Cal AI vs Cronometer

What each plan includes and what is unstated

The sources behind the food numbers

Cal AI describes a depth sensor and AI

On its home page, Cal AI says the phone's depth sensor calculates food volume and AI determines calories, protein, carbs and fat. The page describes over 1 million foods in its database. The source of those food values is Not stated.

Under the Cal AI Terms, calorie estimates, nutrition information and food identifications are automated approximations that may be incomplete or inaccurate. The FAQ gives about 80% accuracy, while the February 2025 blog gives 90% for visible foods. These are Cal AI's own figures. How either was measured and why they differ are Not stated.

The citations page concerns research supporting goal calculations, nutrition targets and macro recommendations. It addresses guidance and targets rather than food values.

Cronometer names its database sources

Cronometer's database page says its nutrition information is lab-analyzed. It describes over 10 sources and lists ten, including NCCDB, USDA SR28 and The Canadian Nutrient File. The page says every submitted item goes through verification.

The data source help article says a curation team reviews user submissions before adding them. Submitted branded foods carry the package nutrition facts or the brand's official website values. Those entries do not have the full nutrient profile of USDA and NCCDB entries. The same article says NCCDB, curated by the University of Minnesota, provides the bulk of foods, with over 17000 entries and data on 70 nutrients. Barcode scanning uses Nutritionix.

The published nutrient counts differ. The free version page lists up to 95 nutrients and compounds, the features index lists calories and up to 84 other nutrients, and the February 25, 2026 update lists up to 92 nutrients and compounds. Our article on Cronometer accuracy covers the database evidence.

The comparisons of Cronometer and MacroFactor and Cronometer and Lose It place the same database beside those apps.

What happens between a meal photo and a food entry

Cal AI describes measuring food volume with the phone's depth sensor, followed by AI determining calories and macros. Its App Store description requires a subscription for scanning results. Its Terms call the food identifications and nutrition estimates automated approximations that may be incomplete or inaccurate.

Cronometer includes AI Photo-Logging in Gold. Its photo and voice page says nutrition data still comes from its scientific sources. In its June 30, 2026 article, Cronometer says AI identifies ingredients and quantities from the image, while the nutrition values come from lab-analyzed sources. It calls that identification an educated guess based on the image. The photo help article asks users to check the food matches before adding them to the diary.

MyFitnessPal owns Cal AI

MyFitnessPal owns Cal AI, according to Julie Bort in TechCrunch on March 2, 2026. The article says the deal closed in December after almost a year of talks and that Cal AI will remain independent. The Cal AI and MyFitnessPal comparison covers the two apps.

The App Store names Viral Development LLC as seller. Google Play names Cal AI, Inc. as developer, and the Terms name Cal AI, Inc., a Delaware corporation. The home page and store listings do not name MyFitnessPal as owner.

Cal AI's FAQ says direct imports of MyFitnessPal food history are not supported yet. There is also a separate MyFitnessPal and Cronometer comparison.

What the named app studies measured

No paper in PubMed tested Cal AI by name when we searched on October 14, 2026. The 80% figure in its FAQ and the 90% figure in its blog come from Cal AI itself. The Cal AI accuracy article covers those claims.

Morello and colleagues in 2025 compared free MyFitnessPal and Cronometer entries for 43 three-day intake records from Canadian endurance athletes against ESHA Food Processor using the 2015 Canadian Nutrient File. Two raters entered the records into the apps without barcode scans, and the athletes did not use the apps themselves. Cronometer's mean energy was 2502.4 kcal and the reference's was 2513.4 kcal. The paper did not find that difference significant. For Cronometer, it reported good to excellent agreement between raters for all nutrients and good validity for all nutrients except fibre and vitamins A and D.

Gioia and colleagues in 2023 compared five nutrient-estimating apps with NDSR using one researcher's 3-day food record and four sample foods. They measured calories and macros. Cronometer alone had no significant differences for the 3-day record. For the four foods, its carbohydrate estimates differed significantly from the reference, while calories, fat and protein did not.

Bayram and Ozturkcan in 2026 evaluated 17 apps from the Türkiye App Store and compared energy and macro estimates with 3-day records. The abstract names Cronometer among the apps with the greatest discrepancies, but gives no Cronometer number or direction. It notes the limitation of standardized menus. The Cronometer accuracy discussion and calorie tracker accuracy comparison cover app accuracy in more detail.

Twelve months at the listed prices

Every yearly line here assumes the listed price stays the same. A separate renewal price is Not stated on either company's pages used here.

• Cronometer Gold billed monthly is $10.99 a month. $10.99 x 12 = $131.88 for twelve months.
• Gold billed annually is $59.99 for a year. The page displays this as $4.99 USD per month billed annually at $59.99.
• $131.88 is $71.89 more than $59.99.

These are the Gold page prices. The App Store lists the same $10.99 Gold Monthly and $59.99 Gold Annual purchases. The Cronometer price guide covers Gold billing.

The Cal AI App Store list contains ten purchases. Its eight Unlimited items are $29.99, $9.99, $19.99, $19.99, $2.99, $29.99, $29.99 and $5.99. Unlimited Plan is $19.99 and Streak Restore is $0.99. None has a stated billing period. The Cal AI home page lists no price, and the FAQ mentions a family plan without a price. A yearly total cannot be worked out from those pages. The Cal AI price guide covers the listed purchases.

TrueCal is another option

TrueCal's manual calorie logging is free. Its Pro features include macros and logging from a typed description, voice, a photo or a barcode. TrueCal is available for iPhone, Android and the web.

TrueCal names USDA FoodData Central, FatSecret, Open Food Facts and published restaurant and brand information as sources. Barcodes use nutrition databases, while label photos read the package directly. Its nutrition results are estimates and can be wrong. The TrueCal and Cronometer comparison covers these apps together.

The TrueCal alternative to Cal AI page covers TrueCal alongside Cal AI. Other app comparisons are in the comparison directory.

Questions about access, photos and billing