Report updated May 7, 2026
Calorie Counter by fatsecret
For individuals seeking weight management or nutrition tracking, ranging from self-directed users to those requiring professional medical support.
Calorie Counter by fatsecret is an established health & fitness app that is free with in-app purchases. With a 4.6/5 rating from 552.5K reviews, it shows polarized user reception. Users particularly appreciate comprehensive free feature set provides high value for calorie and macro tracking enthusiasts, though search functionality regressions post-update prevent users from finding common food items in the database remains a common concern.
What is Calorie Counter by fatsecret?
FatSecret is a calorie and nutrition tracking app for iOS and Android that provides food logging, exercise tracking, and professional health data sharing.
Users hire FatSecret to manage weight and nutrition through a low-friction, free-to-use logging interface that integrates with professional health monitoring tools.
Current Momentum
v11.2 · 2d ago
Active- Launched FatSecret Clinic telehealth in Australia.
- Shipped performance optimizations in latest release.
Active Nemesis
MyFitnessPal: Calorie Counter
By MyFitnessPal
Other Rivals
7-Day Rank Pulse 🇺🇸
Health & FitnessRating Pulse 🇺🇸
Recent User Mood
What makes this app unique?
What Does It Look Like?
What Are The Key Features?
Global database for logging food, calories, and macros with barcode scanner and auto-complete
Direct data sharing with health professionals via fatsecret Professional monitoring tools
Dietitian-created plans for specific goals like Keto, Mediterranean, or Intermittent Fasting
How much does it cost?
- Free tier includes food diary, barcode scanner, and community access
- Premium tier available via monthly, quarterly, or annual subscription
Freemium model uses a robust free utility to drive scale, gating advanced planning and dietitian content behind a subscription.
Who Built It?
Empowering individuals to achieve weight management goals through a comprehensive nutrition database and integrated tracking tools.
Portfolio
1
Apps
Explore the full fatsecret report
Portfolio breakdown, audience, momentum, and every app published by fatsecret.
What do users think recently?
High confidence · 99 reviews analyzed · Based on 99 reviews. Signal may be noisy.
How did the latest release land?
What is the recent mood?
Recent user voice shows a mixed sentiment. Users appreciate comprehensive free feature set provides high value for calorie and macro tracking enthusiasts, but report search functionality regressions post-update prevent users from finding common food items in the database.
What Users Love
What Frustrates Users
What Users Want
View the full user-sentiment analysis
Mood gauge, ratings & review-volume history, every praise / complaint / request, and sentiment over time.
What is the competitive landscape for Calorie Counter by fatsecret?
How's The Health & Fitness Market?
How does it evolve in the Health & Fitness market?
FatSecret holds the #88 Free position in the US Health & Fitness category. The app maintains a 4.76 rating on iOS, signaling high user satisfaction despite recent search regressions.
Rank progression
192 active rankings tracked — 30-day window
The rivals identified
Nemeses(1)
With nearly 3 million reviews and a decade-long presence, it is the primary incumbent in the calorie-tracking space.
Differentiators
- Massive user-generated food database creates a network effect that is difficult for smaller apps to replicate.
- Deep integration with hundreds of third-party wearable devices and fitness hardware platforms.
- Advanced macro-nutrient tracking and recipe import tools cater to power users and fitness enthusiasts.
Head to head
FatSecret should lean into its 'simplicity-first' UX to capture users fatigued by MyFitnessPal's complex, ad-heavy interface.
Contenders(4)
Captures the high-intent niche of low-carb and ketogenic dieters with specialized tracking tools.
Differentiators
- Specialized macro-tracking optimized for net-carb calculation, which is often cumbersome in general-purpose calorie counters.
- Extensive library of keto-specific recipes and meal plans tailored to the needs of low-carb dieters.
Positions itself as a psychology-based weight loss solution rather than a traditional calorie counter, targeting a different user segment.
Differentiators
- Daily psychological lessons and cognitive behavioral therapy techniques help users build long-term sustainable eating habits.
