Cronometer vs. MyFitnessPal: How to Find the Better One?

Jack

By Jack

Update on

Cronometer vs. MyFitnessPal

We are here with a guide on the Cronometer vs. MyFitnessPal food trackers. This is to help all nutrition enthusiasts get efficient food tracking services so that they can make the right food choices.

About the concept of food tracking

This is not a very new fitness-related concept in the food and nutrition world. Food tracking usually becomes important when people change their diet patterns and preferences. This is to help them check the effectiveness of their new dieting plans and see if any side effects would come associated.

Food tracking is a smart way of dealing with diet change. It can be used when going for tougher diet plans like veganism or keto. The major aim of the concept is to check the nutrient composition of your current diet to help efficient planning. An understanding of the energy content in any diet plan will help you consume the right food.

Now, you must be thinking about how this tracking is carried out. There are plenty of dedicated food tracking applications that simplify the whole process for you. Out of them all, the two most popular apps include Cronometer and MyFitnessPal. Both applications possess the same features working towards the same aims- diet and workout tracking.

However, both of them have different methodologies and technological specifications. We are going to do a comparative Cronometer vs. MyFitnessPal analysis for you to make you pick the right one. We have decided on certain criteria for the comparison and will go app-wise based on them.

PS: here are the full Fabulous app review and the best Root Cause Analysis Tools for your reference.


Important things to know about Cronometer

Let us start with seeing the important functions of the Cronometer food tracker in our Cronometer vs. MyFitnessPal assessment.

cronometer

Ease of adding recipes and foods

It is a simple process of creating a food diary via the addition of desired foods and recipes. All the features are laid out on the main interface, so locating them won’t be a problem. Here are the steps to follow:

Find the button Add Food on the main interface. The app doesn’t have the meal-based classification for food division.

cronometer add food

Simply click on the button, and a box will pop up. Here, you can select or search for your food item in the custom, favorite, or recent categories.

cronometer add food to diary

Method of saving food recipes

Cronometer has the option of adding custom recipes that you can pick from anywhere. This saves the effort of going through the process of adding your recipes all the time. Here is how to do so:

  1. On the main interface, click the tab FOODS.
  2. Here, you can add the new recipe. Just start listing the ingredients, and you are done.
  3. After that, the app will show the nutrient composition of your recipe once it is set.
  4. You may find the process complex in the early stages but will get a better hang of it later.
YouTube video

The option of adding recipes from other sources like online

This feature is not available with the Cronometer application.

Quality of database for food assessment

The two most important criteria for judging Cronometer vs. MyFitnessPal are variety and accuracy. To ensure the best accuracy and variety standards, Cronometer uses the best database.

It depends only on the trustable food sources that incorporate a wider pool of content. Let us now see its food variety and accuracy setting capability one by one.

Food varieties

Cronometer doesn’t include particular brands or packet food options when it comes to databases. The databases that the app developers used included the ones of CRDB, ESHA, USDA, and NCCDB. They had only picked certain very popular food brands and whole-food options alongside.

If you search for any particular food item, the app will give you the best options for it. The results won’t be focused on endorsing any particular brand or item per se.

Food varieties

Food accuracy

You can expect to get the most accurate data on any food-related search made on Cronometer. This is because it uses data extracted only from completely reliable and authentic sources.

For example, upon searching the calorie content of any particular food item, you will get exact numeric data as a result.

Food accuracy

Daily analysis of nutritional intake

Weekly reports and analysis are other criteria for Cronometer vs. MyFitnessPal.

The app generates detailed reports containing the nutritional breakdown of your diet. This includes the number of nutrients like minerals, vitamins, amino acids, etc. You also get data on things like carbohydrates, protein, fats, calories, etc.

Daily analysis of nutritional intake

The app also performs automatic calculations of the net carbs, which proves especially helpful for keto diets. All the data is presented in a very interactive format with color coding and easily comprehendible graphics.

Building on these daily reports, the Cronometer app also generates weekly trends and analyses for your diet. The format is similar to the daily analysis style and contains all the relevant information.

Daily analysis of nutritional intake

Availability of mobile application

Alongside the desktop version of the fitness tracker, there is a mobile app available for the Cronometer fitness tracker. You can download the app from the Google Play Store, where it has got a 3.9 rating and more than 500 reviews.

Availability of mobile application

There are certain things about the app that is quite disappointing. Some of them include:

  • Unpolished features
  • Common issues of bugs, app crashes, etc
  • Inaccurate scan feature
  • Numerous hoops and steps that compromise usability

Pricing

There are three plans available for getting a Cronometer subscription:

  • Free version
  • Gold version- $5.99 monthly
  • Professional version- $24.99 monthly

Important things to know about MyFitnessPal

This section of our Cronometer vs. MyFitnessPal is going to be about seeing the main functions of the MyFitnessPal food tracker.

MyFitnessPal

Ease of adding recipes and foods

This tracker also comes with the option of creating a food diary. The interface has all the options laid out very clearly, and you will need to make some clicks here and there. MyFitnessPal gives the option of adding food items to particular meals. You cannot add the food items in a solo format.

Here are the steps for the same:

1. Find the option Add Food on the main interface, followed by clicking it.

MyFitnessPal Add Food

2. A new page will open up with the options to search for food items along with a dialog box. Go on with adding the food items by selecting them from the various categories listed there.

MyFitnessPal Recipe Importer

Method of saving food recipes

The option of saving full recipes is available in the MyFitnessPal food tracker. This will save you from the hassle of having to add the same food items every time you make any updates. Here are the steps to follow for the same:

  1. Start with adding the food items in the meal format, as we stated above.
  2. Once that is done, click the Quick Tools option present on the same interface.
  3. Here, click the option Remember Meal.
  4. After that, the recipe will get saved in the same input format as we saw in the previous section.
MyFitnessPal Save food recipes

The only drawback of this method is that upon viewing any meal under the section My Meals, you will be able to get data on the nutritional basics only. This includes fiber, protein, carbs, fats, calories, etc.

