Loss Plan is a free 12-week programme with a food and activity diary, weekly guidance and recipes. It is not a full calorie counter in the way the others are, but it is a good, trustworthy place to start if you do not want to pay for anything.

Free calorie tracker apps

If you want to track calories free, these are the options in the UK:

NHS Weight Loss Plan: completely free, with a food diary and a 12-week plan.
MyFitnessPal: a free version for searching and logging food, with adverts. Barcode scanning and photo logging need Premium.
Cronometer and Lose It!: both have free versions that cover basic calorie counting.
Calori: every feature, including AI photo logging and barcode scanning, free for 7 days.

Our calorie calculator is also free to use without an account, so you can work out your target before choosing an app.

The best food diary apps

Any app on this list works as a food diary: it keeps a record of what you eat each day with the calories and macros. If you mainly want a food journal to spot patterns rather than count every calorie, a photo-based app such as Calori is the quickest, because each meal is one picture.

Which calorie counter app should you choose?

You have tried tracking before and given up: choose a photo app such as Calori. Less effort per meal makes it easier to keep going.
You eat mostly packaged UK food: Nutracheck or MyFitnessPal with barcode scanning.
You care about vitamins and minerals: Cronometer.
You want it completely free: the NHS Weight Loss Plan, or the free tier of Cronometer or Lose It!.
You want friends to keep you on track: Calori.

Whichever you pick, start with the right target. Our free calorie calculator works out your maintenance calories and a daily target in under a minute.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best calorie counter app in the UK?: It depends on how you like to log. For the fastest logging, an AI photo app such as Calori is best because you snap your plate instead of searching for each food. For a big UK food database and barcode scanning, Nutracheck and MyFitnessPal are popular. For detailed vitamins and minerals, Cronometer is the strongest.
What is the best free calorie counter app?: MyFitnessPal, Lose It! and Cronometer all have free versions that cover basic calorie counting, though some features such as barcode scanning or ad-free use may need a subscription. The NHS Weight Loss Plan app is completely free. Most paid apps, including Calori, offer a free trial so you can try every feature first.
Do calorie counting apps work?: Yes, when you use them consistently. Studies of weight loss programmes repeatedly find that people who track what they eat lose more weight than those who do not. The best app is the one you will still be using in three months, which is why the speed of logging matters so much.
Is there a calorie counter app that uses photos?: Yes. AI calorie counters such as Calori let you take a photo of your meal; the app identifies each food, estimates the portion and logs the calories and macros. You can adjust anything before saving.