We're NutraSafe — a UK food scanner app. MyFitnessPal is the most-asked-about alternative for calorie tracking, so here's how the two apps compare and where they differ. Prices verified 7 May 2026; we made one of the apps in this comparison so this is our description, not a neutral test.
TL;DR — what each app does
- Free plans: NutraSafe — up to 25 logs/day with barcode scanning + grade, no ads. MyFitnessPal — calorie and macro logging with barcode scanning, supported by ads on the free tier.
- Paid plans: NutraSafe Pro — £3.99/month, monthly only, iOS. MyFitnessPal Premium — more expensive than NutraSafe Pro, removes ads and adds extra features.
- What MyFitnessPal centres on: calorie and macro tracking against a very large user-generated food database (14M+ entries).
- What NutraSafe centres on: calorie and macro tracking plus vitamins and minerals against UK NRVs, additive and E-number scanning, allergen warnings and food reaction logging.
- Pricing verified 7 May 2026 from the UK App Store listings.
Feature-by-feature comparison
| Feature | NutraSafe | MyFitnessPal |
|---|---|---|
| Paid plan | £3.99/month (iOS, monthly only) | Premium — more expensive than NutraSafe Pro |
| Free plan | Up to 25 logs/day, no ads | Free, supported by ads |
| Calorie tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Macro tracking (carbs, protein, fat) | Yes | Yes |
| Barcode scanner (free tier) | Yes — with our per-product grade | Yes |
| Vitamins & minerals (UK NRVs) | A, C, D, E, K, B-group; iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc and others (Pro) | Less detailed micronutrient tracking; varies by tier |
| Additive / E-number analysis | Per-product grade + ingredient breakdown | Not included |
| Allergen warnings on barcode scan | Set once, alert on every scan (Pro detail) | Not included |
| Food reaction logging | Yes (5 free, full history on Pro) | Not included |
| Food database | Built for UK supermarkets, verified entries | Very large, mostly user-generated (14M+ entries) |
| Exercise & device integrations | Apple Health | Many third-party fitness apps and devices |
| Recipe import from a URL | Manual entry | URL recipe importer |
| Community / forums | Email support | Forums and friend connections |
| Annual plan | None — monthly only | Annual option available on Premium |
Pricing breakdown
Pricing verified 7 May 2026 from the UK App Store listings.
NutraSafe pricing
- Free to download. The free tier lets you log up to 25 foods/day with barcode scanning + our per-product grade and up to 5 reactions. No ads.
- NutraSafe Pro: £3.99/month (iOS, monthly only). Unlocks vitamin and mineral tracking against UK NRVs, AI Coach, AI meal scan, allergen warning detail, fasting features, workouts, suspected-triggers analysis and processed-food and NRV insights.
- No annual tier. NutraSafe Pro is monthly only. Cancel any time.
MyFitnessPal pricing
- Free tier (supported by ads): calorie and macro logging with barcode scanning. Ad-supported experience.
- MyFitnessPal Premium: a paid tier that removes ads and unlocks extra features. Premium is more expensive than NutraSafe Pro, with monthly and annual options.
Pricing summary
Both apps have a free option, so you can try each before paying. NutraSafe Pro at £3.99/month is the cheaper paid plan and stays monthly only. MyFitnessPal Premium offers an annual commitment if you'd rather pay once a year. Price alone won't tell you which fits — it depends on whether the features each unlocks match what you want to track.
What each app tracks
MyFitnessPal centres on calorie and macro tracking against a very large user-generated database. Vitamin and mineral tracking is less detailed than what we offer and varies by tier. NutraSafe also tracks calories and macros, then layers vitamins and minerals against UK NRVs, additive and E-number analysis, allergen warnings on every barcode scan, and a food reaction log.
What NutraSafe includes
- Barcode scanning with our per-product grade (Free) — scan a UK barcode and see ingredients, additives and our grade in seconds.
- Up to 25 food logs/day and 5 food reactions (Free) — calorie and macro logging at no cost on the free tier, no ads.
- Public E-number lookup (Free, on the website) — 330+ E-numbers used in UK food, with what each one does, at /e-numbers/.
- Vitamins & minerals against UK NRVs (Pro) — daily percentages for vitamin A, the B-complex, C, D, E, K, plus iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc and others. The NDNS 2019-2023 data above shows why we built this in.
- Allergen warning detail on barcode scans (Pro) — set your allergens once, get a detailed alert on every scan that matches.
- AI meal scan (Pro) — photograph a meal, we estimate ingredients and macros.
- AI Coach (Pro) — chat with an assistant that has visibility of your diary and food reactions.
- Suspected-triggers analysis (Pro) — pattern analysis across your reaction log to surface candidate trigger foods.
- Processed-food and NRV insights (Pro) — a daily picture of how processed your food is and where your micronutrient intake sits.
- Fasting features and workouts (Pro) — fasting timer with insights, plus workout logging.
What MyFitnessPal includes
- Very large food database — 14M+ entries built up from the user community, so most foods you search for will have an entry of some kind.
- Free tier with calorie and macro tracking — supported by ads.
- Barcode scanner for logging packaged foods.
- Recipe import from a URL — paste a recipe URL and it estimates the nutrition.
