Chowdown vs Cronometer: Which Free Macro Tracker Is Better in 2026?

TL;DR

• Cronometer is the gold standard for micronutrient depth, tracking 84+ nutrients with a verified, lab-sourced database. It is unmatched for detailed nutrition analysis.
• Chowdown is a free AI macro tracker that lets you snap a photo of your meal and get calories, protein, carbs, fat and fibre instantly. Free to join, no ads, no paywall.
• Cronometer’s free tier includes ads; its Gold plan costs roughly £5–10/month. Chowdown is 100% free forever.
• If you need granular micronutrient data, Cronometer wins. If you want the fastest, simplest way to hit your macros without paying a penny, Chowdown wins. For more comparisons, see our best free calorie counter apps guide.

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Choosing a macro tracker can feel overwhelming. There are dozens of apps, each promising to be the one that finally makes nutrition tracking stick. Two names that come up repeatedly are Cronometer and Chowdown, a free AI macro tracker that takes a radically different approach to food logging. In this comparison we will look at both apps honestly, highlight where each one shines, and help you decide which suits your goals.

What is Cronometer?

Cronometer has been around since 2011 and has earned a loyal following among nutrition enthusiasts, dietitians and biohackers. Its biggest selling point is data quality. The database pulls from verified, lab-analysed sources such as the NCCDB and USDA, and it tracks over 84 micronutrients including individual amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals.

If you have ever wondered whether you are getting enough zinc, magnesium or omega-3, Cronometer gives you answers most other apps simply cannot.

The free tier is fully functional but ad-supported. The Gold subscription (roughly £5–10 per month depending on your plan) removes ads, adds a fasting timer, custom biometrics and recipe sharing. There is also a Pro tier aimed at health professionals.

Logging food in Cronometer means searching a database, scanning a barcode or entering values manually. The process is thorough but it does take time, especially for home-cooked meals where you need to weigh and enter each ingredient.

What is Chowdown?

Chowdown launched with a single goal: make macro tracking so fast that you actually keep doing it. Instead of searching databases or scanning barcodes, you take a photo of your plate. The AI recognises the food and returns your calories, protein, carbs, fat and fibre within seconds.

There is no app to download. Chowdown is a progressive web app (PWA) that runs in any browser on any device. Open app.chowdown.me, snap a photo, and you are tracking. Free account takes seconds to create, no credit card, no email verification hoops.

Chowdown also includes Robin, an AI nutrition coach that can answer questions about your diet, suggest adjustments and help you understand your eating patterns. And if you need help working out your daily targets, the macro calculator gives you personalised recommendations based on your stats and goals.

The price? Free. Not freemium, not free-with-ads, not free-for-30-days. Chowdown is completely free with no premium tier.

Feature Comparison

Feature	Cronometer	Chowdown
Price	Free (ads) / Gold £5–10/mo	100% free forever
Food logging method	Manual search, barcode scan	AI photo recognition
Nutrients tracked	84+ (macros, micros, aminos)	Calories, protein, carbs, fat, fibre
Database	Verified, lab-sourced (NCCDB, USDA)	AI-powered recognition
AI coaching	No	Yes (Robin)
Macro calculator	Yes	Yes
Platform	iOS, Android, web	Web app (PWA), any browser
Account required	Yes	Yes (free, one-tap Google sign-in)
Ads	Yes (free tier)	No
Fasting timer	Gold only	No
Recipe analysis	Yes (Gold)	No
Barcode scanning	Yes	No (photo-based)

Where Cronometer Wins

Micronutrient depth. No other consumer app comes close to Cronometer’s nutrient coverage. If your doctor has told you to watch your potassium, iron or B12 intake, Cronometer tracks it with confidence because the data comes from verified laboratory sources rather than user-submitted entries.

Database accuracy. Cronometer’s curated approach means fewer junk entries and more reliable numbers. When you log “chicken breast” in Cronometer, you know the values are lab-verified.

Professional use. Dietitians and nutritionists use Cronometer Pro to manage clients. If you are working with a health professional, there is a good chance they are already on the platform.

Recipe and meal planning. Gold subscribers can build recipes, save custom foods and plan meals in advance. For people who meal-prep every Sunday, this is genuinely useful.

Where Chowdown Wins

Speed of logging. This is the big one. Taking a photo is fundamentally faster than searching a database, selecting a serving size and confirming. Studies consistently show that the biggest reason people abandon food tracking is that it takes too long. Chowdown removes that friction almost entirely.

Price. Chowdown is free with no catches. No ads interrupting your flow, no features locked behind a paywall, no subscription creeping onto your credit card. For students, casual trackers or anyone who has been burned by subscription fatigue, this matters.

Near-zero setup. Visit app.chowdown.me and start tracking. Free to join, no app store, no permissions to grant. You can be logging your first meal within ten seconds of hearing about the app.

AI coaching. Robin acts as a nutrition coach built directly into the tracker. Instead of switching between a tracking app and a separate resource to understand your data, you can ask Robin questions in context. “Am I eating enough protein?” or “What should I have for dinner to hit my fibre goal?” are the kinds of questions Robin handles.

Fibre tracking. Chowdown tracks fibre as a first-class nutrient alongside the standard macros. Many macro trackers treat fibre as an afterthought, but it plays a crucial role in gut health, satiety and blood sugar management.

Accuracy: A Honest Look

Cronometer’s accuracy for packaged and single-ingredient foods is exceptional. Lab-verified data is hard to beat. For home-cooked meals, accuracy depends on how carefully you weigh and enter each ingredient, which can be time-consuming but precise.

Chowdown’s AI recognition is impressive for everyday meals but it is not infallible. Complex dishes, unusual cuisines or foods that look similar (rice vs cauliflower rice, for example) can sometimes trip up the AI. That said, the technology improves continuously and for the majority of common meals the estimates are solid.

The practical question is: which kind of accuracy matters more to you? Lab-grade numbers that require ten minutes of manual entry, or good-enough estimates captured in five seconds? For most people tracking macros to lose weight or build muscle, consistency beats perfection. A tracker you actually use every day will always outperform one you abandon after a week because it felt like homework.

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Cronometer if:

• You need detailed micronutrient tracking (vitamins, minerals, amino acids)
• You are working with a dietitian or health professional
• You enjoy the process of precise food logging and meal planning
• You have specific medical or clinical nutrition goals
• You are happy to pay for Gold features

Choose Chowdown if:

• You want the fastest possible way to log meals
• You are focused on macros (calories, protein, carbs, fat, fibre) rather than micronutrients
• You do not want to pay anything or deal with ads
• You have tried other trackers and quit because they were too tedious
• You want AI coaching to help interpret your data
• You prefer a web app with no downloads or sign-ups

Use both if:

• You want Cronometer’s micronutrient depth for planned meals but Chowdown’s speed for on-the-go logging. There is no rule saying you can only use one tracker.

Both Cronometer and Chowdown are excellent tools that serve different needs. Cronometer gives you the deepest nutrition data available in a consumer app. Chowdown gives you the fastest, most frictionless macro tracking experience with zero cost. The best tracker is the one you will actually use, so pick the approach that fits your life and start tracking.

Ready to try the photo-based approach? Open app.chowdown.me and log your next meal in seconds. Or use the macro calculator to set your daily targets first.