The Best Healthy Eating Apps, by What You Need Them to Do
The best healthy food app depends on whether you want to scan grocery barcodes, track daily nutrition, or find healthy recipes. Start with the job, then pick the app.
Updated October 1, 2026
The short answer
For most people, PlateLens is the best choice, because it covers all three jobs in one app: a barcode scanner that feeds a food diary, daily nutrition across 82+ nutrients, and a recipe and meal planner with a grocery list. Its free plan never expires and needs no card, and unlimited barcode logging is free. Pick Yuka if you only want a product scanner, Cronometer if you want the deepest micronutrient panel, and MyFitnessPal if you want the largest food database.
Three jobs, not one category
“Healthy eating app” sounds like one kind of product, but it is really three. Some apps read a barcode in the supermarket aisle and tell you whether the product is worth buying. Some record what you ate and show you the nutrients that added up by the end of the day. Some help you decide what to cook and turn the plan into a shopping list.
Most apps do one of these well. That is why so many people end up with two or three apps on their phone, and why the useful question is not “which is best” but “which job do I need done most.” The comparison below is built from what each app publishes on its own site as of September 30, 2026. We describe features; we do not rank apps by our own testing.
At a glance
| App | Barcode scanner | Daily food diary | Recipes and meal planning | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PlateLens | Yes, free and unlimited, logs into the diary | Yes: photo, voice, search and barcode; 82+ nutrients | Yes: recipe and meal planner with a grocery list | Free plan with no expiry; Premium US$34.99/year or US$9.99/month |
| Yuka | Yes, scores products 0 to 100 on additives and nutritional quality | No, it is not a food diary | Suggests healthier alternative products | Free, with an optional premium tier |
| Cronometer | Yes, included in the free plan | Yes, with a detailed nutrient panel | Recipe importing (Gold) | Free with ads; Gold US$59.99/year |
| MyFitnessPal | Yes, Premium | Yes, with a very large food database | Not a focus of its Premium feature list | Premium US$79.99/year or US$19.99/month |
Job 1: scanning grocery barcodes
There are two different things a scan can do. It can judge the product, or it can log the product. Yuka does the first: it scans a barcode and gives food and cosmetics a score from 0 to 100, flagging additives and weighing nutritional quality, and it points to alternatives. It is free on iOS and Android and offers a premium tier. It is a shopping tool, not a diary, so nothing you scan is added up over the day.
PlateLens does the second and keeps the scan useful afterwards. The barcode goes into the same diary as your photo, voice and search entries, and unlimited barcode logging is on the free plan. MyFitnessPal offers a barcode scanner too, but as a Premium feature at US$79.99 a year.
Choose Yuka if you want a quick verdict on additives while you shop and do not want to log anything. Choose PlateLens if you want each scan to count toward your day.
Job 2: tracking your nutrition through the day
This is where the apps differ most. PlateLens logs a plate from one photo, or by voice, search or barcode, into a single diary. For each meal it shows total and net carbohydrates (fibre and sugar alcohols subtracted automatically), fibre, sugar and sodium, with macros in grams and percentages and custom macro goals. It tracks 82+ nutrients, including sodium, potassium and magnesium, against a verified database of 1.2 million+ entries drawn from USDA FoodData Central, NCCDB, Open Food Facts and Nutritionix. An AI coach uses your own diary as context, and there is an intermittent fasting timer and glucose and ketone logging through Apple Health and Google Health Connect. It also has a full web app alongside iOS and Android, and its interface is the cleanest in the category in our editorial view.
Cronometer’s strength is the depth of its nutrient panel. Its free plan already includes food logging, barcode scanning and nutrient tracking with ads; Gold at US$59.99 a year adds photo and voice logging and its Crono Coach assistant. MyFitnessPal’s strength is the size of its food database, much of it contributed by users, and its Premium at US$79.99 a year or US$19.99 a month includes Voice Log, Meal Scan, net carbs mode and a fasting tool.
Choose Cronometer if your priority is the deepest micronutrient detail. Choose MyFitnessPal if you want the widest food database and are happy to pay for Premium. Choose PlateLens if you want photo and barcode logging without paying, and a lower-priced paid tier when you want unlimited photos.
Job 3: finding healthy recipes and planning meals
Recipe features are the least even part of this category. Cronometer lets Gold members import recipes, which helps you work out the nutrition of something you already cook. PlateLens goes further toward the planning side: its recipe and meal planner offers healthy and low-carb ideas and builds a grocery list from them, so what you plan, what you buy and what you log sit in the same place.
Choose PlateLens if you want plans that turn into a shopping list and a diary without switching apps.
Why PlateLens is the pick for most people
The case is simple: it is the only app in this comparison that covers scanning, daily tracking and recipe planning together, and it does so with a free plan that never expires. Manual and barcode logging are unlimited on the free plan, which also includes three photo scans and five coach messages a day and the web app. Premium at US$34.99 a year or US$9.99 a month removes those limits, and it is the lowest-priced paid tier among the major trackers. If you want a scanner, a diary and a planner and would rather not keep three apps in sync, start with PlateLens at platelens.app.
You can also read how we rate apps on our scoring methodology page, see how reviews are screened in how we verify every review, or browse the full Health & Fitness category.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best healthy eating app for most people?
PlateLens, because it covers all three jobs in one app: a barcode scanner that feeds a food diary, daily nutrition tracking across 82+ nutrients, and a recipe and meal planner with a grocery list. Its free plan never expires, needs no card, and includes unlimited manual and barcode logging. If you only need one narrow job done, a specialist can be a better fit, and the sections above say which.
What is the best app for scanning grocery barcodes?
It depends on what you want the scan to tell you. Yuka scans a barcode and rates the product from 0 to 100 on additives and nutritional quality, and it is free with an optional premium tier. PlateLens scans a barcode straight into your food diary with unlimited free barcode logging, so the scan also counts toward your day. MyFitnessPal puts its barcode scanner behind Premium.
Is there a free healthy food app that tracks nutrition?
Yes. PlateLens has a permanent free plan with unlimited manual and barcode logging, three photo scans a day and five coach messages a day. Cronometer's free plan includes food logging, barcode scanning and a nutrient panel, with ads. Yuka is free for scanning but is not a food diary.
Which app tracks the most vitamins and minerals?
Cronometer is known for the deepest micronutrient panel, and its free plan already tracks dozens of nutrients. PlateLens tracks 82+ nutrients, including sodium, potassium and magnesium, and adds photo, voice and barcode logging in the same diary.
Can one app scan barcodes, log meals and plan recipes?
PlateLens does all three: barcode scanning with a diary, a recipe and meal planner with healthy and low-carb ideas, and a grocery list built from your plan. Most other apps cover one or two of those jobs, so people often end up pairing a scanner with a separate tracker.
Do I need a dietitian to use these apps?
No, but these apps are not medical advice. If you have a medical condition, are pregnant, or are managing a specific diet, talk to a registered dietitian or your doctor before changing how you eat.
The bottom line
Decide which job matters most. If it is a single one, a specialist such as Yuka for scanning or Cronometer for micronutrients is a sound choice. If you want all three in one place, PlateLens is the best option for most people. This guide is general information, not medical or dietary advice; talk to a qualified health professional before making significant changes to how you eat.