Pensum
Pensum vs Cronometer
Cronometer has the deepest, best-sourced micronutrient data in the category. Day to day it also shows ads in the middle of logging, and locks everyday features behind Gold: recipe import, timestamps, repeating items, fasting, goal planners. Pensum does all of that free, with no ads anywhere.
Android only.
Side by side
Prices as of 2026; check the store for current numbers.
| Pensum | Cronometer | |
|---|---|---|
| Ads on the free tier | None, on any tier | Yes, during daily logging; removed only with paid Gold |
| Behind the paywall | Recipes, timestamps and saved meals: free forever. Adaptive targets: free today, optional Pro one day | Gold gates recipe import, timestamps, repeating items, fasting, goal planners, ad removal, more |
| Micronutrient depth | Key vitamins and minerals, each flagged verified, partial or estimated | Deep, lab-sourced, more nutrients tracked |
| Generic-food ranking | Generic whole foods ranked above branded products by default | Large database; branded and community entries surface heavily in search |
| Food database | USDA plus German and Swiss national databases built in | Global database, community entries mixed in |
| Logging speed | Weigh, search, two taps | Thorough, more screens per entry |
| AI meal-photo scan | Free now; optional Pro one day | Photo logging in Gold |
| Account required | No, local-first | Yes, cloud account |
| Platforms | Android (early); Health Connect sync | iOS, Android, web |
Where Cronometer is stronger: nutrient depth, sourcing, and platform breadth.
What actually differs
The paywall covers a lot more than ads
Gold also gates the small things you touch every day: importing a recipe, putting a timestamp on an entry, repeating yesterday's items quickly, fasting tracking, goal planners. That's the basics of keeping a food diary, metered. In Pensum every one of those is free, and there are no ads to begin with. Any paid tier we ever add would cover AI extras only, never the diary.
Generic foods first
In a global, community-fed database, a search often surfaces branded and user-submitted entries first. Pensum ranks clean generic whole foods above branded products, on USDA data plus the German BLS and the Swiss Food Composition Database. Search chicken breast, oats or Quark and the plain food comes up first, ahead of the packaged versions.
Micros, clearly flagged
Cronometer tracks more micronutrients, from carefully sourced data, and for meticulous nutrient work few apps match it. Pensum tracks a narrower set, the key vitamins and minerals, and flags each value as verified, partial or estimated, so you can see how much of a number is measured.
Cronometer is the better tool for nutrient work
If that is what you are doing, stay. If you are paying for Gold mainly to remove ads and unlock recipe import and timestamps, everything on that list is already free here.
From someone who switched
“I was looking for a better macro-tracking app myself, since I've been using Cronometer and I'm not a hundred percent happy with it. The UI of this app is honestly perfect. It feels super smooth and intuitive. I'm definitely switching and giving Pensum a proper run.”
Questions
Is Pensum a good Cronometer alternative?
If your friction with Cronometer is the ads or the Gold paywall around everyday features, Pensum fixes exactly that: no ads on any tier, and recipe import, timestamps, saved meals and goal targets all free. Cronometer leads on the depth and sourcing of its micronutrient data, so it stays the better pick for detailed nutrient work.
Does Cronometer show ads on the free version?
Yes, and they sit in the middle of daily logging. Removing them requires the paid Gold subscription. Pensum shows no ads on any tier; there is nothing to remove.
Is Pensum better for German, Swiss and Austrian foods?
For DACH generic foods, usually yes. Alongside USDA data, Pensum bundles the German BLS and the Swiss Food Composition Database, and ranks clean generic foods above branded products, so searching Broetchen or Quark returns the actual food rather than packaged versions.
Is Pensum free?
There are no ads on any tier, and no account or card. The diary, the food catalogue, recipes, trends and Health Connect sync are all included. Everyday tracking is free forever. Adaptive expenditure and the AI scans are free right now, and early users keep them free when they become an optional Pro tier.
Everything Gold charges for, free, with no ads to remove.