MyFitnessPal vs Lose It App: Which is Best?

When it comes to tracking your macros, a quality tracking app is crucial. Today I’m comparing the two apps I’m asked about the most MyFitnessPal vs Lose It. We’ll go through the pros, the cons, and what one would be better for you.

I am NOT an affiliate for either app (I don’t believe they have an affiliate program). This post was written because it’s a common question that pops up from clients. The overview comes from me testing out each app and is based on my personal and professional opinion.

MyFitnessPal vs Lose It App

IMPORTANT: As a nutrition professional, I can not say this strongly enough: the daily calorie goal the apps give you is most likely not high enough.

If you’re being told to only consume 1200 calories on MFP – go calculate your calories using an online calculator or using my Food Freedom, Your Way method.

Both apps can also be used as a fitness tracker as well as you can log your workouts on the app (I recommend turning off the setting where you can eat back any exercise calories you burn).

Ease of Use:

I believe this comes from what you are used to. How easy it is to use is a personalized experience.

I personally find MyFitnessPal easier to use than Lose It, but that could be because I have used it for years (since before they even had an app).

My sister started using Lose It! and mentioned that she thought it was easier, so it’s dependent on the person.

I’ve been using Lose It! exclusively for 3 weeks now as I’ve been testing out the calorie counting app, and I will say it has gotten easier (I first tried it over two years ago and quit after a week and went back to MFP but this time I have stuck with it).

Free Versions:

The best part about these tracking apps is that you don’t have to pay to use them, there are plenty of basic features that will help you reach your goals.

Plenty of my one on one and group coaching clients use the free version of MyFitnessPal.

PS: both apps are available on both android and ios.

Here’s a comparison of MyFitnessPal’s free features and what comes with Lose It! Basic:

Regardless if you choose MyFitnessPal or Lose It! as a food tracker, the free version of both apps has what you need to track your calories and be successful.

If you are looking to track your macros, the premium of both trackers makes life easier. There are hacks around both, you can see your summary of macros in your nutrition tab and you can make it work.

That being said, I would recommend upgrading for an easier time logging and getting a specific macro breakdown of your food diary.

Winner: Lose it!

Lose it! has a lot more features in their basic (free) version of the app. The kicker for me is the food scanner, this is a paid upgrade on MFP that’s standard with Lose It! This means you can scan your apple and it will show up as an apple on your food log.

You can scan the bar code of packaged products in the free version of MyFitness Pal as well.

Paid Versions:

Winner: Lose It!

Considering both trackers have similar features, you can’t beat Lose Its price.

Save on Lose It! Premium: I said no to Lose It premium at first, and they came back with a discount that brought the price to $29.99 and I bought it at that. It popped up on my phone and I locked in at the price.

Macro Tracking

Note: just getting started with macros? 6 Easy Ways to Start Tracking Macros.

With both apps (the premium versions) you can see your overall goals via macros or calories. However, with Lose It, you are able to break it down to each macronutrient as a view.

I recommend looking for verified foods on both apps (green checkmarks) to ensure you have the accurate data you want to log.

That being said, I did notice there were a few more foods on LoseIt that were missing the opportunity to log in grams, mls, ounces, etc. A box of frozen bacon-wrapped scallops I bought was scanned in as “1 serving”. So I had to add it manually instead.

This happens on MyFitnessPal as well, but not as often. The workaround is creating a food and adding all the nutritional information manually. I recommend doing that if it’s something you buy often, then it’s simply one click going forward.

Winner: MyFitnessPal

Personally, I find it cleaner and easier for me to track my macros. It was easier to find how to quick-track macros in MFP vs Lose It.

They have the same number of steps but I missed it in Lose It! at first as I had to scroll. Sounds silly, I know but I was stuck for a while trying to figure it out. Granted, I do not do this often – it still took me longer to find (note: both don’t have an option to quick add fiber).

Calorie Tracking

I didn’t find many discrepancies between MyFitnesspal vs Lose It. They’re both solid at tracking calories and you can do this with the free version (yay for saving money).

The only issues I had were what I mentioned in the macros section above about serving size the odd time and the fact that some entries were saved with the wrong nutritional information.

