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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Calorie Counter vs Yuka

Calorie Counter 4.8★ · Free + IAP 75
Winner Calorie Counter
Yuka 4.8★ · Free + IAP 60

Calorie Counter is better for detailed calorie and macro tracking, especially for weight loss, while Yuka excels at quickly scanning products for general health scores and ingredient information.

Full reviews: Calorie Counter · Yuka

Calorie Counter is a robust calorie and macro tracker that helps users achieve weight loss and health goals, though some find its UI updates and paywalls frustrating. Yuka focuses on scanning products for health scores and ingredient analysis, but its accuracy and recommendation system are frequently questioned by users.

Head to head

Features and Functionality edge: Calorie CounterR5R11R15R20
Calorie Counter Calorie Counter offers comprehensive tracking for calories, macros, and nutrition, with features like recipe creation, food logging, and integration with health apps R5R11. Users appreciate its ability to set calorie goals and provide accountability R20. However, some find the food and exercise databases not diversified enough R15, and the meal scan feature is behind a paywall .
Yuka Yuka's core functionality is scanning barcodes to provide health scores and ingredient breakdowns for food and cosmetic products . It also suggests healthier alternatives . However, users report that many items are not in the database R66, and the search function is often paywalled R66R74R94R97. Some features are locked behind referrals .
Ease of Use and User Interface edge: Calorie CounterR3R4R17R25
Calorie Counter Many users find Calorie Counter easy to learn and use, appreciating its intuitive interface and quick food logging R17. The ability to copy meals and track frequently eaten foods is also praised . Conversely, frequent UI updates are a source of frustration, making the app more complicated and less intuitive for some R3. Some new users also encounter broken sign-up flows or overwhelming initial experiences R4R25.
Yuka Yuka is generally considered easy and fun to use, especially for scanning products . However, users report issues with the app not loading or crashing , and the process for adding new products to the database can be frustrating . The app's recommendations for alternatives are sometimes irrelevant or unhelpful .
Accuracy and Reliability edge: Calorie CounterR9R11R12R13
Calorie Counter Calorie Counter is praised for its verified database and accurate tracking, helping users achieve significant weight loss R11R20. However, some users report inaccuracies in calorie counts for certain foods, overstating or understating actual values R9R12. The app's weight loss projections are sometimes seen as unrealistic R13, and integration with other health apps like Apple Health can be unreliable .
Yuka Yuka's accuracy is a major point of contention. Many users question its scoring system, finding it inconsistent, misleading, or based on outdated nutritional advice R61R64R76. There are concerns about the open-source database leading to errors, duplicates, or even companies manipulating scores R76. The app sometimes rates healthy foods poorly due to fat content while recommending less healthy alternatives R61R64.
Price and Value edge: Calorie CounterR10R16R18R19
Calorie Counter Calorie Counter has a free version that many users find generous and fully usable, providing a complete plan without payment R35R54. However, there are numerous complaints about aggressive upsells, constant pop-ups for premium features, and paywalls for desirable functions like meal scanning R19. Some paid users feel the premium isn't worth the cost or that they are still bombarded with ads R16R18. There are also issues with unexpected charges or difficulty canceling subscriptions R10.
Yuka Yuka offers a free version, but many essential features, such as searching for products without scanning a barcode, are locked behind a paid membership R66R74R94R97. Users express frustration with mandatory referrals to unlock features and misleading pricing for the membership, which states 'pay what you want' but has a minimum of $10/year . Some feel the app is not truly free .
Support and User Feedback tieR7R47R63R82
Calorie Counter Calorie Counter users report that developers do not listen to feedback and that support emails go unanswered R7. There are also issues with account access after switching devices R47.
Yuka Yuka users have reported no reply to requests for database expansion R63 and issues with email input during sign-up . There's also a lack of user privacy controls, forcing users to delete all scans to remove recommendations R82.
Pick Calorie Counter if

You need a comprehensive calorie and macro tracker for weight loss or maintenance, appreciate a verified food database, and are willing to navigate some UI changes or potential paywalls for advanced features R5R11R20.

