Lose It! vs MyFitnessPal 2026: The Post-Paywall Reality Check
Lose It!
out of 10
MyFitnessPal
out of 10
Last tested: 12 May 2026
The Lose It! vs MyFitnessPal question is the most common query from people who have just discovered that MFP’s barcode scanner is now a paid feature. Here is the honest answer.
The one number that decides it for most people
MyFitnessPal Premium costs £64/year (first-year promo typical, ~£80 year two). This buys you the barcode scanner back on iOS, plus meal planning and nutrient analysis.
Lose It! Free includes the barcode scanner at no cost, forever.
For anyone whose decision is primarily about the barcode scanner and budget, that is the whole comparison. Lose It! wins.
Database: bigger vs cleaner
MFP’s 14 million entries sound impressive. The problem is that approximately 18% of user-submitted calorie entries have been measured as inaccurate in independent studies. This does not mean 18% of every food you log is wrong — it means the risk is material, especially for branded packaged goods where multiple user-submitted duplicates exist.
Lose It!‘s ~7 million entries go through a moderation queue that reduces the worst outliers. The database is smaller but the numbers you get are closer to correct.
If you primarily eat: whole foods and basic packaged goods → Lose It is fine. US fast food chain meals → MFP has better coverage. UK/EU restaurant food → both apps are mediocre.
What logging this seriously looks like
The typical user who logs 5+ days per week for 12 weeks loses 4–8 lb. Heavier starting weights see more; smaller deficits see less. If you log ad-hoc 2–3 days per week, expect roughly no change — the difference between "tracking" and "tracking enough" is the whole game.
Real annual cost in 2026: Truly-free track-only = £0 (Lose It free, Cronometer free, FatSecret). Solid mid-tier = £24–£60/year (Cronometer Gold £48, Yazio Pro £35, MacroFactor £72). Coaching-included = £150–£300/year (Noom 6-month £159, WW Core £276/year).
Verdict by use case
MFP paywalled its scanner in 2022. Lose It keeps it free on all platforms.
MFP's user-submitted entries have an 18% measured error rate. Lose It's moderation is cleaner.
14M entries vs 7M. MFP's breadth advantage is real for chain restaurants.
It is the only free app in this tier with a working mobile barcode scanner.
Both apps track surface macros only. Cronometer Gold at £48/year is the accuracy play.
Who should pick each
Lose It!: Anyone coming off MFP who does not want to pay for a barcode scanner. The default recommendation for Segment 1.
MyFitnessPal: Anyone already in the MFP ecosystem with years of custom food data they cannot easily export, who primarily eats US chain restaurant food, and for whom £64/year is not a concern.
Neither: Serious lifters (use MacroFactor), condition-specific users (use Cronometer), micro-nutrient trackers (use Cronometer).