Why Did MyFitnessPal Increase Their Price? The Full Pricing History

MyFitnessPal Premium now costs $19.99 per month. For a calorie tracking app. To put that in context, that is more than Netflix Basic, more than Spotify Premium in many markets, more than most cloud storage plans, and more than many productivity apps that run entire businesses. If you feel like the price is unreasonable for what you get, you are not wrong — and you are not alone.

The price did not start here. It climbed steadily through a series of increases driven by ownership changes and a business strategy focused on extracting maximum revenue from the existing user base. Here is the full story.

The Complete MyFitnessPal Pricing Timeline

2005-2014: The Free Era

When MyFitnessPal launched, it was completely free. The core value proposition was simple: a massive food database and easy calorie logging, available to everyone at no cost. The app grew to tens of millions of users on the strength of this model. Revenue came from modest advertising.

During this period, MyFitnessPal offered virtually everything for free: food logging, barcode scanning, macro tracking, exercise logging, and basic reports. There was no premium tier because there did not need to be — the app was growing rapidly, building the user base that would later be monetized.

2015: Under Armour Acquisition and Early Premium

After Under Armour acquired MyFitnessPal for $475 million in 2015, a premium tier was introduced at approximately $9.99 per month or $49.99 per year. However, the free tier remained robust. Premium offered extras like ad removal, more detailed nutrient tracking, and custom macro goals, but the core features — including barcode scanning — remained free.

During the Under Armour era, the premium tier felt genuinely optional. You could use MyFitnessPal effectively without paying. Premium was positioned as an upgrade for power users, not a requirement for basic functionality.

2020: Francisco Partners Acquires MyFitnessPal

The pricing trajectory changed dramatically when Francisco Partners, a private equity firm, acquired MyFitnessPal from Under Armour in October 2020 for $345 million. Private equity acquisitions follow a predictable pattern: acquire the asset, increase revenue through pricing and monetization changes, reduce costs, and sell the company at a higher valuation within 3-7 years.

For MyFitnessPal, this meant the free tier was about to get much worse and the premium tier was about to get much more expensive.

2021-2022: Feature Stripping and Price Increases

Under Francisco Partners' ownership, two things happened simultaneously:

1. Features were removed from the free tier: Barcode scanning, the most-used feature in the app, was moved behind the paywall. Additional features that were previously free were reclassified as premium-only.

2. Premium pricing increased: The premium subscription moved from $9.99/month to $19.99/month — a 100% price increase. The annual plan increased proportionally to $79.99/year.

This combination of degrading the free product while doubling the premium price created a pincer movement on users: the free version became barely functional, and the paid version became significantly more expensive.

2023-Present: Continued Premium Pricing

As of 2026, MyFitnessPal Premium remains at $19.99/month or $79.99/year. There have been no price reductions. The feature gap between free and premium has, if anything, widened further.

Why Did They Raise the Price?

The Private Equity Playbook

Private equity firms do not acquire consumer apps to maintain the status quo. They acquire them to increase their value and sell them at a profit. The standard playbook involves several moves:

Revenue maximization: Increase prices to the highest level the market will bear. Some users will leave, but the increased revenue per remaining user more than compensates. If you double the price and lose 30% of subscribers, you still end up with 40% more revenue.

Feature gating: Move features from free to paid to increase conversion rates. The more essential the feature, the more effective it is at forcing upgrades. Barcode scanning was the obvious target because it was both highly used and deeply integrated into users' daily habits.

Cost reduction: Reduce spending on features that do not drive revenue. This often means less investment in database quality, customer support, and new feature development for the free tier.

Exit preparation: Package the company with higher revenue numbers and improved margins for sale to another buyer or for an IPO at a higher valuation.

The Math Behind the Price Increase

MyFitnessPal reportedly had over 200 million registered users but a premium conversion rate in the low single digits. Even a small increase in either the conversion rate or the price per subscriber translates to significant revenue.

Consider the math: if MyFitnessPal had 2 million premium subscribers at $9.99/month, that is roughly $240 million in annual subscription revenue. Doubling the price to $19.99/month, even if 25% of subscribers cancel, results in roughly $360 million — a 50% revenue increase from a single pricing change.

This is why the price went up. Not because the product improved. Not because operating costs increased. The price went up because the math showed it would generate more revenue even after accounting for user attrition.

What You Get for $19.99/Month (And What You Do Not)

For $19.99/month, MyFitnessPal Premium includes:

• Ad removal
• Barcode scanning
• Tracking up to 19 nutrients
• Custom macro goals
• Meal planning
• Exercise calorie tracking
• Priority customer support

What you do not get:

• A verified food database (still crowdsourced with all its accuracy problems)
• AI-powered food recognition
• Voice logging
• More than 19 nutrients tracked
• A guarantee that features will not be moved or removed in the next update

The product has not improved proportionally to the price increase. Many users report that the app has actually gotten worse — slower, more bloated, and less focused — even as the price has doubled.

How Does $19.99/Month Compare to Alternatives?

