# Cal AI alternatives after the MyFitnessPal sale, and how to choose one

![A grain bowl of quinoa topped with sliced grilled chicken, avocado, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and rocket, beside a bowl of mixed salad leaves and a glass of water on a light wooden table in sunlight](https://getdaypal.com/blog/cal-ai-alternatives/hero.webp)

MyFitnessPal now owns Cal AI, and the app still runs on its own. Here is what changed, what didn’t, how Cal AI compares with MyFitnessPal and Lose It, and 5 checks to run on any photo calorie app before you pay.

Published: 2026-11-13 · Updated: 2026-11-13 · https://getdaypal.com/blog/cal-ai-alternatives

## Key takeaways

- MyFitnessPal bought Cal AI in a deal that **closed in December 2025**, and Cal AI still runs as its own app.
- The main alternatives, **MyFitnessPal and Lose It**, also put photo logging behind a paid plan, so switching alone may not save money.
- Cal AI’s App Store page says **food scanning results require a subscription**, and its website offers a 3-day trial.
- Cal AI’s own website calls its scans **about 80% accurate**, so check oil, sauces and portions whichever app you use.
- Deleting an app **does not cancel its subscription**. Cancel in Settings under your name, then Subscriptions.

> **General information, not medical advice**: This article is general information. If you have a health condition, take medication, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have a history of disordered eating, talk to a doctor or registered dietitian before you change how you eat.

The main Cal AI alternatives that log a meal from a photo include MyFitnessPal and Lose It, and both, like Cal AI, keep photo logging behind a paid plan. MyFitnessPal is also Cal AI’s owner now, after it [announced the acquisition](https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/02/myfitnesspal-has-acquired-cal-ai-the-viral-calorie-app-built-by-teens/) on 2 March 2026. This guide covers what the sale changed, how the three apps compare, and 5 checks to run on any photo calorie tracker before you pay. Each app’s prices, features and ratings come from its own App Store page or website, checked on 13 November 2026.

## Who owns Cal AI now?

MyFitnessPal owns Cal AI. The deal closed in December 2025 after almost a year of talks, [TechCrunch reported](https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/02/myfitnesspal-has-acquired-cal-ai-the-viral-calorie-app-built-by-teens/) when it was announced in March 2026, and the terms were not disclosed. MyFitnessPal said Cal AI had passed **15 million downloads** and **$30 million in annual revenue** in under 2 years.

MyFitnessPal also said the Cal AI app will remain independent. Its CEO, Mike Fisher, said there were no plans at the moment to fold it into MyFitnessPal’s main app or to move Cal AI users across. Cal AI’s co-founder, Zach Yadegari, [left MyFitnessPal in June 2026](https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/08/cal-ais-19-year-old-founder-just-raised-10m-for-his-new-ai-startup/) and has since started a new company.

On [Cal AI’s App Store page](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cal-ai-calorie-tracker/id6480417616), the seller is still listed as Viral Development LLC, and [its privacy notice](https://www.calai.app/privacy), effective 21 May 2026, names Cal AI, Inc. For a one-to-one comparison, see [our side-by-side of Day Pal and Cal AI](https://getdaypal.com/alternatives/cal-ai).

## What changed for Cal AI users, and what didn’t?

In daily use, very little has changed. The owner is different, and Cal AI now draws on MyFitnessPal’s nutrition database, which TechCrunch reported covers **20 million foods, 68,500 brands** and meals from more than 380 restaurant chains.

Scanning food still needs a subscription, the app still ships an update most weeks (5 releases between 13 October and 11 November 2026), and it holds **4.8 stars from 375K ratings**, in the top 10 of Health & Fitness on the US App Store when we checked. Those are real strengths.

MyFitnessPal also sells its own photo logging. In TechCrunch’s report, Fisher described Cal AI as the app for people who prefer speed over accuracy, and MyFitnessPal as the app for people who want the reverse. Meal scan and voice logging sit in [MyFitnessPal Premium](https://www.myfitnesspal.com/premium), which its website listed at $9.99 a month or $49.99 a year, with a 7-day trial for people who have never had Premium. Our [comparison of Day Pal and MyFitnessPal](https://getdaypal.com/alternatives/myfitnesspal) covers that app in more detail.

## How do Cal AI, MyFitnessPal and Lose It compare?

All three let you log a meal from a photo, and all three put photo logging behind a paid plan. [Lose It!](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/lose-it-calorie-counter/id297368629) lists photo meal logging first among its Premium features. Here is what each app’s own US listing showed:

*What each app’s US App Store page and website showed on 13 November 2026*

| App | Who sells it | Photo logging | Rating | Languages |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cal AI | Viral Development LLC | Scan results need a subscription; 3-day trial on its website | 4.8 from 375K ratings | 15 |
| MyFitnessPal | MyFitnessPal, Inc. | Meal scan is a Premium feature; 7-day trial for new Premium users | 4.7 from 2.4M ratings | 20 |
| Lose It! | FitNow, Inc. | Photo meal logging is a Premium feature | 4.8 from 784K ratings | 9 |

Cal AI’s listing shows in-app purchases from $2.99 to $69.99, and [MyFitnessPal’s listing](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/myfitnesspal-calorie-counter/id341232718) shows higher monthly and yearly prices than its website does. Prices change and differ by country, so treat these as a snapshot and read the price on the App Store page in your own region before you subscribe.

