The best TDEE app depends on what you need. MacroFactor suits people who want full food logging with an adaptive calorie target and accept a subscription. MyFitnessPal has the largest food database. TDEECalc is a free, private iPhone app that estimates TDEE and learns real maintenance from your weight trend, without food logging.
Key takeaways
- No single app wins for everyone: food-logging depth and price trade off against simplicity and privacy.
- MacroFactor and Zolt estimate expenditure from your logged intake and weight trend.
- MyFitnessPal lists a food database of more than 20 million foods, with barcode scanning in Premium.
- TDEECalc is free with no account, ads or food database, and is focused on iPhone.
Disclosure: TDEECalc is our own app, written by the developer of this site. This page tries to be fair, and every competitor fact comes from its own site or App Store listing, linked below. Prices checked October 2026.
What should a TDEE app do?
Every app starts with a formula, usually Mifflin–St Jeor (Mifflin et al., 1990), to estimate your total daily energy expenditure. For the standard example woman (35, 5′5″, 165 lb, moderately active) that gives 2,239 kcal. Formulas are estimates, so better apps improve them using your weight trend and intake, in line with the energy-balance relationship behind the common rule of thumb of about 7,700 kcal per kg (3,500 per lb) of weight change, a rule with known limits over long periods (Hall et al., 2011).
When comparing, check four things: how the TDEE is set, how you log intake, what it costs, and where your data lives.
How do the apps compare?
| Feature | TDEECalc | MacroFactor | MyFitnessPal | Zolt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free to use | ✓ | ✗ (7-day trial, no free tier) | ✓ (free tier with ads) | ✓ to download, in-app purchases |
| Price (US, checked Oct 2026) | Free | $11.99/month, $71.99/year | Premium $19.99/month, $79.99/year | Subscriptions listed from $4.99 |
| Calorie target from weight trend | ✓ | ✓ | Not verified | ✓ |
| Food database | ✗ | ✓ (1.36M verified entries, per MacroFactor) | ✓ (20.5M+ foods, per App Store) | ✓ (food logging) |
| Barcode scanner | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ (Premium) | ✓ |
| iPhone app | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android app | ✗ | ✓ | Not checked | Not checked |
Cells say “Not verified” or “Not checked” where we could not confirm a fact from an official page. Sources: TDEECalc App Store listing, MacroFactor and its App Store listing, MyFitnessPal Premium and its App Store listing, and Zolt’s App Store listing.
Which app is best for what?
MacroFactor is best if you want one app for food logging and a calorie target that adjusts weekly. Its site describes an expenditure estimate built from your logged intake and weight trend, a verified food database, barcode and AI photo logging, and no ads. The trade-off is cost: it is subscription-only.
MyFitnessPal is best if you want the biggest food database, including restaurant dishes, plus a long-running ecosystem of connected devices. Its App Store listing cites more than 20.5 million foods. Barcode scanning and macro goals are Premium features, and the free tier shows ads.
Zolt markets itself as an adaptive TDEE and macro coach with barcode and AI food logging. It is free to download with several subscription tiers, so look at the listing to see which plan matches the features you want.
TDEECalc is best if you want a clear calorie target, macros and a weekly weight check without logging every meal. It is free with no account or ads, keeps data on your device, shows its formulas, and can read weight and calories from Apple Health if you choose. It does not have a food database or barcode scanner, and it is on iPhone and iPad but not Android. Details are on the app page.
A worked example: what the formula says versus your data
If an app starts from the formula, the example woman gets 2,239 kcal. Suppose over 14 days she eats about 1,850 kcal and her weight trend falls 0.77 lb (0.35 kg) a week. The trend method gives a maintenance near 2,235 kcal, with roughly ±120 kcal of uncertainty. Here the formula and the data agree, but for many people they differ by several hundred kcal, which is why a data-driven app can beat a one-off calculator. See how accurate TDEE calculators are.
How to choose
- Want a food log? Choose MacroFactor, MyFitnessPal or Zolt and compare current prices.
- Want a target and a trend, free and private? Use TDEECalc or the web adaptive TDEE calculator.
- On Android? Check each app’s store page; TDEECalc is not on Android.
- Not sure? Try a free option for two weeks and see which you keep using. The best app is the one you actually open.
More head-to-heads: best adaptive TDEE apps, MacroFactor alternative and MyFitnessPal alternative. See every comparison in the compare hub.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most accurate TDEE calculator?
A formula calculator can only estimate TDEE, typically within about 10% for most adults. The most accurate number is one you derive from your own data: average calorie intake and weight change over several weeks. Apps and the adaptive TDEE calculator do this.
Do I need a food database to use a TDEE app?
Only if you want to track exact intake each day. Adaptive TDEE needs a reasonable estimate of average calories plus your weight trend. A food database makes the calorie side easier; TDEECalc instead lets you enter average intake without food logging.
What is the best free TDEE app?
TDEECalc is free with no ads or account. MyFitnessPal has a free tier with ads, and Zolt is free to download with in-app purchases. MacroFactor has a free trial but no free tier. Free tiers differ in what they include, so check the current listings.
What is the best calorie deficit app?
For a calorie deficit app, pick the logging style you will keep up. Food-logging apps give the most detail. If you only want a target and a weekly check on your trend, TDEECalc works. Whatever you choose, keep deficits moderate and above about 1,200 kcal (women) or 1,500 kcal (men) unless supervised.
Is TDEECalc available on Android?
At the time of writing, TDEECalc is available on the App Store for iPhone and iPad, and there is no Android version. You can use the web calculators on any device.
How often are these prices updated?
Prices were checked in October 2026 and apps change plans often. Always confirm on the linked official page before subscribing.
References
- Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, Hill LA, Scott BJ, Daugherty SA, Koh YO (1990). A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 51(2):241–247.
- Hall KD, Sacks G, Chandramohan D, et al. (2011). Quantification of the effect of energy imbalance on bodyweight. The Lancet 378(9793):826–837.