Calorie & macro trackeriPhoneFree, no ads
Calorie counting,minus the chore.
Scan a barcode, snap your plate or just say what you ate. FoodBuddy finds the foods, takes calories and macros from real food databases, and you check before anything is saved.
- Free, no adsThe barcode scanner, macros and export never go behind a paywall
- Real numbersCalories from food databases, with the source on every food
- No trackingYour diary is stored in Frankfurt. Export or delete it any time
Coming soon to iPhone
Email me when it launches
- Barcode
- Label scan
- Describe it
- Snap a meal
- Recipes
- English & Română
- Data in Frankfurt
A day with FoodBuddy
Five ways in. Each one ends the same way: you see the food and the numbers, and you decide.
Barcode
Typed barcode, same lookup as a scan
Point, beep, done.
Millions of packaged products from Open Food Facts. Scanned it offline? FoodBuddy looks it up when you are back online. Not in the database? Add it once and it is there for everyone.
Label scan
No match? Read the label.
Photograph the nutrition table. AI reads it, then you check every value against the pack before saving. The app compares the calories with the macros, so a misread number stands out.
Snap a meal
One photo of the whole plate.
FoodBuddy lists what it sees, with a range for each amount. Nutrition comes from the food database, never from the AI.
Estimates from a photo are rough, typically ±20–30 %. Check each component and amount before logging.
The banner in the app, word for word 
Describe it
“Chicken breast, rice and salad.”
Type it or say it. AI splits it into foods; the numbers come from the database. Fast for home cooking and for the meals you never photograph.
Close the day
A quick log and we’re done.
Your diary shows the day at a glance. Every 7 days in a row earns a shield (you can hold 2), so one day off doesn’t break your streak.
“Miss a day? It happens. Never miss twice and the streak carries on.”
Why FoodBuddy
It does the same job as the big calorie apps. This is what it does differently.
- 01
The basics stay free.
The barcode scanner, macro tracking, data export and account deletion never go behind a paywall. Meal photos, describing a meal and label scans are free too, with a fair daily limit. No ads.
- 02
AI names the food. Databases count it.
AI recognises what is on your plate or in your sentence. Calories and macros come from Open Food Facts, CIQUAL and USDA, and every food shows its source. Photo estimates say how rough they are: typically ±20–30 %.
- 03
Nothing leaves without a yes.
Each AI feature asks before it sends anything. No ad tracking, no analytics. Your diary is stored in Frankfurt, and you can export or delete it in the app.
- 04
Made for Romanian, too.
The whole app works in Romanian and English, including Buddy and describing a meal by voice.
Side by side
Checked on 16 October 2026 against each company’s own website and App Store listing (US and Romania).
Barcode scanner
FoodBuddy: Free
MyFitnessPal: Premium
Cal AI: not stated
Logging a meal from a photo
FoodBuddy: Free, daily limit
MyFitnessPal: Premium (Meal Scan)
Cal AI: Subscription required for results
Voice logging
FoodBuddy: Free, daily limit
MyFitnessPal: Premium (Voice Log)
Cal AI: not stated
Ads in the app
FoodBuddy: None
MyFitnessPal: In the free version; ad-free is Premium
Cal AI: not stated
Data used to track you (App Store label)
FoodBuddy: None: no ad or analytics SDKs
MyFitnessPal: Identifiers, usage data
Cal AI: Identifiers, usage data
App in Romanian
FoodBuddy: Yes
MyFitnessPal: No
Cal AI: Yes
Stated accuracy of photo estimates
FoodBuddy: Typically ±20–30 %
MyFitnessPal: not stated
Cal AI: “About 80% accurate”
Price
FoodBuddy: Free
MyFitnessPal: Free tier; Premium RON 39.99 a month or RON 245.99 a year
Cal AI: Subscription, 3-day free trial
| FoodBuddy | MyFitnessPal | Cal AI | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barcode scanner | Free | Premium | not stated |
| Logging a meal from a photo | Free, daily limit | Premium (Meal Scan) | Subscription required for results |
| Voice logging | Free, daily limit | Premium (Voice Log) | not stated |
| Ads in the app | None | In the free version; ad-free is Premium | not stated |
| Data used to track you (App Store label) | None: no ad or analytics SDKs | Identifiers, usage data | Identifiers, usage data |
| App in Romanian | Yes | No | Yes |
| Stated accuracy of photo estimates | Typically ±20–30 % | not stated | “About 80% accurate” |
| Price | Free | Free tier; Premium RON 39.99 a month or RON 245.99 a year | Subscription, 3-day free trial |
– not stated on the pages we checked.
