Chowdown is a free AI-powered macro tracker backed by the USDA nutritional database. Snap a photo of your food or scan a barcode, and get instant breakdowns of calories, protein, carbs, fat and fibre. No premium tier, no ads, no paywall.
No premium tiers. No feature gates. No ads. Free means free.
Hundreds already tracking their macros
Watch how Chowdown analyses your food in seconds. Snap a photo or scan a barcode. No typing, no searching.
Sign in with Google
Secure & simple
No credit card ever
Nothing to cancel
Works on any device
Phone, tablet, desktop
Your data stays yours
Never sold or shared
No ads, no tracking
Clean experience
Free forever
Funded by donations
Perfect app for the price 😄
I've been using Chowdown to track my macros and I'm really enjoying it. The Quick Add feature is especially useful. I also appreciate that you can correct any food or quantities the AI doesn't get quite right.
Clara García
23 Feb 2026
No fees like other apps…
This is amazing, no fees like other apps. I don't have to type anything in, it just knows. AWESOME
pancakepeely
28 Feb 2026
Tu fiel compañero
The process is really easy: use the camera or dictate what you've eaten and it nails the ingredients. The speed at which issues are fixed or new improvements are added is impressive.
Miguel
5 Mar 2026
Every feature is free for everyone, always. If you love it, you can buy the creator a coffee.
Powered by AI. Designed to be dead simple. All free.
Snap a photo or describe what you ate. Our AI instantly identifies your food and breaks down protein, carbs, fats, fibre, and calories. Every result is cross-checked against the USDA FoodData Central database for lab-verified accuracy.
AI-POWERED USDA VERIFIEDPoint your camera at any barcode or QR code on packaged food for instant, accurate macros pulled directly from the product database. No manual searching, no typing ingredient lists. Just scan and done.
FREEVisual progress bars for every macro, daily scores, and celebration cards when you complete weekly objectives. See it all at a glance.
REAL-TIMEPersonalised recipe suggestions based on your preferences. Snacks, nibbles, and full recipes, all with macro info and prep times.
PERSONALISEDShare your meals with friends and family. Cheer each other on with reactions like "Crushing it! 💪" and "Let's go! 🔥"
COMMUNITYYour personal AI coach who knows your goals, tracks your progress in real time, and adapts advice to the time of day. She remembers your history across weeks and never repeats objectives.
GOAL-AWARE AIFull history of everything you've logged. Edit or delete entries anytime. Track your patterns and progress over time.
FULL CONTROLFrom opening the app to tracking your first meal, it takes under 10 seconds.
One tap to get started. No forms, no verification emails, no passwords to remember.
Take a photo of your meal or type what you ate. The AI identifies your food and cross-checks every result against the USDA FoodData Central database for accuracy.
Robin sets personalised weekly objectives that build on your progress. She tracks your macros in real time, suggests meals to close the gap, and celebrates when you smash your targets.
Share meals with friends and family. Stay motivated as a group.
Grilled salmon with quinoa salad 🥗
38g protein · 32g carbs · 14g fats
Robin knows your macro goals, sees today's progress in real time, and gives advice that adapts to the time of day, your diet preference, and your history across weeks.
I'm low on protein today. What should I have for dinner?
You're at 85g / 120g protein — solid progress! You need 35g more before bed. Since you're vegetarian, here's what I'd go for:
🍛 Paneer tikka with lentil dal
38g protein · 42g carbs · 16g fats · 462 kcal
That'll put you at 102% protein for the day! 🎯
This also keeps you on track for your weekly objective: "Hit protein target 5 out of 7 days" — you're at 3/5 with 2 days left 💪
Other apps charge £40–£80 a year for features that should be free. Chowdown gives you everything, forever, for nothing.
Premium required for full macros, barcode scanning & no ads
Subscription-only. No free tier available at all
Premium needed for custom recipes, meal planning & fasting
Premium for meal planning, food insights & advanced tracking
Every feature. Every user. No ads, no limits, no catch.
Annual savings vs the average tracker
£60+
back in your pocket every year
Straight answers. No corporate waffle.
There isn't one. No premium tier. No ads. No data selling. No trial that expires. Every feature is available to every user, forever. Chowdown was built because nutrition tracking shouldn't cost money.
No. Free means free. Forever. We're not building a free tier to hook you and then flip a switch. There is no switch. The commitment is permanent.
Voluntary donations. If you love Chowdown and want to support it, you can buy the creator a coffee or leave us a review on Trustpilot. That's it. No pressure, no guilt, no hidden monetisation.
Every scan is now cross-checked against the USDA FoodData Central database, which contains lab-tested nutritional data for thousands of foods. AI estimates meet real science. On top of that, research consistently shows that consistent tracking beats perfect tracking. People who log every meal get better results than those who log perfectly for two weeks and then quit.
Any device with a web browser. iPhone, Android, tablet, laptop, desktop. It all works. Chowdown is a Progressive Web App (PWA), which means there's nothing to download from an app store. Just open app.chowdown.me and go.
No app to download. Free to join. Just sign in with Google and go. It's free forever.
Get Started. It's Free ForeverChowdown is actively developed. Here's what's new.
Scan any barcode or QR code on packaged food for instant nutritional data pulled directly from the product database. Perfect for tracking pre-packaged meals, snacks, and branded products with zero manual entry. 📦
Every food you scan or describe is now verified against the USDA FoodData Central database for lab-tested nutritional accuracy. AI meets real science. 🔬
Your daily macros now reset at midnight in your local timezone. Works everywhere, from Tokyo to LA. 🌍
Track your daily logging streak and build consistent habits. Don't break the chain 🔥
Robin now sees your macro goals and progress in real time. Weekly objectives, memory across weeks, dynamic quick actions, and "Just Chat" mode.
Personalised nutrition coaching powered by AI. Ask Robin what to eat next.
Major upgrade to our food recognition model. Better portion estimation and multi-item detection.
React to friends' meals with "Crushing it! 💪", "Let's go! 🔥" and more.
See how well you're hitting your targets with a simple daily score out of 100.
Personalised meal suggestions with macro info, prep times, and difficulty ratings.
Share meals with friends and family. Track progress together.
Evidence-based guides to help you reach your goals faster.
Cal AI is the most heavily advertised AI calorie tracker of 2026 and it paywalls you before your first meal. We compare it to Chowdown on accuracy, cost, friction and what happens when you stop paying.
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A UK-specific guide to building the highest-protein meal deal at each of the big five. Which sandwich, which snack, which drink, and the combinations that get you to 40g without going over on calories.