## What should you look for in Cal AI alternatives?

Run 5 checks on the App Store page before you download anything. Each takes a few seconds, and together they tell you more than any ranking:

1. **Who sells it.** Read the Seller line near the bottom of the listing, and search the company’s name in the news. Ownership can change after you sign up, as it did for Cal AI.
2. **What works without paying, and for how long.** Find out whether search, manual logging and photo logging each need a plan. A [free calorie tracker](https://getdaypal.com/features/free-calorie-tracker) should let you keep a full day’s log without paying.
3. **What the trial turns into.** Note the renewal price, whether it bills monthly or yearly, and the date the first charge lands.
4. **What the privacy label says.** Scroll to App Privacy and look at the section called Data Used to Track You, and at how photos are listed. Our [private calorie tracker](https://getdaypal.com/features/private-calorie-tracker) page explains how Day Pal handles meal photos.
5. **Where the numbers come from.** Look for a named nutrition database, such as [USDA FoodData Central](https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/), the US government’s food composition database, rather than estimates with no stated source.

On privacy labels, [Apple defines tracking](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/app-privacy-details/) as linking data from an app with other companies’ data for targeted advertising or advertising measurement, or sharing it with a data broker. Cal AI, MyFitnessPal and Lose It all list Identifiers and Usage Data under Data Used to Track You, and Lose It adds Contact Info. Cal AI lists Photos or Videos under Data Not Linked to You, and its privacy notice says it keeps personal information as long as needed for the purposes the notice describes. Developers fill in these labels themselves, and Apple’s page says the information has not been verified by Apple.

## Are photo calorie apps accurate?

Roughly, but not exactly. [Cal AI’s own website](https://www.calai.app/) puts its scans at about 80% accurate and says no food tracking app is perfect. That is the company’s own figure, and no peer-reviewed study we found tests Cal AI, MyFitnessPal or Lose It directly, so the best evidence comes from research methods.

In [a 2012 study of the Remote Food Photography Method](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22134199/) at [Pennington Biomedical Research Center](https://www.pbrc.edu/), trained raters estimated intake from meal photos. Their estimates came in 1.2% (4 kcal) under weighed food at lab buffet meals in 49 adults, and 3.7% (152 kcal a day) under doubly labelled water, a lab method that measures the energy a body actually uses, over 6 days at home in 42 adults. Neither difference was statistically significant, and 88% of the people studied were women. People with training read those photos, not an app.

*How far photo-based estimates were from measured intake*

| | % |
| --- | --- |
| Lab meals vs weighed food | 1.2 |
| 6 days at home vs doubly labelled water | 3.7 |

Underestimates, analysed by trained raters, not an AI app. 49 and 42 adults, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, 2012.

For AI, the data behind the estimate matters. [A 2025 study in Communications Medicine](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41193610/) grounded an AI model in a USDA nutrition database instead of the model’s own knowledge, and cut the average error for food weight and 4 key nutrients by 63% compared with existing methods on real-world mixed dishes. That was one research framework tested on research datasets, not an app you can download, but it shows why a named database is worth checking for.

To get a better scan, Cal AI suggests good lighting, food in focus that fills the frame, and keeping the app updated, advice that suits any [AI photo calorie counter](https://getdaypal.com/features/ai-photo-calorie-counter).

![A plate of seared salmon, white rice and steamed broccoli beside a window, with a linen cloth draped next to the plate](https://getdaypal.com/blog/cal-ai-alternatives/window-light.webp)

*Even window light and a plate that fills most of the frame, the conditions Cal AI’s own site suggests for a better scan.*

What a photo cannot see is the usual gap. Cooking oil, butter, dressings and sauces add calories that sit inside or under the food, where a camera cannot see them. When an estimate looks low, add the oil yourself or adjust the portion. Our guide to [counting calories without weighing food](https://getdaypal.com/blog/count-calories-without-weighing-food) shows how to judge portions with your hand.

![A dark pan of stir-fried noodles with strips of beef, broccoli and red pepper, all coated in a glossy brown sauce, on a wooden counter by a window](https://getdaypal.com/blog/cal-ai-alternatives/mixed-dish.webp)

*A coated stir-fry. The sauce is visible, but the oil that went into the pan is not, so check it in any app’s estimate.*

> **When an app’s estimate isn’t enough**
> If you dose insulin from carbohydrate counts, follow a prescribed diet, are pregnant, have kidney disease, are under 18 or have a history of eating disorders, use any tracker with your doctor or a registered dietitian rather than relying on its estimate alone.

## How do you switch from Cal AI without paying twice?

Cancel the old subscription first, because deleting an app does not cancel it. Cal AI’s own FAQ says the same. If you subscribed through the App Store, [Apple’s steps to cancel](https://support.apple.com/en-us/118428) are:

1. Open Settings on your iPhone.
2. Tap your name, then Subscriptions.
3. Tap the subscription, then Cancel Subscription.
4. If there is no Cancel button, or you see an expiry message in red, the subscription is already cancelled.