The Value Equation Is Badly Broken

At $19.99/month ($239.88/year), MyFitnessPal Premium is one of the most expensive consumer health apps on the market. Here is how it compares to other subscription services:

Service	Monthly Cost	What You Get
MyFitnessPal Premium	$19.99	Calorie tracking, barcode scanning, 19 nutrients, ad removal
Nutrola	€2.50	Calorie tracking, barcode scanning, AI photo + voice logging, 100+ nutrients, verified database, zero ads
Netflix Basic	~$7.99	Unlimited streaming content
Spotify Premium	~$11.99	Unlimited music streaming
iCloud+ 200GB	$2.99	200GB cloud storage
ChatGPT Plus	$20.00	Advanced AI assistant

MyFitnessPal Premium costs the same as ChatGPT Plus and more than Netflix and Spotify. For a food diary app with a crowdsourced database. The value proposition is difficult to justify at this price point, especially when alternatives offer more features for less money.

MyFitnessPal Premium vs Nutrola: Detailed Comparison

Feature	MyFitnessPal Premium ($19.99/mo)	Nutrola (€2.50/mo)
Monthly cost	$19.99	€2.50
Annual cost	$79.99	€30.00
Barcode scanning	Yes	Yes
AI photo recognition	No	Yes
Voice logging	No	Yes
Food database type	Crowdsourced (14M+ unverified)	Verified (1.8M+ entries)
Nutrients tracked	19	100+
Ad-free	Yes	Yes
Apple Watch app	Yes	Yes
Wear OS app	No	Yes
Recipe import	Yes	Yes
Languages supported	Limited	9
Price difference	Baseline	~87% less expensive

What You Get for 87% Less Money

Nutrola costs €2.50 per month — roughly one-eighth the price of MyFitnessPal Premium. For that dramatically lower price, you get:

• Everything MFP Premium offers: Barcode scanning, ad-free experience, macro tracking, recipe features
• Features MFP Premium does not have: AI photo recognition, voice logging, 100+ nutrients (vs 19), verified database, Wear OS support, 9 languages
• Better data quality: A verified database instead of a crowdsourced one

The price comparison is not even close. You pay 87% less and get meaningfully more.

How to Switch from MyFitnessPal Premium to Nutrola

Step 1: Do Not Cancel MFP Yet

Download Nutrola first and set it up alongside MyFitnessPal. Use both for a few days to ensure Nutrola meets your needs before cancelling anything.

Step 2: Download and Configure Nutrola

Available on iOS and Android. Set up your profile, enter your goals, and configure your macro and micronutrient targets. If you track specific nutrients in MFP, you will likely find that Nutrola tracks those plus many more with its 100+ nutrient tracking.

Step 3: Export Your MyFitnessPal Data

Go to MyFitnessPal Settings and download your data. Keep this export for your records. While direct import between apps is limited, having your historical data ensures you do not lose anything.

Step 4: Use Nutrola for One Full Week

Log all your meals in Nutrola for a week. Try the barcode scanner, AI photo recognition, and voice logging. Notice the verified database results — one accurate entry per food instead of dozens of conflicting duplicates.

Step 5: Cancel MyFitnessPal Premium

Once you are comfortable with Nutrola, cancel your MyFitnessPal Premium subscription through your device's app store (Apple App Store or Google Play Store — not through the MFP app). This is important: subscriptions purchased through app stores must be cancelled through the app store.

You will save approximately $17.49 per month ($209.88 per year) by switching from MyFitnessPal Premium to Nutrola — while getting a better product.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does MyFitnessPal Premium cost now?

As of 2026, MyFitnessPal Premium costs $19.99 per month or $79.99 per year. This is double the original premium pricing of $9.99/month that was set during the Under Armour ownership era.

Why did MyFitnessPal double their price?

MyFitnessPal was acquired by Francisco Partners, a private equity firm, in 2020. Private equity ownership typically focuses on maximizing revenue in preparation for a future sale at a higher valuation. Doubling the subscription price while stripping features from the free tier was part of this revenue optimization strategy.

Is MyFitnessPal Premium worth $19.99 per month?

At $19.99/month, MyFitnessPal Premium offers barcode scanning, ad removal, and tracking up to 19 nutrients with a crowdsourced database. Whether this is "worth it" depends on your budget, but alternatives like Nutrola offer the same features plus AI logging, 100+ nutrients, and a verified database for €2.50/month — roughly 87% less.

What is the cheapest alternative to MyFitnessPal Premium?

Nutrola offers a comprehensive calorie and nutrition tracking experience for €2.50 per month with no feature gating on core functionality. This includes barcode scanning, AI photo recognition, voice logging, 100+ nutrient tracking, and a verified database of 1.8 million foods.

Will MyFitnessPal lower their price again?

Under private equity ownership, price reductions are unlikely. The business model is optimized for revenue maximization. If anything, further price increases or additional feature gating are more probable than a price reduction.

Can I use MyFitnessPal for free?

Yes, but the free tier has been significantly reduced. Free users do not have access to barcode scanning, see frequent ads, have limited nutrient tracking, and cannot use many features that were previously free. The free tier functions primarily as a conversion funnel for the premium subscription.

How much money would I save by switching to Nutrola?

Switching from MyFitnessPal Premium ($19.99/month) to Nutrola (€2.50/month) saves approximately $17.49 per month or $209.88 per year, depending on exact exchange rates. Over two years, that is roughly $420 in savings while using an app with more features and better data accuracy.

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MyFitnessPal is a trademark of MyFitnessPal, Inc. This article is an independent editorial piece and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by MyFitnessPal, Inc.