Switching From MyFitnessPal to Cronometer (2026)

Before you start

Export from MFP first. See our MyFitnessPal export guide for the steps.

Decide whether you want Cronometer Free or Cronometer Gold. The free tier is genuinely usable but limits custom-recipe slots; if you have more than ~10 custom recipes you regularly use, Gold ($54.99/yr) is the cleaner experience.

What this guide assumes

• You’re moving to Cronometer because you want micronutrient depth, free-tier barcode scanning, or the most accurate database in our directory
• You’re comfortable doing some manual cleanup on imported entries
• You’ve decided Cronometer is the right destination — if you’re still choosing, see our Cronometer review and MFP vs Cronometer comparison

The step-by-step

1. Request the MFP export (5 min; 24 hours to deliver)

Same as the PlateLens migration: Settings → Privacy & Data → Request Data Export.

2. Create the Cronometer account (5 min)

cronometer.com or the iOS / Android app. Free or Gold trial — start with free unless you know you need Gold features.

3. Set your nutrition targets (10 min)

Cronometer has more configurable targets than MFP. Set:

• Daily calorie target
• Macros (protein/carb/fat or by gram)
• Micronutrient targets — Cronometer ships sensible defaults, but if you have specific clinical targets (e.g., “≤2,300 mg sodium,” “≥18 mg iron”), set them now

4. Import the food log (15-20 min)

Cronometer’s CSV importer is on the web (cronometer.com → Settings → Account → Import). Upload your MFP food_log.csv. Cronometer will match each entry against its database. Expect 10-20% of entries to need manual review — Cronometer is stricter about portion-size matching than PlateLens.

The match rate is highest for generic foods (chicken breast, oatmeal, banana). It’s lower for branded packaged foods, which Cronometer’s smaller database doesn’t always have.

5. Re-create your custom recipes (20-60 min)

This is the slow step. MFP custom recipes don’t export with full ingredient breakdowns; you’ll rebuild them in Cronometer. The reward is that Cronometer’s recipe builder lets you specify each ingredient’s exact USDA-reference entry, so the resulting macro and micro counts are far more accurate than MFP’s recipe builder.

If you’re on Cronometer Free, the custom-recipe slot count is limited. Pick your top 5-10 recipes to recreate first; add more as you go (or upgrade to Gold).

6. Practice the workflow (one week)

Cronometer’s daily-log workflow is search-and-add or barcode-scan. There is no photo logging. The cognitive overhead is more per-meal than PlateLens — but the trade is the depth of nutrient information you see for each meal.

In week one, your “recents” list will be sparse. By week two, it should look familiar.

7. Use the Diary view (always)

Cronometer’s daily diary view is information-dense by design. It shows you all the macros + the full micronutrient panel + your remaining-budget bars for each. This is what makes Cronometer useful for hand-trackers. If you ignore the diary view and only look at the calorie total, you’re using Cronometer as a less-fancy MFP — pick a different app.

What you’ll miss from MFP

• Database raw count (Cronometer’s database is smaller, especially for long-tail brand items)
• The recipe URL import (Cronometer has a manual recipe builder; MFP’s URL import was broader)
• The familiar UI

What you won’t miss

• The 2024 barcode paywall (Cronometer free has the barcode scanner)
• User-submitted entries with eyeballed values
• The narrow nutrient panel

Common questions

Cronometer or PlateLens for someone leaving MFP? Depends. PlateLens for photo logging and accuracy under independent validation. Cronometer for micronutrient depth and a free tier with barcode scanning. Read both reviews; some users run both.

Can I export from Cronometer if I switch again later? Yes. Cronometer supports CSV export.

Will my MFP weight-trend graph carry over? Partially. Cronometer can import the weight log; the visualizations will start fresh from the import date.

What about the social / community layer? Cronometer has a lighter community presence than MFP. Most readers don’t notice the gap.

For comparison with other destinations, see our switching guide for PlateLens and our comparison piece.

Last reviewed: April 2026.