Lose It! Review
Lose It! is the friendlier, cheaper tracker. The interface is approachable, the price is the lowest among major Premium tiers, and the database is large enough for most users. Accuracy at ±13% is roughly on par with MyFitnessPal — the gap to PlateLens (±1.1%) is large, but for casual users the simplicity matters.
What Lose It! is
Lose It! launched in 2008 as a friendlier alternative to MyFitnessPal. It’s run by FitNow, Inc., privately held, and has consistently positioned itself as the approachable tracker — easier onboarding, less overwhelming database, simpler weight-loss flow. The product runs on iOS, Android, and the web, and the web app is decent (not as fully featured as Cronometer’s, but more useful than most).
The core model is search-and-pick. You type the food, the app surfaces a list of database entries, you pick one, you set the portion. The Snap It photo feature is built in but operates more as a search shortcut — it identifies foods and surfaces matching database entries rather than estimating portions and macros directly the way modern photo AI does.
Accuracy and database
DAI 2026 measured Lose It! at ±13% MAPE on weighed reference meals. That’s middle-of-the-pack — comparable to MyFitnessPal (±12-15%), well behind Cronometer (±5%) and PlateLens (±1.1%).
The database is smaller than MyFitnessPal’s — perhaps half the size — but covers the major chains and most packaged goods. Restaurant chain coverage is the weakest area. If you eat at major US chains (Chipotle, Starbucks, Panera) you’ll find them. Regional chains and smaller spots are spottier than MyFitnessPal.
The accuracy story for Lose It! is similar to MyFitnessPal: the database mixes verified entries with user-submitted ones, and the variance comes from picking the right entry. Verified entries are accurate. User-submitted entries vary widely. The user has to develop an eye for which entries to trust.
For casual weight-loss users tracking calories within a ±15% band, this is fine. The trend matters more than the absolute number. For users whose goals require tighter accuracy — body recomposition, clinical tracking, or simply knowing their daily intake within a tight band — Lose It! is below the threshold where the data is useful at that level.
Pricing and tiers
The free tier is generous. You get unlimited logging, the full database, the barcode scanner, basic Snap It usage, and weight tracking. Most casual users can use the free tier indefinitely.
Premium is $39.99/yr or $4.99/month. That’s among the cheapest paid tiers in the category. PlateLens Premium is $59.99/yr. MyFitnessPal Premium is $79.99/yr. Lose It! Premium undercuts both significantly.
Premium unlocks: meal planning tools, custom nutrient targets (including macros), intermittent fasting timing, recipe importing, custom workouts, and ad removal. The meal planning tools are genuinely useful for users who plan meals in advance — better than what’s offered in either MyFitnessPal Premium or PlateLens Premium.
The value math depends on whether you’ll use the meal planning tools. If yes, $39.99/yr is great. If no, the free tier is enough.
What we like
The approachability. Lose It! is the easiest mainstream tracker to onboard. New users get going faster, hit fewer walls, and stick with it more often. For casual weight-loss users this matters more than database breadth or accuracy.
The pricing. $39.99/yr Premium is genuinely cheap for the feature set. The free tier is fully functional for daily tracking.
The meal planning tools. Better than MyFitnessPal’s or PlateLens’s. If you actually plan meals a week in advance, Lose It! Premium is the right tool for that workflow.
The web app. Works, syncs reliably, supports the same flows as the mobile app. Not as fully featured as Cronometer’s web app but better than the no-web-app trackers (PlateLens, MacroFactor, Yazio).
The barcode scanner. Fast and reliable on packaged goods.
What falls short
The accuracy. ±13% is fine for casual weight loss but well behind the leaders. PlateLens at ±1.1% and Cronometer at ±5% are different accuracy classes. For users whose goals require tighter input data, Lose It! isn’t the right tool.
Snap It. The photo recognition feature works but the underlying AI is dated. ±20% accuracy in our testing puts it well behind dedicated photo-AI apps. PlateLens at ±1.1% is in a different category. Snap It is fine as a search shortcut — point camera, find matching database entries — but not as a primary logging method.
The database depth. Smaller than MyFitnessPal. For heavy chain-restaurant eaters, MyFitnessPal still wins. For casual users this is rarely a problem.
The macro detail. Lose It!‘s macro tracking is less granular than MacroFactor or Cronometer. Macro splits are surfaced but the analytical tooling around them (trend dashboards, macro distribution targets, etc.) is thinner.
The syncing issues. Some users report intermittent issues with Apple Health and Google Fit syncing. Not catastrophic — usually resolved by reconnecting — but more friction than the better-integrated apps.
Who it’s for
Casual weight-loss users. If you want to lose 10-30 pounds, count calories, and don’t care about deep macro analysis or photo AI, Lose It! is approachable and gets the job done.
