Accountability, motivation, and commitment are often the keys to success in a weight-loss journey. But life isn't on pause while you're trying to eat healthy and fit more workouts into your schedule, and sometimes you need a hand in keeping you on track and staying focused on your goals. That's where the best weight-loss apps can lend you a hand.
They can also help users make more informed choices by highlighting areas that they could work on such as drinking more water, curbing late-night snacking, and simply getting more steps in during the day, says New York-based nutritionist Meredith Price, RD, the owner of Priceless Nutrition & Wellness. However, the app is not going to do all the work for you. “Just like with anything, hard work and dedication need to be put in," Price says.
That said, monitoring your stats with an app translates into some real-life benefits and is totally worth the effort. A 2021 study found that those who frequently logged their weight, exercise, and food using an app reduced five percent of body weight sooner than those who did not.
Ready to get started? Check out these 16 expert-approved weight-loss apps to start crushing your goals.
Meet the experts: Meredith Price, RD, is a nutritionist and the owner of Priceless Nutrition & Wellness.
Ella Davar, RD, is a nutritionist who specializes in integrative health.
Allison Childress, PhD, is an assistant professor at Texas Tech University and the chief clinical dietitian at the Nutrition and Metabolic Health Institute.
1. Fitbit
Best for those just starting a fitness program
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Though you can totally pair it with your Fitbit, you don't need one to use the app. The app offers free workouts like cardio and strength-training sessions, nutrition programs, and even meditation tracks. The app also makes it fun to get moving by allowing you to start challenges and share data with other friends on Fitbit.
If you do want to keep track of your stats as you go about your day, like, say, how many steps you've gotten in throughout the day, you should make sure you pair it with your phone or smartwatch. The app is specifically a great tool for beginners, who want to use fitness to meet their weight loss goals with daily walks or movement goals, since it makes it pretty easy to track how many calories you're burning during your workouts, your daily steps, and even your heart rate, says Elsie Senat, a NASM-certified trainer.
You can download the app for free access to audio and video workouts, but subscribing to Fitbit Premium will unlock an even bigger library of workouts and other features.
Pricing: $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year for Fitbit Premium
Pros:
- Easy to track daily steps
- Great for beginners
Cons:
- Resting heart rate tracker is less accurate
- Food tracker has limited scanning options
2. MyNetDiary
Best for people on specific diets like keto, low carb, high protein, etc.
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Keeping track of your food on MyNetDiary is a breeze, thanks to its database of over 937,000 foods. Not only can you easily add what you're eating to the app, but it can also deliver hyper-specific nutritional information. The database has info on up to 37 nutrients, and it's being continuously updated.
The app takes the guesswork out of figuring out how you can get into a calorie deficit to lose weight by doing the math for you and tracking your nutrition, Senat says. "Tracking your macros and calories during the initial phase of your weight- and fat-loss journey is so important because it teaches you what you are consuming. Many people do not realize how much food they are consuming and how little nutrient-dense they are." MyNetDiary gives you all of that info in a user-friendly format. One other cool feature of the app is that it can offer you diet tweaks if the data you're putting in shows you've hit a weight-loss plateau.
The app is free, but you can sign up for a premium subscription for access to more features like shareable reports and recipes.
Pricing: $8.99 per month or $59.99 per year for premium subscription
Pros:
- Delivers hyper-specific nutritional information
- Easy to monitor and track daily progress
Cons:
- Advanced tracking option only available with premium
- No real-life coaching
3. Noom
Best for learning what nutrients to add to your diet
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Noom is a weight-loss program focused on helping you make behavioral changes by rating the foods you eat with a color: green, yellow, or red. It also provides educational info on how to create healthy habits and why some foods are "better" than others.
Ella Davar, RD, recommends this app for people who want to make healthier lifestyle choices. "I love that the app teaches users about various advanced topics like the pros and cons of coconut oil, benefits of apple cider vinegar, or candida diet overview," says Davar. "This app is focused on providing accountability and education, which is a great way to build healthy habits if the engagement level is high."
The app also has a community component that allows you to talk to others on the diet in real time, in addition to Noom's own health and wellness coaches. Though you can download the app for free, it requires a paid subscription to use after a week.
