CalDiet reviews, pricing and how it compares to MyFoodBuddy

CalDiet vs MyFoodBuddy, feature by feature

CalDiet and MyFoodBuddy both use AI to cut down on manual logging, from opposite directions. CalDiet starts from a photo of your plate. MyFoodBuddy starts from a sentence about it. This table uses CalDiet’s App Store listing, release notes, website and terms.

Two rows matter most. Photo versus sentence logging decides which one feels faster for how you eat. And the free tier row, because CalDiet’s terms promise some free basics while its Google Play listing says the analysis itself needs a subscription.

How CalDiet works day to day

CalDiet launched on the App Store in September 2024 and was on version 2.3.12 in October 2026, with new features added through 2025 and 2026. Here is the flow from its listing, website and release notes.

1. Build a plan. Pick a goal and share your preferences, and CalDiet builds a custom plan with a predicted goal date.
2. Log a meal. Take a photo, choose one from your gallery, scan a barcode or a food label, speak it, or pick from search and recent meals. A Precise Log mode uses before and after photos of the meal.
3. Read the analysis. Calories and macros plus a Health Impact Score, allergy warnings and a nutrient list with fiber, sodium and vitamins.
4. Follow the extras. A weekly meal plan, fasting timers for 12:12, 14:10, 16:8 or custom windows, recipes, and a menu photo feature that suggests what to order.
5. Meet Momo. An AI pet that scores your daily intake and gives advice.
6. Review progress. Weight predictions, a weekly nutrition and fitness report, streaks, and share cards for Instagram.

How MyFoodBuddy works day to day

MyFoodBuddy is a chat with an AI coach named Fiona. No camera needed.

1. Say what you ate. Type or speak one sentence, like “two eggs, toast with butter and a coffee with oat milk.”
2. Fiona logs it. She splits the sentence into foods and amounts, looks each one up and shows a card with calories, protein, carbs and fat. Tap Log it.
3. Scan packaged food. The barcode scanner reads Open Food Facts, with USDA branded data as a backup.
4. Fix anything by chatting. Ate half? Tell Fiona and she updates the entry.
5. Ask questions. What is left for today, or how did the week go.
6. Keep going. Apple Health sync for weight, sleep, steps and workouts, streaks, and friends with leaderboards.

How much does CalDiet cost compared to MyFoodBuddy

CalDiet’s website FAQ answers “Is CalDiet free?” by pointing to the app stores. On the US App Store, the in-app purchase list shows ten All Access items, each named with its period. The full yearly price is $59.99, and discounted, promo and trial versions of the yearly plan are listed at $19.99, $29.99 and $39.99.

What you would actually pay

If CalDiet offers you its $19.99 or $29.99 yearly price, it is cheaper than MyFoodBuddy for the first year. At the full $59.99, or on the weekly plans, it costs more. Read the period and the renewal price on the paywall before you start the trial.

Is CalDiet free, and how does its free trial work

CalDiet is free to download. Its terms say certain basic features are free and premium features need a subscription. Its Google Play listing is plainer and says analysis results require a subscription. Several App Store reviewers in 2025 and 2026 said they finished the setup quiz and hit a start free trial screen.

The trial is where most complaints land. Reviewers reported being charged on the day they started a 3-day trial, being billed for two plans at once, being charged for a full year after cancelling right away, and a charge higher than the price they expected. CalDiet’s replies ask people to email Feedback@caldiet.online.

MyFoodBuddy has no free tier either, and says so. You get 7 days of everything, then $39.99 a year or $7.99 a month, with no weekly plans and no ads.

How accurate is CalDiet

CalDiet says its food recognition model was upgraded in October 2025 to identify more foods with greater precision. Its website keeps claims modest. It says the app is for wellness tracking only and promises no weight-loss or medical outcomes.

Reviews are split on accuracy. Five-star reviewers call the scanner fast and easy. Critical reviewers on the App Store and Google Play describe specific problems.

• Label and barcode scans that log the whole package instead of one serving, or nearly double the calories.
• Portions limited to a quarter, half, three quarters or all of an item, with no way to enter a tablespoon or a percentage.
• Calorie edits that do not stick, such as entering 90 and seeing 25.
• Exercise and step calories added back to the daily budget in ways reviewers found hard to follow. CalDiet explained that calories left is your goal plus exercise minus food.
• A weighed 8 ounce filet with onions and mushrooms estimated at 1,150 calories, which the reviewer believed was far too high.

MyFoodBuddy does not claim to be more accurate. It takes values from USDA FoodData Central, Edamam and Open Food Facts when there is a match, keeps your number if you give one, and shows each card before saving so you can fix it by chatting. See our About page.

Who makes CalDiet, and is it legit

CalDiet is a real, actively updated app with about 42,200 US App Store ratings and 500K+ Google Play downloads. The company behind it is less clear, because three different names appear in public listings.

• App Store. The seller is HAPPY AI INC., which also publishes a plant identifier and an AI song app.
• Google Play. The developer is listed as CalDiet, with an address in Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
• Website. The footer of caldiet.online names East Stone Spaceexplore Limited.
• Terms. New York law, binding individual arbitration with the American Arbitration Association, and a 30-day opt-out by email.
• Data. The Google Play data safety section says the developer does not provide a way to request that your data be deleted. Its privacy policy says data is stored on cloud services such as Amazon Web Services and that photos are not sold.

Its terms require users to be at least 16, while the App Store rates it 4+. None of this means the app does not work. It means you should know who you are paying and how to reach them, Feedback@caldiet.online, before you subscribe.

Is CalDiet worth it, and what do reviews say

CalDiet has about 42,200 US App Store ratings averaging 4.8 and about 47,700 Google Play reviews averaging 4.6. Of the 100 most recent written US App Store reviews we read on October 18, 2026 (posted May 2025 to August 2026), 57 were five-star and 32 were one-star.

• What people like. A fast AI scanner, a clean interface, macro and protein tracking, and staying consistent.
• Billing. Most one- and two-star reviews were about paying, especially trial charges, unexpected amounts and refunds.
• Accuracy. Scans that log the whole package, high estimates and edits that do not stick.
• Reliability. Updates that stopped logging from working and data lost after changing phones.
• Sync. A 2025 reviewer said they would give five stars if it synced with Apple Health.

CalDiet is worth trying if photo logging, fasting and health scores are what you want and you watch the trial dates. If billing surprises would put you off, read the paywall carefully.

When CalDiet is the better pick

• You want to log by photo. MyFoodBuddy has no photo logging.
• You want fasting timers and a weekly meal plan in your tracker. MyFoodBuddy has neither.
• You like health scores, allergy warnings and a playful AI pet more than a chat.
• You need Android. MyFoodBuddy is iPhone only.
• You get a $19.99 or $29.99 yearly offer, which costs less than MyFoodBuddy for the first year.

When MyFoodBuddy is the better pick

• You would rather type or say a whole meal than photograph each plate.
• You want to give amounts in your own words, like a tablespoon or half a bowl, and fix entries by chatting.
• You want one published price, $39.99 a year or $7.99 a month, with a 7-day trial and no weekly plans.
• You want to know where the numbers come from, USDA, Edamam and Open Food Facts.
• You want Apple Health sync for weight, sleep, steps and workouts, plus friends and leaderboards.

Still comparing? See MyFoodBuddy vs Cal AI, MyFoodBuddy vs Fastic or the full comparison hub.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and how we checked