MyFitnessPal and Cal AI are trademarks of their owners. FoodBuddy is not affiliated with either. Prices and features change; the sources show the current state.
The numbers come from food, not from a guess.
AI is good at naming food. It is not a nutrition database. So FoodBuddy uses AI to recognise what you ate, and takes calories and macros from real food databases. Every food shows where its numbers come from.
Source Facts
Serving sizeevery food in FoodBuddy
Where the numbers come fromLicence
- Open Food Facts
- Packaged products, by barcode
- ODbL
- CIQUAL
- Everyday foods, ANSES reference table
- Licence Ouverte
- USDA FoodData Central
- Generic foods and ingredients
- CC0
- Community
- Foods shared by FoodBuddy users
- In-app
- My food
- Foods you create, private to you
- Yours
Nutrition values invented by AI
zero
Badges you’ll see
- Verifiedfrom curated databases
- Communityshared by users
- My foodmade by you
* For described and photographed meals. Label scan is the one case where AI reads numbers: from the label you photographed, and you confirm each value.
What the AI does, and what it doesn’t.
AI does
- Recognise foods in your text, photos and recipes
- Read the nutrition table on a label you photograph
- Estimate portion ranges from a meal photo
AI doesn’t
- Invent nutrition values for described or photographed meals
- See your diary, weight or account
- Save anything without you checking it
- Get your photo or text before you agree
We use OpenAI. Photos are deleted from our storage right after reading.
How FoodBuddy uses AI
Targets that don’t shout.
Your target starts from standard formulas, then learns from your own logs and weigh-ins. It moves at most 150 kcal a week, never below 1,000 kcal, and you decide whether to accept it.
- Max change
- 150 kcal / week
- Lowest target
- 1,000 kcal
- Under 18, pregnant or breastfeeding
- No deficit
- Needs
- 10 complete days, 4 weigh-ins, over 2 weeks
- “Trends beat single days.”
- “Updated. Your data, your call.”
- “Treats belong in a good day too.”
Hide numbers · Mindful mode
Rather not see calories? Hide them and keep macros and weight, or hide all numbers and log by habit with simple bars and shapes.
FoodBuddy gives general information, not medical advice.
Meet Buddy.
Buddy keeps you company, reacts when you log, and never judges what’s on your plate. Want quiet? Turn Buddy down or off in Settings.
Morning. One meal at a time.
The small things.
Everything else FoodBuddy does, in the order you’ll probably find it.
01RecipesBuild your own, or import from a link or a cookbook photo. Numbers per serving.
- 02WaterOne tap on Today, with your own goal and amounts.
- 03Weekly recapEvery Monday: your week in one shareable image, including how many different plants you ate.
- 04WidgetsCalories left, macros and a +250 ml water button on your Home Screen and Lock Screen.
- 05Apple HealthSend nutrition, water and weigh-ins to Health, and see your steps next to your diary.
- 06PartnersLog a meal for someone you cook for. They accept it, and they only ever see what you add for them.
- 07Streak shieldsEvery 7 days in a row earns a shield that covers one day off.
- 08RemindersMeals, evening and weekly weigh-in. Set on your phone, quiet from 22:00 to 07:00.
