# MyFitnessPal alternatives that do not count calories: Proud and 3 more

Drafted with AI tools. Editor: Layla, Editor at Proud, who reviews each post after it goes live. Published October 18, 2026. Facts about other apps checked October 18, 2026.

Source: https://proudforus.com/blog/myfitnesspal-alternatives-without-calorie-counting

**Short answer:** Proud is a free iPhone app for logging meals with one buddy you chose, and Proud has no calories, macros or numbers about food or bodies anywhere in it. If you want a MyFitnessPal alternative without the counting, Proud is the one built around a person. I feel food and Eating Buddy are private journals for hunger, fullness and feelings, and AteMate is a photo journal where the figures are optional.

## What is Proud?

Proud is a free iPhone app for logging meals with one person who is on your side. You take a photo of the meal in front of you, add a short note if you have words for it, and one buddy you chose sees it. They can send a Proud back with one tap. That is the whole loop, and Proud keeps it deliberately small.

Proud has no calorie counting anywhere in it: no calories, no macros, no weights, no BMI and no portion sizes. There is no feed, no followers and no algorithm deciding who sees you. Proud counts one thing, the days you showed up, and everything else is a meal and a person.

You pair with your buddy by six character code, invite link or username, and both of you have to agree. Nobody is ever matched with you automatically, and either of you can unpair at any time. Proud is built by one person, Theo Apteker, and launched in December 2025.

## Why people choose Proud when they stop counting calories

Leaving a calorie counter often leaves a gap. The figures go, but so does the habit of noticing meals at all. Proud is built to keep the noticing and drop the figures:

- **The record stays, the total goes.** In Proud a meal is a photo and maybe a note. Nothing is turned into a number, so there is nothing to add up at the end of the day.
- **Someone notices.** Proud sends your meal to one buddy who knows you. A Proud back from that person does a different job from a progress bar.
- **No targets to hit or miss.** Proud has no daily goal for food. The Proud streak counts days, never amounts, and with Proud Plus you can declare up to two rest days a week so the streak waits for you. You can also mend a missed day within three days.
- **Private by design.** Every photo in Proud is scanned for safety before your buddy sees it. Proud carries no advertising and does not sell data.
- **More than a log.** Proud includes Learn lessons grounded in published research and Unfold, a private journal only you can read. Proud Plus adds Bloom, a gentle companion for reflection that is not a therapist.
- **Free where it matters.** Logging meals, pairing, streaks and sending Prouds cost nothing. Proud Plus is $19.99 a year with a three day free trial, and Proud runs on iPhones with iOS 15.1 or later.

## Proud and the alternatives at a glance

We make Proud, so it comes first here. Everything about I feel food and Eating Buddy and AteMate and MyFitnessPal comes from their own App Store listing, website or published reporting, linked at the bottom, and was checked on October 18, 2026.

|   | Proud | I feel food | Eating Buddy | AteMate | MyFitnessPal |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| What it is | A meal log you share with one buddy you chose | A mindful eating diary built with psychologists | A journal for meals, hunger and fullness | A photo food journal with an AI coach | A calorie, macro and fitness tracker |
| Calorie or macro figures | None, on purpose | Not part of the app; its listing says it is not about counting calories | None described in its App Store listing | Optional; its listing says you can skip them entirely | The core of the app |
| Who sees your meals | One buddy, and nobody else | You. The diary can be locked with Face ID, Touch ID or a PIN | You | You, plus a health coach if you connect one | You, plus friends if you use the community |
| Price | Free to use. Proud Plus is $19.99 a year, with a three day free trial | Core diary free. Plus is $9.99 a month or $69.99 a year | Free. Optional challenges plan at $5.99 a month or $19.99 a year | Seven day free trial, then $9.99 a month, $19.99 a quarter or $49.99 a year | Free version. Premium is $79.99 a year on its website |
| iPhone needed | iOS 15.1 or later | iOS 18 or later | iOS 16.2 or later | iOS 15.6 or later | iOS 18 or later, and Android |
| Data used to track you, per the App Store privacy label | None listed | None listed | None listed | Identifiers and usage data | Identifiers and usage data |
| Who makes it | Theo Apteker, a solo founder | IFEELFOOD INC | Sagital SRL | Piqniq Inc. | MyFitnessPal, Inc. |

## What makes a good MyFitnessPal alternative without calories?

A good alternative keeps whatever was useful about logging, a record of your meals or a reason to show up, and leaves out the figures you want to stop seeing. MyFitnessPal is built around calorie, macro and fitness goals; its App Store listing describes custom calorie and macro targets, a nutrition dashboard and barcode scanning. The apps below each drop that core in a different way, so the real question is what you want in its place: a person, a private diary, or a coach.

