Pensum
Pensum vs FatSecret
FatSecret is one of the few calorie counters whose free tier still includes the barcode scanner and macro goals. What it keeps for Premium is the AI photo scan, custom meals, copying food between days and the meal planner. Pensum has those free too, with no ads and no account, and it imports your FatSecret diary food by food.
Android. iPhone waitlist on the home page.
Pick FatSecret if you use an iPhone or the web, want dietitian meal plans and a large community, and only count calories and macros, since FatSecret's free tier covers that and Premium costs around $59.99 a year in the US. Pick Pensum if you are on Android and want photo logging, saved meals, copying entries to other days, micronutrient targets and calorie targets from your measured expenditure free, with no ads, no account, and your FatSecret history imported.
Is FatSecret free? What FatSecret Premium costs in 2026
Yes, mostly. FatSecret's own comparison table lists these as free: macro tracking, the barcode scanner, the community, achievements and streaks, reports, and a limited weekly review. You set a calorie goal and your own protein, fat and carb targets without paying, and there is a web login next to the iPhone and Android apps. Google Play does not mark the app as containing ads.
Premium adds Smart Food Scan (photograph a meal and it identifies the foods and estimates portions), Smart Assistant (dictate or type a meal and it finds and logs the foods), the Meal Planner, dietitian-designed meal plans in selected countries, the water tracker, the Learning Center, one-tap recipe logging, an in-depth weekly review, and two everyday tools: Custom Meals and Copy Food. The store listings also name six additional meal headings as a Premium extra.
FatSecret's Premium page does not print a price; it says pricing varies by region and currency and sends you to the app. The US App Store lists the plans at $14.99 a month, $28.99 a quarter and $59.99 a year, plus cheaper variants at $10.49, $19.99 and $38.99, so the price the app offers you can be lower. The Premium page mentions no free trial.
| Plan (US prices) | Pensum | FatSecret |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Full diary, barcode, macro targets, micros, photo logging with an allowance, saved meals, adaptive targets, imports, no ads | Diary, barcode, macro goals, reports, community; no photo scan, custom meals or copy food |
| Monthly | Optional Plus; Google Play shows the price in your currency | Premium $14.99 (App Store also lists $10.49) |
| Quarterly | Not offered | $28.99 (also $19.99) |
| Yearly | Optional Plus; Google Play shows the price in your currency | $59.99 (also $38.99) |
| Trial | None needed; AI unlimited for the first 30 days | None mentioned on the Premium page |
FatSecret prices from its US App Store in-app purchase list, checked 25 September 2026. Regional prices differ.
How Pensum is paid for. The tracker is free: diary, manual logging, barcode scanning, search, saved meals and recipes, favorites, Log again, copying entries to any day, 18 micronutrients plus fiber, sugar and saturated fat, trends, adaptive targets, Health Connect sync, widgets, CSV export and imports. AI is unlimited for your first 30 days. After that the free plan includes 30 AI actions each month, where one action is one meal photo estimate, one label scan, one recipe import, one micronutrient fill or one Ask Pensum question. Search, barcode and typing never count.
Pensum Plus is an optional subscription: unlimited AI actions, micronutrients that fill in on their own as you log, and automatic cloud backup, a copy of the diary every day, encrypted in transit and at rest on servers in the EU. Nothing you need to track is behind it.
Pensum vs FatSecret, side by side
What each app gives you without paying, and what the paid tier adds.
| Pensum | FatSecret | |
|---|---|---|
| Price and access | ||
| Free tier | Full tracker, free | Diary, barcode, macro goals, reports, community |
| Paid tier | Plus: unlimited AI, auto micro fill, cloud backup | Premium $59.99 a year, $28.99 a quarter or $14.99 a month (US) |
| Ads | None, on any tier | Not marked as containing ads on Google Play |
| Account | None needed | Free account required |
| Logging | ||
| Barcode scanner | Free | Free |
| Photo logging | Up to five photos of one meal plus notes; 30 AI actions each month free, unlimited with Plus | Smart Food Scan, Premium |
| Voice or text logging | Voice dictation, free | Smart Assistant, Premium |
| Saved meals | Saved meals, recipes, favorites, free | Custom Meals and one-tap recipe logging, Premium |
| Copy food to another day | Copy entries to any day, tomorrow included, free | Copy Food, Premium |
| Repeat foods | Log again; repeat foods open on your last portion | Search auto-complete |
| Meal planning | Log ahead by copying entries to future days | Meal Planner and dietitian meal plans, Premium |
| Food data | ||
| Database | Hand-curated catalogue on USDA FoodData Central, plus German and Swiss national data, plus millions of products via Open Food Facts | Over 2.3 million foods, which FatSecret says are all manually verified |
| Targets and expenditure | ||
| Calorie target | Adaptive, from measured expenditure, free | RDI from age, weight, height, activity level and goal; recalculated when you update them |
| Macro goals | Free; pin protein, fat or carbs in grams or g/kg | Free; set daily protein, fat and carb targets |
| Nutrients | ||
| Micronutrients | 18 plus fiber, sugar and saturated fat against daily targets, free; each value flagged verified, partial or estimated | Macros plus nutrient columns you choose, such as saturated fat, fiber, sugar, sodium and cholesterol |
| AI features | ||
| Questions about your diary | Ask Pensum answers from your own diary; changes only on Apply | Not listed |
| Recipe import | From pasted text or a screenshot, one AI action | Not listed |
| Privacy and data | ||
| Where the diary lives | On your phone; no data sale | FatSecret account, synced online |
| Export | CSV export and manual backups, free | Food diary report as PDF or CSV from the app |
| Health and device sync | Health Connect: reads weight; writes meals and manual weigh-ins | Apple Health, Google Health, Fitbit, Samsung Health, Garmin (steps, calories, weight) |
| Platforms | ||
| Devices | Android (Google Play or direct APK); iPhone waitlist | iPhone, iPad, Android, Apple Watch, web |
| Languages | English and German, metric and imperial | Over 20 languages |
FatSecret features from its Premium and app pages, help center, Google Play listing and App Store listing, checked 25 September 2026.
