The 12 Best Weight Loss Apps of 2023

These free weight loss apps can help you track what you eat

By
Elise Moreau
Elise Moreau
Elise Moreau
Freelance Contributor
  • University of Ontario
  • George Brown College
Elise Moreau is a writer that has covered social media, texting, messaging, and streaming for Lifewire. Her work has appeared on Techvibes, SlashGear, Lifehack and others.
lifewire's editorial guidelines
Updated on May 12, 2023

There are countless weight loss apps out there that claim to give you the tools and guidance. From calorie counting and food tracking apps to running and fitness program apps, the number of choices you have can certainly be overwhelming.

Only the best weight loss apps can help to maximize your results, which is why we've pulled together the following list. Whatever goal you set, these are the apps that you can rely on to help you achieve them.

01
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Track the Calories You Consume and Burn to Hit Your Calorie Target: Lose It!

Three screenshots of the Lose It! app.
What We Like

  • Calculates calorie targets based on personal stats and goals (age, weight, gender, etc.).

  • Extensive built-in library of foods and exercise activities.

  • Social community for support.

What We Don't Like

  • Limited goal tracking with free version.

  • No future date food or exercise planning with free version.

Lose It! is the ultimate calorie-counting app. The app will ask you a few basic questions about yourself and then give you a daily calorie target based on how much weight you want to lose. You get both a visual graph and log of your calorie breakdown based on the foods and exercises you log into the app.

Price: Free with premium upgrade for $39.99 per year.

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02
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Food Tracking App With the Largest Food Database: MyFitnessPal

Three screenshots of the MyFitnessPal app.
What We Like

  • Over 11 million foods included in its built-in food library.

  • Recipe importer to easily move nutritional information from recipes to the app.

  • Over 350 exercises to log plus over 50 apps and devices that can be integrated with it.

What We Don't Like

  • No nutrient dashboard, food analysis or other features with free version.

MyFitnessPal has the largest food library of all the food tracking and weight loss apps out there—even those from popular brands and restaurants. For recipes you find on the web, the app can walk you through the process of adding all the ingredients so the serving sizes and nutritional information is imported into your log. And of course, like Lose It!, you can use MyFitnessPal to track hundreds of exercises from within the app, from your fitness device, or from a manual exercise entry.

Price: Free with premium upgrade for $9.99 per month or $49.99 per year.

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03
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Fast and Simple Calorie Tracking: Fat Secret

Three screenshots of the Fat Secret app.
What We Like

  • A clean and intuitive interface that displays all information in a visually pleasing way.

  • Fast performance and easy to add foods/exercises.

  • Image recognition for foods by photo-taking with your device's camera.

What We Don't Like

  • Some minor limitations with the food database and exercise logging.

If you don't want to pay to get the full features of a calorie-counting app like Lose It! or aren't a fan of an app interface like SparkPeople, you'll want to check out Fat Secret. It's totally free (no ads!) and includes everything from a food diary and recipes, to a weight chart/journal and a whole community of people looking to offer support. If you want advanced meal planning and more, you can upgrade to premium.

Price: Free with premium upgrades at $6.99 per month, $19.99 per quarter or $38.99 per year.

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04
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Track Daily Activity With or Without an Activity Tracking Device: Fitbit

Three screenshots of the Fitbit app.
What We Like

  • Track all-day activity just by carrying your phone with you or use your phone's GPS to track the distance you run or walk.

  • Track food intake using the app's built-in library of over 350,000 foods.

  • Set and track sleep goals in addition to activity and food.

What We Don't Like

  • Higher chance or error or inaccuracy when used without an activity tracking device.

You don't need one of those snazzy Fitbit bracelets or clip-on devices to use this app. Besides being compatible with over 200 leading activity-tracking devices, you can also use this app alone—either by logging your activity manually or carrying your phone with you and having the app sense your daily movement.

Price: Free

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05
of 12

Lose Weight by Tracking Your Runs: Runkeeper

Three screenshots of the Runkeeper app.
What We Like

  • Ability to set multiple run goals, including a weight loss goal.

  • Get motivational audio updates during your run.

  • Optionally get a personalized running plan to help you reach your goals.

What We Don't Like

  • No food tracking feature.

  • No progress insights with the free version.

Runkeeper is a top app choice if you plan on sticking to a running routine to help you lose weight. All you need is your phone while you run (although it can be integrated with some activity-tracking devices and heart rate monitors). Set your pace, follow a training schedule, and join challenges to help yourself reach your running and weight loss goals.

Price: Free with premium upgrade for $9.99 per month, $19.99 per quarter or $39.99 per year.

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06
of 12

Get Personalized Nutrition Analyses: Fooducate

Three screenshots of the Fooducate app.
What We Like

  • Personalized nutrition grades (A, B, C or D) makes it easier to select different foods.

  • Built in barcode scanner that identifies hidden ingredients like added sugar, MSG, etc.