- 09Nutri-ScoreOn packaged food. “Every food can fit. Nutri-Score helps you compare products, nothing more.”
10Your data, your copyDownload your whole diary as a file you can open in a spreadsheet. Free, any time.
Preview01 / 10
Recipes
Your food diary is nobody’s business model.
What leaves your phone, and where
Your diary, profile and weigh-ins
Our database (Supabase)
Frankfurt, Germany
A photo or text you send to an AI feature, after you agree
OpenAI. Photos are deleted from our storage right after reading
USA
Crash reports, without your email or diary
Sentry
Germany
Steps and active energy from Apple Health
Nowhere. Read on your phone only
Your phone
Widget numbers
Nowhere. Today’s numbers only
Your phone
- No ads.
- No tracking.
- Delete everything in the app.
Download my data gives you your whole diary as a file, any time.
Read the privacy policyQuestions
What is FoodBuddy?
FoodBuddy is a free calorie counter and macro tracker for iPhone, made in Romania. You log food by scanning a barcode, photographing a nutrition label, typing or saying what you ate, or taking a photo of your plate. Calories and macros come from food databases (Open Food Facts, CIQUAL and USDA FoodData Central), and you check every entry before it is saved. There are no ads.
Is FoodBuddy available yet?
Not yet. FoodBuddy is coming soon to iPhone on the App Store. There is no release date yet. Email us and we will tell you when it launches.
Is FoodBuddy free?
Yes, and there are no ads. The barcode scanner, macro tracking, data export and account deletion will never be behind a paywall.
How does the AI calorie tracking work?
AI recognises the foods in your text or photo and estimates a range for each amount. FoodBuddy then takes the calories and macros for each food from food databases, not from the AI. For a label scan, AI reads the numbers on the label you photographed and you confirm each value. Nothing goes to the AI provider (OpenAI) before you agree, and nothing is saved before you check it.
How FoodBuddy uses AIHow accurate is the photo scan?
Estimates from a photo are rough, typically ±20–30 %. That’s why FoodBuddy shows every item it found with an amount range, and you check and adjust each one before it’s logged. The nutrition values themselves come from food databases.
Is FoodBuddy an alternative to MyFitnessPal or Cal AI?
Yes. FoodBuddy is the same kind of app: a calorie and macro tracker with a barcode scanner and AI meal logging. What it does its own way: the barcode scanner is free, AI logging is free with a daily limit, there are no ads, every food shows where its numbers come from, photo estimates come with a stated accuracy of ±20–30 %, the app is in English and Romanian, and your diary is stored in Frankfurt, Germany.
Do I need an account?
No. You can start as a guest. A guest is an anonymous account on our server, so your diary syncs like a normal account but without a name or email. Signing out as a guest deletes it, and guest accounts unused for 30 days are deleted automatically. A free account keeps your diary and adds partners and community sharing.
Does it work offline?
Connect to the internet once to start. After that, logging works offline and syncs later, and barcodes scanned offline are looked up when you’re back online. Describe it, snap a meal, recipe import and partner pairing need a connection.
iPhone or Android?
iPhone first: FoodBuddy launches on iPhone (iOS) only. An Android version is planned for later, with no date yet.
Where is my data stored?
Your diary, profile and weigh-ins are stored in our database (Supabase) in Frankfurt, Germany. A photo or text you send to an AI feature goes to OpenAI in the USA, only after you agree, and photos are deleted from our storage right after reading. No ads, no tracking, and you can download or delete everything in the app.
Read the privacy policyWhich languages?
English and Romanian.
Is it for teenagers?
FoodBuddy is for ages 16 and up. 16 and 17 year olds can only use a maintain goal.
I’m pregnant or breastfeeding. Can I use it?
Yes, with a maintain goal only: your target can go up, but not below what it is today. Please talk to a healthcare professional about what’s right for you.
How do I delete my account?
In the app: Settings → Account & data → Delete account. It deletes your account and diary for good.
All the details