Diet App Scorecard October 2026: Calorie App User Ratings

Sergey Oreshko - Co-founder and CEO of MyNetDiary

A look at what users actually wrote about 6 calorie tracking apps in October 2026, drawn from 944 filtered US App Store reviews. Calo led for a third straight month at 4.59, MyNetDiary followed at 4.39, MyFitnessPal climbed back above 3.0, and the sharpest complaints were about paywalls and subscriptions.

Calo had the highest average rating in the Diet App Scorecard for October 2026 — 4.59 out of 5 — and MyNetDiary followed at 4.39, ahead of Cronometer at 3.87. If you're comparing calorie app user ratings this month, that's the headline. As the CEO of MyNetDiary, I review user feedback across all major calorie tracking apps monthly to understand what users value and where the category falls short.

By the numbers, it was the quietest month of the series — no rating moved more than 0.16. The field shrank, though. Municorn, MacroFactor, and Foodvisor left the top 100 Health & Fitness chart by October 31, leaving six apps and 944 filtered reviews in the Diet App Scorecard, both the lowest of any installment. What the reviews kept coming back to was money — who charges for barcode scanning, who shows ads to people already paying, and whether you can find the subscription you want to cancel.

In September I said I'd watch three things. MyFitnessPal's 2.88 held, and then some. Calo's share of brief five-star reviews is unchanged at about one in five. And Municorn left the top 100 before October 31, so the question about its listing goes unanswered; the scorecard's selection rule means I don't follow apps that exit.

October 2026 Ratings at a Glance

October 2026 ranking, highest to lowest: Calo 4.59, MyNetDiary 4.39, Cronometer 3.87, Lose It! 3.65, MyFitnessPal 3.04, Cal AI 2.94. These are monthly review ratings recalculated after filtering, not the star ratings the App Store displays.

As the CEO of MyNetDiary, I publish this scorecard with an obvious conflict: my company is part of the category being measured. The same published methodology is applied to every app, the six app summaries below are AI-generated and presented unedited, and findings about MyNetDiary are reported as calculated.

Apps are selected from the US App Store top 100 Health & Fitness category as of October 31, 2026, and listed in download ranking order, because the gap between download rank and review rating is itself a finding. This month the two most-downloaded apps posted the two lowest ratings. Ratings are calculated from all of that month's written reviews, collected weekly through the month and filtered for duplicates and unrelated content. The App Store's displayed star rating, auto-generated Review Summary, and "Most Helpful" sorting can obscure what's happening right now: Cal AI's store page shows 4.8 stars, and its October reviews average 2.94. No app is flagged this month; Calo carries a monitoring note. (To run the five-minute version of this check yourself, see How to Find the Best Calorie Tracker App.)

# = download ranking in the top 100 Health & Fitness category, US App Store, October 31, 2026. Source: US App Store reviews. vs Sep = change from the September 2026 rating. Ratings summarize written reviews posted during October, not all users' star ratings; review counts vary between apps, and one review moving from one star to five would shift an 86-review average by about 0.05. Weight-loss and accuracy statements are reviewer reports, not tests. Organic means the review-pattern screening found nothing that warrants caution; it does not authenticate individual reviews. *Calo: 35 of its 167 five-star reviews run 25 characters or fewer, about one in five, against a next-highest share of 10 percent among the six apps; from October 19, reviews written on its three newest builds averaged 3.78 (23 reviews) against 4.84 on older builds (56); monitoring continues. Cronometer: four of its five October 22 reviews report an error code or a lost Apple Health connection after that day's update. Account age, where cited, is inferred from the reviewer's App Store account ID: lower IDs generally belong to older accounts, which matches what reviewers say about how long they have used an app, though Apple does not document the numbering. See methodology here.

Scorecard Trends to Watch

Here's what stood out in October.

Twenty-nine reviews objected to paying for barcode scanning. Twenty-five were at MyFitnessPal, up from 14 in September though still under August's 30. Two reviewers described the paywall arriving where it hadn't been: one asked on October 12 why the scanner was free "in every other country BUT the US," and twelve days later another wrote that the change had "finally hit all countries." The other four were at Lose It!, where reviewers objected that scanning is now a Premium feature. Five of MyFitnessPal's unhappy reviewers said they were moving to Cronometer, and reviewers at Cronometer and MyNetDiary — three and five of them — praised those apps for keeping scanning outside the paywall. Price isn't really the complaint. Of MyFitnessPal's 25, two quote a price; sixteen say, in one form or another, that scanning used to be free.

