Last tested: April 2026 | Independent review — not sponsored | We tested this ourselves so you don’t have to
Most nutrition apps are built for people who want to lose a bit of weight before a holiday. Log your chicken breast, see your calories, feel vaguely good about yourself. Job done. But if you’re training seriously, managing a health condition, or simply tired of guessing whether your diet is actually covering your nutritional bases — those apps fall flat in about a week. The numbers look fine on the surface, and underneath you’ve got no idea if you’re chronically low on magnesium, skimping on zinc, or nowhere near your omega-3 targets.
Cronometer is built for a different type of person. It tracks over 80 micronutrients — vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids — pulling data from carefully vetted sources like the USDA National Nutrient Database. That’s not a marketing claim. It’s the kind of depth that dietitians, endurance athletes, and anyone who’s ever been told their blood work looks “a bit off” will genuinely appreciate. We ran it for six weeks across multiple users, stacked it against MyFitnessPal and Lose It!, and put everything you need to know in one place.
This is an independent review — not sponsored by Cronometer, not influenced by affiliate pressure. We tested this ourselves so you don’t have to waste money on something that doesn’t deliver. Here’s the honest verdict.
Quick Verdict
| Overall Score | 8.6/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ |
| Best For | Athletes, biohackers, and anyone managing a health condition who needs precise micronutrient data |
| Avoid If | You just want a quick calorie counter with a massive food database and zero learning curve |
| Price | Free tier available; Gold £7.99/month or £34.99/year (approx.) |
| Free Trial | Yes — 7-day Gold trial |
| UK Available | ✅ Yes |
What Is Cronometer?
Cronometer is a nutrition and health tracking application available on iOS, Android, and via web browser. Founded by Aaron Davidson and headquartered in Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada, it’s built its reputation not by chasing viral features or signing celebrity ambassadors, but by doing one thing exceptionally well: giving you accurate, research-backed data about what you’re actually putting into your body. The food database draws primarily from authoritative sources including the USDA National Nutrient Database, NCCDB, and other verified nutritional research datasets. That matters enormously when you’re making decisions about your health based on the numbers you’re reading.
Where most calorie-tracking apps give you four metrics — calories, protein, carbs, fat — Cronometer surfaces over 80 distinct nutritional data points. That includes every B vitamin, fat-soluble vitamins like D and K2, individual minerals, all essential amino acids, and specific types of fatty acids including EPA and DHA. For anyone training hard, dealing with fatigue that doctors can’t explain, or simply trying to optimise rather than just survive, that depth changes everything. It’s the difference between knowing you ate 2,200 calories and knowing whether those 2,200 calories actually supported your body’s needs.
It’s worth noting that Cronometer isn’t trying to be MyFitnessPal. If you’re looking for a slick, gamified experience with a community feed and restaurant menus from every chain on the high street, you’re in the wrong place. Cronometer is for people who want precision over polish. If that sounds like you, read on — because we’ve tested it thoroughly and have a lot to say. For a contrasting perspective, our MyFitnessPal review covers 5 things nobody tells you about that platform, which is worth reading alongside this one.
Key Features
Micronutrient Tracking Across 80+ Nutrients
This is the headline feature and it genuinely earns its place there. Log a meal in Cronometer and you don’t just see calories — you see a full nutritional profile that covers vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, B12, C, D, E, and K; minerals including calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, selenium, and iodine; all eight essential amino acids; and fatty acid breakdowns including saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, omega-3, and omega-6. The app presents these against your daily targets using progress bars that turn from green to amber to red, so you can see instantly where you’re thriving and where you’re falling short.
In practice, this is eye-opening. Most people who’ve been eating what they think is a healthy diet discover within the first week that they’re chronically low in at least two or three key micronutrients. Vitamin D and magnesium deficiencies flagged up repeatedly in our testing — both genuinely common in the UK, particularly through the winter months. No other mainstream tracking app catches this with the same reliability.
Gold-Standard Food Database Accuracy
The food database in Cronometer is curated differently to its competitors. Rather than allowing open user submissions without verification — which is how you end up with wildly inaccurate entries in other apps — Cronometer flags which database source each food entry comes from. Verified entries from USDA, NCCDB, or other research sources are marked as such. User-submitted entries are clearly identified and treated with appropriate scepticism.
In real-world testing, we found the database noticeably more accurate for whole foods and ingredients. Where it falls down slightly is branded UK products — your Tesco own-brand oats or a Greggs sausage roll isn’t going to be in there with the same granularity you’d find in MyFitnessPal’s crowd-sourced database. For whole food and ingredient-based eating, though, the accuracy is markedly better. You’re not guessing; you’re working with properly researched nutritional data.
Custom Targets and Oracle Feature
Cronometer lets you set nutrient targets tailored to your specific goals — whether that’s athletic performance, weight loss, managing a condition like anaemia or osteoporosis, or hitting therapeutic thresholds for specific vitamins and minerals. You can override the default recommended daily intakes and set your own targets for any of the 80+ nutrients tracked.