Cal AI’s FAQ also says some people buy directly from Cal AI rather than through the App Store, and asks them to email Cal AI for a refund. Once the old subscription is cancelled, start the new app’s log with your next meal. There is nothing to import.

### Try photo logging before you pay

Day Pal is an AI calorie tracker for iPhone that lets you log a meal from a photo, a sentence or a search, in 11 languages.

- Every device gets 10 free AI actions, and food search and logging by hand stay free forever.
- There is no free trial to cancel, and the App Store shows the Pro price in your currency.
- Meal photos are analysed and then dropped, never stored on Day Pal’s servers.
- Search 13,000+ foods grounded in USDA data when you would rather pick the item yourself.

## How do you pick one and stick with it?

Pick one app, log your next meal as you eat it, and keep going. The app matters less than the habit. [A 2011 review of 22 studies](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21185970/), 15 of them on food records, found that self-monitoring, including recording what you eat, was consistently linked with weight loss, though the authors rated the evidence as weak, and most of the people studied were white women.

So use the 5 checks above, choose the app whose price, privacy label and logging style you can live with for months, and give it a fair week. If you want to see how photo logging feels before paying anything, you can [download Day Pal for iPhone](https://getdaypal.com/#download) and try it on tonight’s dinner.

## Questions people ask

### Who owns Cal AI?

MyFitnessPal, after a deal that closed in December 2025 and was announced in March 2026. Cal AI still ships as its own app, and its App Store listing names Viral Development LLC as the seller.

### Is Cal AI free?

It is free to download, but its App Store page says food scanning results require a subscription. Its website offers a 3-day trial. Check the renewal price and date before the trial ends.

### Is Cal AI accurate?

Its own website says about 80%, and suggests good light and food that fills the frame. Any photo estimate can miss oil and sauces it cannot see, so add those yourself when a number looks low.

### Are there apps like Cal AI that are free?

Most photo calorie apps charge for photo logging, including Cal AI, MyFitnessPal and Lose It. Look for one that lets you try photo logging without signing up for a trial and keeps search and manual logging free. Day Pal gives each device 10 free AI actions, and its food search stays free.

### Does deleting Cal AI cancel my subscription?

No. On iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions, and cancel there. Cal AI’s own FAQ says deleting the app does not cancel the subscription.

## About Day Pal

- Day Pal is an AI calorie tracker and macro counter, available on the App Store for iPhone.
- You log meals by snapping a photo, typing or saying what you ate in your own words, or searching 13,000+ foods grounded in USDA data.
- It tracks calories, protein, carbs and fat, plus water, weight and workouts.
- An AI coach reads today’s diary to answer questions and suggest meals and workouts you can log in one tap.
- Free to start: food search and logging by hand are free forever, and each device gets 10 free AI actions.
- Day Pal Pro, monthly or annual, keeps AI logging and the coach going beyond the free actions under a fair-use policy. There is no free trial, and the App Store shows the price in your currency.
- Available in 11 languages, Arabic included.
- Meal photos are analysed and then dropped, never stored on Day Pal’s servers.
- Day Pal is a wellness app, not medical advice.
- Download on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6811881888

## Sources

1. MyFitnessPal has acquired Cal AI, the viral calorie app built by teens (2026), TechCrunch: https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/02/myfitnesspal-has-acquired-cal-ai-the-viral-calorie-app-built-by-teens/
2. Cal AI’s 19-year-old founder just raised $10M for his new AI startup (2026), TechCrunch: https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/08/cal-ais-19-year-old-founder-just-raised-10m-for-his-new-ai-startup/
3. Validity of the Remote Food Photography Method (RFPM) for estimating energy and nutrient intake in near real-time (2012), Obesity: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22134199/
4. DietAI24 as a framework for comprehensive nutrition estimation using multimodal large language models (2025), Communications Medicine: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41193610/
5. Self-monitoring in weight loss: a systematic review of the literature (2011), Journal of the American Dietetic Association: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21185970/
6. Cal AI, Calorie Tracker (App Store listing, checked 13 November 2026), Viral Development LLC: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cal-ai-calorie-tracker/id6480417616
7. Cal AI website and FAQ (checked 13 November 2026), Cal AI: https://www.calai.app/
8. MyFitnessPal Premium (checked 13 November 2026), MyFitnessPal: https://www.myfitnesspal.com/premium
9. Lose It! (App Store listing, checked 13 November 2026), FitNow, Inc.: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/lose-it-calorie-counter/id297368629
10. App privacy details on the App Store, Apple: https://developer.apple.com/app-store/app-privacy-details/
11. Cancel a subscription from Apple, Apple Support: https://support.apple.com/en-us/118428
12. Cal AI privacy notice (effective 21 May 2026), Cal AI, Inc.: https://www.calai.app/privacy
13. MyFitnessPal: Calorie Counter (App Store listing, checked 13 November 2026), MyFitnessPal, Inc.: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/myfitnesspal-calorie-counter/id341232718