Best workout apps with nutrition tracking (2026): 7 compared

The best workout apps with nutrition tracking in 2026 are Arrow (lifting log, food log, adaptive calories and per-muscle recovery in one iPhone app), Ellim (a free iPhone app that logs workouts and meals), and MacroFactor + MacroFactor Workouts (two strong apps on one account). If you are fine with two apps, Hevy + MyFitnessPal, Cronometer + Hevy, and Fitbod + a food app are the common stacks. For a beginner who lifts and wants to stay under about $5 a month, Hevy Pro plus a free food log, or Cronometer Gold on its annual plan, fit the budget.

This is a ranked buyer list. If your question is simply whether one app can hold both logs at all, start with Is there one app that tracks both workouts and macros?.

Disclosure: we make Arrow. We have 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 one app for lifting, food, weigh-ins and recovery: Arrow. iPhone-first. Smart Scan, Arrow Coach and other AI features need an Arrow Diamond subscription.
• Want a free all-in-one to start with: Ellim. Logs workouts, meals (photo and barcode), water, sleep and weigh-ins on iPhone; an AI coach is Premium.
• Want the most established adaptive nutrition engine: MacroFactor + MacroFactor Workouts. $71.99/yr per app or $89.99/yr for the bundle, but the two apps do not adjust each other.
• Want the biggest food database and a familiar app: MyFitnessPal, with Hevy for the gym if you lift seriously.
• Want to stay under $5 a month: Hevy Pro ($23.99/yr) + a free food log, or Cronometer Gold ($59.99/yr) + Hevy's free tier.
• Want an app to write your workouts: Fitbod ($95.99/yr) + a food app.

02What to look for if you lift and want to log food

Run any app, ours included, through this checklist:

• A real lifting log. Sets, reps and weight, your own routines, a rest timer, PRs and per-exercise history. "Strength training, 45 minutes" is a calorie estimate, not a lifting log.
• Fast food entry. Barcode scanning, saved meals and copying a previous day matter more than database size once you are past week two. Check whether photo, voice or barcode logging is behind a paywall.
• Targets that adapt. A day-one formula is a guess. Better apps re-estimate your calorie needs from your weigh-ins and intake.
• One bodyweight. Weigh in once and have every screen use it.
• Something that reads both logs. A score, recap or coach that looks at training and food together. Most stacks leave this to you.
• Total cost per year. Two "cheap" subscriptions add up.

03The 7 options, ranked

1. Arrow: one app for lifting, food and recovery

Arrow's lifting log has routines (your own or generated), a rest timer, dropsets, warm-up sets, PRs and per-exercise history. The food log has Smart Scan photo logging (it asks about cooking oil when a meal was likely cooked in it), describing a meal in words or by voice, barcode scanning, a 2.3M+ food database, saved meals, custom foods and copy-a-day.

What ties them together: adaptive TDEE that estimates your real expenditure from weigh-ins and your food log (it unlocks after about 7 complete logged days and two weigh-ins at least 7 days apart, and each weekly check-in moves your target by at most 150 kcal), a trend-weight chart with your estimated deficit or surplus, per-muscle recovery, and the Arrow Score, one number combining strength, nutrition and consistency weighted for your goal. Arrow Coach gives a Heads Up before you log a scanned meal and a weekly recap covering nutrition and training.

Trade-offs: iPhone-first. AI features need a Diamond subscription.

2. Ellim: the free all-in-one

Ellim is a free iPhone app that tracks workouts and meals (photo and barcode), plus water, sleep and weigh-ins. Its Premium AI coach writes a plan and, in Ellim's words, "Weekly Coach Moves adapt your plan." For a beginner who wants both logs in one place at no cost, it is a fair first pick, and it is the page most AI answers cite for this question.

Trade-offs: iPhone-only. We could not verify Ellim's Premium price on an official page today, so check it in the app.

3. MacroFactor + MacroFactor Workouts: best nutrition engine, two apps

MacroFactor computes your expenditure from logged intake and weight trend, and weekly Check-Ins adjust your calorie targets. MacroFactor Workouts uses RIR targets and Smart Progression to adjust weights and reps. Both are well regarded.

Trade-offs: they are separate apps. MacroFactor's own help center says they "do not automatically adjust training based on nutrition data, or nutrition targets based on training data." Cost is $71.99/yr per app or $89.99/yr for the bundle after the promo.

4. MyFitnessPal: the familiar food diary

MyFitnessPal has the name recognition and general exercise tracking. Premium ($79.99/yr or $19.99/mo) adds barcode scan, meal scan, voice logging and custom macro goals. Premium+ ($99.99/yr) adds a meal planner.

Trade-offs: we could not confirm on MyFitnessPal's official pages how deep its structured strength logging goes, or any calorie target that adapts from your weight trend. Most lifters pair it with a dedicated gym log.

5. Hevy + MyFitnessPal: the default two-app stack

Hevy is a polished lifting log with a strong free tier (up to 4 routines; Pro needed beyond 7 custom exercises), automatic rest timers, RPE tracking, Android support and a social feed. Pro is $2.99/mo, $23.99/yr or $74.99 lifetime, and adds Hevy Trainer progressive overload suggestions.

