MacroFactor is a paid nutrition app with a verified food database, barcode scanning and an expenditure estimate built from your intake and weight trend. TDEECalc is a free iPhone app that also estimates TDEE from your weight trend, but has no food database. Choose MacroFactor for detailed food logging, and TDEECalc for a free, private target and trend.
Key takeaways
- MacroFactor costs $11.99 a month or $71.99 a year (US, October 2026) after a 7-day trial; TDEECalc is free.
- Both estimate TDEE from your weight trend; only MacroFactor has a food database and barcode scanner.
- TDEECalc needs no account, shows no ads and keeps data on-device.
- MacroFactor is on iOS and Android; TDEECalc is on iPhone and iPad.
Disclosure: TDEECalc is our app, so we are not neutral. MacroFactor facts come from MacroFactor’s own site and its App Store listing, checked in October 2026. We use the MacroFactor name only to describe it and have no affiliation with the company.
MacroFactor vs TDEECalc at a glance
| Feature | MacroFactor | TDEECalc |
|---|---|---|
| Price (US, checked Oct 2026) | $11.99/month, $47.99 every 6 months, $71.99/year | Free |
| Free trial / free tier | 7-day trial, no free tier | Free, no trial needed |
| Calorie target from weight trend | ✓ | ✓ |
| Food database | ✓ (1.36M+ verified entries, per MacroFactor) | ✗ |
| Barcode scanner | ✓ | ✗ |
| AI photo logging | ✓ | ✗ |
| Weekly plan adjustments | ✓ | ✓ (applied only after you confirm) |
| Apple Health | ✓ | ✓ (optional, read-only) |
| Ads | ✗ (none, per MacroFactor) | ✗ |
| Account required | Not verified | ✗ (no account) |
| Platforms | iOS and Android | iPhone and iPad |
Where a cell says “Not verified”, we could not confirm it from an official page. TDEECalc’s facts come from its App Store listing and our privacy policy.
What MacroFactor does better
MacroFactor is a full nutrition tracker. Its site describes a verified food database of more than 1.36 million entries, barcode and nutrition-label scanning, AI photo logging, recipe import, micronutrient tracking and speech-to-text logging. It has bulk, cut and maintenance goals with weekly plan adjustments and goal-timeline estimates. If you log meals every day and want the algorithm to use that detail, it is the more capable tool.
What TDEECalc does better
- Cost. It is free. There is no subscription, no ads and no account.
- Privacy. Profile, plan and progress stay on your device. Apple Health is optional and read-only, requesting only body mass and dietary energy.
- Transparency. The formulas (Mifflin–St Jeor, Katch–McArdle, Cunningham) are published on this site, along with how adaptive TDEE works.
- Low effort. You can use it without logging each meal: a weekly weight check-in and average calories are enough.
What TDEECalc does not do
We would rather be upfront. TDEECalc has no food database, no barcode scanner and no meal logging. It is for iPhone and iPad, with no Android version at the time of writing. If those matter, MacroFactor or another logging app is the better choice.
A worked example: same principle, different input
Both apps use the same idea (Hall et al., 2011). For the example woman, eating about 1,850 kcal with a trend of −0.77 lb (−0.35 kg) a week, observed TDEE is 1,850 + (0.35 × 7,700 ÷ 7) ≈ 2,235 kcal. The difference between apps is not the arithmetic but how they gather intake and weight, smooth noise and decide how much to change your target. Try the method on your own numbers in the adaptive TDEE calculator.
Who should choose which?
- Choose MacroFactor if you want detailed food logging, a big verified database, Android support and are comfortable paying about $72 a year.
- Choose TDEECalc if you want a free, private, no-account calorie target with a weekly trend check on iPhone.
- Use both if you want a second opinion on your maintenance number.
See also the wider best adaptive TDEE apps and best TDEE apps pages. This is general information, not medical advice.
Frequently asked questions
Is MacroFactor worth it?
If you log food daily and value a large verified database, barcode scanning and weekly coaching-style adjustments, many people find it worth a subscription. If you only need a calorie target and a weight trend, a free option may be enough. Use the 7-day trial to judge.
Is there a free alternative to MacroFactor?
TDEECalc is free with no account or ads, and our web adaptive TDEE calculator is free too. They do not include a food database. MacroFactor itself has a free trial but no free subscription tier.
How does MacroFactor calculate TDEE?
According to MacroFactor, its expenditure estimate is based on your logged calorie intake and changes in your weight trend, and does not use data from wearables. TDEECalc follows the same principle: observed TDEE equals average intake minus the energy value of your weight change.
Does TDEECalc have a food database?
No. TDEECalc has no food logging or barcode scanner. You record weight and optionally average daily calories, entered manually or imported from Apple Health if you grant read-only access. If you need meal-level logging, MacroFactor or MyFitnessPal is a better fit.
Can I use both?
Yes. Some people log food in a database app and use a free calculator to cross-check their maintenance number. Our adaptive TDEE calculator accepts weights and calories from any source.
Is TDEECalc as accurate as MacroFactor?
We have not compared the two, so we cannot say. Both rely on the same principle, so accuracy mostly depends on the quality of your weigh-ins and calorie estimates. MacroFactor's algorithm is more developed and logs intake in detail, which may help.
References
- Hall KD, Sacks G, Chandramohan D, et al. (2011). Quantification of the effect of energy imbalance on bodyweight. The Lancet 378(9793):826–837.