A free calorie counter app logs food against a daily target without a subscription, at least at first. The catch is that the calorie total is usually free while the extras are not, so the honest question is what the free tier really covers and what the upgrade costs, with the free calorie target arithmetic on this site beside it.
Free to log, paid for the extras
Most calorie counter apps let you log food and see a calorie total free, then charge for macros, barcode scanning and a larger food database. So a free calorie counter app in the strict sense exists, but read what the free tier includes before you rely on it, because the feature you want may be the one behind the paywall.
What the upgrade buys
When the free tier is not enough, the upgrade is a subscription, and the number that matters is the annual price rather than the intro month, because you count against the same target all year. The app price record on this site quotes those figures from each app's own page so the cost is clear before you commit.
The target is free either way
Whatever counter you use, the daily calorie target itself is free arithmetic: the calorie and TDEE tools on this site work it out from your bodyweight, activity and goal. A calorie counter app charges to make logging against that target convenient, not to work the target out, so you never need a subscription just to know your number.
Questions people ask about free calorie counter app
Is there a genuinely free calorie counter app?
Yes for the calorie total, but many apps put macros and extras behind a paid tier, so check what the free version includes; the target itself is free arithmetic you can get without any app.
What does a calorie counter app cost after the free tier?
A subscription, and the figure that matters is the annual price rather than the intro month; the price record here quotes each app's own published figure.
Do I need to pay to count calories?
No. The calorie and TDEE tools here give you the target for free; an app charges only to make daily logging against it convenient.