What actually differs
The Premium line runs through everyday logging
FatSecret's free tier is generous where other apps are not: barcode scanning and macro goals cost nothing. The paywall sits somewhere else. Saving a breakfast you eat every day as a Custom Meal is Premium. Copying yesterday's lunch to today with Copy Food is Premium. Logging a recipe in one tap is Premium. For people who eat the same few meals, those are the features used most. In Pensum, saved meals, recipes, favorites, Log again and copying entries to any day, tomorrow included, are all part of the free plan, and a food you have logged before opens on the portion you used last time.
Photo logging: Premium only, or free with an allowance
FatSecret's Smart Food Scan takes a photo of your meal, identifies the foods, estimates portions and shows the nutrition, ready to log. On FatSecret's comparison table it is a Premium feature, as is Smart Assistant for dictated or typed meals.
Pensum's photo logging takes up to five photos of one meal plus your notes, such as a rough weight, the oil you used or the size of the bowl, and returns an editable ingredient list that names hidden oil and sugar. Our published research found that telling the model the plate's total weight cut the average gram error roughly in half. You get it unlimited for 30 days, then 30 AI actions each month free, or unlimited with Plus. Voice dictation, typing, search and barcode never use an action. See the photo logging page.
A calorie goal from a formula, or from your own data
FatSecret calls your calorie goal your RDI. Its help center says it is personalized from your age, weight, height, activity level and weight goal, and that you tap Calculate My RDI to get a new target when those details change. That is a sound starting point, but if the activity level you picked is off, the goal stays off until you notice.
Pensum starts from an estimate too, then measures what you actually burn from your logged intake and your weight trend, and moves your target when that measurement changes. It is free and uses no AI. The full method, every equation and constant, is published at pensumapp.com/expenditure. For a first estimate before you have data, use the TDEE calculator.
Micronutrients as targets, with an honesty flag
FatSecret shows macros alongside a set of nutrient columns you choose in its settings, such as saturated fat, fiber, sugar, sodium and cholesterol. Pensum tracks 18 micronutrients plus fiber, sugar and saturated fat against daily targets, free, and marks each value as verified, partial or estimated, so you can see when a day's iron or vitamin D rests on incomplete data. When a food is missing micronutrients, one AI action fills the gaps; with Plus that happens on its own as you log. More on the micronutrients page.
No account, and the diary stays on your phone
FatSecret needs a free account and syncs your diary online, which is what makes its web login and Apple Watch app work. Pensum works without an account. The diary lives on your phone, and nothing is sold. Backups are files you control, or with Plus an automatic daily copy encrypted in transit and at rest. Neither app is marked as containing ads on Google Play; Pensum has none on any tier.
Where FatSecret is better
- iPhone, Apple Watch and the web. FatSecret runs on iPhone, iPad, Android and Apple Watch, with a web login and over 20 languages. Pensum is Android only today, in English and German; iPhone is a waitlist.
- Device sync. FatSecret connects Apple Health, Google Health, Fitbit, Samsung Health and Garmin for steps, calories and weight. Pensum works through Health Connect, which covers weight but does not add exercise calories to your target.
- Meal plans and people. Premium includes dietitian-designed meal plans in many countries, and the free app has a large community and lets you share your diary with a health professional through FatSecret Professional. Pensum has no meal plans and no social features.
- A cheaper paid tier. If you only want the Premium extras, FatSecret's US yearly plan at $59.99, or $38.99 when offered, is on the low end for calorie counters.
Which one to choose
Choose Pensum if
- You want saved meals, copying food between days and photo logging without a subscription.
- You want calorie targets from your measured expenditure, not an activity guess.
- You want 18 micronutrients against targets, with verified, partial or estimated flags.
- You want no account and a diary that lives on your phone.
- You are on Android, or on a phone without Google services.
Choose FatSecret if
- You use an iPhone or Apple Watch, or want to log on the web.
- You want Fitbit, Garmin or Samsung Health sync.
- You want dietitian meal plans, a community or a professional who sees your diary.
- You only count calories and macros, which FatSecret's free tier covers.
Switching from FatSecret to Pensum
Pensum imports FatSecret's detailed food diary report, food by food. Weigh-ins are not in that file, so they take a separate route.
