So, you've decided to take control of your nutrition — but with so many tracking apps out there, how do you choose the right one? Choosing an application can be a little tricky, especially if you are new to nutrition topics in general.

How do you distinguish between what is actually valuable for your long-term goals and what is just shiny marketing? What features are essential, and what are just nice to have?

Why track nutrition at all?

Before you can choose an application, the first thing you should ask yourself is: what are you trying to accomplish? Why are you interested in tracking your nutrition?

There could be many reasons why you think nutrition tracking might help you, but the most common are:

trying to lose weight or build muscle
trying to improve your diet
trying to identify some unwanted patterns or foods that cause health issues for you.

If your main goal is weight management or muscle building, you might think a calorie tracker is all you need. But is it enough? If you are already confident that you are eating a perfectly balanced and healthy diet, then perhaps that could work just fine for you. However, for most people, tracking only calories and macros would be less than optimal as there is much more to learn by using a nutrition tracking application.

If you are confused about the difference, you can read about it in detail here - calorie vs nutrition tracking. In short, calorie tracking will only show you how well you are reaching your energy and macro targets, while nutrition tracking will show you the bigger picture of your nutrition health.

With that said, the features for both calorie and nutrition tracking apps will appear to be very similar on the surface. Even the interfaces will be similar. What truly distinguishes an application is the quality of insights you are able to derive, and the efficiency of using the application. Sort of like time invested vs insights returned.

As a new player in the app market, we’ve extensively researched existing apps and can share key insights. So without further ado:

Top Features in a Nutrition Tracking App (2025 Edition)

Data

#1 - Verified database

On the surface it seems a larger database is better. However, many applications contain unverified user submitted data. It often leads to incorrect, partial and potentially duplicate data that makes accurate logging impossible. Look for applications that verify each item in the database.

Often times, when it comes to database, less is more. You don’t need an item for every branded rice, just logging verified rice would be good enough. There needs to be a balance between branded and common (base) foods, and you should look for applications that emphasize on this quality.

#2 - Full nutrition profiles

Nutrition data beyond macros is at the core of nutrition tracking (not to be confused with calorie tracking). The data needs to contain information about vitamins, minerals, amino acids and perhaps even more nuanced components like fatty acids, added sugars, and other.

This level of data only exists for verified databases containing common food items, not branded ones. So all the databases with millions of branded food items are only partially useful for nutrition tracking. The most common solution around this limitation is to not track branded foods, instead looking for an appropriate matching item in the common foods list. It is a good strategy, but it essentially takes away all the magic from barcode scanning.

There is only one approach that allows tracking branded foods with full nutrition profiles, and that is Ingredient Based Tracking.

#3 - Accurate search

Database quality differs significantly across the market. What sets apps apart is the ability for you to actually find an appropriate item. Often search results are cluttered, with countless items that are not quite what you are looking for.

In many cases less results are better, and 1 (the right one) is the best.

#4 - Ingredients

Ability to track ingredients for foods is very rare. Most applications offer ingredient breakdown only for recipes, which significantly limits the nutritional insights for all other items. Ingredients allow you to learn about the nutrition in ways that traditional nutrition tracking applications do not.

Food creation

#5 - Ability to create custom foods and recipes

You most likely will not find an application that has all of the foods already available. New brands and foods are created all the time, and while the databases try to keep up, the single most common data source for applications is user submissions. It means you are almost surely going to be creating food items for your own use. It is important that you are able to create accurate items with full nutrition profiles. Look for applications that let you input both the ingredients and nutrition, for more accurate ingredient-based tracking.

The creation process should be simple, yet detailed. There is much less value in empty items, and logging just for the sake of logging.

#6 - Drafts

Creating foods and recipes usually takes a minute or two, and there will be times when you get distracted during the process.

Imagine you're creating a detailed recipe, but need to step away. Without drafts, you'd have to start over. An app with auto-save ensures you never lose your progress.

#7 - Notes

Leaving notes for your meals gives you a way to add additional information about you feelings and what was special about that moment. It gives you a new dimension of information when retrospectively reviewing your historic data. It is a great way to learn about what items may be triggering your health issues, or keeping track of patterns that go beyond nutrition data.

Statistics

#8 - Ability to view historical data

One of the most important benefits of tracking anything is that you are able to retrospectively inspect and learn from your data. Without this you are unlikely to gain much from this experience. Look for applications that offer reports and statistics for your historical data.