Pricing: $60 per month or $199 per year for premium subscription
Pros:
- Provides personal coaching and weekly check-in’s
- Includes barcode scanner for easy food logging
Cons:
- Pricey
- Does not sync well with other apps
4. WW (formerly Weight Watchers)
Best for community-based accountability
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What you'll love about WW is that it's a points-based system, so no food is off limits. After taking a personal assessment, you'll be matched with a food plan that'll suggest food choices based on your preferences. You can use the app to track your points and foods, in addition to other aspects of your health like sleep, water intake, and activity.
Davar likes the WW app because it connects you with other people on a similar journey. "I love that WW is focused on community building and provides a sense of support for dieters," she says. The app has its own social media-like feature built in, where other people share their tips, setbacks, and even photos.
Plan subscriptions with access to the app start at $5.07 a week. But if you're looking to learn more about making smart food choices, Davar says she would recommend another app or plan that focuses more on the quality of ingredients.
Pricing: $20 per month or $240 per year for premium subscription
Pros:
- Offers a tight-knit community
- No food is off limits
Cons:
- Pricey
- Does not focus on quality ingredients
5. HealthyWage
Best for people just beginning their weight-loss journey
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If you’re looking for extra motivation as you embark on your weight-loss journey, HealthyWage might be just what you need. The app encourages you to make a healthy wager by betting on your own weight loss. Basically, you pick your weight loss goal and wager, and the prize calculator offers you a price. Once you find the right goal and prize, you make a “bet” and get started.
“I love this app because it’s so unique and brings the added motivation of competition,” says Kimberly Gomer, RDN, the director of nutrition at Body Beautiful Miami. “This app appeals to both the competitive person and the reward-driven one."
Though the app does not keep tabs on your macros or calories burned, it does track your steps throughout the day and offers a dashboard to view your progress. The app is free to download, but payment depends on your wager and goal.
Pros:
- Clearly tracks your progress
- Offers various challenges to keep you motivated
Cons:
- Must have a minimum weight loss goal of 10 percent
- No refunds or cancellations
6. Fooducate
Best for tracking your macros and nutrients
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Fooducate makes keeping track of the quality of your foods super easy. The app allows you to scan the barcode of whatever you're eating to pull up info on that particular food's nutrition. It'll then assign it a grade-based rating that will clue you into how healthy it is. In addition to a grade, the app also breaks down your food's macros and gives you other nutritional information, like whether it's made with added sugars, MSG, or other ingredients you might want to avoid.
Davar likes that you can also use the app to find recipe ideas or other healthy food options. The app also allows you to track your sleep, mood, and hunger levels. It's free to download, but does come with in-app purchases.
Pricing: $3.99 per month or $48 per year for premium subscription
Pros:
- Focuses on quality of food
- Beginner-friendly
Cons:
- Food scanner isn’t always accurate
- Smaller database of food selections
7. Nike Training Club
Best for at-home workouts
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If fitness isn't your strong suit, the Nike Training Club app makes it easy to find your flow by offering more than 185 free workouts for you to get moving to. The workouts range from HIIT sessions to work that's lower in intensity, like yoga.
Senat loves the ease of use of the app too. "I absolutely love this app. It's is a one-stop shop for fitness and is perfect for home workouts. Plus it's well categorized, includes follow-along videos, and has a built-in timer." The app also offers personalized workout recommendations, so the more you use the app, the more those recs will feel relevant to you.
Though you can't track calories on the app, it does offer nutrition guides from Nike Master Trainers, which include recipes and recovery tips, and the best part is the app is free.
Pros:
- A wide range of available guided workouts
- Great for workouts at all levels
Cons:
- Does not track calories
- Cannot customize your workouts
8. Cronometer
Best for learning what nutrients to add to your diet
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While your days of keeping a diary to chronicle your ~crushes~ might be very much in the past, your time spent jotting down what you eat and when shouldn't be, especially if you're looking to shed a few pounds. That's because food journaling can not only keep you more accountable but also help you see your eating patterns and, in turn, motivate you to make better food choices, says Price.
That's exactly why she recommends Cronometer, a food-logging app with an extensive database of nutritional info and A+ visuals to help you understand all the info provided. Unlike similar apps on the market, this one stands out for its wide focus. It doesn't just offer insights on calories and macros (key for keto-ers!), but it also gives a breakdown of vitamins and minerals, making it good for weight loss overall as well as learning what nutrients your diet might be lacking, Price says.
