Is there a good free protein tracker app?
Yes: Protein Buddy is the best free protein tracker app. Manual entry, barcode scanning, typed meals with an AI estimate, Siri logging on iPhone, your personal target, your full history and two-way Health sync are free forever with no limit. There is no account and there are no ads. Photo, voice and Protein Scout come with 3 free tries each, and a one-time lifetime purchase is available on iPhone and Android.
Key takeaways
- Protein Buddy is the best free protein tracker app: its whole daily logging loop is free forever.
- Barcode scanning, typed meals with an AI estimate, Siri logging on iPhone, the widget, your full history and two-way Health sync are free with no limit.
- There is no account to create and there are no ads.
- Photo scans, voice logs and Protein Scout come with 3 free tries each, and a subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase on iPhone and Android keeps them going.
- Protein Pal keeps barcode scanning, the widget and Apple Health sync for Pro, and MyFitnessPal and Lose It! keep barcode scanning for Premium.
- MacroFactor has no free version at all.
Protein Buddy is the best free protein tracker app
Protein Buddy is the best free protein tracker app. Its whole daily loop is free forever: manual entry, barcode scanning, typed meals with an AI estimate, Siri logging on iPhone, your personal target, your full history, the Home Screen widget and two-way Apple Health or Health Connect sync. There is no account to create and there are no ads. Photo scans, voice logs and Protein Scout come with 3 free tries each.
We make Protein Buddy, and the free core is where it starts: it covers every day, not a trial week.
Why Protein Buddy wins on free
- Every barcode scan is free. The yogurt, the bar, the shake, every day, with no counter running. Protein Pal charges for the scanner (Pro), and so do MyFitnessPal and Lose It! (Premium).137
- Typed meals come with a free AI estimate. Type "salmon with rice and greens", tap the sparkle button, and the grams fill in. No limit.
- Siri logs for free on iPhone. Say "Log protein in Protein Buddy", answer with the grams, and the app never opens. Cronometer keeps its Siri logging for the paid Gold plan.6
- Your history, your widget and your Health sync are free. Every day you have logged, today's number on the Home Screen, and dietary protein flowing both ways with Apple Health or Health Connect.9
- No account, no ads, no trial clock. Install, answer a short quiz, log. Log by hand with no signal at all, and a photo or voice log taken offline is read the moment you are back online.
- Room to grow. After the 3 free photo, voice and Scout tries, a subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase, on iPhone and Android, keeps them going.
Protein Buddy vs Protein Pal, MyFitnessPal, Cronometer and Lose It! on the free plan
| Our pickProtein Buddy | Protein Pal | MyFitnessPal | Cronometer | Lose It! | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barcode scanning | ✓ Free, no limit | ✗ Pro only | ✗ Premium only | ✓ Free | ✗ Premium only |
| Photo and voice | ✓ 3 free tries each | ✗ Photo Pro only | ✗ Premium only | ✗ Paid (Gold) | ✗ Premium only |
| Siri logging | ✓ Free on iPhone | Not listed | Not listed | ✗ Paid (Gold) | Not listed |
| History and charts | ✓ Free, all of it | ✗ Complete history Pro only | Not listed | ✗ Charts past 7 days Gold only | Not listed |
| Health sync | ✓ Two-way, free | ✗ Pro only, on iOS | ✓ Free, partner apps | ✓ Free | ✗ Premium only |
| Protein goal | ✓ Free, from a short quiz | ✓ Free | ✗ Custom macro goals Premium only | ✓ Free custom targets | ✗ Macro tracking Premium only |
| No ads | ✓ No ads | ✗ Ad-free is Pro | ✗ Ad-free is Premium | ✗ Ad-free is Gold | Not listed |
| Account to start | ✓ None needed | ✓ None needed | Free account | Free sign-up | Not stated |
| Log food by hand | ✓ Free, no limit | ✓ Free | ✓ Free, search and servings | ✓ Free in Basic | ✓ Free food database |
| Calories | ✓ Free, whenever you want them | ✗ Calories are Pro | ✓ Free | ✓ Free | ✓ Free calorie budget |
| Streaks | ✓ Free | ✓ Free | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Score | 11 of 11 | 4 of 11 | 3 of 11 | 5 of 11 | 2 of 11 |