  • Access to free diet tips from professionals.

What We Don't Like

  • Although it has a large food database, many users still experience trouble finding certain foods.

  • No macronutrient breakdown in the free version.

  • Ads appear in the free version.

Fooducate is an app that helps educate you as much as possible about what you're eating. Create a personalized nutrition plan based on your stats, goals, and eating plan (keto, low carb, etc.) so that you can get recommendations based on the foods you enter into the app. In addition to food, you can also track your sleep, mood, and hunger levels.

Price: Free with in-app purchases ranging from $0.99 to $89.99

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07
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Three screenshots of the DietBet app.
What We Like

  • The opportunity to earn cash for losing weight.

  • Support from a group who participate in the same game.

  • Individual referees verify participant weigh-ins.

What We Don't Like

  • Games are only measured by weight loss, not other factors like inches lost or fat percentage.

  • Points earned in your account will expire if you go inactive for a certain amount of time.

DietBet is the ultimate motivational weight loss app, using cash rewards for working together as a group to lose weight. The more weight you lose as a group, the more you'll earn at the end of the game. Games are either one month long (Kickstarter) with a goal of losing 4 percent of your weight or six months long (Transformer) with a goal of losing 10 percent of your weight.

Price: Free, but you must offer funds to participate in each individual game.

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08
of 12

Mindful Food Tracking Without the Calorie Counting: YouAte

Three screenshots of the YouAte app.
What We Like

  • A food diary for people who don't want to count calories or macronutrients.

  • Highly visual, clean and simple to use interface.

  • Encourages mindfulness and self-reflection.

What We Don't Like

  • No optional choices to manually incorporate calories if desired.

YouAte takes the calorie counting out of losing weight by encouraging you to track your food, activities, and feelings in a more mindful manner. It's a simple food journal that helps you capture your meals visually (by taking photos) and connecting them to why you ate them. The app will then give you more meaningful insights into your habits rather than calorie deficits or surpluses.

Price: Free with premium upgrades at $5.99 per month, $14.99 per quarter, or $36.99 per year.

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09
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A Psychology-Based Weight Loss Program: Noom

Three screenshots of the Noom app.
What We Like

  • Focuses more on your relationship with foods rather than numbers.

  • Incorporates psychological techniques to adopt different lifestyle habits.

  • Traditional food and exercise logging tools, including large food database and barcode scanner

What We Don't Like

  • The app can only be used for free during the 14-day trial period.

  • Food logging experience isn't as good as other popular calorie counting apps.

Noom pulls together the expertise of personal trainers, nutritionists, doctors, and psychologists to deliver a weight loss course that goes beyond number crunching. It also has Noom Circles now, which is an online community that connects users and gives them access to coaches.

Price: Starts at $17.42 a month (for the annual auto-renew plan; you pay $209 upfront). Month-to-month auto-renew plan is $70.

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10
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Asana Rebel: Yoga-Inspired Workouts to Help You Get Fit

Three screenshots of the Asana Rebel app.
What We Like

  • Highly effective workouts that incorporate yoga poses body weight movements.

  • Personalization according to desired goals and time for workouts.

  • Meditations that involve movement.

What We Don't Like

  • Limited use with a free plan (one workout that's only about 5 minutes).

  • Not the greatest user interface.

Geared toward women who love yoga but want more of a workout from it, Asana Rebel delivers traditional strength, cardio, and even meditation practices with a yoga-inspired flare. It includes personalized training programs for whatever your goals might be, whether you only have five minutes to work out or a whole hour.

Price: Free with in-app purchases ranging from $9.99 to $58.99.

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11
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A High-Quality Timer for Interval and Circuit Training: Seconds

Three screenshots of the Seconds Pro app.
What We Like

  • Ability to use preexisting timer templates.

  • Bright, large and clear timer layout to see clearly during your workout.

  • Ability to train with voice cues and music.

What We Don't Like

  • The timer might reset itself if you close the screen or go to another app.

  • Lots of reports of bugs.

Seconds is not your average workout timer app. In fact, it allows you to use timer templates so you can create timers for your high-intensity, Tabata, and circuit workouts. It has voice-guided cues so you know exactly what to do during your workout and even coordinates music to match the intensity.

Price: Free with a premium upgrade for $4.99.

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12
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Your App for Going from Sedentary to an Experienced Runner: Couch to 5K

Three screenshots of the Couch to 5K app.
What We Like

  • Ideal for beginner runners.

  • Virtual trainers that offer motivation.

  • GPS tracking, voice commands and in-app music.

What We Don't Like

  • It might not show accurate distance recordings.

  • No free app version.

Couch to 5K is a running program for beginners who are looking to start a running habit and track their progress. The app claims to help transform sedentary users into runners just by encouraging them to stick to a running habit three times a week for 20 to 30 minutes over a nine-week period.

Price: $2.99 to $3.99

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