Guide
Is MyFitnessPal Premium Worth It in 2026? Free vs Premium vs Premium+, Honestly Assessed
By Alen Yaco ·
On August 25, 2026, MyFitnessPal announced its Summer Release, and the headline was an AI Coach — ask it what to eat next and it answers with specific foods and portions, grounded in your own logging history. The catch is the one that has defined the app since barcode scanning went paid in 2022: the good stuff is Premium. So the question worth answering is the money one: is MyFitnessPal Premium worth $79.99 a year in 2026?
Full disclosure: we build ROID, a free competitor, so read us skeptically. Everything below — every price, every feature split, the cancellation steps, the refund rules — was checked against MyFitnessPal's own pricing page, support center, press releases, and App Store listing on September 25, 2026. Where the internet says something MyFitnessPal's own pages contradict, we say so.
First, what's actually free (it's more than the blogs claim)
A lot of "MyFitnessPal review" posts tell you the free tier now caps you at five foods a day. That's false. MyFitnessPal's support center is explicit that food logging, calorie tracking, and the 20-million-item food database are free for everyone, and the free diary has no daily entry limit. The May 2026 "paywall expansion" stories that circulated on content-farm sites don't hold up either: Meal Scan has been Premium-only since it launched in 2020, and barcode scanning since October 1, 2022.
What free really includes in September 2026: unlimited food and exercise logging, creating your own foods, meals, and recipes, the recipe importer, water tracking, macro goals set by percentage, Quick Add calories, the new Progress tab with weekly calorie, weight, and macro summaries, a Plan tab with recipes and saved meals, and — free to all US users since April 2026 — GLP-1 medication tracking with dose, injection site, reminders, and a side-effect log. You also get ads.
What free does not include is the list of things that make daily logging painless: barcode scanning, Meal Scan (photo logging), Voice Log, macro goals by gram, the nutrient dashboard, food timestamps, net-carb mode, the fasting tracker, and exporting your own data as a file. That last one matters if you ever want to leave.
What the 2026 Summer Release actually added
Three things in the announcement matter. The AI Coach — first announced June 10, 2026, and expanded in August — gives Premium and Premium+ members on iOS personalized nutrition guidance: what to order at dinner, how to hit a protein target, what to eat before training, and meal planning for the week or a trip. As of September 25, 2026, it is iOS only, English only, live in the US, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and MyFitnessPal's own support page says it is still rolling out. It also cannot log food for you, edit your goals, or read your weight history yet.
A new Progress tab gives every member — free included — a weekly overview of calories, weight, and macros; only the "actionable tips" layer on top is paid. And GLP-1 support (tracking, reminders, side-effect logging) is free in the US on iOS and Android, with side-effect logging on iOS first — MyFitnessPal's clearest signal about where the nutrition market is heading, which we cover in our best GLP-1 fitness apps roundup.
Free vs Premium vs Premium+: the full 2026 feature split
Prices are US, from MyFitnessPal's pricing page and press releases. Premium+ is available in the US, UK, Canada, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, in the apps only.
| Feature | Free | Premium ($19.99/mo or $79.99/yr) | Premium+ ($24.99/mo or $99.99/yr) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food and exercise logging, 20M+ food database | Yes, uncapped | Yes | Yes |
| Create foods, meals, recipes; recipe importer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Water tracking; macro goals by percentage | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Progress tab (weekly calories, weight, macros) | Yes | Plus tips | Plus tips |
| GLP-1 tracking and reminders | Yes (US; Canada on iOS) | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | No | No |
| Barcode scanner | — | Yes | Yes |
| Meal Scan (photo logging) | — | Yes | Yes |
| Voice Log | — | Yes | Yes |
| Macros by gram; goals by day and by meal | — | Yes | Yes |
| Nutrient dashboard; food timestamps; net carbs | — | Yes | Yes |
| Intermittent-fasting tracker (12:12, 14:10, 16:8) | — | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-day logging (up to 7 days) | — | Yes | Yes |
| Food Insights, workout routines, priority support | — | Yes | Yes |
| Data export (three CSV files by email) | — | Yes | Yes |
| AI Coach | — | Yes (iOS only) | Yes (iOS only) |
| Meal Plan Builder (1,500+ recipes, 2–15-day plans) | — | — | Yes |
| Meal Prep Mode; diet preferences (10 diets) | — | — | Yes |
| Grocery lists and delivery (Instacart, Walmart, Kroger, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods) | — | — | Yes (US and Canada) |
Both paid tiers come with a 7-day free trial in the US (MyFitnessPal has run 30-day trials in the past and says trial length "may vary"; there is no trial if you pay through an FSA/HSA on the web). Premium+ features are app-only — they don't appear on the website.
The AI Coach, assessed
Judged on what MyFitnessPal has shipped and documented, the AI Coach is a real feature, not a chatbot sticker. Grounding answers in your own logging history and the largest verified food database anywhere is exactly the right architecture for "what should I eat next," and specific food-and-portion answers beat the generic advice most nutrition chatbots produce.
