Following the keto diet has the potential to deliver you amazing results, but getting there isn’t necessarily easy. The key to getting into a state of ketosis is eating way less carbs and instead more fat, so that your body can begin to use it as source of energy, allowing you to gradually lose weight.
But sticking to the keto diet requires you to keep tabs on your macros and what you’re eating. And unless you’ve got a photographic memory, you may need to call in some assistance. Don’t worry though, there’s an app for that—actually a bunch of them.
When considering an app to help you with your keto diet, Alix Turoff, RD, recommends choosing one that can help you keep track of your carbs. “Any app can really work for tracking your food when on a ketogenic diet, but for some, the ability to track net carbohydrates (without having to do the math manually) is a helpful feature,” Turoff says.
The best keto apps will make it easy for you to visualize your daily intake of things like carbs, fiber, and fats, and may even suggest recipes or exercises that’ll keep you on track to hit your goals.
If you need a little help finding the perfect one for you, here’s a list of the nine best keto apps, as recommended by registered dietitians.
1. KetoDiet (and KetoDiet Basic)
KetoDiet
Best for: A total keto newbie
KetoDiet and KetoDiet Basic are two apps that promise to help people calculate their macros and plan and track their keto diets effectively. They also provide subscribers with expert advice from the KetoDiet Blog, which includes input from two registered dietitians, which is perfect for those just learning the ropes.
Price: $8.99
Why it’s great for keto: The apps, created by Martina Slajerova, author of multiple books including The KetoDiet Cookbook and Keto Slow Cooker & One-Pot Meals, also offers up a bunch of recipes (300, to be exact) and nutritional info on popular foods, products, and restaurant meals to help you track your keto meals right on your phone.
Review: One person who reviewed KetoDiet in the iTunes app store wrote, “I have to be extremely careful with my carbs for blood sugar’s sake. It is so nice to be able to see my day at a glance, and note my trends over time. You can do this with almost any app, but the difference here is the EASE. It is so easy to use!”
2. LifeSum
LifeSum
Not only is this app good for keto, but you can pretty much make it work for any diet plan you want to follow. It helps you keep track of your calories and foods through its food diary and macro tracker, and you can even find keto recipe ideas.
Best for: If you want an app that’s super customizable
Price: Free (or you can choose the paid version if you want more premium features)
Why it’s great for keto: Pamela Nisevich Bede, RD, author of Sweat. Eat. Repeat, says she often recommends LifeSum to her clients because you can specify which “level” of keto you’re on by changing your macros percentage, track your water intake and activity, and opt in for daily reminders. Nisevich Bede also says that the paid version of this app can also provide you with very detailed nutrition info.
Review: One customer who downloaded the app from the Google Play Store said, “Easy to use and value for money—able to track lots of things like water intake, macros, body measurements, and exercise. I love that it has different goals you can set for the week (like vegetable intake), which helps to change your eating habits long term.”
3. 8Fit Workouts and Meal Planner
iTunes App Store
If you really want to see stellar results from the keto diet, it’s important to complement your diet with a solid workout plan. This will help you tone up as you lose weight. The 8Fit app helps you keep track of both your fitness and nutrition goals.
Best for: Someone building a workout routine to work in tandem with the keto diet
Price: Free (plus option paid pro plans)
Why it’s great for keto: Not only will it allow you to track your macros and carbs, but it’ll also give you customized meal plans, an appropriate fitness guide (whether you’re into HIIT or yoga!), and educational tips as you go.
Review: One reviewer on the iTunes app store said, “I’ve been looking for a good fitness app that offers interactive meal planning, preparation, and tracking as well. It takes the thinking out of what to eat each time. If you don’t like the recommendations, you can change them on the fly.”
4. Cronometer
iTunes
The free version of this app allows you to see nutritional info you likely have to pay for on other keto diet apps. Cronometer has the ability to track up to 82 macronutrients, log food with a simple bar code scan, and track your water intake.
Best for: If you’re looking for a bargain (that still has super-detailed nutrition info!)
Price: Free
Why it’s great for keto: “Cronometer tracks net carbohydrates and gives you the option of tracking them with or without sugar alcohols,” says Turoff. Cronometer also has a specific “keto calculator” that calculates a maximum protein and carbohydrate target based on the user’s lean body mass, she adds. You can log your food and exercise right on the app and receive regular reports about how on track you are towards meeting your goals.