#9 - Ability to drill into data points

Ideally you want an application that can do more than just sum up numbers. You want an application that is able to structure what you eat, and let you drill into your progress on various levels. For example, seeing which foods contribute most to your iron intake. Or what ingredients are actually contributing to your high added sugar intake. There are many ways this is possible, but look for indications that the application is offering more than just a single result or number.

Convenience

#10 - Barcode scan

Barcode scanning is one of the most heavily marketed features in nutrition apps, and for good reason.

However, while barcode scanning is convenient when you have a packaged item in hand, its usefulness tends to fade over time. Once you establish common eating patterns, features like recents, favorites, and meal copying often make logging meals even faster than scanning a barcode.

So don’t choose an app based on barcode scanning alone — consider how efficiently it will let you log meals in the long run.

#11 - Recents, favorites and copy older meals

As mentioned before, it is very convenient to have shortcuts. Features that let you log much faster once you are already logging for a while - recent items, favorite items. Ability to save both favorite foods and favorite meals for quick logging.

Also having an option to copy older meals is useful - because not all of your meals will be your favorites.

#12 - Voice logging

Voice logging is a great feature that helps people who don’t like typing or scrolling. Simply say what items you are eating and the application will find and log suitable items. If implemented correctly, voice logging is an amazing tool for convenience. It does have the language/accent limitation; however, with the new LLM models the quality of these features are getting better and better.

#13 - Package reader

This can come in multiple forms - reading the package by scanning with camera, or by taking/uploading an image. Either way this is a true time saver as it allows you to skip the typing and enter the nutrition and ingredients quickly. For most use cases, this is more useful than voice logging because you don’t need to say a long list of ingredients - just upload an image.

#14 - Meal image scanner

With image analysis some applications are now able to identify meal items from a picture and let you avoid typing all together. While amazing in theory (and demo videos) the actual solutions as of 2025 still leave a lot to be desired for. Incorrect items, missing items, and wrong quantities - it is still very common to have these. Potentially this can take longer to correct than it would with let’s say - voice logging, or sometimes even just logging manually.

There is promise for the future but it is possible that the image analysis is close to its limitation. Simply because it is just impossible to visually distinguish between many items, for example, an oat cream stew vs regular cooking cream stew. For accurate tracking that makes the whole difference.

Image analysis is always improving, and apps have already come a long way; however, we are yet to be convinced that this feature is truly game-changing or even needed.

Ingregrations

#15 - Fitness apps

This is one of the features that everyone mentions but which in reality has less actual value than hype. Being able to integrate with fitness apps is great for certain statistics synchronization; however, it's not essential for nutrition tracking. It is a nice to have feature you can skip over, especially if you are more interested in nutrition insights.

#16 - Widgets

Some apps offer widgets that let you track information directly on your home-screen. This once again is nice to have feature for certain specific use-cases but not a must-have.

#17 - Multi-device

Before purchasing, make sure that the application does not require a separate account for each of your devices. Current standard is that your account should work on any device, and as many devices as you want. Having a web solution is not mandatory but can be considered a nice to have.

Customization

#18 - Configurable nutrition targets

Once you learn more about yourself you may be tempted to adjust some specific targets for your tracking. It is important to be able to configure nutrition targets for any component.

#19 - Reminders and notifications

Some people may find notifications and reminders for various habits helpful. If you are one of those people, then check that the application provides that.

It is good to verify that the notifications can be turned off, because most people won't need them after they are set in their routine, and spammy notifications are more likely to discourage you than help you.

#20 - Customizable dashboard

It is an advantage if you are able to customize or prioritize certain items that interest you the most. You won't know which items at first, and they are likely to change over time, hence, customization is a nice to have feature.

What Makes an App Worth Your Time?

This is not specific to nutrition apps but something to look for in any app.

#21 - Roadmap and customer support

Not everything will always work perfectly. Look for applications that are openly working to improve their products and support their customers. Those are the applications that are likely to listen to your feedback and implement the features that would make the app an even better fit for you.

#22 - Philosophy

Perhaps most importantly, look for a product that aligns with your personal values. Read their about us page to see if you like their values and reasons for existing. If your values match, then you will be more invested in the process and are likely to enjoy the ride even if there are certain bumps!

Hopefully this gives you the introduction to the most important features for nutrition tracking in 2025 and helps you make an informed decision about the application that fits you the best!