BitePal reviews, and how BitePal compares to MyFoodBuddy

BitePal vs MyFoodBuddy, feature by feature

BitePal and MyFoodBuddy both try to make tracking feel less like homework. BitePal does it with a camera and a pet. MyFoodBuddy does it with a chat. BitePal’s own pages leave a lot unstated, so several rows read “Not listed publicly”. We did not guess them.

The rows that decide it are photo logging and the pet. If a photo plus a raccoon that gets hungry is what gets you to log, BitePal is built for that. If you want to describe a meal and move on, MyFoodBuddy is built for that.

How BitePal works day to day

BitePal is made by Reface Lithuania UAB in Vilnius, launched in June 2024, and says it is used by more than 1 million people. Here is the routine from its App Store listing, website and terms.

1. Set up your plan and adopt a raccoon. BitePal sets a daily calorie goal from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, your activity level and your goal, and you name and dress your pet.
2. Snap a meal. The AI scanner reads the photo and shows calories, macros, a nutrition score and highlights like “rich in fiber” or “lack of greens”. Packaged food can be scanned by barcode.
3. Keep your pet happy. The raccoon reacts to what you eat, and App Store reviewers describe it losing health points when you skip meals.
4. Track the rest. Water, intermittent fasting windows with reminders, weight progress and burned calories sit on the same dashboard.
5. Follow a meal plan. Simple weekly meal plans with recipes and portions, plus a paid Custom Meal Plan add-on.

How MyFoodBuddy works day to day

MyFoodBuddy has no pet and no camera step for meals. The whole log is a chat with Fiona, an AI coach.

1. Say what you ate. Type or speak “two eggs, toast with butter and a coffee with oat milk.”
2. Check the cards. Fiona splits the sentence into foods and amounts and shows calories, protein, carbs and fat for each.
3. Tap Log it. If you state a number yourself, your number wins.
4. Fix it by chatting. Tell Fiona about the bigger portion and she updates the entry.
5. Keep the streak. Streaks, achievements, a color-coded calendar, and friends and leaderboards if you want company.

Values come from USDA FoodData Central, Edamam and Open Food Facts, and every entry can be edited or deleted afterward. More on the about page.

How much does BitePal cost compared to MyFoodBuddy

BitePal does not publish a price list. Its US App Store listing shows weekly subscriptions at $3.99, $4.99 and $5.99, annual subscriptions at $19.99, $23.99, $35.99 and $59.99, a $9.99 monthly item named Pookies Pro, and 400 Bitecoins for $0.99 to spend in the pet shop. BitePal also sells subscriptions and add-ons like a Custom Meal Plan and a Vitamin Guide on the web. MyFoodBuddy has one plan, $39.99 a year or $7.99 a month, after a 7-day free trial.

What you would actually pay

If you are offered BitePal’s $19.99 or $23.99 annual plan, it is cheaper than MyFoodBuddy. If you end up on a weekly plan, it costs several times more over a year. Check which plan the paywall has selected before you start a trial.

Why some BitePal reviews mention unexpected charges

BitePal’s reviews are mostly positive, but the negative ones cluster around billing, so it is worth knowing how its subscriptions work before you pay. All of this comes from BitePal’s own help center and terms.

• Three places to buy. You can subscribe through the App Store, Google Play or BitePal’s website. Each is billed and cancelled separately, so cancelling in your iPhone settings does not cancel a web subscription.
• Add-ons bill on their own. BitePal’s help center says an unexpected charge is usually an add-on like a Custom Meal Plan or Vitamin Guide, or a second subscription on another platform.
• Deleting the app does not cancel. You still have to cancel where you bought it.
• Short refund windows. App Store and Google Play purchases can be refunded within 2 calendar days of the first purchase. Web purchases within 30 days of the first payment. Renewals only within 48 hours, only if you have not logged anything since, and only once per account.
• Not knowing does not count. The terms say a refund is not possible if you did not realize the trial would convert or that the plan renews.

To be fair to BitePal, its help center explains all of this plainly, and when we checked its Trustpilot page it had replied to 97% of negative reviews. MyFoodBuddy is an iPhone app with no web version, so its subscription is managed in your iPhone subscription settings.

Is BitePal accurate

BitePal has not published a measured error rate. Its terms say “Generative AI is an evolving technology that can occasionally produce unpredictable results” and that the nutrition information in the app “may not be entirely accurate or complete.” It asks you to report any nutrition score you think is wrong.

Users see the same thing. One App Store reviewer said a 140-calorie bag of popcorn was logged at 775 calories, that the app did not seem to know specific snack brands, and that they stopped using it when they found changing calorie values was a PRO feature.

BitePal was not part of the NIH study of photo apps presented in July 2026. That study found four other apps’ photo features underestimated calories by 250 to 345 a meal on average, mostly from fat. See how accurate is Cal AI photo logging for the full numbers. MyFoodBuddy was not tested either, and we make no accuracy claim for it. In MyFoodBuddy you name the foods yourself, including oil and sauces, and every number is editable.

Is the BitePal raccoon worth it

For a lot of people, yes. That is the point of the app. App Store reviewers say feeling guilty about their raccoon going hungry is what gets them to eat on time and log, and they ask for more ways to earn outfits. The pet has a name, outfits and seasonal looks, reacts to food with humor and encouragement, and can be dressed with Bitecoins.

The trade-off is that the game sits on top of the tracking. If you want calorie and macro numbers with as little ceremony as possible, a pet with health points is one more thing to manage. MyFoodBuddy’s motivation is lighter, with streaks, achievements and leaderboards with friends.

Is BitePal legit, and what do BitePal reviews say overall

Yes, BitePal is a real app from a registered Lithuanian company, Reface Lithuania UAB, with published terms, a help center and a list of the dietary guidelines behind its scores. When we checked on October 18, 2026 it had about 56,000 US App Store ratings averaging 4.7, a 4.6 average on Google Play with more than 5 million downloads, and mostly five-star reviews on Trustpilot.

The five-star reviews praise the raccoon, the design, how quick logging feels and fast, friendly support. The one-star reviews mostly describe renewals people did not expect, often of a web subscription they thought they had cancelled in the app, and refunds turned down under the 48-hour rule.

When BitePal is the better pick

• A virtual pet and a meal score are what will actually keep you logging.
• You want photo logging of plated meals.
• You want intermittent fasting windows, water tracking and weekly meal plans in the same app.
• You use Android.
• You are offered the $19.99 or $23.99 annual plan, which is cheaper than MyFoodBuddy for a year.

When MyFoodBuddy is the better pick

• You would rather type or say a whole meal than photograph it, including meals you already finished.
• You want one listed price, $39.99 a year or $7.99 a month, with no weekly plans, coins or add-ons.
• You want to fix entries by chatting and see 20+ vitamins and minerals.
• You want to see where numbers come from, USDA FoodData Central, Edamam and Open Food Facts.
• You want motivation without a pet to look after.

Comparing other AI trackers? See Cal AI vs MyFoodBuddy, Foodvisor vs MyFoodBuddy and Calo vs MyFoodBuddy.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and how we checked