Three honest limits. First, it's iOS-only and Premium-only as of September 2026 — Android and web subscribers pay the same price and don't get it yet. Second, it can't act: it won't log the meal it just recommended, and it can't change your goals. Third, and more structural: MyFitnessPal can't see your training. It's a nutrition app; workouts live elsewhere. An AI coach that knows your meals but not your lifting, your recovery, or whether you're in a heavy week is answering half the question. That's not a bug — it's what a dedicated nutrition tracker is — but it's the half-picture you're paying for.
The real math
The annual plan works out to $6.67 a month, which is cheaper than most people assume — for the biggest verified food database, barcode and photo logging, and now an AI nutrition coach, that's a defensible price for the right person. The monthly plan is the trap: $19.99 a month is $239.88 a year — exactly three times the annual rate for the same product, which is why MyFitnessPal's own pricing page advertises the annual plan as "67% savings." If you're going to pay at all, pay annually.
Premium+ is $8.33 a month on the annual plan, $1.67 more than Premium, or $299.88 a year if you pay monthly.
For context, Premium cost $9.99 a month or $49.99 a year in the Under Armour era — those legacy price points are still visible on the App Store listing. The price has since doubled while scanning went paid, which is exactly why "MyFitnessPal alternative" became one of the most-searched phrases in nutrition tracking.
Who Premium is genuinely worth it for
- Database people. If verified, gram-level accuracy across 20 million foods is the point — competition prep, medically supervised plans, long-standing MFP habits — Premium is the best version of the best database. Annual only.
- Barcode-and-scan loggers. If you log packaged food daily, barcode scanning alone can justify $6.67 a month against the friction of manual search. Meal Scan and Voice Log push it further.
- MFP-ecosystem residents. Years of history in the app, 40-plus connected devices and services, and now an AI Coach that reads that history — switching costs are real, and staying paid can be rational.
- iPhone users who want a nutrition-only AI. If you don't need the coach to know your workouts, the AI Coach is the most data-grounded nutrition assistant in a mainstream tracker right now.
Who shouldn't pay
- Anyone paying monthly. Three times the annual rate. Either commit annually or use a free tracker.
- Android and web users buying it for the AI Coach. It isn't available to you yet. Wait for the rollout before paying for it.
- Calorie-and-macro-only trackers. If you just need an uncapped diary with macros and a barcode scanner, the free alternatives — Cronometer's free tier includes barcode scanning, FatSecret is free outright, ROID includes photo logging on free credits — cover it without the subscription.
- People whose nutrition should talk to their training. This is the structural one. If you lift, run, or follow a program, nutrition advice that can't see your training volume is incomplete — and no MyFitnessPal tier fixes that.
Where ROID fits: nutrition that can see your training
ROID's approach is the opposite architecture. AI photo and text logging, macro tracking, training, and health data live in one profile, so the "what should I eat" answer knows what you did in the gym today and what's planned tomorrow. The core app is free to download and use; AI runs on free credits that renew monthly, with unlimited AI earnable free by inviting friends and an optional plan for heavy users. There is no tier standing between you and photo logging or gram-level macros.
The honest trade-offs run the other way: ROID is iOS only, its food database is not MyFitnessPal's 20 million verified entries, and the community is young. Our ROID vs. MyFitnessPal comparison covers both sides plainly, including where the database advantage still wins.
Premium vs Premium+: is the extra $20 worth it?
The Premium+ gap is really four meal-planning tools: the Meal Plan Builder (1,500-plus recipes, plans from 2 to 15 days, household portions, and a dietitian-reviewed "Blue Check" collection), Meal Prep Mode, diet preferences across ten eating styles, and automatic grocery lists with delivery through Instacart, Walmart, Kroger, Amazon Fresh, and Whole Foods on iOS (Instacart and Walmart on Android, US and Canada only). The AI Coach, barcode, Meal Scan, and every logging feature are identical across the two tiers.
So the test is simple: if you want the app to plan your cooking week and build the shopping list, Premium+ at $99.99 a year is a fair upgrade. If you plan your own meals or eat out often, Premium covers everything else and the extra $20 buys nothing you'll use. Upgrading mid-term on iOS is prorated by Apple.
