The most popular diet and weight loss apps of 2023

Diet apps and weight loss programs aren't just about cutting back on food and losing weight, despite the names. They are also a way to focus on self-care, making you feel more comfortable in your own skin and helping you adjust your eating habits to encourage a healthier lifestyle overall. 

Since the early days of WeightWatchers, weight loss has been associated with ways to curb unhealthy eating, control portions, and make better food choices. It's no surprise that nowadays, apps have become a key part of the equation. They can help automate tasks, serve as a place to store daily food logs, count calories, give personalized recommendations, encourage you to set goals, and provide tips, tricks, and advice from experts—here are some options to choose which is right for you.

1. WeightWatchers

Pricing: $43/month for one month; $15.33/month for 3 months; $11.50/month for 6 months; 3 months free on promotion with select plans

WeightWatchers is one of the oldest diet and weight loss companies around, offering both virtual coaching and in-person workshops to support your goals. The app includes a barcode scanner for logging the foods you eat as well as learning useful facts about them, 24/7 coaches available for assistance as needed, and at-home weigh-ins to keep track of progress. Want to go on this journey with a group of friends or family members? You can use the connect feature to cheer one another on, share progress, and motivate one another in any way you can.

After using the WeightWatchers app for a full year, our audience development manager Rachel Moskowitz found that the program was really helpful and enjoyable. But she admits that, like with any diet and weight loss program, if you don't actually put in the work, you won't see the results.

What work is involved? Logging the pertinent details each day, including what you eat, what exercise you did, and your current weight. It's mostly a self-guided process, but you will get details about the food you ate, like if you stayed within the healthy zones. You'll also see points attached to each item to help you calculate and work towards staying within these zones as you plan your meals. There's a list of more than 200 foods that are on the "ZeroPoint" list that you can eat any time (yes, even popcorn). 

When you have the urge to satisfy that sweet tooth in the middle of the night, log on for a quick, five-minute audio coaching session with the in-house expert to help you consider a healthier alternative instead. If you find that meal planning helps, you can do this in the app, too, setting up your recipes and meals on a week-to-week basis to make sticking to the diet simple.  Sign up for WeightWatchers

2. Noom

Pricing: Starts at $42.25/month with a 4-month commitment (billed upfront) and plan auto-renews at $169; or $70/month with monthly renewal plan

Unlike other diet and weight loss apps, Noom doesn't involve any type of food delivery program, or even calorie counting or meal planning. It's all about the psychology of eating, deeply rooted in the idea that it's our thoughts that trigger bad eating habits. Thus, controlling our social and emotional behavior and wellbeing can lead to the desired results.

After editor Megan McCarthy tried Noom for a three-month period, she became a firm believer that it actually works. Naturally, the results vary from one person to another, but if you find that you're an emotional eater who often grabs for that bag of potato chips or leftover chocolate cake at night after dinner, or loves to partake in a glass of wine (or 2 of 3) in the evenings, Noom might be the program for you.

Noom is all about scientific coaching and goal setting through its app, providing you with feedback that's personalized to you. You get customized meal and exercise plans, but it's up to you to do the work and follow through. You can log the food you eat if desired and even track your steps. At the heart of Noom, however, is the personal virtual coach that is with you the entire way through while using the app. Sign up for Noom

3. MyFitnessPal

Pricing: Starts at $9.99/month; also a free tier with limited features

If your primary focus is on calorie intake, MyFitnessPal is one of the top apps to consider using, with both a free and paid subscription option. The idea is to log what you eat and drink throughout the day, and the app will calculate your calorie, fat, protein, carb, sugar, water, and vitamin intake.

There are more than 14 million foods from which to choose, including the ability to scan barcodes so you can check the calories, sugar, and other nutritional information before deciding to add an ingredient to your meal (or even pick it up at the grocery store). 

MyFitnessPal is basically a digital food diary that will help you stay on track, and even includes recipes (or the choice to upload your own healthy favorites). There's also an online community where you can share (and receive) advice, tips, and 24/7 support. 