The Oracle feature (available on Gold) is particularly useful: it analyses your diary and tells you which foods would best fill your current nutritional gaps. If you’re low on manganese and selenium heading into dinner, it suggests foods that address both — practical, actionable guidance rather than just a dashboard of numbers.
Biometric and Health Data Logging
Beyond food, Cronometer lets you log a comprehensive range of biometric data: weight, body fat percentage, blood pressure, blood glucose, ketone levels, sleep, heart rate, mood, and more. You can track trends over time and correlate dietary changes with physiological markers — genuinely useful for anyone working with a dietitian, GP, or personal trainer who wants to bring data to appointments rather than vague recollections.
Wearable integration is solid too. Cronometer connects with Apple Health, Google Fit, Fitbit, Garmin, and Withings, pulling in exercise data and adjusting your calorie and nutrient targets dynamically. The exercise database is functional rather than comprehensive, but combined with wearable data it covers most use cases well.
Diary Analysis and Nutrient Trends
One of the genuinely underrated features is the trends view. Rather than looking at a single day’s nutrition in isolation, you can review your averages across any date range — a week, a month, three months. This gives you a much more honest picture of your nutritional habits than a single day’s snapshot. You might have nailed your iron intake on Tuesday, but if the trend shows you’re averaging 40% of your target over the last 30 days, that’s the information that actually matters.
The nutrient report function generates a detailed breakdown exportable as a PDF — genuinely useful for sharing with a healthcare professional or sports nutritionist. This kind of feature would cost you money in a standalone app. It’s included in Cronometer Gold without fanfare.
Barcode Scanner and Recipe Builder
Logging is practical day-to-day. The barcode scanner works reliably for most packaged UK products — better than we expected given the American heritage of the database. The recipe builder lets you input full recipes with portion sizes and calculates per-serving nutrition automatically, which is the only sensible way to track home cooking accurately. It’s not the fastest scanner on the market, but it gets the job done without the frustration of frequent misreads.
How Cronometer Compares to the Competition
We tested Cronometer against its two closest rivals — MyFitnessPal (the market leader) and Lose It! (a strong mid-tier contender):
| Feature | Cronometer | MyFitnessPal | Lose It! |
|---|---|---|---|
| Micronutrient tracking depth | 80+ nutrients ✅ | ~10 nutrients ❌ | ~12 nutrients ❌ |
| Food database size | ~1 million entries | 18+ million entries | ~7 million entries |
| Food database accuracy | ✅ High (verified sources) | ⚠️ Variable (user-submitted) | ⚠️ Variable |
| Free tier usefulness | ✅ Genuinely usable | ⚠️ Very limited since 2022 | ✅ Reasonable |
| Biometric logging | ✅ Comprehensive | ✅ Good | ⚠️ Basic |
| Wearable integration | ✅ Apple, Garmin, Fitbit | ✅ Extensive | ✅ Good |
| UK product database | ⚠️ Growing but limited | ✅ Strong | ⚠️ Moderate |
| Recipe builder | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Premium price (annual) | ~£35/year | ~£80/year | ~£33/year |
| Best suited for | Precision nutrition | Casual calorie tracking | Weight loss focus |
Pros and Cons
✅ What We Liked
- Micronutrient tracking is genuinely unmatched — no other mainstream app gets close to 80+ nutrients
- Food database accuracy is a cut above — verified sources mean you’re not logging guesswork
- Free tier is actually useful — unlike MyFitnessPal post-2022, you can get real value without paying a penny
- Oracle feature is genuinely actionable — tells you what to eat to fill nutritional gaps, not just what’s missing
- Biometric logging is comprehensive — blood glucose, ketones, blood pressure, sleep and more all in one place
- Premium is fairly priced — at around £35/year it’s less than half the cost of MyFitnessPal Premium
- Exportable reports — PDF nutrient reports are a genuinely useful tool for working with healthcare professionals
❌ What We Didn’t Like
- UK branded product database is thin — you’ll often need to add entries manually for supermarket products
- UI is functional, not beautiful — the interface looks dated compared to newer apps; there’s a learning curve
- Community features are minimal — if social accountability matters to you, this isn’t the app for it
- Exercise logging feels like an afterthought — the workout tracking doesn’t compare to dedicated apps like Hevy
- Can feel overwhelming for beginners — the sheer volume of data is a feature, but it can paralyse people new to tracking
Pricing
Cronometer operates on a freemium model, and unusually for the category, the free tier is genuinely worth using rather than just a teaser to push you towards a subscription.
Free Tier
The free version includes full food logging with complete micronutrient data, biometric tracking, recipe builder, barcode scanner, and access to the diary and nutritional summary. This is already more than most paid plans on competing apps. For casual users or those just getting started with serious nutrition tracking, the free tier may be all you ever need.
Cronometer Gold — approximately £7.99/month or £34.99/year
Gold unlocks the Oracle feature (which analyses your diary and recommends foods to fill nutritional gaps), advanced charting and trend analysis, nutrient reports exportable as PDF, ad-free experience, fasting timer, and the ability to set custom nutrient targets beyond the defaults. The annual plan works out to under £3/month — exceptional value for what you’re getting. A 7-day free trial of Gold is available.
