What's the best app to track a cut? (2026)

The best app to track a cut is one that shows your trend weight, your calories and protein, and your strength on the same screens, because that's how you tell fat loss from muscle loss. Arrow puts all three in one iPhone app. MacroFactor has the most established adaptive calorie algorithm, but its nutrition and workout apps run separately. MyFitnessPal plus Hevy is the common free setup, with nothing connecting the two logs.

A cut isn't just "eat less." The goal is to lose fat while keeping the muscle and strength you built. A food tracker alone can tell you that the scale is going down. It can't tell you whether your bench press is going down with it.

Disclosure: we make Arrow. We've tried to be specific about where other apps are the better choice. Every competitor price and feature below was checked against the company's own site, help center or App Store listing on October 17, 2026. Sources are at the end.

01TL;DR

• Want trend weight, macros and lifts in one app: Arrow. Adaptive calorie targets from your weigh-ins, Smart Scan photo logging, a full lifting log and a weekly recap that covers both.
• Want the most established nutrition algorithm: MacroFactor. $71.99/yr per app. Its workout app exists, but MacroFactor says the two don't adjust each other.
• Want $0: MyFitnessPal (free) + Hevy (free). Two apps, and you compare them yourself every week.
• Running a short mini cut: any app with a trend-weight line and a protein target works. Speed of logging matters more than features over 3 to 6 weeks.

02How to run a cut: what the evidence says

Here's what most evidence-based guidance converges on. Treat these as starting points, not prescriptions.

Lose about 0.5–1% of bodyweight per week. Helms and colleagues' review of natural bodybuilding prep recommends this range to limit muscle loss. In a study of elite athletes, Garthe et al. found the slower group (about 0.7% a week) kept or gained more lean mass and strength than the faster group (about 1.4% a week). For a 180 lb (82 kg) lifter, that's roughly 0.9–1.8 lb a week. Leaner people usually do better at the slower end.

Eat more protein than you would at maintenance. The ISSN position stand puts general needs for active people at about 1.4–2.0 g/kg/day. During a deficit, Helms' systematic review argues for higher intakes, around 2.3–3.1 g/kg of lean body mass, for lean trained lifters. A practical floor many coaches use is about 1.6–2.2 g/kg of bodyweight, at the higher end the leaner and longer the cut. In Longland et al.'s trial, a higher-protein group in a large deficit gained lean mass while a lower-protein group didn't.

Keep lifting heavy. Training is the signal that tells your body to keep muscle. Most guidance says keep your intensity (the weights) and cut volume a little if recovery suffers, rather than switching to light "toning" work.

Judge by the trend, not the day. Water, salt, carbs and hard leg sessions move the scale by a pound or two overnight. A smoothed trend line over 1–2 weeks is what tells you your real rate of loss.

How much protein on a cut?

A common starting point is 1.6–2.2 g per kg of bodyweight per day (about 0.7–1.0 g per lb), pushed toward the top of that range as you get leaner. For an 82 kg (180 lb) lifter, that's roughly 130–180 g a day. If you carry a lot of body fat, basing the number on goal weight is a reasonable shortcut.

03What a cut-tracking app should do

Use this checklist on any app, including ours:

• Trend weight, not just scale weight. A smoothed line so one salty dinner doesn't send you into a panic.
• Targets that adapt. Calorie targets that update from your actual weigh-ins and intake. Formulas guess; your data doesn't.
• A protein target you can hit. Fast entry for meals you repeat, a barcode scanner and photo or voice logging, because logging fatigue is what ends most cuts.
• A real lifting log. Sets, reps, weight, per-exercise history and PRs, so you can see whether strength is holding.
• Something that reads both. A view or recap that puts the scale and the barbell side by side.

04The apps for a cut, compared

Prices are US list prices on October 17, 2026, from each company's own site or help center.

How to read it: MacroFactor and Carbon are strong nutrition coaches, and Hevy is a strong gym log. The gap on a cut is the comparison between them, which you either do yourself or get from an app that holds both logs.

05Reading your cut every week

Do a five-minute check once a week. Look at three numbers: trend weight change, average calories and protein, and your top sets on 2–3 main lifts.

• Trend down 0.5–1%, lifts holding: the plan is working. Change nothing.
• Trend down faster than 1%, lifts dropping across several sessions: the deficit is probably too steep. Add some calories back, usually carbs around training.
• Trend flat for 2+ weeks, intake on target: your expenditure is lower than estimated. An adaptive app will lower the target; in a static app, drop about 100–200 kcal yourself.
• Lifts dropping, protein under target most days: fix protein before cutting calories further.
• Everything feels heavy and you're sleeping badly: consider a diet break at maintenance for a week or two.