The best part of MyFitnessPal, however, is that you can integrate the data with many smartwatch and fitness tracker brands as well as other apps (it has more than 50 app partners!), like Fitbit and Garmin, as well as MapMyRun, Samsung Health, and Apple Health. Once this is done, compare the calories you have consumed to the calories you have burned through physical activity and exercise to make sure the numbers coincide positively. 

MyFitnessPal isn't going to devise a personalized weight management program for you. But it will provide you with the tools to create a viable one for yourself, as long as you take the time to log your data each day. Sign up for MyFitnessPal

4. Fooducate

Pricing: Basic version free; premium $6.99/month with 3-day free trial; in-app purchases vary in price

Into macros? Fooducate is the perfect diet and weight loss app for you, and the best option for those who are looking for a diet to help them build muscle, strength, and fine-tune their bodies versus those who want to shed a high number of pounds.

It is designed to, well, educate you about the food you eat by grading each item by its quality. Does the food have nutrients like protein, carbs, and fats? Or is it all sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and additives that will make your goals more difficult to achieve? The education goes beyond giving food a grade but also explaining why it received that grade and suggesting healthier alternatives.

Fooducate operates on a points-based system versus calorie counting, making it ideal not only for those who are trying to lose weight but for athletes who are looking to improve their diets as well. You can track your meals, snacks, and water as well as exercise all in one place.  Food can also be scanned in by barcode, though Fooducate's database isn't as large as MyFitnessPal.

The basic app is free but there are in-app purchase options. Add-ons include features like being able to identify allergens, manage specific diets, like Keto, vegan, or paleo, find dietary recommendations for diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart conditions, and even the option to work directly with a virtual nutritionist. 

You'll need the Premium tier, however, to access many of the features noted above and get the most out of Fooducate. Sign up for Fooducate

5. Cronometer

Pricing: Basic version free; gold features $4.16/month

Cronometer is focused on tracking your food intake as well as up to 84 micronutrients, macronutrients, and other compounds, as well as intermittent fasting times. As one of the most affordable apps on the list (you can access some features for free), Cronometer is a budget-friendly way to analyze the quality of the foods you are eating, not just count the calories.

Set goals, log your food, create custom foods, recipes, and exercises, and receive a nutrition score over time so you can see how well you are progressing towards achieving your goals. If you like to include intermittent fasting in your diet (always consult the advice of a health professional before doing so), you can track how this effects your body over time in the app as well. 

Cronometer syncs with many other apps like Fitbit, Garmin, Samsung Health, and Apple Health. This is a useful app if you want to focus on controlling portions and avoiding too many calories. But it's also great in confirming that you are eating a nutrient-rich diet and healthy foods that will contribute to your overall health and well-being, and yes, also weight loss goals.  Sign up for Cronometer

6. LoseIt! Premium

Pricing: Basic version free; premium is $3.33/month or $39.99/year

With the basic version of LoseIt!, you can track calories, macros including fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, fiber, sugars, and protein. Upgrade to the Premium plan to add blood glucose, sleep, and water intake, as well as get more detailed nutritional information about the food you eat. 

Ideal for beginners who are starting a new diet or weight loss plan, LoseIt! provides you with a calorie budget. Log your food (and exercise as well if you like) and eat as you please, working to stay within your food budget. Use the barcode scanner feature to log various foods, or even take a photo of your meal and the app's intelligent recognition software will calculate the data. You can set a goal and keep track of your weight and weight loss as you work towards achieving it within a specific timeline. You can also access low-calorie recipe ideas. 

With the Premium plan, you can sync with various apps and fitness trackers, including Fitbit, Apple Watch, and Garmin. LoseIt! is one of the simplest apps to use on the list and focuses primarily on helping you lose weight. But you aren't going to get specific meal planning, just the option to track what you're eating, and learn along the way.

Sign up for LoseIt!