Pricing: $8.99 per month or $49.99 per year for Gold Membership
Pros:
- Offers an extensive database
- Provides in-depth information on each food
Cons:
- Has a limited recipe database
- Interface can be confusing when getting started
9. Oh She Glows
Best for adding more greens to your diet
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Brought to you from OhSheGlows.com, one of Price's fave recipe blogs, this app is great for both plant-eating pros and newbies, as well as those looking to shed a few pounds. The unfortunate reality, according to Price, is that most Americans don't get enough fruits and veggies in their diet. And for those trying to lose weight, this is particularly negative since these fiber-rich foods are known to aid weight loss.
This app makes it super easy to up your produce game thanks to its searchable archive of over 140 plant-based recipes, including 120 gluten-free options. Added bonus? The photos on the app are beautiful, which might encourage you to try something new, Price says.
Pricing: $2.99 to download
Pros:
- Beginner-friendly
- Focuses on whole, plant-based foods
Cons:
- Does not track fitness
- Can be limited with non-plant-based foods
10. MyFitnessPal
Best for portion sizing and control
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You really can’t go wrong with this app, which offers a whole lot of bang for its totally free buck. That's right: It's one of the best free (!!) weight-loss apps out there. Sure, there’s in-depth calorie tracking (it has one of the largest databases of food around, coming in at a whopping six million items), but it also outshines other apps when it comes to understanding how the portions of food you eat each day stack up in comparison to one another.
Did you get enough protein? How much of the fat you consumed was saturated? Did you eat three times as many french fries as you should have? (No judgment, we’ve all been there.) The MyFitnessPal app can tell you all of that. For an even better understanding of portion control, registered dietitian Allison Childress, PhD, recommends heading to the MyFitnessPal blog, which has an easy-to-understand portion size guide.
Pricing: $19.99 per month or $79.99 per year for premium subscription
Pros:
- Connects well with over 50 other apps
- Expansive food data
Cons:
- Weight predictions may be inaccurate
- Can only scan barcodes with premium subscription
11. Waterlogged
Best for staying hydrated
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Whether you like yours with a little lemon or stacked high with ice cubes, keeping up with water is key. And this is especially true when trying to shed a few pounds, as water "aids in digestion and can help fill us up too," Price says.
But if some days seem to fly by without you throwing back enough H2O, this app's got your back by sending you sipping reminders throughout the day. "Clients who have used this app have had great success, not only with increasing their fluids, but then also seeing weight loss," Price says. "You'll also find that when you start drinking enough fluids, you have more energy!"
Pricing: $3.99 for lifetime subscription
Pros:
- Beginner-friendly
- Easy to navigate
Cons:
- Poor customer service
- Only tracks liquid intake
12. Lose It!
Best for tracking calories
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Everybody needs a different number of calories to maintain their weight depending on several factors (like age, sex, and level of physical activity).
The average woman needs anywhere from 1,600 to 2,400 calories every day, according to the USDA's Dietary Guidelines. To lose weight, you have to trim that number of calories down; cutting out 250 to 500 calories each day may result in modest weight loss.
Bored yet? It’s okay—calorie counting can be a real drag. Who wants to do math after (or before) meals? That’s where an app that tracks calories for you really comes in handy. Input what you ate (or plan to eat) and let the app do all the calculations for you. For an app that lets you set a goal, track daily food and exercise, and connect to other fitness apps for comprehensive metrics, Childress recommends Lose It!.
“The premium version offers community support from other users, and another cool feature is that you can take a picture of your food and the app will bring up the nutritional information for it,” she says. Scanning bar codes is convenient, but uploading a pic of what you’re eating? That’s a piece of cake (sometimes literally!).
Pricing: $3.33 per month or $39.99 per year for premium subscription
Pros:
- Beginner-friendly
- Includes a barcode scanner
Cons:
- Encourages daily weigh-ins
- Calorie and macro counts can be inaccurate
13. Sleep Cycle
Best for managing your sleep
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If those pounds won’t budge, your sleep schedule and cycle could be to blame. That’s because, when it comes to weight loss, it’s about more than just calories in and calories out, says personal trainer Grayson Wickham, CSCS, the founder of Movement Vault. It’s also about hormones, stress, and sleep.