In Arrow, the adaptive TDEE unlocks after about 7 complete logged days and 2 weigh-ins at least 7 days apart. Each weekly check-in moves your calorie target by no more than 150 kcal, and it works from a smoothed trend weight, so a single high weigh-in won't push your calories down. The weight chart shows Scale Weight against Trend Weight, your estimated daily deficit and a four-week projection. PRs and per-exercise history sit in the same app, and Arrow Coach's weekly recap covers nutrition and training together.

In Arrow: set your goal to "lose weight" and Arrow Score weights strength, nutrition and consistency for a cut, so holding your lifts counts toward the score while the scale drops.

Mini cuts and first cuts

Mini cut (3–6 weeks). Usually a more aggressive deficit for a short block, often between bulk phases. Protein high, lifting heavy, and expect to lose some strength on high-rep work. Track daily weigh-ins so you know when to stop.

First cut tips. Start with a modest deficit around 300–500 kcal below maintenance. Pick a protein target and hit it before worrying about carbs and fat. Keep your existing program. Weigh in most mornings and trust the trend after two weeks, not two days. Save meals you eat often so logging takes seconds.

If you're weighing whether to cut at all, see our guides to body recomposition apps and tracking a lean bulk. For a broader look at putting lifts and food together, read Is there one app that tracks both workouts and macros?

06When another app is the better choice

• You want the most established adaptive algorithm and don't care about lifting data in the same app: MacroFactor.
• You want to pay $0: MyFitnessPal free plus Hevy free. Smart Scan, Arrow Coach and other AI features need an Arrow Diamond subscription.
• You want a coach-style diet app with weekly macro changes: Carbon Diet Coach or RP Diet Coach ($99.99/yr).
• You track micronutrients closely: Cronometer.
• You're on Android: Arrow is iPhone-first. Hevy, MacroFactor and MyFitnessPal are on Android.

07FAQ

What's the best app for cutting that tracks workouts and calories together?

Arrow logs lifts and food in one app, adapts calorie targets from your weigh-ins and shows your strength trend next to your weight trend. MacroFactor covers both with two apps on one account, but says its nutrition and workout apps don't adjust each other.

How do I track a cut?

Weigh in most mornings and watch the trend line, log food against a calorie and protein target, and keep logging your lifts. Each week, check that you're losing about 0.5–1% of bodyweight while your main lifts hold.

How much protein should I eat on a cut?

A common starting point is 1.6–2.2 g per kg of bodyweight a day, toward the higher end as you get leaner. Research on lean, trained lifters in a deficit supports intakes at or above the top of that range.

How fast should I lose weight on a cut?

Most guidance suggests about 0.5–1% of bodyweight per week. Slower rates tend to preserve more lean mass and strength, especially if you're already lean.

Is MacroFactor good for cutting?

Yes. Its expenditure estimate uses your intake and weight trend, and weekly Check-Ins adjust your targets. It doesn't read your training, so you'll need to compare your strength trend yourself.

What app should I use for a mini cut?

Any app with trend weight, a protein target and fast logging works for 3–6 weeks. If you want to watch your lifts at the same time, use one that holds both logs.

08Sources

Accessed October 17, 2026.

• Rate of loss and contest-prep nutrition: Helms et al. 2014, J Int Soc Sports Nutr, PubMed 24864135
• Slow vs fast weight loss in athletes: Garthe et al. 2011, Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, PubMed 21558571
• Protein during a deficit: Helms et al. 2014 systematic review, PubMed 24092765
• Higher protein in a deficit: Longland et al. 2016, Am J Clin Nutr, PubMed 26817506
• Protein needs for active people: ISSN position stand, Jäger et al. 2017, PubMed 28642676
• MacroFactor: prices, help center · Check-Ins, help center · apps don't cross-adjust, help center
• MyFitnessPal: prices, membership tiers · Premium features, myfitnesspal.com/premium
• Hevy: prices, pricing comparison · free limits, help center · progression, Hevy Trainer
• Cronometer Gold: prices, nutrients, photo logging, cronometer.com/gold
• Carbon Diet Coach: prices, joincarbon.com/pricing · check-ins, help center
• RP Diet Coach: price, rpstrength.com
• Arrow: App Store listing