PocketChompPocketChomp
Join the beta

Thinking of switching?

PocketChomp vs MyFitnessPal

If you're here, you probably already track — and something about MyFitnessPal stopped being worth it. Here's a straight comparison, including the parts where MyFitnessPal still wins.

The short version

MyFitnessPal is a mature, enormously capable app with the largest food database in the category and a decade of features behind it. PocketChomp is smaller, Android-only, and newer — but barcode scanning is free, there are no ads, and the core stays free. If you left MyFitnessPal because the basics got paywalled, that's the whole difference in one line.

Stay with MyFitnessPal if…

  • You're on iPhone — PocketChomp is Android-only right now, so MyFitnessPal is your option, not a preference.
  • You rely on its recipe importer, meal planner, or the connected-app ecosystem it's built up over years.
  • You have years of history there and don't want to start a new log.
  • You want the biggest possible food database and don't mind paying for the convenience features.

Try PocketChomp if…

  • You resent paying to scan a barcode — the thing that used to be free.
  • You want to log without ads or upsells in the middle of your day.
  • You want your data to stay on your device by default.
  • You shop in Canada and want your actual groceries to resolve.

Side by side

MyFitnessPal details verified September 11, 2026.

FeaturePocketChompMyFitnessPal
Barcode scanningFree, unlimitedPremium onlyMyFitnessPal lists barcode scan under its paid tiers. This is the single most cited reason people look for an alternative.
AdsNone, everAd-free logging is a paid featureWhich means the free tier carries ads.
Price to remove the paywall$39.99/year for PocketChomp+ — the core stays free either wayCA$114.99/year Premium, CA$144.99/year Premium+Canadian pricing taken from MyFitnessPal's own page on 11 September 2026. Prices change; check before you decide.
Works offlineYes — a food database ships with the appLargely needs a connection
Account requiredNo — start logging immediatelyYes
Where your data livesOn your device. Cloud sync is opt-in.Account-based, synced to their servers
Canadian foods64,000+ Canadian entries including Compliments, President's Choice, Metro and Walmart house brandsVery large global database with Canadian itemsMyFitnessPal's database is far bigger overall. Ours is more specifically Canadian.
MicronutrientsEvery micronutrient, freeLimited on free; fuller breakdown on paid
PlatformsAndroid onlyiOS, Android, webAn honest disadvantage, not a footnote — if you're on iPhone, PocketChomp isn't an option yet.

Why people leave MyFitnessPal

It’s rarely that tracking stopped working. It’s that the app changed underneath them.

Barcode scanning — the feature that made logging fast enough to actually keep up — moved behind the paywall. Ads arrived in the middle of a daily habit. Features that used to be included became reasons to upgrade. For someone who’d been logging for years, it read less like a product improving and more like a product monetising the habit they’d already built.

That’s a reasonable thing to be annoyed about, and it’s most of why PocketChomp exists.

What MyFitnessPal genuinely does better

Worth saying clearly, because a comparison page that pretends its competitor has no strengths isn’t useful to anyone making a decision.

The food database is bigger. Over a decade of user contributions is not something a newer app matches, and for obscure or regional items MyFitnessPal will often find something when we don’t.

It runs everywhere. iOS, Android, web. PocketChomp is Android-only, which for a lot of people ends the conversation.

The ecosystem is deep. Recipe import, meal planning, integrations with a long list of fitness apps and devices. Some of that we have, some is on the roadmap, and some we may never build.

Your history is already there. Years of logs have real value, and starting over is a genuine cost.

What PocketChomp does differently

Barcode scanning is free and unlimited. Not a trial, not a monthly quota. It’s the feature that makes tracking sustainable, so putting it behind a paywall never made sense to us.

No ads. Not a lighter ad load — none. There’s no ad SDK in the app.

It works offline. A food database ships with the app, so your diary doesn’t need a signal at the grocery store or on a plane.

No account required. Open it and start logging. Cloud sync exists if you want it and is off unless you turn it on.

Canadian groceries resolve. About 64,000 Canadian entries, including Compliments, President’s Choice, Metro and Walmart house brands. If you shop at a Canadian supermarket, the thing in your hand is more likely to be in the database.

The honest summary

If MyFitnessPal is working for you, there’s no strong reason to move — and if you’re on iPhone, you can’t yet.

But if you quit because scanning a barcode started costing CA$114.99 a year, PocketChomp is built for exactly that grievance. Free barcode scanning, no ads, no account, and a core that stays free.

Comparison details verified against MyFitnessPal’s published pricing on 11 September 2026. Their pricing and features change — check current details before deciding. PocketChomp is not affiliated with or endorsed by MyFitnessPal, which is a trademark of its respective owner.

Free barcode scanning, no ads, no account needed.

PocketChomp is in beta on Android. Join the list and we'll tell you when it's ready — no spam, unsubscribe any time.

Frequently asked questions

Is PocketChomp actually free, or is it free-for-now?

Barcode scanning, food search, logging, custom foods, recipes, micronutrients and your diary are free and intended to stay that way. PocketChomp+ is $39.99/year and adds depth — AI photo logging, adaptive TDEE that learns your real metabolism, insights, fasting and extra widgets. The commitment is that the things you need to track a day are not the things behind the paywall.

Can I import my MyFitnessPal data?

Not automatically yet. MyFitnessPal lets you export your history as a CSV from its website, and an importer is on the roadmap, but today you'd be starting a fresh log. If years of history matter to you, that's a real cost of switching and worth weighing honestly.

Is the food database as good as MyFitnessPal's?

No, and it would be strange to claim otherwise — MyFitnessPal has had over a decade and millions of users adding entries. PocketChomp has around 142,000 foods with about 64,000 Canadian entries. The bet is that a smaller, cleaner, more Canadian database resolves your actual groceries more often than a vast one full of duplicates. If you shop somewhere ours doesn't cover well, MyFitnessPal will beat us there.

Why should I trust a smaller app not to do the same thing later?

Fair question, and no answer from us settles it — MyFitnessPal was also free once. What can be checked rather than promised: there's no ad SDK in the app, logging works without an account, your data stays on-device unless you turn on sync, and you can delete your account and data from a link in the app. Those are structural, not policy statements.

Is there an iPhone version?

Not yet. PocketChomp is Android-only today; iOS is planned but no build exists. If you're on iPhone, MyFitnessPal or another iOS tracker is genuinely your better option right now.