Most calorie counter app reviews are written with a US or UK audience in mind. For Australians, the important questions are different: does the database have Woolworths, Coles, and Aldi own-brand products? Are the prices listed in AUD? Does the food data use Australian serving sizes and kilojoule labelling?
This guide is written specifically for Australian users — covering database coverage, local pricing, and which apps give you macro tracking without the US-priced markup.
What Australian Users Need From a Calorie App
Australia-specific requirements
- Supermarket coverage: Woolworths, Coles, Aldi, IGA, and Harris Farm own-brand products. Major US apps have poor coverage of these.
- Australian food brands: Vegemite, Weet-Bix, Tim Tams, Shapes, Uncle Tobys, Sanitarium, Bega, Peters ice cream, Connoisseur, Bundaberg products — all need to be searchable.
- Café and takeaway: McDonald's Australia, KFC Australia, Subway Australia, and local café chains (Gloria Jean's, The Coffee Club, Boost Juice) have different nutrition data than their US counterparts.
- AUD pricing: USD subscription prices look cheap until you realise $19.99 USD is ~$31 AUD at current exchange rates. Local AUD pricing is significantly cheaper.
- Kilojoule vs calorie display: Australian food labels show kilojoules (kJ) — 1 calorie = ~4.18 kJ. Some apps display kJ; others only show calories. Either works, but consistency with what's on the packet matters.
Top 5 Calorie Counter Apps for Australians in 2026
1. NutriBalance — Best Value Calorie Counter for Australians
NutriBalance uses the Open Food Facts database (7M+ items globally), which has strong Australian coverage — particularly for major supermarket brands, packaged foods with barcodes, and common whole foods. Woolworths and Coles own-brand products, Weet-Bix, Vegemite, Tim Tams, Shapes, Peters ice cream, and most major Australian branded products are present and can be logged by barcode scan.
For Australians specifically: the pricing is in AUD — $12.99/month or $69.99/year, with a 14-day free trial before you're charged. That compares extremely favourably to MyFitnessPal ($31+ AUD/month at current exchange rates), and it's a single plan — full macro tracking (protein, carbs, fat, fibre, and calories) is included from day one of the trial, not upsold separately.
The streak system and character progression work well for building a consistent logging habit, which matters as much as database coverage for long-term success. The Android home screen widget lets you check your remaining macros at a glance — particularly useful for Australians who prefer quick check-ins between busy work/gym schedules.
- Strong Australian supermarket coverage via OFN
- Priced in AUD — genuinely affordable
- Full macros included — protein, carbs, fat visible from day one
- Fast barcode scanner for packaged goods
- Android home screen widget
- Streak + character system for habit formation
- 14-day free trial before you're charged
- Some niche Australian regional brands may be missing
- No kJ display option (shows calories only)
- Newer app — smaller Australian community database vs MFP
Price: $12.99 AUD/month or $69.99 AUD/year (14-day free trial) · Android · iOS
#2 MyFitnessPal — Largest Database, Expensive in AUD
MyFitnessPal has the largest user-submitted food database in the world, including a reasonable collection of Australian products built up over years of Australian users. Major supermarket items and popular Australian brands are generally present. The barcode scanner often finds Australian packaged products — though data accuracy from user-submitted entries varies.
The significant drawback for Australian users: macro tracking requires a premium subscription. At $19.99 USD/month, that's approximately $30–32 AUD/month at current exchange rates — making it one of the most expensive calorie tracking subscriptions available in Australia. The free tier shows only calorie totals, not protein/carb/fat breakdown.
- Large Australian food database from years of user submissions
- Strong barcode scanner — most Australian barcodes recognised
- Integration with Garmin, Fitbit, Apple Health
- Macros paywalled — ~$30+ AUD/month for protein tracking
- User-submitted entries have accuracy issues
- No streak or habit system
- Most expensive option for Australians
Price: Free (calories only) · ~$30–32 AUD/month for macros
#3 Easy Diet Diary by Xyris — Best Australian-Made App
Easy Diet Diary is an Australian-made calorie tracker built specifically for the Australian market. It uses the AUSNUT (Australian Food and Nutrient) database — the official Australian food composition database — which means you get Australian serving sizes, Australian kilojoule labelling, and highly accurate data for common Australian foods including local produce, Australian café items, and supermarket staples.
The app is simpler than NutriBalance or MFP and lacks gamification features, but for pure database accuracy for Australian foods, it's excellent. Available for free with a $4.99 AUD/month subscription for additional features.