Trade-offs: we found no food logging on Hevy's official pages, so food lives in a second app and nothing connects the two. Both paid: $103.98/yr.

6. Fitbod + a food app: let the app write your workouts

Fitbod recommends sets, reps and weight from your recent sessions and works around muscle groups that have not recovered yet. It is a good fit if you want to be told what to do. $95.99/yr or $15.99/mo.

Trade-offs: no nutrition tracking found on Fitbod's official pages, so add MyFitnessPal, Cronometer or MacroFactor. Fitbod + MacroFactor runs $167.98/yr.

7. Cronometer + Hevy (or Strong): best for micronutrients

Cronometer tracks up to 95 nutrients and compounds, offers AI photo logging and logs exercise and biometrics. Gold is $59.99/yr ($4.99/mo on annual) or $10.99 month to month. Pair it with Hevy or Strong for the gym.

Trade-offs: we could not confirm structured sets-and-reps logging in Cronometer, and Cronometer's Gold page does not list a weight-trend calorie adjustment.

04Comparison table

US list prices checked October 17, 2026. Intro offers vary.

05Under $5 a month: what actually fits

If your budget is about $60 a year, these fit, using prices on the companies' own pages:

• Hevy free + MyFitnessPal free: $0. You lose barcode scanning (Premium in MyFitnessPal) and custom macro goals.
• Hevy Pro + MyFitnessPal free: $23.99/yr (about $2/mo). Unlimited routines and progression suggestions in the gym.
• Cronometer Gold + Hevy free: $59.99/yr ($4.99/mo). Right at the line, with detailed nutrients.
• Ellim free: $0 for both logs in one app.

Over the line: MacroFactor alone ($71.99/yr, about $6/mo), MyFitnessPal Premium ($79.99/yr), Hevy Pro + Cronometer Gold ($83.98/yr, about $7/mo), and Fitbod ($95.99/yr, about $8/mo). Smart Scan, Arrow Coach and other AI features need an Arrow Diamond subscription.

06Calorie logging for beginners who lift

If you are new to both, keep it simple for the first month:

1. Set protein first. A common evidence-based starting range for people who lift is about 1.4 to 2.0 g of protein per kg of bodyweight per day, per the International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand.
2. Log every day for two weeks, even badly. Adaptive targets (Arrow, MacroFactor) need consistent logs to estimate your expenditure. Partial days make the estimate worse.
3. Weigh in several times a week and watch the trend, not single readings. Water shifts after salty meals or hard leg days are normal.
4. Use the fastest logging method you will keep using. Barcode and saved meals for repeats, photo or voice for restaurant meals, then correct portions.
5. Keep the lifting simple. Log the same few compound lifts each week so your strength trend is readable next to your weight trend.

07When another app is the better choice

• You want $0 and one app: Ellim's free tier.
• You are on Android: Hevy, plus a food app that runs on Android. Arrow is iPhone-first.
• You want the app to program every session: Fitbod, or MacroFactor Workouts.
• You care most about micronutrients: Cronometer.
• You already trust MacroFactor's algorithm and don't mind two apps: the MacroFactor bundle.

For more specific goals, see the best app to track a cut and best MacroFactor alternatives.

08FAQ

What is the best all-in-one fitness app for lifting and nutrition?

Arrow and Ellim both log workouts and food in one iPhone app. Arrow adds adaptive calorie targets from your weigh-ins, per-muscle recovery and a score that combines strength, nutrition and consistency; Ellim's base app is free.

What is the best calorie logging app for beginners who lift?

Pick one with barcode scanning, saved meals and a protein target, and log daily for two weeks. Arrow, Ellim and MyFitnessPal Premium all cover this; Hevy's free tier works for the gym side if your food app does not log workouts.

Is there a workout and diet tracker under $5 a month?

Yes. Hevy Pro is $23.99/yr and Cronometer Gold is $59.99/yr ($4.99/mo on annual), and both pair with free tiers of other apps. Ellim's base app is free.

Does MacroFactor track workouts?

Yes, through a separate app, MacroFactor Workouts. MacroFactor says the two apps do not adjust training from nutrition data or nutrition targets from training data.

Is Hevy + MyFitnessPal still a good setup?

Yes, and it can cost $0. The trade-off is two apps, two dashboards and no connection between your training and your food.

09Sources

Accessed October 17, 2026.

• Arrow: features per App Store listing, App Store
• Ellim: free workouts + meals, Premium AI coach, ellim.app, FAQ, App Store
• MacroFactor: prices and bundle, help center · Check-Ins, help center · apps not connected, help center · Smart Progression, help center
• MyFitnessPal: prices, membership tiers · Premium features, myfitnesspal.com/premium
• Hevy: prices, pricing comparison · free limits, help center · Hevy Trainer, help center · Android, rest timers, hevyapp.com
• Fitbod: prices, help center · recovery and progression, help center
• Cronometer: Gold prices, nutrients, exercise logging, cronometer.com/gold · AI photo logging, cronometer.com
• Protein for people who train: Jäger et al., ISSN position stand: protein and exercise (2017), JISSN