Review: An iTunes app store reviewer said, “For a person who is serious about tracking their keto macros, this app does EVERYTHING and it does it WELL. There might be a little effort (5 mins per day) to get your food choices dialed in, but once that’s done, the app almost runs itself.”
5. CarbManager
iTunes
In addition to all of the features you need to successfully stick to your keto diet—carb tracking, recipe suggestions, and an exercise tracker—this app also contains community features, allowing members to lose weight together by completing weekly challenges.
Best for: If you want support from other keto dieters
Price: Free (optional paid subscription available)
Why it’s great for keto: “It is a very comprehensive app. You can track all of the basic metrics that are critical to the keto diet—like total carbs, net carbs, and fats—but you can also track ketones, blood glucose, insulin, glycemic load, and more,” says Zarana Parekh, RD. Parekh also likes that app includes fitness trackers and keto recipes.
Review: One person from the iTunes app store said, “The keto diet often feels confusing and counterintuitive, but this app guides you through it every day. It has been fascinating to learn…about the true carb content of various foods. The Find Food section is just incredible.”
6. LoseIt!
iTunes
Sticking to keto can be hard, and it’s okay to use all the help you can get. Aside from providing you with a food diary, LoseIt! also connects with your other devices, like fitness trackers, making this app the one destination to monitor your progress.
Best for: If you need a one-stop place for all health tracking
Price: Free (plus a premium paid version)
Why it’s great for keto: The app has a database of over 7 million foods, so you can almost guarantee it will have nutrition info for anything you eat. If you opt for the paid version, you can also set up challenges with friends to further motivate you.
Review: One person from the iTunes app store said, “Great app. It really helps me recognize how many calories are in the foods I eat and helps me make better choices. It also helps me understand how many calories I need to burn before going out to dinner!! Lost 20 lbs. using this app.”
7. MyFitnessPal
iTunes
The MyFitnessPal app lets you add photos to your weight entries so that you can visually track and celebrate your success. You can also share these photos with other friends on the app to motivate them on their own health journeys.
Best for: Folks who love taking before-and-after photos
Price: Free (and there’s a premium paid version)
Why it’s great for keto: MyFitnessPal helps you keep track of both your nutrition and fitness easily. The food database has information for over six million foods, allowing you to quickly log your meals. It has a place to track your workouts, too.
Review: One person from the Google Play store said, “Fantastic. It’s easy and motivating. Searching foods and adding them to my daily journal makes keeping track of what I eat simple. My absolute favorite feature of the app is that once I’m done eating for the day and complete my entries the app gives me an estimated weight in 5 weeks based on my calorie intake, calories burned from exercise and current weight.”
8. Senza
iTunes
Senza was specifically made with keto dieters in mind. Like most apps for keto dieters, it allows you to keep track of your fitness and nutrition, but you can also opt for some live assistance, should you need it. If you feel like dining out, you can also search for restaurants with low-carb options near you.
Best for: Anyone who wants real-time guidance
Price: Free
Why it’s great for keto: It’s basically a food journal you can keep right in your pocket. The app also delivers meal suggestions that you can add to your own little meal plan. Beginners may find this app especially useful, since it teaches you about macros and electrolytes along the way.
Review: One person from the iTunes app store said, “I absolutely love this app! It has made switching to a keto lifestyle so easy. The best part about it is you can plan what you want to eat that day. It’s like having a meal plan made for you but you get to choose what you want to eat as long as it’s within your macros.”
9. My Macros+
iTunes
MyMacros+ was created by a fitness professional, so it’s like getting expert advice for just a few dollars. It features a macro calculator and a daily nutritional reporting system, which make it easy to see how your dieting is going at a glance.
Best for: Anyone who wants a no-frills macro counter
Price: $2.99
Why it’s great for keto: Keeping track of what you’re eating is the key to keto (duh)—and this app offers detailed nutritional information on all your meals. You can also log your weight to track your progress that way.
Review: One person from the iTunes app store said, “I’ve been counting macros for two years now with other apps, shifting how I enter and track to fit the app’s limitations. Never again! MyMacro+ let me set up different macro-goals for different days, it gives me very quick synching between my phone, iPad, Mac and PC, and so far I have not had any trouble with any platform I use.”
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