We at workoutable believe that you can never really go wrong with a macro balanced diet, but only if you are doing it right. Macro balanced diet is an impeccable choice for those trying to lose weight.
The first step in macro-balanced dieting is determining the macro requirements of your body. This mainly depends on your Basic Metabolic rate (BMR) and Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). You can use our macro calculator to determine your daily macronutrient needs.
Once you have got these values right, you must determine the macros and calories you need to consume each day to reach your fitness goals. For instance, by consuming fewer calories and macros than required, you lose weight and vice versa. Our macro calculator also gives you a choice to tweak your daily macro requirement to achieve your fitness goals.
So now that you know your macro requirements, we move on to the difficult part- counting macros of every meal you have or finding a macro tracker to do it for you. Luckily, there are hundreds of macronutrient apps out there that will help determine the caloric value and macronutrient ratio of your meals.
But with so many choices, it’s easy to feel confused. Which is why we have made a list of the best macro tracking apps of 2021that are free to use.
In this article, we will list the features, pros, and cons of each of these apps, so you can make an informed choice without wasting your precious time browsing through app stores for hours. Our list includes macro tracking apps for android as well as iOS
1. Macros – Calorie Counter & Meal planner
Our choice for the best macro tracking app
Main Features:
- Calculates daily caloric and macronutrient needs
- The daily macro ratio
- Determine the daily macro requirement to lose weight, gain weight or build muscle.
- Calorie and macronutrient information on thousands of food items
- Create and save your personal food library
- Barcode reader
- Create your own macro friendly recipes and track its macronutrient ratio
Pros:
- User friendly
- Easy to navigate
- Customizable
Cons:
- Contains advertisements
2. Simple Macros- Diet Tracking
A free calorie counter app with rave reviews
Main Features of Simple macros Tracking App:
- A diet journal with macronutrient, micronutrient, and caloric information of each meal
- Planning mode to pre-plan meals that suit your macronutrient needs
- Powered By FatSecret
- Barcode scanning
- Keep tracking weight and other body measurements
- Customizable app home page
Pros:
Cons:
3. Calorie Counter – MyFitnessPal
One of the most popular macro tracking apps
Main Features:
- Easily save and track your meals
- Tweak your daily macro needs to suit your fitness goals
- Quickly analyze your fitness journey and daily caloric intake
- Coaching, meal, and workout plans by experts
- The app also features a blog on healthy recipes
- The app helps you stay connected with other fitness enthusiasts through its forums.
Pros:
Cons:
- Contains advertisements
4. MyPlate Calorie Tracker
A macro meal planner app by a well-established fitness blog
Main Features:
- Food database with over 2 million food items
- Barcode scanner for easy food tracking
- Save your customized recipes
- Calculate your daily caloric goals that will help achieve your fitness goals
- Weight tracker to monitor your progress
- Save and review customized daily intake goals for protein, fat, carbs, fiber, sugar, and sodium
- Water intake monitor
- Connect with Livestrong’s fitness community
- Set reminders for your mealtime
- Can be linked to fitness apps
- It helps track and logs your daily workout
- Log customized workouts or calories burnt from each workout
- The app can be synced with Calorie Tracker at Myplate
Pros:
Cons:
5. Calorie Counter by FatSecret
A must try macronutrient app with a vast database of food items
Main Features:
- A customizable food diary to plan your meals
- Connect with a like-minded, fitness-oriented community
- Track nutrition by snapping a picture of your meals and uploading it to the app
- Barcode scanner
- The app can be synced to Google Fit, Samsung Health, and Fitbit
- An exercise diary to monitor your workouts
- Diet calorie keeps track of the total calories consumed and burned
- Weight monitor
- Photo album to save your meals
- Mealtime reminders
- Recipes and meal ideas for your diet
- Get advice from fitness experts
- Widgets to stay on top of your fitness journey
Pros:
Cons:
6. Calorie Counter by Lose It! for Diet & Weight Loss
An app to track macros that can be customized to suit your diet goals
Main features:
- Barcode scanner to track your macros and caloric intake
- Snap a picture of your meal and upload it to know its carb value
- Track your daily information of macronutrients, water, sugar,
- Monitor your body measurements and sleep cycles.
- Customizable to suit keto, vegan, vegetarian diets, etc.
- It can be synced with fitness devices like Fitbit trackers, Misfit trackers, Garmin trackers, Google Fit, etc.
- Fun health challenges to boost your fitness journey
- Plan meals and set targets for each meal
- Monitor your macro/caloric intake patterns that thwart your fitness ambitions
- Create your customized recipes
- Recipe database for all types of diets, including the popular Whole 30 diet
- Workout guides to promote an active lifestyle
Pros:
Cons:
7. Lifesum - Diet Plan, Macro Calculator & Food Diary
A macro tracking app that offers unique diet choices such as sugar detox
Main Features Lifesum Macro Tracker:
- Customized meal plans for your fitness goals
- Diet plans for keto, sugar detox, paleo, etc
- Food tracker that calculates calories and macro nutrition
- Food planner - eat healthy food from delicious recipes for any plan
- Health tracker to monitor your fitness journey
- Diet tips to achieve your fitness goals
- Barcode scanner
- Water tracker
Pros:
Cons:
8. Carb Manager: Keto Diet Tracker & Macros Counter
Keto diet focused macro tracking app
Main features:
- A food diary to track your nutrition
- Macronutrient tracker and calorie calculator
- Set daily calorie goals based on whether you want to lose or gain weight
- Water tracker to keep you hydrated
- Log and save your daily workouts using exercise tracker
- Weight tracker to keep an eye on your BMI
- Nutrient information including glycaemic index of recipes.
Pros:
Cons:
9. Stupid Simple Macros IIFYM Tracker
An app to track macros that focuses on being as user friendly as possible
Main features:
- Easy to access, alphabetical food database with dainty icons
- Barcode scanner
- Capture selfies to monitor your progress which can later be shared with your loved ones
- Fitness progress monitor
- Can be synced with other devices
- Food back that “saves” your unused calories for any special occasions
- Log customized meals and recipes
- Set up reminders for when you near your daily macro limit
- Reminders to log your daily macro portions
- Portion sizes can be tweaked to suit your needs
- Easily convertible metrics and water intake tracker
- Food history can be shared via mail
Pros:
Cons:
10. MacrosFirst - Macro tracking made easy
An easy-to-use calorie counter app that covers all the basics
Main Features:
- Macro tracker with a vast database of food and their nutritional/caloric value
- Customizable daily meal logs
- Determine the serving size of recipes by entering your macro/caloric goal for that meal
- Create and save customized recipes and share them with your loved ones who use the app
- Works in online and offline modes
Pros:
Cons: