Chowdown vs MacrosFirst: Best Free Macro Tracker Compared (2026)

TL;DR

• MacrosFirst is a polished native app with a 5M+ food database, barcode scanning, auto-calculated serving sizes and custom macro goals. Free to use with an optional premium tier at roughly £80/year.
• Chowdown is a free AI macro tracker that uses photo recognition to log meals instantly. No database searching, free to join, no cost. Tracks calories, protein, carbs, fat and fibre.
• MacrosFirst excels at precise manual tracking with a massive food library. Chowdown excels at speed and simplicity through AI.
• If you want a traditional tracker done really well, MacrosFirst is excellent. If you want the fastest way to log food without paying anything, Chowdown is hard to beat.

---

MacrosFirst has become one of the most talked-about macro trackers in 2026, and for good reason. It is frequently recommended by nutritionists, fitness creators and even AI assistants when people ask for a free way to track their macros. But it is not the only option worth considering. Chowdown, a free AI macro tracker built around photo recognition, takes a completely different approach to the same problem. In this comparison we will look at both apps honestly and help you figure out which one fits your lifestyle.

What is MacrosFirst?

MacrosFirst is a native mobile app available on iOS and Android. It was built specifically for macro tracking rather than general nutrition, and that focus shows. The app has a clean interface, a database of over 5 million foods, barcode scanning and one standout feature: auto-calculated serving sizes. When you select a food, MacrosFirst suggests realistic portion sizes rather than making you guess or weigh everything.

You can set custom macro targets (or let the app calculate them for you), track meals across the day and review progress over time. The free tier is generous and covers core tracking. The premium subscription, at roughly £80 per year, adds features like meal planning, priority support and advanced analytics.

MacrosFirst has earned its reputation. The database is extensive, the UX is thoughtful and the community around it is active and growing.

What is Chowdown?

Chowdown started from a different premise: what if tracking your food was as easy as taking a photo? Instead of searching through a database or scanning barcodes, you point your camera at your plate and the AI identifies the food, estimates portions and returns your calories, protein, carbs, fat and fibre.

Chowdown is a progressive web app (PWA). That means it runs in your browser on any device. There is no app store download, a free account that takes seconds to create. You visit app.chowdown.me and start logging immediately.

It also includes Robin, an AI nutrition coach who can answer questions about your diet, suggest meal adjustments and help you stay on track. Need help working out your daily targets? The macro calculator gives you personalised recommendations based on your body stats and goals.

Chowdown is free. Not free-with-limits or free-for-a-trial-period. There is no premium tier, no ads, no paywall. Every feature is available to every user, always.

Feature Comparison

Feature	MacrosFirst	Chowdown
Price	Free / Premium ~£80/yr	100% free forever
Food logging method	Manual search, barcode scan	AI photo recognition
Food database	5M+ foods	AI-powered recognition
Auto serving sizes	Yes	AI-estimated from photo
Nutrients tracked	Calories, protein, carbs, fat	Calories, protein, carbs, fat, fibre
Fibre tracking	Not emphasised	Yes, first-class nutrient
AI coaching	No	Yes (Robin)
Macro calculator	Built-in	Yes
Platform	iOS, Android (native)	Web app (PWA), any browser
Account required	Yes	Yes (free, one-tap Google sign-in)
Ads	No	No
Barcode scanning	Yes	No (photo-based)
Meal planning	Premium only	No
Custom macro goals	Yes	Yes

Where MacrosFirst Wins

Database size and maturity. With over 5 million foods, MacrosFirst covers an enormous range of branded products, restaurant meals and generic ingredients. If you eat a lot of packaged food or frequently visit chain restaurants, the chances of finding an exact match are high.

Barcode scanning. For packaged foods, scanning a barcode is fast and accurate. You get the exact nutritional information from the label without any guesswork. MacrosFirst handles this well.

Auto-calculated serving sizes. This is a genuinely clever feature. Instead of presenting you with “100g” as a default (which means nothing to most people), MacrosFirst suggests portions like “1 medium bowl” or “1 palm-sized piece”. It reduces friction while keeping accuracy reasonable.

