Pensum
Pensum vs Yazio
Pensum is a simple, fast food tracker. Log by barcode, search or photo, see 18 micronutrients against daily targets, and get a calorie target measured from your own weigh-ins. It shows no ads, needs no account and imports your Yazio history. Photo logging and vitamins are free in Pensum. Yazio charges PRO for both, and its free app shows ads.
Android. iPhone waitlist on the home page.
Go with Pensum. The whole tracker is free: barcode scanning, photo logging, 18 micronutrients plus fiber, sugar and saturated fat, and a calorie target that follows your measured expenditure, with no ads and no account. In Yazio, photo AI, vitamins and minerals and an ad-free app all need PRO, which lists at $47.90 a year on the US App Store. Pensum imports your Yazio diary and weigh-ins, and runs on Android today.
What Yazio locks behind PRO
Yazio's free app keeps the calorie diary, food search, the barcode scanner, basic macros and weight. It also shows ads: Google Play marks the app as containing ads, and Yazio lists an "ad-free experience" as a PRO benefit. According to Yazio's own help center, most of what goes past calories and three macros is PRO only.
| Feature | Pensum | Yazio |
|---|---|---|
| No ads | Free, on every tier | PRO only |
| Meal photo AI | Free | PRO only, after launching free for everyone |
| Vitamins and minerals | 18 against daily targets, free | PRO only |
| Fiber and sugar | Free, with saturated fat | PRO only, with salt and fatty acids |
| Planning meals ahead | Copy entries to any day, free | PRO only |
| Calorie target | Measured from your weigh-ins, free | Formula estimate on every plan |
Also behind PRO: all intermittent fasting plans, the full library of over 3,000 recipes, grocery lists, automatic activity sync with Fitbit, Samsung Health, Garmin and Polar, statistics going back up to 2 years, weekend calorie goals, mood notes and a rearrangeable diary.
There is no standing free trial in the app. Yazio says its 7-day trial is "offered occasionally" and only on its website.
| Plan (US App Store) | Pensum | Yazio |
|---|---|---|
| Free | The full tracker: diary, barcode, photo logging, micros, adaptive targets, imports, no ads | Diary, barcode, basic macros, with ads |
| 3 months | Not offered | $23.99 |
| 6 months | Not offered | $34.99 |
| Yearly | Optional Plus; Google Play shows the price in your currency | $47.90 list, offers from $23.90 |
| Monthly | Optional Plus; Google Play shows the price in your currency | Not listed |
Yazio prices from its US App Store listing. Yazio runs many price points at once, and other countries pay very different amounts: the German App Store lists yearly PRO from 23.90 up to 83.90 euros.
How Pensum is paid for. Everything you track with is free: diary, manual logging, barcode scanning, search, saved meals and recipes, photo logging, label scans, recipe import, micronutrient fill, Ask Pensum, 18 micronutrients plus fiber, sugar and saturated fat, trends, adaptive targets, Health Connect sync, widgets, CSV export and imports.
Pensum Plus is optional. It pays for what costs money to run: unlimited AI, micronutrients that fill in on their own as you log, and a daily cloud backup of the diary, encrypted in transit and at rest on servers in the EU. Nothing you need to track sits behind it.
Pensum vs Yazio, side by side
Every Yazio cell checked against its help center, Google Play or App Store listing on September 25, 2026.