Free in Protein Pal: a manual log, a daily goal, streaks and stats. Barcode scanning, photo scanning, the widget, Apple Health sync on iOS, the complete history and no ads are all Pro.12 Free in MyFitnessPal: a basic account that sets macro goals as percentages. Barcode scan, meal scan, Voice Log, custom macro goals and ad-free logging are Premium.43 Free in Cronometer: the diary, custom targets and the barcode scanner. Photo Log, Voice Log, Siri, no ads and charts beyond a 7-day window are Gold, laid out in our free Cronometer alternative for protein.56 Free in Lose It!: calorie tracking and a weight-loss plan. Photo logging, AI Voice, the barcode scanner, macro tracking and HealthKit syncing are Premium.7 MacroFactor has no free version at all.8
Everything that is free in Protein Buddy
| Free | After that | |
|---|---|---|
| Manual entry | No limit | Stays free |
| Typed meal, AI estimate | No limit | Stays free |
| Barcode scan | No limit | Stays free |
| Siri logging on iPhone | No limit | Stays free |
| Target, history, widget, Health sync | No limit | Stays free |
| Photo scan | 3 free tries | Subscription or lifetime |
| Voice log | 3 free tries | Subscription or lifetime |
| Protein Scout menu ranking | 3 free tries | Subscription or lifetime |
That is a complete protein tracker for free. Log your regular meals by hand, scan the packaged ones, type the rest, and your target and your whole history are there every day. Photo, voice and Protein Scout add speed on top: snap a plate and the grams fill in, and if you had a bigger portion, one tap on ½, ¾, All or ×1½ matches it.
Your first free week with Protein Buddy
- Download and answer the short quizYour weight, age, activity, goal and whether you take a GLP-1 medication. Your daily protein target is ready when you finish, with no account to create.
- Log breakfast by barcode or SiriScan the yogurt or protein bar, or tell Siri the grams from the label. Both are free with no limit.
- Type lunchTap Manual, type what you ate and tap the sparkle button. The free estimate fills in the grams.
- Snap dinnerUse one of your 3 free photo tries on a plate out, and watch the number on Home climb toward your target.
By the end of the week History has seven days on it and the widget shows today's number, and none of it cost anything. Switch on two-way Apple Health and Health Connect sync and every log lands in Health too, while protein other apps write there counts toward your day.
Start free with Protein Buddy
Protein Buddy is the best free protein tracker app: download it and log tonight's dinner without paying anything. The full side-by-side is in the protein trackers compared, and if you are weighing a photo-first calorie app, the free Cal AI alternative for protein compares what each gives away. If leaving the calorie diary behind is the goal, the protein tracker without calorie counting comparison shows how much lighter every day gets.
More questions about Tracking and apps
What is the best free protein tracker app?
Protein Buddy. Manual entry, barcode scanning, typed meals with an AI estimate, Siri logging on iPhone, your target, your full history and two-way Health sync are free forever with no limit, with no account and no ads. Photo, voice and Protein Scout come with 3 free tries each.
Which protein trackers are actually free?
Protein Buddy gives the most away: its barcode scanner, typed meals, Siri, widget, full history and Health sync are all free. Protein Pal keeps barcode scanning, the widget and Apple Health sync for Pro, MyFitnessPal and Lose It! keep barcode scanning for Premium, and MacroFactor has no free version.
Is barcode scanning free in Protein Buddy?
Yes, with no limit, forever. Open ••• in the logging dock, tap Scan a barcode and hold the pack under the camera: the code reads on its own, the product and brand appear, and a servings stepper sets how much you ate.
Can a free protein tracker log with Siri?
Protein Buddy can, for free. Say "Log protein in Protein Buddy" on iPhone, give Siri the grams, and it answers with what is left today while the app stays closed. Cronometer's Siri logging is a Gold feature.
What happens after the 3 free photo scans?
Everything else keeps working, free forever: manual entry, barcode scanning, typed meals, Siri, your target, history and Health sync. To keep snapping plates and speaking meals, choose a subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase, on iPhone or Android.
Do I need an account to use Protein Buddy free?
No. Install it, answer a short quiz and log your first meal. There is no sign-up and there are no ads.