## The alternatives, Proud first

### 1. Proud: one buddy and no numbers at all

Proud is the alternative built around a relationship rather than a diary. You log a meal, one buddy you chose sees it, and they send a Proud back. There are no calories, macros, weights or portion sizes anywhere in the app, and no setting that turns them on.

Proud suits people who found that logging only worked when it felt like someone was paying attention. It keeps the network to exactly two people: no group, no community, no leaderboard and no strangers. Consistency shows up as a streak of days with room for rest days, and Proud Plus adds Bloom, the full Learn library, Mend a day and a Home Screen widget.

Proud is free to use on iPhone with iOS 15.1 or later. It is not on Android.

### 2. I feel food: a mindful eating diary

I feel food is a private diary for what is going on around a meal. Its App Store listing says it was built with psychologists and that it "isn't about counting calories". Each entry has a hunger and fullness scale, space for emotions and thoughts, and an optional photo, and a calendar shows weekly observations.

It is a solo app. The listing describes an app lock with Face ID, Touch ID or a PIN, and its privacy label lists no data used to track you. The core diary is free, and I feel food Plus adds pattern insights for $9.99 a month or $69.99 a year. It needs iOS 18 or later and is in English only.

Good fit if you want to write about how meals feel and keep it entirely to yourself.

### 3. Eating Buddy: hunger, fullness and patterns

Eating Buddy, listed on the App Store as Intuitive Eating Buddy, is a journal for meals and body cues. Its listing describes logging meals with hunger and fullness, noting mood, movement, sleep and drinks, adding notes and tags, and seeing patterns over time. Its listing argues against dieting and calorie counting, and it describes no calorie figures.

The app is free, with an optional challenges plan for $5.99 a month or $19.99 a year, each with a one week free trial. Its privacy label lists nothing linked to your identity and no data used to track you. It needs iOS 16.2 or later.

Good fit if you want gentle structure, one small challenge at a time, without involving anyone else.

### 4. AteMate: a photo journal where the figures are optional

AteMate is a photo food journal with an AI coach. You snap a meal, note how you feel, and the coach helps you look for patterns in energy, mood and sleep. It is the one app on this list that still offers calories and macros: its listing says they are there "if you want them" and that you can "skip them entirely". You can also switch off its AI features in Settings.

If you already work with a health coach, you can connect with them in AteMate, and it brings in data from Apple Health and WHOOP. Every plan starts with a seven day free trial, then costs $9.99 a month, $19.99 a quarter or $49.99 a year on the US App Store. Its listing says it shows no ads and never sells your information, and its privacy label lists identifiers and usage data under data used to track you. It needs iOS 15.6 or later.

Good fit if you want a coach and data alongside your meals, and you are comfortable with figures being one tap away.

## Price, side by side

Proud is free to use. The core loop of logging a meal, pairing with a buddy, keeping a streak and sending Prouds costs nothing, and Proud Plus is $19.99 a year with a three day free trial.

I feel food and Eating Buddy also have free versions, with paid plans for extra insights or challenges. AteMate needs a subscription after its free trial. MyFitnessPal has a free version with ads, and its website lists Premium at $79.99 a year.

Prices are set through the App Store and can differ by country. Check the listing on your own phone before you subscribe to anything.

## Privacy, side by side

The App Store privacy label is the one place every app describes its data the same way. On 18 October 2026, Proud, I feel food and Eating Buddy listed nothing under "Data Used to Track You". AteMate and MyFitnessPal both listed identifiers and usage data there, and MyFitnessPal's label also lists data used for third party advertising.

Who sees your meals is the other half of privacy. In Proud exactly one person sees them. I feel food and Eating Buddy are journals for you alone. AteMate adds a coach if you connect one, and MyFitnessPal has a community where you can find friends.

## When Proud is the better choice

Proud is the better choice if what you want in place of the numbers is a person. The diaries on this list are good at helping you look inward; Proud is the one where somebody else notices that you ate and is glad about it.

