How to choose a calorie counting app: 8 criteria

Eight criteria for someone who lifts

Checklist for choosing an app
Criterion	What to check
Logging speed	How many seconds it takes to log your typical meal, timed with a stopwatch, not promised in the listing.
Ways to add food	Food search, barcode, photo, voice, text, manual entry, repeating yesterday's meals.
Target adjustment	Whether the app changes or suggests a new calorie target from your weight, or only works it out once from a form.
Macros	Whether you see the grams of each macro against your daily target, and whether you can set your own macro targets.
Price model	What is free, what needs a subscription, whether there is a trial and when the subscription renews.
Platform	iPhone, Android, browser: whether the app runs on what you use.
Data export	Whether you can get your meal and weight history out in a file, such as CSV.
Language	Whether the app is in your language and finds local products by barcode.

The first row matters most. An app that makes logging a chore loses to every other app, because you stop logging. The other criteria decide between apps you are willing to use.

How to test an app in a week

Day 1: enter your profile and goal. Compare the app's calorie target with a calculator whose formula you can check. If the numbers differ, check which formula and activity level the app uses.
Days 1-7: log every meal, snacks and drinks included. A week covers workdays and the weekend.
Time three typical meals: one packaged, one home-cooked and one eaten out.
Scan three barcoded products and compare the result with the label. In the EU, values are given per 100 g or 100 ml, so they are easy to compare.
Try every way of adding food the app has, and correct one entry to see what a fix costs you.
Day 6: export your data and open the file. Check which of the features you used are paid. If you are on a trial, decide before it ends: the plan renews by itself afterwards, so check in your subscription settings by when you can cancel.

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CalXd against this checklist

CalXd measured against the checklist
Criterion	CalXd
Logging speed	No figure given: time it yourself in the one-week test.
Ways to add food	Photo, voice, text, barcode (Open Food Facts), manual entry, re-logging a recent meal with one tap, copying yesterday's meals. There is no food database search.
Target adjustment	At most once every 7 days, CalXd reads your weight trend over the last 3 weeks and, when there is enough data, suggests a new calorie target; you decide whether to apply it. The first suggestion comes no earlier than 4 weeks into a goal. You can also set the calorie target yourself; CalXd then suggests no changes.
Macros	Daily calorie and macro targets calculated from your profile and goal, always shown in the order calories, protein, fats, carbs. On the Progress screen you choose what share of calories goes to each macro, and CalXd saves the targets in grams.
Price model	Free to download, but using it needs Pro or the App Store trial (7 days for eligible new Apple subscribers, after which the plan renews). There is no free Pro plan. Pro on the App Store is a yearly or weekly plan billed by Apple in your storefront's currency; in Poland, 100 PLN a year or 10 PLN a week (as of 9 September 2026).
Platform	iPhone only, iOS 17.4 or later. No Android app and no web app.
Data export	Weight and meal history as CSV files, all of it or a date range.
Language	English and Polish.

What CalXd does not have: a food database search, recipes, a community or friends feed, an Android app or a web app. If any of those is a must for you, CalXd does not meet it.

Yazio and MyFitnessPal, checked October 2026

Yazio's Polish App Store listing describes a database of over 4 million products, a barcode scanner, an intermittent fasting tracker and over 2,900 recipes; it is free to download, and the listing names an advanced calorie tracker with AI features among the features of the paid Pro subscription. The company's website links to both the App Store and Google Play.

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MyFitnessPal's Polish App Store listing describes a database of over 14 million products, restaurant dishes included, and a macro counter; it is free to download, with Premium sold in the app. The company's English website says barcode scanning and custom macro goals are Premium tools, and links to both the App Store and Google Play.

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If you want to browse a large food database or have an Android app, these two meet that criterion and CalXd does not. Check prices and plan contents in the store on the day you buy, because they change.

Questions

What is the best calorie counting app for men who lift?

There is no single best one for everyone. For someone who lifts, the criteria on the list decide: logging speed, macro targets in grams and a target that changes with your weight. Test two or three apps for a week and keep the one you logged the most meals in.

Which macro tracking app works on iPhone?

All three on this page (checked October 2026). CalXd needs iOS 17.4 and shows macro targets in grams from a calorie split you set yourself. Yazio needs iOS 16.0, and its App Store listing names a macronutrient counter. MyFitnessPal needs iOS 18.0, and its listing names a macro counter in grams or percentages; its website says custom macro goals are a Premium tool.

Is there a free calorie counting app?

Yazio and MyFitnessPal are free to download, with some features in paid plans (checked October 2026). CalXd is also free to download, but using it needs Pro or the App Store trial; there is no free Pro plan. In the Polish App Store, Pro costs 100 PLN a year or 10 PLN a week (as of 9 September 2026); other storefronts bill in their own currency.

Is a photo calorie counting app enough?

Not always. A photo gives an estimate of the portion. For packaged food use the barcode, and when you know the weight of the portion, correct it by hand. That is why the test checks how quickly you can fix an entry.

How to choose a calorie counting app if you lift