Seven Lose It! reviewers said they couldn't cancel, and three couldn't find the subscription. Nine Lose It! reviewers wrote about cancellation or trial charges. Seven said they couldn't cancel — three because the subscription didn't appear in their iPhone's subscription list, one because cancellation was available only on the company's website. That distinction matters. A subscription billed by Apple appears in the iPhone's subscription list; one bought directly from a company doesn't, and has to be cancelled with whoever bills it. The reviews don't say which applies in each case.

Lose It! wasn't alone. Six of Calo's eleven one-star reviews concern billing, and eight Cal AI reviewers reported trial charges, cancellations they couldn't complete, or refunds they couldn't obtain. MyFitnessPal's billing reviews were different — a renewal quoted at $79.99 after about $30 the year before, and seven Premium subscribers the app didn't recognize, down from a dozen in September. MyNetDiary's two full-year charges belong on this list as well. Only Cronometer's October reviews contain no complaint about a charge, a cancellation, or a refund.

MyNetDiary placed second, with more complaints about what it charges for. MyNetDiary scored 4.39 from 148 reviews, against 4.45 in September. Five apps have qualified in all nine installments — Cal AI, MyFitnessPal, Cronometer, MyNetDiary, and Lose It! — and MyNetDiary has rated highest of the five every month. October's praise was familiar: 48 reviewers called MyNetDiary easy or simple to use, 23 of the four- and five-star reviews mention the free version, and 18 reported a weight figure, from 5 pounds to 80.

The complaints that grew were about cost — 17 reviewers raised one or more of three. Eight objected to Premium upgrade prompts or pop-ups, up from five in September, and two five-star reviewers mentioned them in passing; one objector wrote that the free version has "a ton of popup ads." Nine said features they expected in the free version, the photo scan among them, were limited or paid, up from seven. And two reported being charged for a full year when they expected a free trial, which no September reviewer did; both said support didn't resolve it. Beyond cost, three reviewers found photo meal scans inaccurate, and two reported searches that stopped finding their regular foods. Nothing in the reviews points to a bug or a one-day spike this month.

Fitbit's move to Google Health showed up in four apps' reviews. Google replaced the Fitbit app with Google Health earlier this year, and in October reviewers tied two things to it. At MyFitnessPal, seven reviewers between October 18 and 23 reported that steps and workouts had stopped syncing from Google Health, several after trying every fix they could find. Going the other way, four reviewers said the change had moved their food logging off Fitbit: two to MyNetDiary, one to Cronometer, and one to MyFitnessPal. Reviews can't establish the technical cause. They do show a platform change outside the category reaching calorie trackers within weeks.

The other movers. MyFitnessPal's 0.16 gain to 3.04 is its third in a row, and a few reviewers now credit the redesign; one called the app "more intuitive than ever." Two complaints grew instead: 21 reviewers objected to streak and celebration pop-ups, up from 14, most asking for a way to turn them off, and 20 objected to ads, up from 13, four of them Premium subscribers. Cal AI's five-month climb ended at 2.94 as accuracy complaints, in 17 of 87 reviews, overtook complaints about the subscription required after its questionnaire, in 11, down from 20. Cronometer held at 3.87 — its sixth straight month between 3.87 and 3.95. For the second month running, an update on the 22nd drew a same-day cluster, this time over a lost Apple Health connection, and a follow-up build arrived the next day. Lose It! rose 0.09 to 3.65 on praise from long-time users.

Calo gave back 0.15 and kept the lead. Its monitoring note is unchanged: about one in five of its five-star reviews is a brief phrase, while its criticism is specific. One pattern to watch joins it. After three new builds appeared between October 19 and 27, the 23 reviews written on them averaged 3.78, against 4.84 for the 56 written on older builds. I can't tell from reviews alone whether that's new users meeting the trial and paywall or a problem in the new builds.

If you want to see how these trends developed, the August 2026 scorecard and September 2026 scorecard cover the earlier months.

What Users Said About Cal AI in October 2026

Average rating: 2.94 / 5 (September: 3.04) | Reviews analyzed: 87 | Filtered: 1 random/unrelated | Chart position: #10 | Review patterns: Organic

Reviews split almost evenly between low and high ratings. The largest complaint group concerns accuracy: photo scans that misidentify foods, return different calorie counts for the same plate, and need manual correction. Access follows, with a long questionnaire that ends at a mandatory trial or subscription. Others report lag, freezing scans, charges during or after free trials, difficult cancellation, and refund requests left with an AI support bot; a late-October change that colors progress rings by macros drew objections. Positive reviewers, nearly half, call photo and barcode logging easy, credit the app with keeping them accountable, and report losses of 12 to 76 pounds; a few find its estimates accurate and its price fair. Review patterns appear organic.