Pick Yuka if

You primarily want to quickly scan products in-store or at home to get a general health score and ingredient breakdown, and you are comfortable with the app's scoring methodology, even if it's sometimes debated .

Evidence note: Yuka's reviews show a strong free-vs-paid asymmetry, with much of the negativity stemming from limitations of the free tier, such as paywalled search functionality and mandatory referrals. Calorie Counter also faces criticism for aggressive upsells within its free tier.

Frequently asked

Is Calorie Counter truly free?
Calorie Counter offers a generous free version that many users find fully usable for tracking and planning, but it does feature numerous paywalls for advanced features and aggressive in-app upsells for its premium subscription R35R39R54.
How accurate is Yuka's scoring system?
Yuka's scoring system is frequently questioned by users, with many finding it inconsistent, based on outdated nutritional advice, or prone to errors, sometimes rating healthy foods poorly while recommending questionable alternatives R61R64R76R78.
Can I search for products on Yuka without scanning?
No, the ability to search for products without scanning a barcode is a premium feature on Yuka and requires a paid membership R66R74R94R97.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R5] Calorie Counter 5/5 · US Best Manager: This tool is a great way to track and manage your nutrition! So many options. Give it some time and check out all the features. Once you become comfortable with it, it’s a great educational tool to understand what’s going in your body.
  2. [R11] Calorie Counter 5/5 · US Great Weight Loss/Maintenance & Healthy Eating App!: In October 2023, I was diagnosed with Diabetes and prescribed Metformin. I weighed close to 200 lbs. I decided that I was NOT going to be diabetic! I made an appointment with a dietician and started using My Net Diary. Within 3 months I had lost 40 lbs using this app. To date, I use My Net Diary daily to track my calorie intake. I have suc
  3. [R15] Calorie Counter 3/5 · US My review: Not that easy to use. Foods & exercise not very diversified.
  4. [R20] Calorie Counter 5/5 · US A great help: I’ve lost 65 pounds using this app. I love that it sets my calories for me. It’s a great way to stay accountable for what I’m eating.
  5. [R3] Calorie Counter 3/5 · US Great app but one issue: Only getting 3 stars because they constantly update the ui when it’s not needed. They make the ui more complicated and change it constantly. Whenever I get used to it they change the ui again and make it worse.
  6. [R4] Calorie Counter 1/5 · US Sign-up is Broken: It does not instill much confidence when your sign-up flow is broken. I got all the way to the end where you highlight reviews and the continue button doesn’t work.
  7. [R17] Calorie Counter 5/5 · US Easy to use: Quick to learn and easy to use
  8. [R25] Calorie Counter 1/5 · US Bad app: I tried to signup on this app but it keeps getting stuck while telling me how easy it is to “just snap a picture of my food” and it won’t go past that. I guess I’ll never know if it’s an app that would be helpful although right now I’d have to say no…🫤
  9. [R9] Calorie Counter 3/5 · US Not accurate: There are many calories based on weight that are just not accurate, way overstating actual calories, while estimates based on pictures are consistently lower than actual, double checked through restaurant publications and google searches.
  10. [R12] Calorie Counter 3/5 · US It’s an okay app: Honestly, I would rate this app higher if it weren’t for the slightly off calories for certain items and the food grade (yes I know I can turn it off. It’s just annoying)
  11. [R13] Calorie Counter 2/5 · US Big issues: Showing it will take 10 months to lose 5 pounds, sometimes even shows longer. Ridiculous, since I’m losing 3.5 pounds in a week, 2.5 in 14 days
  12. [R10] Calorie Counter 1/5 · US Cost: It said it cost 39.99. I was charged $53.18. Seems like a huge difference
  13. [R16] Calorie Counter 1/5 · US Not impressed: I paid to try it because I thought the extra features would be worth paying for but they aren’t. The pictures of my food often don’t get it right. They do not offer partial refunds. So now I have a years service for something I used for a week.
  14. [R18] Calorie Counter 3/5 · US ET: Easy to use still needs a few twicks like entering servings old way was better. Paid for max not sure it's worth it for me. Update: I tried the premium option. I found it was too expensive. Did have some good features.