My Meals

The option of adding recipes from other sources like online

In Cronometer vs. MyFitnessPal, this option is available with the MyFitnessPal food tracker. The recipe importer feature is very advanced, where you can add ingredients to the tracker very easily. You can do so by entering the URL of the recipe page or simply pasting the ingredients both.

adding recipes from other sources like online

Whatever way you choose, the ingredients are simply processed by the tracker. You are also given the option to make any changes if you want. The tracker carries out all of this very fast and avoids errors at the maximum possible.

Quality of database for food assessment

The two most important criteria for judging the food selection ability of any tracker are variety and accuracy. Talking about MyFitnessPal, it ensures that the functions are carried out perfectly according to its huge database. This tool focuses on the largeness of the database that sources data from every possible site.

Food varieties

Upon searching for any food item, the results will give you the names of particular brands as well as packed food items too. For instance, if you will search for any specific food item, you may as well get the exact name of it. The results for food search in this tracker will give you the largest number of options.

Food varieties

Food accuracy

The data retrieved by MyFitnessPal for the searches you make will be huge but not highly accurate. For example, if you will search for the calorific value of any meal, the tracker will not give you precise results. You may even have to double-check the data to be sure. The results generated are mostly based on user-entered feedback and food items.

Food accuracy

Daily analysis of nutritional intake

When comparing Cronometer vs. MyFitnessPal, the latter gives weekly reports and analyses too.

MyFitnessPal presents you with a daily food analysis report that contains information on the basic elements only. You will only be able to see info about your basic nutrient consumption, including fiber, carbs, protein, fats, calories, etc.

Furthermore, all this data is presented in a tabular form that is quite easy to comprehend.

MyFitnessPal Daily Analysis

All this information will prove enough to look out for any problems or deficiencies in your diet plan. This becomes even more important for difficult diets like keto, veganism, etc. For weight loss plans, this information can be sufficient as well.

However, the data might not prove enough to help with more complex food and diet planning.

Coming to the weekly diet reports, MyFitnessPal generates the data in a graphical form. It includes information on your nutrient consumption and analyzes it in the same time format. Each graph will be about one particular nutrient only.

So, you will have to check separately for a report on every nutrient intake. This can be a hassle, but there are plenty of nutrient options available that you can check.

Charts and Reports

Availability of mobile application

MyFitnessPal comes in both desktop and mobile versions. For the latter, there is a dedicated mobile application available that can be easily downloaded from the Google Play Store.

The app has even got a 4.6 rating along with more than 1 million reviews. It clearly shows the popularity of this app among users.

MyFitnessPal app

MyFitnessPal became available in the application form very early, so the interface took its time to get better every day. The important thing to note here is that the limited information generated by the app is displayed effectively. This cleanness of the interface keeps users attracted to the app.

Pricing

There are two plans available for getting a MyFitnessPal subscription:

  • Free version
  • Premium version- $9.99 monthly

Final Cronometer vs. MyFitnessPal assessment

Choosing the right food tracker here will depend upon your preferences and requirements for tracking your diet plans. We can help you with analyzing Cronometer vs. MyFitnessPal so that the choice becomes easier.

The advantages of choosing Cronometer will include the following:

  • Detailed and comprehensive reports about the nutritional intake
  • Easy operability and fast adding of food items and recipes
  • Very high nutritional accuracy
  • Sustainable food choices
  • Ability to create customized recipes
  • Fully view the diet details along with making notes
  • Better package plans

The advantages of choosing MyFitnessPal will include the following:

  • Results generated from a bigger database
  • Reports only on the basic nutritional intake
  • Importing recipes from online sources
  • More efficient mobile application
  • Ability to track the exercise efforts

If we go about comparing the two food trackers, Cronometer comes out as the better option. It helps better at nutrient tracking with higher accuracy and precision, along with helping users pick more practical diet options.

MyFitnessPal also does well, but it can only serve the basic functions that cater more to the needs of sportspersons.


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  1. Is Cronometer or MyFitnessPal better for tracking macronutrients? Both Cronometer and MyFitnessPal offer macronutrient tracking capabilities. However, Cronometer’s focus on detailed nutritional information and verified data may make it a more suitable choice for tracking macronutrients accurately.
  2. Can I sync Cronometer or MyFitnessPal with fitness trackers? Yes, both apps allow integration with select fitness trackers. MyFitnessPal has a broader range of supported devices, but Cronometer also offers integration options, although more limited.
  3. Which app has a larger food database? MyFitnessPal has a larger user-contributed food database. However, Cronometer is known for its accuracy and attention to detail in sourcing data from verified sources.
  4. Do Cronometer and MyFitnessPal have premium versions? Yes, both apps offer premium versions with additional features. Cronometer’s premium version is called Cronometer Gold, while MyFitnessPal offers MyFitnessPal Premium.
  5. Are my personal data and information secure with Cronometer and MyFitnessPal? Both apps prioritize user privacy and employ security measures to protect personal data. However, MyFitnessPal has experienced security breaches in the past, which may be a factor to consider when evaluating privacy and security.

Final Words

This was our Cronometer vs. MyFitnessPal assessment for you to help you pick the right food tracker for your needs.

For the best judgment, you can try both and then decide. Share your experience with us and tell us which one served your purpose better.

Jack
Jack

Ten years of experience in information and computer technology. Passionate about electronic devices, smartphones, computers, and modern technology.

THERE’S MORE TO READ.