Cronometer for Professionals
There’s also a separate subscription tier aimed at dietitians and nutritionists who want to manage client accounts and track multiple users. Pricing for this tier varies and is aimed squarely at practitioners rather than individuals.
To put it bluntly: at £35/year for Gold, Cronometer is one of the best value nutrition tools on the market. MyFitnessPal Premium will cost you nearly £80/year for less nutritional depth. The maths isn’t complicated.
Who Is Cronometer Best For?
Perfect For
- Athletes and endurance sports competitors who need to optimise performance nutrition, not just calories
- People managing chronic health conditions like anaemia, osteoporosis, thyroid issues, or Type 2 diabetes who need accurate micronutrient data
- Individuals following restrictive dietary patterns — vegans, plant-based eaters, carnivore dieters — who need to verify nutritional completeness
- Biohackers and self-quantifiers who want to correlate food intake with biometric data over time
- Anyone working with a dietitian or nutritionist who wants to bring real data to consultations
- People who cook from scratch using whole ingredients rather than relying on packaged foods
Not Ideal For
- Casual users who just want a quick calorie count without the complexity
- People who primarily eat UK branded packaged foods and rely on scanning barcodes for convenience
- Anyone who wants social features, challenges, or community accountability to stay motivated
- Users who need a comprehensive workout tracker integrated into their nutrition app — better off pairing it with a dedicated tool
- Complete beginners to nutrition tracking who may find the data volume overwhelming without guidance
Our Verdict
Cronometer is the best nutrition tracking app available for anyone who cares about more than just calories. That’s not a ringing endorsement of everything it does — the UI is dated, the UK food database has genuine gaps, and the workout tracking is rudimentary at best. But on the core job of helping you understand the nutritional quality of your diet in genuine detail, nothing else at this price point comes close. If you’ve ever had bloodwork come back showing deficiencies you couldn’t explain, or wondered why your energy levels don’t match your calorie intake, Cronometer will tell you things about your diet that no other app will.
The free tier being as capable as it is makes this a particularly easy recommendation. You don’t have to spend a penny to start getting meaningful data. And if you do go for Gold at £35/year, the Oracle feature alone is worth it — particularly for athletes or people managing complex dietary needs who can use its recommendations to make targeted adjustments rather than guessing. For anyone pairing their nutrition work with a dedicated workout tracker, we’d suggest looking at our Hevy app review for the best workout tracker for lifters — Cronometer and Hevy complement each other well as a pairing.
The bottom line: Cronometer won’t win any design awards and it won’t hold your hand. But if you want to truly understand what you’re eating and stop guessing about your nutritional status, it’s the most powerful tool available at any price point in this category. Use the free tier first. You’ll likely never go back to a simpler app.
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Value for Money | 9/10 |
| Features | 9/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7/10 |
| Food Database (UK) | 7/10 |
| Data Accuracy | 9.5/10 |
| UK Availability | 9/10 |
| Overall | 8.6/10 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cronometer better than MyFitnessPal?
For micronutrient tracking and data accuracy, Cronometer is significantly better than MyFitnessPal. MyFitnessPal has a larger food database with better UK branded product coverage, but the data quality is inconsistent due to open user submissions. If your priority is understanding the full nutritional quality of your diet rather than just calories and macros, Cronometer wins clearly. If you primarily want a fast, convenient calorie counter with extensive restaurant menus, MyFitnessPal has the edge.
Is Cronometer free to use?
Yes — Cronometer has a genuinely useful free tier that includes full food logging, complete micronutrient tracking, biometric logging, barcode scanner, and recipe builder. The paid Gold tier (approximately £34.99/year) adds features like the Oracle food recommendation tool, advanced trend charts, exportable PDF reports, and an ad-free experience. The free version is substantial enough that many users never need to upgrade.
Does Cronometer work in the UK?
Yes, Cronometer works fully in the UK on iOS, Android, and via web browser. The main limitation for UK users is the food database — it’s strongest on whole foods and American branded products, and thinner on UK supermarket own-brand items and British food brands. You may need to add some UK products manually, particularly packaged foods. For whole-food cooking and ingredient-based diets, the database is comprehensive and accurate.
What does Cronometer Gold include?
Cronometer Gold unlocks the Oracle feature (which recommends specific foods to address your current nutritional gaps), detailed nutrient trend charts across custom date ranges, exportable PDF nutrient reports, custom nutrient targets beyond the default RDIs, a fasting timer, and an ad-free experience throughout the app. Gold costs approximately £7.99/month or £34.99/year, with a 7-day free trial available. For serious nutrition tracking, the Oracle feature and trend analysis alone justify the annual cost.
Can Cronometer track vitamins and minerals?
This is where Cronometer genuinely stands apart from every competitor. It tracks over 80 individual nutrients including all major vitamins (A, B1 through B12, C, D, E, K), minerals (calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, selenium, potassium, iodine, and more), all essential amino acids, and individual fatty acids including EPA and DHA. Data is sourced from verified nutritional databases including the USDA National Nutrient Database, making the numbers considerably more trustworthy than crowd-sourced app data.