- Color-coded food density system encourages nutrient-dense choices without the strictness of traditional calorie counting.
Dominates the behavioral weight loss niche with a proprietary points-based system that differentiates it from standard calorie counting.
Differentiators
- Proprietary 'Points' system simplifies complex nutrition data into a single, actionable daily budget for users.
- Strong emphasis on behavioral coaching and live workshops creates a holistic health ecosystem beyond simple tracking.
High-velocity release cadence (28 updates in 6 months) indicates a highly active product team iterating on core tracking features.
Differentiators
- Visual-first logging features like Snap It allow users to track meals using photo recognition technology.
- Highly personalized weight loss plans that adapt based on user progress and historical logging patterns.
Same space(3)
Broad health ecosystem that integrates activity tracking with nutrition, though it is hardware-dependent.
Differentiators
- Seamless integration with wearable hardware provides automated activity and sleep data to inform calorie expenditure.
- Comprehensive health dashboard combines nutrition, activity, sleep, and heart rate data in one unified view.
Adjacent utility that focuses on ingredient quality and health impact rather than just caloric intake.
Differentiators
- Instant barcode scanning provides health scores for food and cosmetics based on additive and ingredient safety.
- Focuses on product transparency and health education rather than weight loss or calorie deficit tracking.
A direct competitor in the calorie tracking space with a strong focus on clinical accuracy and diabetes management.
Differentiators
- Includes specialized features for blood glucose and insulin tracking, appealing to users with medical dietary requirements.
- High-quality, verified food database reduces the 'junk data' common in crowdsourced calorie tracking apps.
Compare Calorie Counter by fatsecret against every rival
All rivals in one side-by-side table — identity, store metrics, ratings & sentiment, and strategic intel — plus a head-to-head page for each.
The outtake for Calorie Counter by fatsecret
Strengths to defend, gaps to attack
Core Strengths
- Professional-sync tools create a B2B distribution moat via health-provider referrals
- Generous free-tier feature set sustains high organic install velocity
Critical Frictions
- Search-index regressions in the latest release break core logging utility
- Sensitive swipe-to-delete gestures cause frequent accidental data loss
Growth Levers
- Expand telehealth nutrition coaching into international markets
- Integrate generative AI for natural-language food logging to reduce manual entry friction
Market Threats
- AI-first trackers reduce time-to-log, threatening the manual-entry user base
- MyFitnessPal's massive database network effect remains a barrier to entry
What are the next best moves?
Rebuild search index because current regressions return zero results for common food items → restore core logging utility
Search functionality regression is the #1 complaint theme in recent sentiment analysis.
Trade-off: Pause the planned UI refresh for the food diary — search reliability is the primary churn driver.
Add confirmation step to swipe-to-delete gestures because accidental data loss is a recurring pain point → reduce negative reviews
Users report accidental deletion of logged meals due to sensitive swipe controls.
Trade-off: Same-quarter capacity available — no major lever displaced.
A counter-intuitive read
The search regression is a blessing in disguise: it forces the team to move away from legacy database-search models toward AI-driven natural language logging, which is the only way to compete with emerging AI-native trackers.
Feature Gaps vs Competitors
- Real-time blood glucose tracking (available in MyNetDiary but absent here)
- Generative AI meal logging (available in Cal AI but absent here)
Key Takeaways
FatSecret maintains a strong user base through its generous free-tier utility, but the recent search-index regression threatens to drive churn to competitors, so the PM must prioritize stability over new feature development to defend the core logging habit.
Where Is It Heading?
Mixed Signals
The nutrition-tracking market is shifting toward automated, AI-assisted logging and clinical integration, leaving manual-entry apps like FatSecret vulnerable to churn. The app's current focus on B2B professional sync provides a defensive moat, but the recent search-index regression must be addressed to prevent the loss of the core user base to more reliable alternatives.
Search functionality regressions in the latest update prevent users from finding common food items, which directly erodes the daily logging habit.
Expansion into telehealth via FatSecret Clinic indicates active investment in B2B channels that competitors like MyFitnessPal lack.