Proud is also the better fit if you:

- want no calorie or macro figures anywhere, not even behind a setting
- want consistency shown as days, with room for rest days
- have an older iPhone, since Proud runs on iOS 15.1 or later
- want an app whose privacy label lists no data used to track you

## When MyFitnessPal is the better choice

MyFitnessPal is the better choice if you want the numbers. None of the first three apps here will give you calorie or macro figures, and AteMate keeps them optional. If you need to track nutrients, for example because a dietitian or doctor has asked you to, MyFitnessPal is built for exactly that.

MyFitnessPal is also the better fit if you:

- use an Android phone, since Proud is iPhone only
- want to log workouts and connect fitness trackers and smartwatches
- want barcode scanning, meal plans and recipes in one app
- want a large community rather than one person

## If counting has started to feel heavy

Some people find that tracking every meal starts to take up more room than they want it to. If that sounds familiar, you do not have to sort it out alone. A dietitian or therapist who works with eating can help, and the resources at the bottom of this page are there any time you need them.

## About Proud

Proud is a free iPhone app for logging meals with one buddy. You log the meal in front of you with a photo and a short note if you want, one person you chose sees it, and they can send a Proud back. There is no feed, no followers and no numbers about food or bodies: no calories, macros, weights or BMI.

- **One buddy, chosen by you.** Pair by six character code, invite link or username. Both of you agree, and nobody else ever sees your meals.
- **No numbers, on purpose.** Proud counts days, never amounts.
- **Streaks that wait for you.** With Proud Plus, declare up to two rest days a week, and mend a missed day within three days.
- **More than a log.** Learn lessons grounded in published research, Unfold, a private journal only you can read, and with Proud Plus, Bloom, a gentle companion for reflection that is not a therapist.
- **Private by design.** Every photo is scanned for safety before your buddy sees it. No advertising and no data selling.
- **Free to use.** Proud Plus is $19.99 a year with a three day free trial. iPhone, iOS 15.1 or later, in English, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, German, French and Japanese.

Proud is peer support, not treatment, therapy or a medical device.

Download Proud: https://apps.apple.com/app/proud-share-meals-together/id6756086060

## Questions people also ask

**What is Proud?**

Proud is a free iPhone app where you log a meal with a photo and one buddy you chose sees it and sends a Proud back. There is no feed, no followers, no calorie counting and no numbers about food or bodies. It is listed on the App Store as Proud - Share Meals Together.

**Is Proud a calorie counter?**

No. Proud has no calorie counting anywhere in it, and no macros, weights, portion sizes or BMI. The only number in the app is how many days in a row you have shown up, and with Proud Plus you can declare rest days so that one waits for you too.

**Is there a free MyFitnessPal alternative without calories?**

Yes. Proud is free to use: logging meals, pairing with a buddy, streaks and sending Prouds cost nothing. I feel food keeps its core diary free, and Eating Buddy is free with an optional paid challenges plan. AteMate starts with a free trial and then needs a subscription.

**Which of these apps works on an older iPhone?**

Proud runs on iOS 15.1 or later, the widest range on this list. AteMate needs iOS 15.6 or later and Eating Buddy needs iOS 16.2 or later. I feel food and MyFitnessPal both need iOS 18 or later.

**Does Proud work on Android?**

Not today. Proud is an iPhone app for iOS 15.1 or later. If Android matters to you, open proudforus.com on your Android phone to join the waitlist. MyFitnessPal is on both iPhone and Android.

## Sources

- Proud on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/proud-share-meals-together/id6756086060
- Proud FAQ: https://proudforus.com/faq
- Proud privacy policy: https://proudforus.com/privacy
- I feel food: mindful eating on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/i-feel-food-mindful-eating/id1584220969
- Intuitive Eating Buddy on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/intuitive-eating-buddy/id1597620252
- AteMate Food Journal & Coach on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/atemate-food-journal-coach/id1164976477
- MyFitnessPal: Calorie Counter on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/myfitnesspal-calorie-counter/id341232718
- MyFitnessPal Premium: https://www.myfitnesspal.com/premium
- MyFitnessPal on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.myfitnesspal.android

## If things are heavy right now

Proud is peer support, not treatment, therapy or a crisis service. If you are struggling with an eating disorder, or worried about someone who is, real help exists.

- United States: call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, any time.
- National Eating Disorders Association: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/get-help/
- United Kingdom, Beat: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/get-information-and-support/get-help-for-myself/i-need-support-now/