- Uses AUSNUT — official Australian food database
- Australian serving sizes and kJ labelling
- Most accurate for Australian-specific foods
- Affordable AUD pricing
- Older UI — not as polished as NutriBalance
- No streak or gamification system
- Limited international food coverage
- Small user base vs global apps
Price: Free · $4.99 AUD/month premium
#4 Cronometer — Best Australian Micronutrient Tracking
Cronometer's food database has reasonable Australian coverage and includes AUSNUT data for many Australian foods. Its strength for Australian users is micronutrient tracking — particularly useful given that vitamin D deficiency (despite the sun) is common in Australians who work indoors, and iodine deficiency has re-emerged as a public health issue in Australia since the switch from iodised salt in commercial baking.
Full macro tracking free, micronutrients free. No gamification or streak system.
- Includes some AUSNUT data for Australian foods
- Tracks iodine and vitamin D (relevant for Australians)
- Free macros and micronutrients
- Complex UI — not beginner-friendly
- No streaks or gamification
- No Android home screen widget
Price: Free · Gold $9.99 USD/month (~$15.50 AUD)
#5 FoodSwitch by The George Institute — Best for Australian Food Comparisons
FoodSwitch is a free Australian app from The George Institute for Global Health that lets you scan a food barcode and instantly see the traffic light nutrition label, Health Star Rating, and healthier alternatives available in Australian supermarkets. It's not a full calorie tracker — it doesn't let you set macro targets or log a full day — but it's genuinely useful as a supermarket shopping tool to compare products.
Best used alongside NutriBalance: scan with FoodSwitch at the supermarket to find healthier options, then log in NutriBalance daily.
- 100% free, no subscription
- Australian barcode database with Health Star Ratings
- Shows healthier alternatives for scanned products
- Not a full calorie tracker — no daily logging
- No macro targets or tracking
- Supermarket tool only
Price: Free
Full Comparison Table
| App | AU supermarket coverage | Macros free? | AUD pricing | Streaks | kJ display |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NutriBalance | Good (OFN) | Yes | $12.99/mo | Yes | Calories only |
| MyFitnessPal | Good (user-submitted) | No (paywalled) | ~$30–32/mo | No | Optional |
| Easy Diet Diary | Excellent (AUSNUT) | Yes | $4.99/mo | No | Yes (kJ) |
| Cronometer | Moderate | Yes | ~$15.50/mo | No | No |
| FoodSwitch | Excellent (barcodes) | Not a tracker | Free | No | Yes |
Australian Foods That Trip Up Calorie Trackers
Several Australian food staples are frequently missing or have inaccurate data in US-centric apps:
- Weet-Bix: Present in NutriBalance and Cronometer (AUSNUT data). Often missing or inaccurate in MFP free database. One biscuit = ~68 calories / 284 kJ.
- Vegemite: Almost always present. Key issue is serving size — the standard spread on toast is 3–5g, not the 10g "serving" some apps default to. Log by grams.
- Shapes / Arnott's crackers: Present in NutriBalance via OFN barcodes. Serving size of "about 15 crackers" is accurately entered in most databases.
- Boost Juice: Frequently missing from non-Australian databases. Log manually by size (Original/Boost) — Boost provides nutrition data on their website.
- Chicken schnitzel / crumbed chicken: Homemade crumbed chicken is one of the hardest foods to track accurately. Log ingredients separately (chicken breast + breadcrumbs + egg + oil for frying) rather than searching "chicken schnitzel."
- Tim Tams: Present in NutriBalance and MFP. Per biscuit: approximately 95 calories / 395 kJ. The "two-biscuit serving" on the packet is marketing, not a serving size.
- Bundaberg Ginger Beer: Present in most databases. Note the sugar content — 375ml can is approximately 168 calories / 700 kJ.
Australian packaged foods almost always have a GS1 barcode. NutriBalance's barcode scanner pulls Open Food Facts data, which includes most Australian supermarket products that have been submitted by Australian users. If a product isn't found, you can add it manually — and it will be available to all Australian users of the app going forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
Best calorie counter for Australians: NutriBalance
Genuine AUD pricing, strong Australian supermarket coverage via Open Food Facts, full macros free, and a streak system that builds the daily logging habit. No need to convert USD prices or pay $30+/month for basic macro tracking.
Track calories in Australia — download freeAlso on iOS (14-day free trial) →
Related: Best Calorie Tracking App Australia · Best Free Calorie Tracker · Calorie Deficit Calculator App