Cal AI suits someone choosing meal photos as the main way to log; MyFitnessPal offers a free food diary, with photo and barcode logging in Premium. Cal AI advertises a 3-day free trial, but its US store listing does not label the billing periods of its Unlimited purchases. MyFitnessPal Premium is $79.99 a year; Premium+ is $99.99 a year. Check the actual offer before paying.
How we compared them
MacroLog publishes this page and is a competing app. Its column comes from our product documentation. Rival facts come from the companies' own pages or US App Store listings, read 10 September 2026. This is a comparison of published features and prices, not a hands-on accuracy test. We did not run a meal-photo benchmark or buy subscriptions for this page.
The table distinguishes a free download from an ongoing free feature. An unverified entitlement stays marked as unknown. Prices match our Cal AI review and MyFitnessPal price guide, which were checked on the same date. A store's purchase list does not establish which offer a particular account will receive.
US prices and logging features, 10 September 2026
| Feature or price | Cal AI | MyFitnessPal | MacroLog (our app) | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ongoing free tier | Free download; no ongoing free scanning allowance verified | Free food and fitness tracking, with goals and progress | Manual search, unlimited barcode scanning, basic stats and local storage | Cal AI: US App Store listing; MyFitnessPal: membership pricing and tiers; MacroLog documentation |
| Annual paid price | No annual billing period verified from the listed Unlimited items | Premium $79.99/year; Premium+ $99.99/year | $49/year for Pro in the US | Cal AI: US App Store listing; MyFitnessPal: Premium plans; MacroLog documentation |
| Other listed prices | Unlimited: $2.99, $5.99, $9.99, $19.99 and $29.99; periods unlabelled | Premium+ $24.99/month | $5.99/month for Pro in the US | Cal AI: US App Store listing; MyFitnessPal: Premium plans; MacroLog documentation |
| Trial | 3-day free trial advertised | Check the current offer and eligibility | $2 first week for Pro; paid trial | Cal AI: product and trial page; MyFitnessPal: Premium plans; MacroLog documentation |
| Photo logging | Photo analysis results require a subscription | Meal Scan included in Premium | Pro; internet required; low-confidence items flagged for review | Cal AI: US App Store listing; MyFitnessPal: US App Store listing; MacroLog documentation |
| Barcode scanning | Feature confirmed; separate free barcode entitlement unverified | Premium feature in current US listing | Unlimited in free tier | Cal AI: FAQ; MyFitnessPal: US App Store listing; MacroLog documentation |
| Moving food history | Direct MyFitnessPal history import is not supported | No migration claim tested here | Multi-device sync is planned; CSV/JSON export is Pro | Cal AI: FAQ; MacroLog documentation |
Cal AI's strength is its photo-led workflow
Cal AI's published flow starts with a meal photo and returns nutrition estimates. Its FAQ also confirms manual search and barcode entry, so you can use those when a photo is not the right input. That fits someone who wants to try photo logging before committing to a longer subscription.
Its billing information leaves a gap. The US App Store lists several Unlimited prices, but none of those labels establishes an annual or monthly term. We therefore do not describe $29.99 as an annual price or call $2.99 a monthly plan. Read the purchase screen for the billing period and renewal amount.
The listing says scanning analysis results require a subscription. It does not separately resolve whether every barcode function has the same entitlement. We have left that narrower question unverified rather than calling barcode scanning free. The 3-day trial is not evidence of a permanent free tier.
MyFitnessPal's strength is a free diary with paid options
MyFitnessPal offers basic food and fitness tracking without a subscription. That makes it a useful choice if manual logging is enough and you want to test the diary before paying. Premium adds Meal Scan and barcode scanning. Premium+ adds meal planning for someone who also wants help organising future meals.
The annual difference between Premium and Premium+ is $20 at the published US web prices. Paying that difference makes sense only if the extra planning features fit your routine. Buying the higher tier is not required just to access photo or barcode logging.
MyFitnessPal's US App Store also lists $49.99 and $79.99 yearly Premium items. That does not guarantee the lower offer for your account. Use the published $79.99 web price for this comparison and confirm the amount shown where you subscribe.
Choose by the job you need the app to do
- Try meal photos as your default: Cal AI's 3-day trial gives you a way to inspect that workflow. Check the renewal term before starting.
- Keep an ongoing free manual diary: MyFitnessPal publishes a free tracking tier. Its barcode scanner and Meal Scan sit in Premium.
- Plan meals as well as log them: MyFitnessPal Premium+ includes the meal planner. Compare that extra task with the $20 annual difference.
- Keep barcode scanning free: MacroLog includes unlimited scanning in its free tier. Its device and sync limits below still matter.
Where MacroLog fits
MacroLog is an iOS and Android option with free manual search and unlimited barcode scanning. Pro adds photo and voice logging, plus 12 tracked micronutrients and CSV/JSON export. Both AI logging methods need internet; accuracy is not guaranteed and low-confidence items are flagged for review. Pro is $5.99 a month or $49 a year in the US, with a $2 paid first week. Prices vary by country and store. Logging otherwise works offline with local storage. There is no web app, and multi-device sync is planned.
Check the offer before the trial starts
Record the renewal price and billing period shown on the purchase screen. Cal AI's FAQ directs Apple subscribers to the phone's subscription settings. Apple confirms the cancellation path: Settings, your name, Subscriptions, then the subscription. The trial screen and your receipt matter more than an unlabelled store purchase list.
For an Apple free or discounted trial you do not want to renew, Apple advises cancelling at least 24 hours before it ends. Keep the cancellation confirmation. This comparison does not establish refund eligibility or the terms of a web purchase.
What this is based on
- Cal AI: US App Store listing, read 10 September 2026. Supports listed purchase amounts and paid photo-analysis results.
- Cal AI: product and trial page, read 10 September 2026. Supports the 3-day trial and photo-led product flow.
- Cal AI: FAQ, read 10 September 2026. Supports barcode/manual entry, no direct MyFitnessPal import and Apple cancellation route.
- MyFitnessPal: Premium plans, read 10 September 2026. Supports $79.99 Premium, $99.99 Premium+ and $24.99 monthly Premium+.
- MyFitnessPal: membership pricing and tiers, read 10 September 2026. Supports the ongoing free tier and paid feature grouping.
- MyFitnessPal: US App Store listing, read 10 September 2026. Supports Premium scanning and the alternate yearly purchase amounts.
- Apple Support: cancel a subscription, read 10 September 2026. Independent of the compared app publishers; supports Apple subscription cancellation and trial timing.
Written and maintained by the MacroLog editorial team. Reviewed 10 September 2026. The week plans are practical examples, not tested treatment programmes.
What this does not solve
This comparison cannot tell you which app estimates your meals most accurately; we have no published head-to-head test. It leaves Cal AI billing periods and a separate free barcode allowance unverified. Prices cover the US sources only. MacroLog has no web app and working multi-device sync is not available: sync is planned. Photo and voice logging need internet.