Compare Calorie-counting apps
Plume vs calorie-counting apps like MyFitnessPal
Plume is a health journal you write in your own words, while calorie-counting apps such as MyFitnessPal are built around a food database and daily calorie and nutrient totals.
A calorie counter gives you precise totals for what you ate if you enter it precisely. Plume gives you a journal of your days that takes one sentence to write, and looks back over it for you.
How do Plume and calorie-counting apps differ?
| Plume | Calorie-counting apps | |
|---|---|---|
| How you log | One sentence, a voice note or a photo, in your own words | Search a food database or scan a barcode, then set the serving size |
| What you see each day | The day as a few objects, and one sentence per goal | Calories and nutrients eaten against a daily target |
| Numbers | Rough estimates, labelled as estimates, kept in the background | Itemised totals that are as exact as what you enter |
| Beyond food | Sleep, mood, energy, symptoms and anything else you mention, in the same entry | Mainly food and exercise |
| Looking back | Patterns across your own days after about a week, with the number of days behind each one | Totals, trends and history of what you logged |
Who are calorie-counting apps better for?
- You want exact calorie or macronutrient totals, for example for a plan set by a dietitian or coach.
- You are happy to look up or scan each food and confirm the amount.
- A daily number and a target help you.
Who is Plume better for?
- You have stopped using food logs because entering every item took too long.
- You would rather not see a calorie target every day.
- You care about how food, sleep, mood and energy relate to each other in your own days, more than about exact totals.
Can you use both?
Yes. If your calorie-counting app writes what you log to Apple Health and you allow Plume to read it, Plume shows those daily totals next to your journal. Plume never writes to Apple Health.
What should you know before choosing?
Plume’s estimates are rough by design. If you need exact figures, a calorie-counting app is the right tool.
Plume is free and runs on iPhone (iOS 17 or later). It is for adults, 18 and older.
This page describes calorie-counting apps as a category, with MyFitnessPal named as a well-known example. Features change, so check each product’s own pages for what it does today. Plume is not affiliated with MyFitnessPal; product names belong to their owners. If something here is out of date, write to help@plumeapp.net.