Looking for a MyFitnessPal alternative?
Most calorie trackers are free apps funded by subscriptions, ads, and your data. Tare is the opposite: a one-time $6.99 purchase that runs entirely on your device. Here's an honest look at how it compares.
Pay once
$6.99, forever. A year of MyFitnessPal Premium costs more than eleven copies of Tare.
Own your data
No account, no servers, no analytics. Your log stays on your device and in your own iCloud.
Targets that learn
Adaptive TDEE calibrates your calorie target from your real weight and food log — not a formula guess.
Side by side
| Tare | MyFitnessPal | Cronometer | Lose It! | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $6.99 once | Free + ads, or ~$80/yr | Free + ads, or ~$50/yr | Free + ads, or ~$40/yr |
| Subscription for full features | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Account required | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Where your data lives | Your device & your iCloud | Their servers | Their servers | Their servers |
| Ads | Never | Free tier | Free tier | Free tier |
| Analytics & tracking SDKs | None | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Barcode scanner | Included | Premium only | Included | Included |
| Your corrections take priority | Checked before public databases | — | — | — |
| Adaptive calorie targets | Learned from your weight & log | Formula-based | Formula-based | Formula-based |
| Micronutrient tracking | 22 vitamins & minerals | Varies by plan | Extensive | Varies by plan |
| Supplements | Count toward totals, grouped reminders | Log manually as food | Log manually as food | Log manually as food |
| Works offline | Yes (logging & viewing) | Limited | Limited | Limited |
| Data export | CSV, anytime | Varies by plan | CSV | Varies by plan |
| Platforms | iPhone & iPad | iOS, Android, web | iOS, Android, web | iOS, Android, web |
Competitor pricing and features as published in July 2026 — check their sites for current details. A dash means we found no published equivalent, not that one cannot exist.
The subscription math
Subscription trackers cost $40–$80 every year. Over five years of tracking, that's $200–$400 — for an app whose core job is arithmetic your phone can do locally. Tare charges $6.99 once because there are no servers to fund: nothing you log is ever sent to us, so there's nothing for you to keep paying for.
Where your data goes
Every app in the table above except Tare requires an account and stores your food, weight, and habit history on company servers. Tare has no accounts and no backend. Your data lives in the app on your device and — if you enable sync — in your personal iCloud, where we couldn't read it even if we wanted to. There are no analytics SDKs, no trackers, and nothing to breach.
When the database is wrong
Public food databases are crowd-sourced, and entries are frequently wrong or missing micronutrients entirely. In Tare you can correct an entry — or create one from scratch when a barcode returns nothing — and attach the barcode to your version. Tare checks your own foods before it checks Open Food Facts or the USDA, so your correction wins every future scan, permanently and privately. The same flow covers supplements, which most trackers ignore: link one to a food and its vitamins and minerals count toward your totals, with reminders grouped by timing rather than one nag per bottle. There's a full walkthrough of how that fits together.
Targets that adapt to your body
Formula-based calorie targets are a population average. Tare's Adaptive TDEE watches how your weight actually responds to what you actually eat, and calibrates your expenditure estimate over the first weeks of logging — so your target reflects your metabolism, not a template. Curious what the starting formula says for you? Try the free calorie calculator — it uses the same math as the app.
When Tare isn't the right fit
An honest comparison cuts both ways. Choose one of the others if you need Android or web access (Tare is native iOS only, by design), community and social features (Tare has none — it's a tool, not a network), or a free tier — Tare costs $6.99 up front. And if you track micronutrients for clinical reasons, Cronometer's lab-oriented depth may serve you better; Tare tracks 22 vitamins and minerals against FDA Daily Values, which covers everyday nutrition, not medical protocols.
Try the honest tracker
One purchase, no account, no ads. If it's not for you, Apple refunds are straightforward.