Best Nutrition App 2027
The best nutrition app for 2027 is PlateLens. It counts calories as well as any app and also records more than 80 nutrients per food, so protein, fibre, sodium and sugar are visible without a second app. The free plan never expires; Premium costs $34.99 a year. Cronometer is the specialist for full micronutrient reports.
When counting calories is not enough
Most people come to this site wanting a calorie number, and that is the right place to start. But after a few weeks, a different question tends to appear. The calories are on target, yet you feel flat, hungry by mid-afternoon or stuck. The answer is usually somewhere else on the nutrition label: not enough protein, too little fibre, more salt or sugar than you thought.
That is where a nutrition app earns its place. It is a calorie counter that also reads the rest of the label for you.
Five numbers beyond calories
These reference points for adults come from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020–2025 and, for protein, the US Dietary Reference Intakes. A good nutrition app should show all five without extra work.
| Nutrient | Reference point for adults | Why it is worth watching |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | RDA of 0.8 g per kg of body weight a day; more if you train | Keeps you full and protects muscle, especially in a deficit |
| Fibre | About 14 g per 1,000 calories | Most adults eat well below this |
| Sodium | Less than 2,300 mg a day | Ready meals and takeaways add up fast |
| Added sugars | Less than 10% of calories | Hides in drinks, sauces and “healthy” snacks |
| Saturated fat | Less than 10% of calories | Easy to overshoot with cheese, butter and processed meat |
Our pick: PlateLens
PlateLens is a calorie counter first, and a very good one: a photo of the plate, a barcode on the packet, a few typed words or a spoken sentence, all into one diary, matched against a catalogue the company describes as verified. That is what keeps the record complete, and a nutrition report is only as useful as the record behind it.
The nutrition part comes free with every entry. Each food carries more than 80 nutrient values, so the five numbers above, along with iron, calcium, potassium and magnesium, accumulate automatically. Net carbs are calculated without any effort from you, and the macro screen gives protein, fat and net carbs both as gram totals and as shares of the day. You do not have to look at any of it on a busy day; it is there when you want to check how the week went.
The extras suit people who are paying attention to more than weight: a fasting timer, blood glucose logging beside meals, a meal planner that builds a shopping list, and adaptive TDEE, which moves your calorie target as your weight trend comes in. Phones, the watch and a proper browser version at platelens.app/web all open the same diary, and Settings will hand you your whole history as a JSON file. Drinks can be logged with alcohol tracking, and a 3D Body Scan from 12 phone photos measures waist, hips and chest for anyone watching shape as well as weight.
Price: free, with no card and no end date, including unlimited barcode and typed counting and three AI photo scans a day. Premium is $34.99 a year or $9.99 a month (price checked August 10, 2026). Full details are on our PlateLens card.
The other nutrition apps worth knowing
Cronometer is the nutrient specialist. Its makers report up to 95 nutrients and compounds per food from data they describe as lab-analysed, which makes it the best choice for a detailed vitamin and mineral report. The free version has ads; Gold costs $59.99 a year (checked September 20, 2026) and adds photo and voice logging. Entering food takes more care than with a photo-first app. See our Cronometer card.
MyNetDiary keeps things orderly: its no-cost version sets calorie and macro goals and scans packets in the app or online, and the same developer offers a dedicated diabetes app.
Lose It! is calorie-first, with a friendly design and Snap It photo recognition; it shows fewer nutrients per food than the leaders. Premium is $39.99 a year. See our Lose It! card.
MyFitnessPal is built on the biggest member-written catalogue and covers chain restaurants more widely than anyone; nutrient detail varies with the entry you pick, and Premium is $79.99 a year. See our MyFitnessPal card.
Reading a nutrition report without overthinking it
- Look at weekly averages. One salty day means nothing; a salty week is worth a change.
- Fix one number at a time. Protein or fibre first; both are easy wins.
- Check labels for the big contributors. A nutrition app quickly shows which foods supply most of your sodium or sugar.
- Ask a professional for anything medical. A dietitian can tell you which numbers matter for your health.
Our guide to how to count calories covers the basics, and net carbs vs total carbs explains the low-carb numbers.
Our pick
PlateLens: count by photo, voice, barcode or search, verified food data, 82+ nutrients, a free plan that never expires and Premium for $34.99 a year.
- What is the best nutrition app for 2027?
- PlateLens. It does the calorie counting this site is about, and every food it logs also carries more than 80 nutrient values, so protein, fibre, sodium and sugar build up in the background. Logging is by photo, barcode, typed search or voice. Free with no end date; Premium is $34.99 a year.
- What is the difference between a calorie counter and a nutrition app?
- A calorie counter answers "how much?". A nutrition app also answers "what kind?", showing the protein, fibre, fats, sugars, vitamins and minerals behind the calories. Most good counters now do both; the difference is how much detail each food carries and how easily you can see it.
- Which nutrients should I track besides calories?
- For most adults, protein, fibre, sodium and added sugar are the four most useful, with saturated fat close behind. US dietary guidance gives simple reference points for each, listed in the table on this page.
- Which app is best for vitamins and minerals?
- Cronometer, whose makers list up to 95 nutrients and compounds for each food. PlateLens records more than 80, enough for the vitamins and minerals most people are told to keep an eye on.