What Users Said About MyFitnessPal in October 2026

Average rating: 3.04 / 5 (September: 2.88) | Reviews analyzed: 307 | Filtered: 0 random/unrelated | Chart position: #14 | Review patterns: Organic

Reviews divide almost evenly between low and high ratings. The largest complaint is the redesigned interface: more taps to log, macros and meals no longer visible on one screen, and constant layout changes long-time users want reversed. Paywalls follow, chiefly once-free barcode scanning. Many object to streak and celebration pop-ups and AI suggestions that cannot be turned off, and to ads that block logging or reach Premium subscribers. Technical complaints cite Fitbit and Google Health step syncing that stopped, repeated logouts, unrecognized Premium subscriptions, and disappearing entries. Positive reviewers, over two in five, cite easy logging, accountability, the large food database, a free tier some find sufficient, and losses of 4 to 80 pounds. Review patterns appear organic.

What Users Said About Cronometer in October 2026

Average rating: 3.87 / 5 (September: 3.87) | Reviews analyzed: 86 | Filtered: 0 random/unrelated | Chart position: #20 | Review patterns: Organic

Most reviewers rate the app highly, citing accurate, curated nutrition data, detailed macro and micronutrient tracking, easy logging, custom recipes, and a free tier that keeps barcode and label scanning; some came on a professional's recommendation or switched from other trackers, a few call the paid tier worth it, and reported losses run from 15 to over 100 pounds. The leading complaint is advertising in the free version: full-screen video ads that interrupt searches and scans and sometimes cannot be closed. Search comes next, with basic foods buried beneath prepared dishes. An October 22 update produced error codes and broke the Apple Health connection for several reviewers. Others cite missing foods and no quick calorie entry. Review patterns appear organic.

What Users Said About MyNetDiary in October 2026

Average rating: 4.39 / 5 (September: 4.45) | Reviews analyzed: 148 | Filtered: 1 random/unrelated | Chart position: #49 | Review patterns: Organic

Reviews are overwhelmingly positive. Users praise ease of use, a free version most find sufficient, barcode scanning that is not paywalled, photo logging, recipes, food grades, and detailed nutrient tracking; reported losses range from 5 to 80 pounds, several over years of use. Some switched from other trackers; a few use it to manage diabetes or alongside GLP-1 treatment. The leading complaint is frequent Premium upgrade pop-ups, which two reviewers call ads, followed by features they consider paywalled. Others found photo meal scans inaccurate, reported failed searches or a broken recipe import, or questioned calorie calculations; two said they were charged for a full year despite a free trial. Review patterns appear organic, with volume spread across the month.

What Users Said About Calo in October 2026

Average rating: 4.59 / 5 (September: 4.74) | Reviews analyzed: 207 | Filtered: 1 random/unrelated | Chart position: #71 | Review patterns: Organic*

Reviews are overwhelmingly positive. Users call the app easy and say it keeps them accountable, praising photo, barcode, and voice logging, estimates most find accurate after minor corrections, an encouraging AI coach, and a low price; many report losses of 6 to 60 pounds, and several call it the first tracker they have stuck with. The small negative share centers on billing: charges after a cancelled trial, a refused refund, and no visible way to cancel; others cite inaccurate photo and barcode estimates and too few searchable foods. Review patterns largely appear organic: about one in five five-star reviews is a brief, generic phrase, but the remainder and the criticism are specific and reviewer accounts are predominantly long-standing; monitoring continues.

What Users Said About Lose It! in October 2026

Average rating: 3.65 / 5 (September: 3.56) | Reviews analyzed: 109 | Filtered: 0 random/unrelated | Chart position: #80 | Review patterns: Organic

Reviews lean positive but divide clearly. Supporters, many returning after years of on-and-off use, call logging simple and praise barcode scanning, recipes, macro tracking, wearable syncing, and lifetime membership; several say the free version suffices or that the app keeps improving, and reported losses run from 5 to 65 pounds. Complaints center on money: once-free features such as barcode scanning and macro tracking moving behind the paywall, a long questionnaire ending at a card-required trial, and subscriptions reviewers could not cancel in the app or find in Apple's subscription settings. Full-screen ads follow, including GLP-1 promotions and a new Lab tab shown to paying subscribers. Others report a sign-in loop and failed Apple Health syncing. Review patterns appear organic.

Summary

In October 2026, the highest-rated app in the Diet App Scorecard was Calo at 4.59, its third straight month on top, followed by MyNetDiary at 4.39 and Cronometer at 3.87. MyFitnessPal, at 3.04, is above 3.0 for the first time since February — and Cal AI was lowest at 2.94.

Next month's scorecard will cover November 2026, and I'll be watching three things: whether MyNetDiary's trial-charge reports and upgrade-prompt complaints repeat, whether MyFitnessPal holds above 3.0 with barcode-paywall complaints back near August's level, and whether the field grows again from six apps. The complete methodology is published here.

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