How MyFitnessPal Premium compares on price
| App | Annual | Monthly | Free tier? | Notes (September 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MyFitnessPal Premium | $79.99 | $19.99 | Yes (uncapped logging, ads) | 7-day trial; AI Coach iOS-only |
| MyFitnessPal Premium+ | $99.99 | $24.99 | — | Adds meal planning and grocery delivery |
| Cronometer Gold | $59.99 | $10.99 | Yes, including barcode | Verified nutrient data; 84 micronutrients |
| MacroFactor | $71.99 | $11.99 | No (7-day trial) | Adaptive calorie targets; $89.99/yr with its new Workouts app |
| Lose It! Premium | $79.99 | Not listed | Yes | Lifetime $299.99; 7-day trial for new users |
| Cal AI (owned by MyFitnessPal) | Varies | Varies | Trial only | In-app purchases from $2.99 to $29.99; billing periods not shown on its listing |
| ROID | Free core app | Optional unlimited-AI plan | Yes | AI photo logging on free monthly credits; connected to training |
How to cancel MyFitnessPal Premium (and the refund rules)
You have to cancel on the platform you paid through, and cancelling less than 24 hours before the renewal date may not stop the charge. Features stay active until the end of the period you've paid for.
- iPhone or iPad: open the iOS Settings app → tap your name → Subscriptions → MyFitnessPal → Cancel Subscription. Only Apple can process cancellations and refunds for subscriptions started on the App Store.
- Android: open the Play Store app → your profile icon → Payments and subscriptions → Subscriptions → MyFitnessPal → Cancel Subscription.
- Web: log in at myfitnesspal.com → Settings → Subscription Settings → switch Auto-Renewal off.
On refunds, read the terms before you buy the annual plan: MyFitnessPal's Terms of Service state that purchases of Premium services are "final and non-refundable, except at our sole discretion," with a 14-day full-refund window only for residents outside the United States. There is no pro-rata refund on an unused annual plan, so use the 7-day trial deliberately — decide before it converts.
If you do leave, export first: Premium members can email themselves three CSV files (nutrition with timestamps, progress, and exercise) from the app or website. Free members can only print a report, which is one more reason to do the export while you're still subscribed. Our best MyFitnessPal alternatives guide walks through which apps can import that history.
The bottom line
MyFitnessPal Premium in 2026 is a fair deal for a specific person: the annual subscriber on an iPhone who lives in the food database, scans packaged food daily, and wants AI meal guidance inside the app they already trust. It's a poor deal for the monthly subscriber, for Android and web users buying it for a coach they can't use yet, for the casual tracker who only needs an uncapped diary, and for anyone whose training should be part of the conversation. The AI Coach is a genuine step forward for nutrition-only coaching — just be clear that nutrition-only, iOS-only, and annual-only is what makes the price make sense.
Frequently asked questions
How much does MyFitnessPal Premium cost in 2026?
Premium costs $19.99 a month or $79.99 a year (about $6.67 a month, which MyFitnessPal advertises as 67% savings over monthly). Premium+ costs $24.99 a month or $99.99 a year and adds the Meal Plan Builder, Meal Prep Mode, diet preferences, and grocery lists with delivery. Both tiers come with a 7-day free trial in the US as of September 2026.
Does MyFitnessPal limit free users to five foods a day?
No. That claim circulates on review blogs, but MyFitnessPal's own support pages state that food logging, calorie tracking, and the food database are free for everyone, with no daily entry cap. What the free tier lacks is the convenience layer: barcode scanning (Premium since October 2022), Meal Scan photo logging, Voice Log, macro goals by gram, data export, and the AI Coach. The free tier also shows ads.
What does the MyFitnessPal AI Coach do?
Announced in June 2026 and expanded in the August 2026 Summer Release, the AI Coach answers questions like what to order at dinner or how to hit your protein target with specific food-and-portion suggestions, grounded in your own logging history and MyFitnessPal's food database, and helps plan meals for the week or a trip. As of September 2026 it is available only to Premium and Premium+ subscribers on iOS, in English, in the US, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and it cannot log food or change your goals for you.
Is the free version of MyFitnessPal still usable in 2026?
Yes, for typed logging. The free tier includes unlimited food and exercise logging, custom foods and recipes, the recipe importer, water tracking, macro goals by percentage, the new Progress tab, and GLP-1 tracking in the US. It is ad-supported, and barcode scanning, Meal Scan, Voice Log, gram-level macros, food timestamps, the fasting tracker, data export, and the AI Coach all require Premium.
Is MyFitnessPal Premium worth it?
On the annual plan, yes for a specific person: an iPhone user who relies on the verified food database, logs packaged food by barcode daily, and wants AI meal guidance in the app they already use. It is not worth it if you would pay monthly (three times the annual rate), if you are on Android or the web and want the AI Coach (not available there yet), if you only need basic uncapped logging, or if you want nutrition advice connected to your training, which no MyFitnessPal tier offers.
How do I cancel MyFitnessPal Premium?
Cancel on the platform you paid through: on iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions, MyFitnessPal, Cancel Subscription; on Android, open the Play Store, tap your profile icon, Payments and subscriptions, Subscriptions, MyFitnessPal, Cancel; on the web, go to Settings, Subscription Settings, and switch Auto-Renewal off. Cancel more than 24 hours before renewal. MyFitnessPal's terms say Premium purchases are final and non-refundable in the US except at its discretion, with a 14-day refund window only for non-US residents, so decide during the 7-day trial.