- Many third-party integrations — connects with a wide range of fitness apps and wearables for exercise and weight syncing.
- Community forums and friend connections — peer motivation and social features.
- Premium tier — removes ads, adds further features (more expensive than NutraSafe Pro).
What this means in practice
If your priority is calorie counting against the largest possible food database with broad device integrations and a community to share with, MyFitnessPal covers that ground. If you also want vitamin and mineral intake against UK NRVs, additive and E-number analysis, allergen warnings on every scan, and a food reaction log you can take to your GP, that's where NutraSafe comes in.
Which app fits which user?
NutraSafe might suit you if you:
- Want to see vitamins and minerals tracked daily against UK NRVs, not just calories and macros
- Want to scan products for additives and E-numbers, with a per-product grade
- Have allergens you want flagged on every scan
- Want to log food reactions and take a record to your GP
- Follow a routine where micronutrients matter (vegan, low-iron risk, pregnancy, post-bariatric, etc.)
- Prefer a no-ads experience and a low monthly price
MyFitnessPal might suit you if you:
- Want the largest possible food database and don't mind that quality varies between user-submitted entries
- Use a wide range of third-party fitness apps and devices and want broad integrations
- Like community forums and friend connections built into the app
- Want a recipe importer that reads a URL
- Are happy tracking calories and macros and don't need detailed micronutrient tracking
- Prefer the option to commit annually on the paid plan
What you get on the free plans
The two free plans differ in what they prioritise. Here's what each one includes.
NutraSafe free tier
- Up to 25 food logs per day
- Barcode scanning with our per-product grade
- Up to 5 food reactions logged
- Our public E-number lookup at /e-numbers/
- No ads
Vitamin and mineral tracking against UK NRVs, allergen warning detail, AI Coach, AI meal scan and full reaction-pattern analysis are on NutraSafe Pro (£3.99/month, iOS, monthly only).
MyFitnessPal free tier
- Calorie and macro logging
- Barcode scanner included
- Access to the very large user-generated food database
- Supported by ads
- Premium adds extra features and removes ads at a higher price than NutraSafe Pro
Free-tier summary
Our free tier is built around scanning, our per-product grade and a 25-logs-per-day cap with no ads. MyFitnessPal's free tier is built around calorie and macro logging against a very large database, supported by ads. Try both — they prioritise different things and the right one depends on what you want to track.
Food database
NutraSafe database
- Built specifically for UK supermarkets — Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, Aldi, Lidl, M&S, Waitrose, Co-op
- Growing — updated regularly, with user submissions reviewed by us before they're published
- Each entry includes ingredient and additive data so we can run the per-product grade and allergen checks
- Smaller than MyFitnessPal's overall (we're newer and UK-focused)
MyFitnessPal database
- Very large — 14M+ entries built up from a global user community
- Mostly user-generated, so quality varies between entries; you may see several versions of the same product
- Broad international coverage — useful for travelling or for foods that aren't in a UK shop
- Sometimes lighter on UK-specific supermarket products vs a UK-built database
Database summary
MyFitnessPal has the much larger database in raw numbers, useful when you want to find any food anywhere. Our database is smaller but built around the additional data we need to run additive analysis, the per-product grade and allergen checks on UK products. The two are optimised for different things.
So which should you pick?
The honest answer — they do different things
For the largest possible food database with broad device integrations and community features: MyFitnessPal has spent over a decade building that. If straightforward calorie counting against a deep global database is what you want, it's a recognisable choice — and Premium gives you an annual option if you'd rather pay once a year.
For nutrition that goes beyond calories: NutraSafe also tracks vitamins and minerals against UK NRVs, scans products for additives and E-numbers, surfaces allergen warnings on every scan, and logs food reactions. NutraSafe Pro is £3.99/month on iOS, monthly only, no ads.
You can try both. Both apps have a free option, so the easiest way to decide is to download them and see which fits your routine. Some people end up using both alongside each other.
Frequently asked questions
Is MyFitnessPal free?
Yes — there's a free tier with calorie and macro logging plus barcode scanning, supported by ads. MyFitnessPal Premium removes ads and adds extra features at a price higher than NutraSafe Pro.
Does MyFitnessPal track vitamins and minerals?
MyFitnessPal centres on calories and macros (carbs, protein, fat). Detailed micronutrient tracking varies by tier and is less detailed than what we offer. We track vitamins (A, C, D, E, K and the B-group) and minerals (iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc and others) against UK NRVs.
Is NutraSafe better than MyFitnessPal?
They do different things. MyFitnessPal has a very large user-generated database and broad device integrations. NutraSafe adds vitamin and mineral tracking against UK NRVs, additive and E-number scanning with a per-product grade, allergen warnings and food reaction logging. The right one is the one whose features match what you want to track.
Can I switch from MyFitnessPal to NutraSafe?
There's no automated import between the two, so you'd start fresh in NutraSafe. Many people run both for a few days while they decide which fits their routine.
Does NutraSafe work with UK supermarket products?
Yes. Our food database is built for UK products and works with barcodes from Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Aldi, Lidl, M&S, Waitrose, Morrisons, Co-op and other UK supermarkets.