| Pensum | Yazio | |
|---|---|---|
| Price and access | ||
| Free plan | Yes, the full tracker | Calorie tracking and basic macros, with ads |
| Ads | None, on any tier | In the free app; removed only with PRO |
| Paid plan | Optional Plus: unlimited AI, auto-filled micros, daily cloud backup | PRO: $47.90 a year in the US, regional prices vary |
| Trial | Not needed, the tracker is free | 7 days, occasionally, on the website only |
| Account | None | Needed to keep your data on a new phone |
| Logging | ||
| Barcode scanner | Free | Free |
| Meal photo AI | Up to five photos of one meal plus notes, free | PRO only |
| Repeat logging | Saved meals, recipes, favorites, Log again, last portion remembered, multi-add, copy to any day | Created meals, copy entries to another day |
| Planning ahead | Copy entries to any day, tomorrow included, free | Future meal planning is PRO only |
| Voice | Voice log, free | Not listed |
| Food data | ||
| Database | Hand-curated catalogue on USDA FoodData Central, plus the German BLS and Swiss database, plus millions of products via Open Food Facts | Over 4 million items, many added by users; some wrong public entries cannot be edited |
| Search order | Generic whole foods ranked above branded products | Not documented |
| Value quality shown | Each nutrient flagged verified, partial or estimated | Not shown per value |
| Targets and expenditure | ||
| Calorie goal | Measured from your intake and weigh-ins, free | Mifflin-St Jeor formula times an activity factor |
| Exercise calories | Shown, never added to the budget | Added to the daily goal by default |
| Macro control | Pin protein, fat or carbs in grams or g/kg, free | Macro goals |
| Nutrients and AI | ||
| Micronutrients | 18 plus fiber, sugar and saturated fat against daily targets, free | Vitamins, minerals, fiber and sugar are PRO only |
| AI assistant | Ask Pensum answers from your own diary, free; changes only on Apply | Support chat assistant "Max" |
| Recipes | Your own recipes and recipe import, free | Recipe library is PRO only |
| Privacy and data | ||
| Where the diary lives | On your phone; optional EU cloud backup with Plus | Yazio's servers |
| Export | CSV export and manual backups in the app | No export button; request your data from support |
| Health platforms | Health Connect: reads weight, writes meals and weigh-ins, free | Health Connect and Apple Health; Fitbit, Garmin, Polar sync is PRO only |
| Streaks and badges | None | Streaks, which can be lost when you switch phones |
"Not documented" and "not listed" mean we could not find it in Yazio's help center or store listings.
What Pensum gives you free
What free means in Pensum
People rarely leave Yazio because of the diary. They leave because the free version shrinks toward calories and three macros, with ads in between, and because features like the photo scanner moved from free to PRO. Pensum's tracker has no ads and no paywall, because tracking costs almost nothing to run. Plus pays for the parts that do cost money to run, and nothing you need to track sits behind it.
Vitamins and minerals without PRO
In Yazio, fiber, sugar, salt, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals are part of "detailed nutritional information", a PRO feature. On the free plan you see calories and macros.
Pensum shows 18 micronutrients plus fiber, sugar and saturated fat against daily targets for everyone. Each value is flagged verified, partial or estimated, so you can see which numbers are complete and which were filled in. When a food has gaps, AI fills them for free, and with Plus they fill in on their own as you log. We measured how well AI fills missing micronutrients and published the results.
A calorie target from your own weigh-ins
Yazio's help center explains its calorie goal: the Mifflin-St Jeor equation for your basal rate, times an activity factor, plus a deficit or surplus for your goal. Calories from logged workouts are added on top by default. The goal stays a formula: if your real burn is 300 kcal off the estimate, the goal stays 300 kcal off.
Pensum starts from an estimate too (try the TDEE calculator), then replaces it with your measured expenditure once there is enough data: it compares what you ate with how your weight trend moved and works out what you actually burn. Targets follow that number. Tracker calories are shown but never added to your budget, because the measurement already includes them. Every equation and constant is published at pensumapp.com/expenditure.
Search that returns the plain food
Pensum's catalogue is hand-curated on USDA FoodData Central, with the German BLS and the Swiss Food Composition Database on top. Millions of branded products come from Open Food Facts, where an active community keeps scanning new products. If a barcode isn't found, you photograph the nutrition label: Pensum reads the values and adds the product to Open Food Facts for everyone.
Generic whole foods rank above branded ones, so "rice" gives you rice, and every value is marked verified, partial or estimated. Much of Yazio's database is products added by users, and Yazio's help center says some public entries cannot be edited when they are wrong.
Logging repeats is quick: foods you have logged before open on your last portion, Log again repeats an earlier entry into today, and multi-add logs several foods at once.
Photo logging, free
Yazio's photo recognition launched free for everyone and is now PRO only. In Pensum, photo logging is free. You can send up to five photos of one meal plus notes such as a rough weight, the oil you used or the bowl size, and you get 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. See the photo logging page and the photo guide.
No streaks, no account, no ads
Yazio uses streaks, and its help center notes they are stored on the device and can be lost when you switch phones. Pensum has no streaks and no badges: once a meal is logged, the app asks for nothing else. It needs no account, keeps the diary on your phone, shows no ads and sells no data. Backups are files you control, or, with Plus, a daily copy encrypted in transit and at rest.
Pensum is for you if
- You want vitamins, minerals and fiber without a subscription.
- You want to log a meal from a photo without paying for it.
- You want a calorie target that follows your measured expenditure.
- You want no ads, no streaks and no account.
- You eat a lot of generic whole foods and want them ranked above brands.
