MyFitnessPal Alternative

MyFitnessPal doesn't know you lift. Coachly does.

MFP gives you the same calorie target whether you squatted 200kg or sat at a desk all day. Coachly's macros shift with your training. Plus the workout side. Plus the AI coach. No ads, no upsells, one tier.

Try Coachly — 14 days free

14-day free trial · £12.99/mo or £99.99/yr · cancel anytime

“Tailor made plan in the gym and the kitchen, unreal for the price.” — WhiteMike1, App Store

What MyFitnessPal users actually complain about

Common patterns from MFP App Store reviews, forums, and Reddit threads — and how Coachly handles each.

MFP

Static calorie target

Set once at onboarding, doesn't adjust to whether you trained hard or rested. Cuts that tank lifts; bulks that overshoot.

Coachly: Macro targets shift with weekly training volume. Hard week, more fuel. Deload, tighter target.
MFP

Doesn't track workouts properly

MFP's "exercise" log is a generic calorie-burn estimator. No set-by-set logging, no programming, no progression.

Coachly: Full set logger with adaptive programming, auto-deload, per-muscle recovery, mesocycle structure.
MFP

Ads in the free tier

Banner ads, full-screen ads, ads between meal entries. Premium removes them — at additional cost.

Coachly: Zero ads. One pricing tier. We don't sell your data, we don't use it to train AI.
MFP

Features keep moving behind the paywall

Barcode scanner, recipe importer, restaurant logging — features that used to be free now require Premium.

Coachly: Everything included in one tier. Barcode scan, voice log, custom foods, recipe import, all on day one.
MFP

Duplicate, wrong-label, and "user-submitted" foods

User-generated database means the same food appears 12 times with different macros. Hard to trust a single entry.

Coachly: Verified-source database (Open Food Facts + Edamam). Cleaner entries, fewer "is this right?" moments.
MFP

Data sold to advertisers

MFP's parent company has been criticised for data-monetisation practices around fitness and dietary data.

Coachly: EU-hosted, account-scoped via row-level security, never sold. UK indie, no VC.

MyFitnessPal vs Coachly at a glance

 
MyFitnessPal
Coachly
Calorie + macro tracking
Excellent
Excellent
Calorie target adjusts to training volume
Static
Native
Strength & hypertrophy programming
Generic exercise log only
Adaptive, mesocycle-based
Set-by-set workout logger
Native
AI coach (chat, weekly review)
Native
Apple Watch + HealthKit
Ads in free tier
Yes
Zero ads
Barcode scanner included
Premium only
Included
Data hosting
US, third-party data sharing
EU-hosted, never sold
Pricing (full features)
Premium ~£80/yr
£99.99/yr (incl. workouts + AI coach)

The integration is the difference

MFP knows what you ate. Coachly knows what you ate AND what you lifted AND how you slept. That's the whole game.

Macros that move with training

Hit a PR? Walk 18,000 steps? Hard squat session? Coachly raises your calorie target for the week — automatically. MFP just shows the same number it set in January.

One subscription, everything

MFP Premium (~£80/yr) gets you ad-free macro tracking. Coachly's £99.99/yr is ad-free macros PLUS adaptive workout programming PLUS the AI coach. Roughly the same total spend, dramatically more product.

Designed for lifters, not "weight loss"

MFP's core mental model is calorie deficit for weight loss. Coachly treats body recomposition, lean bulks, and cuts as first-class goals — and adjusts both training and macros to each.

Privacy by default

EU-hosted, account-scoped with row-level security. Never sold. Never used to train AI. Built by an indie team in Scotland, not a public company with an advertising arm.

What Coachly users are saying

Verbatim from the UK App Store. 5.0★ average.

★★★★★

“Been wandering around the gym for months without a proper plan. Now I've got a tailor made plan in the gym and the kitchen specific to my goals, unreal for the price!”

— WhiteMike1, App Store
★★★★★

“Delighted with Coachly. Super easy to use and incredibly intuitive. The AI coach really helps keep me accountable. A must for anyone looking to level up their progress.”

— Jamie Marshall, App Store
★★★★★

“Coachly has took my training to a new level providing me with the discipline and challenge I need at precisely the right times.”

— G Mul, App Store
★★★★★

“Genuinely very helpful kit. Using for a few days now and really taking to it. Simple to use. Keeping me on track.”

— Mr_jwf_, App Store

Common questions about switching from MFP

Can I import my MyFitnessPal history? MFP's data export is a CSV of food entries. Direct import into Coachly isn't built yet — but Apple Health pulls in your weight history, Apple Watch workouts, steps, sleep, and heart rate automatically. The macro algorithm settles in after 2-3 weeks of logging.
Is the food database as big as MFP's? Coachly's database covers 2M+ foods (Open Food Facts + Edamam) including UK and US chain restaurants. MFP's is larger because it's user-submitted — which is also why duplicate and mislabelled entries are common. Coachly trades raw size for cleaner data.
Does Coachly do barcode scanning? Yes — barcode scan, voice log, manual entry, and custom foods all included in one tier. No "upgrade to Premium to scan" gate.
What about recipe import? Custom foods and meal templates are built in. Direct URL-based recipe import is on the roadmap.
How does Coachly handle weight loss vs body recomp? Choose your goal during onboarding: Cut (calorie deficit, protect lean mass), Lean Bulk (slow surplus, minimise fat gain), Body Recomp (maintenance with elevated protein, focus on training stimulus), or Strength/Hypertrophy/Endurance for performance-first goals. The macro and training algorithms branch accordingly.
What if Coachly isn't for me? 14-day free trial, then £12.99/month or £99.99/year. Cancel anytime in iOS Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions before day 14 ends, no charge.

Try Coachly — 14 days free.

The macro tracker that knows you lift. The workout app that knows you ate. One subscription, ad-free, EU-hosted. Cancel anytime before day 14, no charge.

Download on the App Store

14-day free trial · £12.99/mo or £99.99/yr · cancel anytime