If you use a green verified checkmark, it’s good. You don’t have to worry.

I like to double-check foods that are not verified, and if they’re wrong I look for another or add it in manually.

Sometimes foods can be off because of packaging differences between the US and Canada (it’s usually a few calories off and it happens from time to time).

Calorie Counter Winner: Tie

MyFitnessPal vs Lose It App Recipe Capabilities

Lose It does not have the ability to import a blog URL to create a recipe and that is a huge drawback for me. Not only would this save me time with my healthy recipes from Randa Nutrition but I make other bloggers’ recipes as well.

With Lose it, you can manually create a recipe but it’s not a copy and paste the link as MFP does. You have to add all the ingredients individually. I’m hoping this is a feature that will come in the future.

MyFitnessPal does a great job with importing recipes. Is it perfect? No. I always have to scan it and if something doesn’t look right, I search for a food replacement until the calories make sense.

It’s not a perfect situation and importing a recipe is not technically the correct way to log macros but since I teach Busy Mom Macros this is how we do it because we simply don’t have time to weigh, log, cook, weigh, portion, weigh, log.

via GIPHY

MyFitnessPal also has recipes on the app. I have been a user of MFP since they launched their website, and I have never used this feature. The recipes look great, I just have never tried them.

Lose it does not have a recipe database in the app. They do have recipes on their blog.

Winner: MyFitnessPal

Is it perfect? No.

Is it convenient and appreciated? Heck ya, it is.

Food Database and Selection

MyFitnessPal has a better food and restaurant database than Lose It. It makes sense, they’ve been around for a long time and have a lot of users.

Lose It is lacking in the restaurant calorie tracking.

I was able to find Cactus Club, Earls, a few things from Original Joes, and options at Disneyland too. That being said it’s not as heavy with a lot of the restaurants MFP has, but I’m sure that will change with time.

I was also able to find more specific orders like California Pizza Kitchen’s Thai Pizza but on their cauliflower crust on Lose It, so that’s a win (and it’s so good).

The question is, is accurate? I don’t believe that a Mickey beignet is only 147 calories and there is conflicting info on both apps (Dole Whips ranged from 80 calories to 160 calories – but let’s be honest here, the cast members are not weighing out portions, it will vary regardless). Always take this info as a guideline, not exact.

Winner (for now): MyFitnessPal

I find that MFP has a better database of foods for logging as a calorie tracker. I found that there was a lot less manual entry with MFP vs the Lose It app.

That being said, the Lose It database has improved since I last used it a couple of years ago so, in time, I’m sure it will be solid with more food choices.

MyFitnessPal vs Lose It App Winner: MyFitnessPal for overall features Lose It for macros on a budget.

I know, having both as a winner is kind of a cop-out but I wanted to dive into this for those on a budget vs those who are not.

If budget isn’t an issue, I suggest MyFitnessPal. It has all the features I like for my clients to have on hand and it’s easy to get started.

If you want to save a little money but want premium features then Lose It is the winner. You can’t beat the price and the app is easy to use once you get going. I like the positive trends the app highlights and the eating habits patterns it finds. Once the database gets larger, this is going to be on par with MyFitnessPal for sure.

Again, I would like to repeat that you don’t have to pay a premium for either app to have success in your fat loss goals. I have clients who do the best they can with the free version and they still kill it with their macro goals.

Does premium make it easier? Absolutely

Is it necessary? No.

If you’re looking for an app to track your food to help you reach your weight loss goals (or fat loss goals), maintain, or gain muscle. You can’t go wrong either way.

My favorite macro tracking app

I use both MyFitnessPal and Lose It to help me track my macros for my flexible lifestyle. Right now, I’ve been using Lose It exclusively for three weeks and I plan on sticking with it through the summer.

I’ll make my mind up in September and if I stick with Lose It or move to MFP, I’ll update this post and list why. So far, I really like the premium subscription features I get for the low price. There is a little learning curve, but I can handle it.

What are your thoughts when it comes to MyFitnessPal vs Lose it? What one do you prefer and if you use another app, I’d love to hear your experiences in the comments.

If you chose MyFitnessPal but don’t know how to work it? Check out the MyFitnessPal Basics.