quick answer
Pick Lose It! if you want a free plan for counting calories, use Android, or like the idea of a lifetime purchase.
Pick EXO if you want photo logging, barcode and label scans included, and vitamins, minerals and supplements counted next to your calories.
EXO and Lose It! at a glance
| EXO | Lose It! | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories from a meal photo | Yes | Premium |
| Barcode scan | Yes | Premium, per its App Store listing |
| Voice or typed description | Yes, typed or dictated | AI voice logging in Premium |
| Food database search | Yes, built on USDA data | Yes, 56M+ items |
| Vitamins and minerals | 13 vitamins and 11 minerals | Premium (Advanced Tracking) |
| Supplement tracking | Yes, with label scans | Not listed |
| Apple Health | Reads steps, workouts, sleep, heart rate, HRV | Premium: HealthKit, Fitbit, Garmin, Withings and more |
| Meal plans | AI, a meal, day or week | Meal planning and targets in Premium |
| Intermittent fasting | Not included | Premium |
| Workout plans | AI strength plans | Exercise logging |
| Platforms | iPhone | iPhone, Android, Apple Watch |
| Free plan | No, free trial on yearly plans | Yes, basic features |
| US App Store rating | 5.0 (1 rating) | 4.8 (782,488 ratings) |
| On the App Store since | August 2026 | November 2008 |
From each app's US App Store listing and loseit.com, read October 26 and 27, 2026. "Not listed" means the app does not mention it on its listing or site.
How logging feels day to day
Lose It! keeps the free plan simple: set a weight loss plan, then search its database and log what you ate. Premium adds the faster tools, including AI photo and voice logging and the barcode scanner.
EXO starts from a photo on every plan. It names each food on the plate, estimates the portion and fills in calories, macros, vitamins and minerals in a few seconds. You can fix a portion or tell EXO what was different, and use barcode, label or database search when a photo is not the right tool.
Beyond calories
In Lose It!, vitamins and minerals sit in Premium's Advanced Tracking, next to fasting and meal planning. In EXO they are part of every scan, and supplements go in the same log: scan a supplement facts label once and EXO adds its vitamins and minerals to what you ate. EXO also reads sleep, heart rate and HRV from Apple Health and builds meal and strength plans.
One thing Lose It! has that EXO does not: an intermittent fasting tracker, in Premium.
Accuracy
A 2018 study in Public Health Nutrition found Lose It!'s nutrient values came out significantly lower than research grade software for protein, fat, sodium, sugars, cholesterol and saturated fat. A preliminary NIH study in 2026 found photo logging in Lose It!, MyFitnessPal, Cal AI and Appediet came in about 250 to 345 calories low on weighed meals, mostly from missed fat. EXO was not part of either study. With any app, check portions and add oils and sauces.
Price
| EXO | Lose It! | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No | Yes, basic features |
| Yearly | $79.99, with a $39.99 offer for some new users, free trial | Premium Features listed at $39.99 |
| Other plans | Weekly $6.99, 3 months $29.99 | Lifetime listed at $49.99 and $59.99 |
US prices from the App Store in-app purchase lists, read October 26, 2026. Lose It! lists several Premium prices without plan lengths. Prices change and vary by country.
Who should choose Lose It!
- You want a free plan for counting calories.
- You use Android, or want an intermittent fasting tracker.
- You prefer paying once with a lifetime plan.
Who should choose EXO
- You want photo, barcode and label scans without upgrading.
- You care about vitamins and minerals, and take supplements.
- You want sleep and heart data from Apple Health next to your meals.
- You want a meal plan or a strength plan in the same app.
The verdict
Lose It! is a proven, low cost way to count calories, and its free plan is enough for many people. EXO is the better Lose It! alternative on iPhone if you want the fast logging tools included and a picture of your vitamins, minerals and supplements, not only calories.
Sources
- Apple App Store US listings and in-app purchase lists: Lose It! and EXO, read October 26 and 27, 2026.
- Lose It!. How it works and Premium, read October 27, 2026.
- Google Play. Lose It! for Android, read October 26, 2026.
- Griffiths C, Harnack L, Pereira MA. Assessment of the accuracy of nutrient calculations of five popular nutrition tracking applications. Public Health Nutrition, 2018;21(8):1495-1502. doi:10.1017/S1368980018000393
- American Society for Nutrition. Photo-based calorie-tracking apps may underestimate energy in meals, NUTRITION 2026 abstract from NIH NIDDK researchers, July 25, 2026. Preliminary, not peer reviewed.
EXO makes this comparison. We are not affiliated with Lose It! and were not paid by anyone for it. Tell us at [email protected] if something here is out of date.