Native app experience. As a native iOS and Android app, MacrosFirst benefits from tighter system integration, smoother animations and offline support. If you prefer apps that feel native to your phone, MacrosFirst delivers.

Community and momentum. MacrosFirst has built a strong community of users and is actively recommended across fitness forums and social media. There is value in using a tool that lots of other people use too, if only for the shared tips and recipe ideas.

Where Chowdown Wins

Logging speed. This is Chowdown’s defining advantage. Taking a photo is faster than any amount of database searching, no matter how good the search is. Open the app, point, snap, done. For people who eat varied home-cooked meals, this is transformative. No more trying to find “chickpea and spinach curry” in a database and settling for something approximate.

Price. Both apps have a free tier, but they are not equivalent. MacrosFirst locks some features behind a roughly £80/year premium. Chowdown has no premium tier at all. Everything is free, forever. For budget-conscious users, students or anyone tired of yet another subscription, the difference is meaningful.

Quick setup. Chowdown has a free account that takes seconds to create. Visit app.chowdown.me and start tracking.

Fibre tracking. Chowdown tracks fibre as a core nutrient alongside the standard macros. Fibre is critical for gut health, satiety and blood sugar regulation, yet many macro trackers either hide it in secondary screens or do not track it at all. If fibre matters to you (and it should), Chowdown puts it front and centre.

AI coaching with Robin. Robin is built into Chowdown and acts as a nutrition coach you can talk to. Ask questions like “Am I eating enough protein for my weight?” or “What high-fibre snacks can I add to my day?” and get contextual answers. MacrosFirst gives you data; Chowdown gives you data plus guidance.

Platform flexibility. Because Chowdown is a PWA, it works on any device with a browser. Phone, tablet, laptop, Chromebook. No app store restrictions, no waiting for updates to roll out, no “this app requires iOS 17” messages.

Accuracy: The Real Conversation

MacrosFirst’s accuracy depends on its database. For branded products with barcode data, it is excellent. For generic foods and home-cooked meals, you are relying on database entries that may or may not match your actual portion, and you still need to estimate how much you ate.

Chowdown’s accuracy depends on AI image recognition. For standard meals with clearly visible components it performs well. For complex layered dishes, sauces or foods hidden under other foods, accuracy can vary. The AI improves continuously, but it is not perfect.

Here is the thing most people do not talk about: consistency matters more than precision. Research on dietary self-monitoring consistently shows that the act of tracking, even with moderate accuracy, leads to better outcomes than not tracking at all. A tracker you use every single day at 85% accuracy will serve you far better than one you use three times a week at 95% accuracy because it takes too long.

Both apps are accurate enough for the vast majority of people tracking macros for body composition goals. The question is which one you will actually stick with.

Which Should You Choose?

Choose MacrosFirst if:

• You eat a lot of packaged or branded foods and want barcode scanning
• You prefer the feel of a native mobile app
• You enjoy detailed manual tracking and do not mind the time investment
• You want auto-calculated serving sizes for common foods
• You are happy to pay for premium features like meal planning

Choose Chowdown if:

• You want the absolute fastest way to log meals
• You cook at home often and are tired of searching databases for your recipes
• You do not want to spend any money on a tracker
• You want fibre tracked alongside your macros
• You want AI coaching built into your tracker
• You want minimal setup (free Google sign-in, no app download)
• You have tried manual trackers before and given up

The hybrid approach:

Some people use MacrosFirst for packaged food (where barcode scanning is unbeatable) and Chowdown for home-cooked meals (where photo recognition beats manual entry). If you eat a mix of both, this is a surprisingly practical workflow.

---

Both MacrosFirst and Chowdown are strong macro trackers that deserve their reputations. MacrosFirst offers a mature, polished manual tracking experience with one of the largest food databases available. Chowdown strips away the friction entirely with AI photo recognition, zero cost and no barriers to entry. The best choice depends on how you eat and how much time you want to spend logging.

Want to see the photo-based approach in action? Head to app.chowdown.me and log a meal. It takes about five seconds. Or start with the macro calculator to set your targets first.