5 Calorie Apps With a Free Barcode Scanner (Post-MFP Paywall)
MyFitnessPal moved its barcode scanner behind a £64/year paywall in late 2022. These are the apps that kept it free.
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).
The barcode scanner is the feature that made calorie tracking viable for most people. Point your phone at a food package, get the nutrition data, confirm serving size, done. Under 10 seconds. Without it, logging packaged food requires manual search — 30–60 seconds per item.
MyFitnessPal's decision to paywall this feature in 2022 drove the single largest user migration in the category's history. Here is where those users landed:
1. Lose It! — Best overall free scanner
Free barcode scanner on iOS and Android. Database of approximately 7 million entries, meaningfully cleaner than MFP's user-submitted pool. UI is clean and the logging workflow is faster than MFP's. Upsell prompts start at day 14 but core features remain free. Full Lose It! review →
2. Cronometer — Best for accuracy
Free barcode scanner on Android and web. iOS free tier requires the web version for scanner access; Cronometer Gold (£48/yr) adds the iOS mobile scanner. The database is the most accurate in the category — USDA-verified only, no user submissions. Full Cronometer review →
3. FatSecret — Fully free, no upgrade required
Free barcode scanner on all platforms. Smallest database of the four options. No upsell wall. UI is functional but dated. If you find the upsell prompts on other apps intolerable, FatSecret is the fallback.
4. Yazio — Good IF you want intermittent fasting integration
Free scanner with a meaningful free tier. Adds a fasting timer — the only free-tier calorie app with native IF tracking. For Segment 5 (intermittent fasting users), Yazio is the correct pick. For pure calorie tracking, Lose It! is cleaner. IF use case guide →
5. MacroFactor — Free scanner, not free app
MacroFactor includes a barcode scanner but has no free tier. £72/year is the entry point. Listed here for completeness — if you are comparing the scanner feature specifically, you are probably not this user. Full MacroFactor review →
The one app not on this list
MyFitnessPal. The barcode scanner requires £64/year Premium on iOS. The web version has it free, but web-only is not a realistic daily driver for most people. If you are already paying for MFP Premium and happy with it, there is no urgency to switch. If you are on the free tier looking for a scanner, move to Lose It!.
See also: Lose It! vs MyFitnessPal head-to-head