- You want to bring your Yazio diary and weigh-ins with you.
- You are on Android, including phones without Google services.
Switching from Yazio to Pensum
Pensum imports Yazio's data files, so your history and weigh-ins come with you.
- Ask Yazio for your data. Yazio has no export button. Write to Yazio support (the in-app chat or the help center) and ask for a copy of all personal data stored in your account. This is your right under Articles 15 and 20 of the GDPR, and Yazio's privacy policy names the right to data portability. Yazio has up to a month to answer.
- Save every file they send. The reply comes by email as a set of CSV files. Keep all of them together, or keep the zip as it is. Pensum needs the diary file plus the product and recipe lookup files, and reads weigh-ins from the body values file.
- Install Pensum. From Google Play. No account to create.
- Import. In Pensum, open Settings, tap Import data, choose Yazio and pick all the files. Your diary comes over with calories and macros, plus your weigh-ins. A preview shows before anything is written, and days you already logged in Pensum are skipped. How the import works.
- Cancel PRO in the right store. If you subscribed, cancel where you bought it: Google Play, the App Store or Yazio's website. Deleting the Yazio app or account does not cancel the subscription.
Yazio questions
Is Yazio free?
Partly. Yazio's free app covers calorie tracking, barcode scanning, basic macros and weight, and it shows ads. Photo AI logging, vitamins and minerals, all fasting plans, the recipe library, meal planning and fitness-tracker sync need Yazio PRO. In Pensum, the diary, barcode scanning, photo logging, micronutrients and adaptive targets are all free, with no ads.
How much does Yazio PRO cost in 2026?
On the US App Store, Yazio PRO lists at $47.90 for 12 months, $34.99 for 6 months and $23.99 for 3 months, with yearly offers as low as $23.90. The App Store shows no monthly plan. Prices differ a lot by country: in Germany the listed yearly price reaches 83.90 euros. Pensum's tracker costs nothing, and Pensum Plus is optional.
Does Yazio have ads?
Yes. Google Play marks Yazio as containing ads, and Yazio lists an ad-free experience as a PRO benefit, so the free app shows ads until you pay for PRO. Pensum shows no ads on the free plan or on Pensum Plus, and it sells no data.
Is Yazio's AI photo logging free?
No. Yazio's help center says its AI food recognition was first available to all users for free and is now part of Yazio PRO. In Pensum, photo logging is free. You send up to five photos of one meal with notes and get an editable ingredient list back.
Is Yazio PRO worth it?
With PRO you pay for photo AI, vitamins and minerals, an ad-free app, fasting plans, the recipe library, meal planning and Fitbit or Garmin sync. If you want to log food and see macros, vitamins and a realistic calorie target, Pensum gives you that core for free, without ads and without a subscription.
Can I export my Yazio data?
Not with a button. Yazio has no data export in the app. You ask Yazio support for a copy of your personal data, which is your right under the GDPR, and Yazio emails a set of CSV files. Pensum imports those files directly: your diary with calories and macros, plus your weigh-ins.
What is the best free alternative to Yazio?
Pensum is a free Yazio alternative for Android, with no ads and no subscription needed. The diary, barcode scanning, photo logging, 18 micronutrients plus fiber, sugar and saturated fat, and calorie targets from your measured expenditure are free, and Pensum imports your Yazio history.
Does Yazio adjust my calorie goal automatically?
Yazio calculates your goal with the Mifflin-St Jeor formula times an activity factor, and by default adds calories you burn in logged activities. It does not measure your real expenditure from your weigh-ins. Pensum does: it compares intake with your weight trend and sets targets from that measured number.
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.
How we compared
We used Yazio's help center, its Google Play listing and its App Store listings in the US, Germany and Switzerland, checked on September 25, 2026, alongside the current Pensum release. Pensum's Yazio import was built and tested against a real Yazio data 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.
- Yazio help: How does Yazio Pro support my goals? (PRO feature list)
- Yazio help: AI calorie tracking is now part of Yazio Pro
- Yazio help: 7-day free trial
- Yazio help: How Yazio calculates your calorie goal
- Yazio help: Why calorie and nutrient goals change
- Yazio help: Using your account on a new device
- Yazio help: Why some public foods cannot be edited
- Yazio help: Cancelling Pro
- Yazio terms of use and privacy policy
- Yazio on Google Play
- Yazio on the US App Store (in-app purchase prices)
- Yazio on the German App Store
The tracker is free. Vitamins included. No ads.