The FatSecret import reads every food in the report with its name, calories, protein, fat and carbs, in the meal you logged it in (breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack). Sodium and potassium come over too when your report has those columns. Grams and serving sizes stay behind, and imported lines stay out of your food search. Days you already logged in Pensum are skipped, never merged, and a preview shows what will arrive before anything is written. Imported intake feeds trends and the expenditure estimate like anything you log.
See the import page for every supported app.
- Export the detailed report from FatSecret. In the FatSecret app, open the Food Diary, scroll down and tap the export icon. Choose the period, set the report type to the detailed report (the one that lists each food, not just daily or meal totals), pick CSV as the format and share the file to your phone's storage or to yourself. Repeat for each month you want to bring over.
- Install Pensum. From Google Play, no account.
- Import in Settings. Choose FatSecret as the source and pick the CSV files, several months at once. Check the preview for the number of days and entries, then confirm.
- Bring your weight over separately. FatSecret's diary report has no weigh-ins. If your weight is in Health Connect, for example from a smart scale, allow Pensum to read it and your weight trend is there from day one. Otherwise, log a few recent weigh-ins by hand.
- Rebuild your regular foods and let expenditure settle. Scan the barcodes of what you buy every week and save your usual meals once. Pensum starts from an estimate and switches to your measured expenditure once it has enough logged days. Pin your protein and keep logging.
FatSecret questions
Is FatSecret free?
Mostly, yes. FatSecret's free tier includes the food diary, barcode scanner, macro goals, reports, a limited weekly review and the community. Premium adds Smart Food Scan photo logging, Smart Assistant, Custom Meals, Copy Food, the Meal Planner, dietitian meal plans, the water tracker and the Learning Center. Pensum's free plan also covers saved meals, copying entries and photo logging with 30 AI actions each month.
How much is FatSecret Premium in 2026?
FatSecret's own Premium page gives no price and says it varies by region. The US App Store lists $14.99 a month, $28.99 a quarter and $59.99 a year, plus cheaper variants at $10.49, $19.99 and $38.99 that the app may offer instead. Check the Premium tab in the app for the price in your country.
What is the difference between FatSecret free and Premium?
Free covers tracking: diary, barcode scanner, macro goals, reports and community. Premium adds tools that save time and planning help: Smart Food Scan for photos, Smart Assistant for dictated or typed meals, Custom Meals, Copy Food, one-tap recipe logging, the Meal Planner, dietitian meal plans in selected countries, water tracking, the Learning Center and an in-depth weekly review.
Is FatSecret Premium worth it?
It depends on how you eat. If you repeat the same meals, Custom Meals and Copy Food save real time, and around $59.99 a year in the US is low for a paid calorie counter. If you want those tools and photo logging without a subscription and you use Android, Pensum includes them free. If you want dietitian meal plans or iPhone support, Premium is the way to get them.
Does FatSecret have ads?
Google Play does not mark FatSecret's app as containing ads, and FatSecret's free tier works without an ad-removal purchase. The free app does point you to Premium for features such as photo scanning and custom meals. Pensum has no ads on the free plan or on Plus.
Can I export my FatSecret data?
Yes. In the FatSecret app, open the Food Diary, scroll down and tap the export icon, then choose the period, the level of detail and PDF or CSV. The detailed CSV lists every food with its nutrients. Pensum imports that file directly, several months at once. The report does not include weigh-ins.
Can Pensum import my FatSecret diary?
Yes. Pensum reads FatSecret's detailed Food Diary Report CSV and brings over each food with its calories and macros, in the meal you logged it in, plus sodium and potassium when those columns are in the report. Grams and serving sizes stay behind. Days already logged in Pensum are skipped, and a preview shows everything first.
What is the best free alternative to FatSecret?
For Android users who want saved meals, copying food between days and photo logging without paying, Pensum is a free FatSecret alternative: diary, barcode scanner, gram macro targets, 18 micronutrients and adaptive targets from measured expenditure, with no ads and no account. It imports your FatSecret diary. It is not on iPhone yet, so iPhone users need a different app for now.
Is Pensum available on iPhone?
Not yet. Pensum is on Google Play for Android, with a direct APK for phones without Google services. An iPhone version has a waitlist on the Pensum home page, with no release date promised. FatSecret runs on iPhone, iPad, Android, Apple Watch and the web today.
How we compared
We used FatSecret's Premium and app pages, its help center articles on exporting reports, macro goals, the RDI and third-party apps, and its Google Play and US App Store listings, checked on 25 September 2026, alongside the current Pensum release. The FatSecret import was built and tested against a real FatSecret export. Prices vary by region and change over time. If something here is out of date, tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- FatSecret Premium: features, free vs Premium comparison and FAQ
- FatSecret app: free features and database
- FatSecret help: How do I use the Export/Print function?
- FatSecret help: How do I set my macro goals?
- FatSecret help: What is RDI, and how is it calculated?
- FatSecret help: Third-party apps
- FatSecret on the US App Store (in-app purchase prices)
- FatSecret on Google Play
Saved meals, photo logging and your FatSecret history. Free, no ads.