  15. [R19] Calorie Counter 1/5 · US not for me: whyy do i have to pay for it it’s not even been 24 hours and it’s already telling me to pay if i don’t pay i am not allowed to use it.likee whyyy???
  16. [R7] Calorie Counter 1/5 · US They still do not listen to users: Update 7/6/26 Still zero change to make it better. Update 22-29-25 Zero change for the better. This app has the potential to be really good. Unfortunately they don’t listen to feedback. UPDATE 8/31/25 I was emailed with an explanation. My response is while “addressing “ the food logging side of the app please “address “ the social side of the app. As far as emai
  17. [R47] Calorie Counter 1/5 · GB Won’t let me back into original account: I got a new device and it wouldn’t let me into my old account even though on subscriptions it says I have one to next year
  18. [R63] Yuka 3/5 · US Colombia!!: I sent a request to the developer to help with the colombian database but no reply back yet :(
  19. [R82] Yuka 1/5 · US No user privacy controls: When you upload a barcode, they force their recommendations on your page. If you want to remove a recommendation? You have to delete your entire scan. Had to delete all of my scans so it didn't keep pushing the same garbage.
  20. [R35] Calorie Counter 5/5 · US Generous!: This tracker is the kind of app I never thought existed; it provides generous amounts of helpful and useful features even to those who don’t pay. The free plan is 100% usable. I appreciate that the app constructs a whole plan for me without me having to pay a dime!!
  21. [R39] Calorie Counter 3/5 · GB Free version riddled with upsells: Decent app, but sadly ruined by upsells and freemium features as far as the eye can see. Would leave a bad taste to pay for an app so desperately clutching for my wallet 🫣
  22. [R54] Calorie Counter 4/5 · US Overall pretty good: The charge for premium in this app is a little much but the free version gives you just enough to get by. Good app!
  23. [R61] Yuka 1/5 · US Bad advice: Literally gave a food a 0 when the serving size literally had much lower than daily required values of fats, minerals, and sodium. Yet it gives mainstream chips 50+ for many variants when those are the worst of the worst. This app has no context for anything else you’re eating. Most things it says are bad are actually needed in moderation. Update: they responded with “we measure every
  24. [R64] Yuka 2/5 · US Alright: Some of this is incorrect. It put ghee in 40s and beef hotdogs in 0. I’m no simpleton. That don’t match up
  25. [R76] Yuka 1/5 · US Too many errors: I wanted to like this, but there are so many errors due to the open source database. Users can submit information on products, but it doesn't seem like there is much (if any) oversight to avoid duplicate entries or mistakes. I would even go so far as to speculate companies are submitting their own products and leaving out any "bad" ingredients to boost their rating. I have ordered
  26. [R78] Yuka 3/5 · US Inconsistency: Santa Cruz dark roasted … 94/100. Santa Cruz creamy … 72/100? Exact same ingredient profile. Exact same nutrition. lol. Like this app makes no sense whatsoever the scoring system is so fundamentally flawed it hilarious
  27. [R66] Yuka 3/5 · US It’s okay: Only can scan with qr code and 80 percent of the items You want to see are healthy or not aren’t registered in the app you can’t search anything up unless you have premium which you need to pay for and all ingredients with high protein that you want to see if healthy or no are not scanned unless they’re 19 grams of protein or less
  28. [R74] Yuka 5/5 · US What a great TOOL: The YUKA App … I started with the free version but after using it so much I went for the paid subscription. It has changed how I shop for my food and later…cosmetic type items like sunscreens! The big reason for me to do a paid subscription is that I can manually search for the ratings of a particular product by hand vs needing to scan a bar code. I find if an item I am trying
  29. [R94] Yuka 2/5 · US Have to pay to search products: Looks like a slick app, but the search option is only available for paid members. With as much online buying as we do, there’s often not a physical barcode to scan - that’s the only free part. You have to pay to look up information about any product that’s not in your hands.
  30. [R97] Yuka 1/5 · US Not so awesome: It wasn’t quite what i was hoping for like cause what if I wanted to see if a product i did not have to see if it was good you can’t with out paying a yearly fee. I wanted a trial before I agreed to it.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store