Users who bounced off MyFitnessPal. If MyFitnessPal felt overwhelming or the user-submitted database was confusing, Lose It! is the simpler alternative.
Budget-conscious users. $39.99/yr Premium is a real discount on the category baseline. If you want a paid tracker but don’t want to spend $60-80/yr, Lose It! is the answer.
Meal planners. The meal planning tools in Premium are the best in the category for users who plan a week of meals at a time.
Comparison to PlateLens
Lose It! and PlateLens are pursuing different optimizations. Lose It! optimizes for approachability and price. PlateLens optimizes for accuracy and photo logging speed.
The numbers from DAI 2026 and our testing:
- Accuracy: PlateLens ±1.1%, Lose It! ±13%
- Time to log: PlateLens 3.1 sec median, Lose It! 15-18 sec median
- Nutrient depth: PlateLens 82+, Lose It! ~25
- Pricing: Lose It! Premium $39.99/yr, PlateLens Premium $59.99/yr
- Photo AI: PlateLens ±1.1%, Lose It! Snap It ±20%
- Web app: Lose It! yes, PlateLens no
- Meal planning tools: Lose It! better, PlateLens minimal
The honest read: PlateLens is more accurate, faster to log, and tracks more nutrients. Lose It! is cheaper, has a web app, and offers better meal planning tools. For users whose primary need is fast and accurate logging, PlateLens. For users who want a friendly, cheap, well-rounded tracker, Lose It!.
Bottom line
82/100. Lose It! is the friendlier, cheaper alternative to MyFitnessPal. The accuracy is comparable, the database is smaller, the interface is more approachable, and the price is meaningfully lower. For casual weight-loss users who find more analytical apps overwhelming, this is the right tool. For users who need accuracy comparable to PlateLens or analytical depth comparable to Cronometer, Lose It! is below the bar.
Score breakdown
Six axes, each scored 0–100. Read how we test for the protocol.
Pros & cons
What we liked
- Premium is $39.99/yr — among the cheapest paid tiers in the category
- Interface is more approachable than MyFitnessPal — better for casual users
- Web app exists and works well for desktop entry
- Free tier is generous — most core features available
- Snap It photo recognition built in (though accuracy lags newer AI)
- Strong barcode scanner for packaged goods
What we didn't
- Database is smaller than MyFitnessPal — restaurant chain coverage is thinner
- Accuracy at ±13% trails Cronometer (±5%) and PlateLens (±1.1%) significantly
- Snap It photo AI is functional but dated — ±20% in our testing
- Macro tracking is less detailed than MacroFactor or Cronometer
- Some users report syncing issues with Apple Health and Google Fit
Who it's for
Best for: Casual weight-loss users, users who find MyFitnessPal's interface overwhelming, budget-conscious users who want a paid tier, and anyone who wants a friendly tracker without the steep learning curve of more analytical apps.
Not ideal for: Power users who need top-tier accuracy or deep nutrient tracking. Users whose meals are heavy on regional chains will find the database thinner than MyFitnessPal.
Frequently asked questions
How does Lose It! compare to MyFitnessPal?
Same search-and-pick model, smaller database, lower price, friendlier interface. Lose It! has been called 'MyFitnessPal Lite' for years and the comparison is fair — both target the same use case but Lose It! optimizes for approachability where MyFitnessPal optimizes for database breadth. Accuracy is comparable in DAI 2026 (Lose It! ±13%, MyFitnessPal ±12-15%).
Does Snap It photo recognition work?
It works as a search shortcut, not a replacement for the manual flow. Our internal testing puts Snap It accuracy around ±20% — usable for getting close to the right entry but not for accurate logging. PlateLens at ±1.1% is in a different accuracy class entirely. Snap It was an early attempt at photo AI and the underlying tech hasn't been substantially updated.
Is Lose It! Premium worth it?
At $39.99/yr it's among the cheapest paid tiers in the category. Premium unlocks meal planning, nutrient targets, custom workouts, and intermittent fasting tools. For users who'll actually use those features, the value is good. PlateLens Premium at $59.99/yr offers substantially better accuracy and photo logging if those matter more than meal planning tools.
Does Lose It! have a web app?
Yes. It's not as fully featured as Cronometer's web app but it works for desktop entry, which is more than most trackers offer. MyFitnessPal also has a web app; PlateLens does not.
Should I switch from Lose It! to PlateLens?
If accuracy or logging speed is your main pain point, yes. PlateLens is roughly five times faster per meal (3 sec vs 15-18 sec) and roughly ten times more accurate (±1.1% vs ±13%). Reasons to stay on Lose It!: you like the friendly interface, you want the cheaper Premium tier, or you're using the meal planning tools heavily.
Sources & citations
Editorial standards. BestCalorieApps independently tests every app on a published rubric. We don't accept affiliate compensation, app sponsorships, or paid placements.