Enter, Sleep Cycle. The app tracks your movement and sleep patterns to give you tips on how to improve the quality of your shuteye, Wickham says. Plus, it uses that data to slowly wake you up when you're in your lightest sleep phase, which is the most natural time to wake up.
Pricing: $9.99 per month or $39.99 per year after a one-week free trial
Pros:
- Offers customizable wake-up windows
- Provides visual interpretation of your sleep patterns
Cons:
- Need to manually start and stop sleep
- Does not track other health markers
14. Aaptiv
Best for staying engaged with your workouts
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If the bags at your favorite kickboxing class have all been claimed and your favorite indoor cycling class is all booked, no sweat. Just download Aaptiv for on-demand audio classes.
Here’s how it works: The voice of a trainer will guide you through a fitness studio-style session with music that's tailored to a wide variety of workouts. Whatever fitness vibes you’re feeling, Aaptiv has something for you, says certified personal trainer and fitness nutrition specialist Jaime Mcfaden, CPT.
“I recommend Aaptiv to my clients because it lets them do their workouts wherever, whenever, and however they want," Mcfaden says. "So if they want a long run outside one day, there are workouts like that, and if the next day they want a 10-minute strength class, Aaptiv has that too,” It's this combination of workouts that makes it such a powerful tool for members since getting a well-rounded routine is key to achieving weight loss results, she adds.
Get started with a 30-day free trial.
Pricing: $14.99 per month or $99.99 per year for premium subscription
Pros:
- Offers on-demand audio workout classes
- Beginner-friendly
Cons:
- Does not track food
- Pricey
15. Intervals Pro
Best for sweating with HIIT
By now, you’ve probably heard the buzz: High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is one of the best ways to burn calories and shed weight. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t require a little bit of clock-watching, which, as anyone who’s ever spent 20 minutes eyeing the seconds knows, can really take the fun out of fitness.
“I recommend Interval Timer because it allows you to program the timer to match your workout, so you don't have to worry about counting the seconds on the clock. Instead, all you have to do is plug in your earbuds and stop every time the phone buzzes,” Alena Luciani, CSCS, the founder of Training2xl, explains. So, for example, if you're doing a Tabata sequence of 20 seconds on with 10-second rests for four minutes, you can program that in and the app will buzz when you're meant to switch from high to low interval and back again.
Pricing: A one-time fee of $7.99 to unlock all features
Pros:
- Beginner-friendly
- Great for working out alone
Cons:
- Does not save workouts
- Free trial expires after two to three workouts
16. Window
Best for intermittent fasting
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Whether you're new to intermittent fasting or a seasoned pro, this app makes your fasting journey as easy as possible. “It lets you schedule your eating windows, notifies you when eating windows open and close, lets you sync your data with the Apple Health app and Apple Watch, and provides a blog with tips on how to be healthier,” says Gomer. It provides detailed visuals that allow you to track your weight-loss progress and monitor your fasting without added stress.
The basic app is free, but you can subscribe to premium access, which offers a personalized fasting program, individualized statistics, and even a nutrition and mood tracker to understand how fasting influences your mind and body.
Pricing: $9.99 per month or $39.99 per year
Pros:
- Beginner-friendly
- Offers a wide range of services to keep you on track
Cons:
- Does not track macros
- Does not track workouts
Gabrielle Kassel (she/her) is a sex and wellness journalist who writes at the intersection of queerness, sexual health, and pleasure. In addition to Women’s Health, her work has appeared in publications such as Shape, Cosmopolitan, Well+Good, Health, Self, Men’s Health, Greatist, and more! In her free time, Gabrielle can be found coaching CrossFit, reviewing pleasure products, hiking with her border collie, or recording episodes of the podcast she co-hosts called
Andi Breitowich is a Chicago-based writer and graduate student at Northwestern Medill. She’s a mass consumer of social media and cares about women’s rights, holistic wellness, and non-stigmatizing reproductive care. As a former collegiate pole vaulter, she has a love for all things fitness and is currently obsessed with Peloton Tread workouts and hot yoga.
