Cronometer is the app to pick when data quality matters more than convenience. Its food entries come from lab-verified USDA and NCCDB sources instead of an open user wiki, it tracks more than 80 nutrients per food, and its free tier is unusually generous: barcode scanning and full micronutrient breakdowns both stay free, where MyFitnessPal paywalled barcode scanning in October 2022. Gold costs about $50 a year as of mid-2026 and adds a fasting timer, custom charts, and an ad-free experience. The honest catch is the interface. It is dense, numbers-first, and heavier than a beginner needs in week one, and fast casual logging is not what it optimizes for. Our verdict: the strongest choice for accuracy-minded users and anyone tracking specific nutrients, and probably more app than someone who just wants a quick daily calorie count.
What Cronometer is
Cronometer is a nutrition tracker built around accuracy. It started with a focus on micronutrients and verified data, and that focus still defines it. Where most trackers compete on database size or ease of use, Cronometer competes on whether the numbers you log are actually right, which makes it a favorite among people managing health conditions, following specific diets, or simply tired of conflicting entries.
How tracking and the verified database work
Every food you log carries a full nutrient profile, more than 80 fields covering vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids, sourced from lab-verified databases rather than user submissions. That is the core difference from crowd-sourced trackers: you rarely see five conflicting versions of the same yogurt. Barcode scanning works on the free plan, and the app pairs your intake with targets you can anchor using our free macro calculator and TDEE calculator.
What Cronometer costs as of mid-2026
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Unlimited logging, full micronutrients, free barcode scanning |
| Gold | About $50/yr | Ad-free, fasting timer, custom charts, Oracle nutrient search |
Published Gold pricing has ranged from roughly $8.99 to $10.99 a month, with the annual plan working out to about $50 a year, so treat that as the number to plan around and check the current figure before subscribing. The point worth repeating: the free tier is not a trial. Many people use it for years without paying.
What Cronometer does best
- Verified data: entries are lab-sourced, not crowd-submitted.
- Micronutrient depth: more than 80 nutrients per food, unmatched by mainstream apps.
- Strong free tier: micronutrients and barcode scanning both cost nothing.
- Trusted by data-minded users, clinicians, and specific-diet followers.
Where Cronometer falls short
- Dense interface. The numbers-first design is powerful and intimidating. New users face more detail than they need at first.
- Casual logging speed. Quick, low-effort logging is not the priority, so it can feel slower than lighter apps.
- Fasting timer is Gold-only. If intermittent fasting is central to your routine, that feature sits behind the paywall, where YAZIO includes a basic timer free.
Cronometer vs Joules
Full disclosure: Joules is our app, so read this as a competitor comparison. Credit where it is due: Cronometer wins clearly on nutrient depth and data accuracy, and I would not tell a serious micronutrient tracker to leave it. Joules makes a different bet, that most tracking fails because logging is slow. So it leads with a photo you confirm or correct in a tap, then shows one daily health score with reasons instead of a wall of numbers, plus macro rings, an intermittent fasting timer, habit streaks, and Apple Health and Google Fit sync, on a calm ad-free screen. It does not try to out-measure Cronometer on micronutrients, and it is not pretending to. The download page has the details.
Who Cronometer fits
Cronometer fits accuracy-minded users, anyone tracking iron, potassium, or B12 for health reasons, and people burned by messy user-submitted entries elsewhere. It fits badly if you want the fastest possible casual log or a gentle first-time experience, where Lose It! is friendlier. For a smarter target engine, see our MacroFactor review, and for the wider field, the best calorie tracking apps roundup and our Cronometer alternatives page.