Free Alternative to Cronometer: Why UK Users Are Switching

Cronometer is a solid nutrition tracker — but intrusive ads, a US-centric food database, and zero GLP-1 support are pushing UK users to look for something better. Healthcount gives you macro tracking, AI-powered meal logging, GLP-1 dose scheduling, and more — completely free.

Healthcount is a free nutrition and GLP-1 tracking app with AI meal photos, macro logging, symptom tracking, progress photos, and no ads. Free for all users.

What Cronometer does well — and where it falls short

What it gets right

  • Tracks up to 84 micronutrients (with Gold subscription)
  • Large food database with over 1 million entries
  • Barcode scanning for packaged foods
  • Recipe builder for custom meals
  • Device syncing with Fitbit, Garmin, Apple Health

What drives people away

  • Intrusive full-screen video ads on the free tier
  • US-centric food database — poor UK supermarket coverage
  • No GLP-1 medication or dose tracking
  • No symptom or side-effect logging
  • No progress photos or body measurements
  • No period tracking or cycle predictions
  • Gold costs $4.99–$10.99/month ($60–$132/year)

Healthcount vs Cronometer: feature by feature

A side-by-side look at what each app offers. Healthcount includes every feature below for free.

Free tier

Cronometer

With intrusive video ads

Healthcount

No ads, all features

No ads

Cronometer

Gold required ($60/yr)

Healthcount

Always ad-free

Calorie tracking

Cronometer

Yes

Healthcount

Yes

Macro tracking

Cronometer

Protein, carbs, fats

Healthcount

Plus fiber & net carbs

84 micronutrients

Cronometer

Gold only

Healthcount

Macros + fiber focus

AI meal photo analysis

Cronometer

No

Healthcount

Snap & get macros

Natural language input

Cronometer

No

Healthcount

Type meals in plain English

Common meals library

Cronometer

Yes

Healthcount

Save & reuse meals

Barcode scanning

Cronometer

Yes

Healthcount

No

UK food database

Cronometer

US-centric, poor UK coverage

Healthcount

Built for UK users

GLP-1 dose tracking

Cronometer

No

Healthcount

Mounjaro, Wegovy, Saxenda

Dose scheduling & reminders

Cronometer

No

Healthcount

Yes

Reorder reminders

Cronometer

No

Healthcount

Tracks supply & reorder dates

Medication purchase logging

Cronometer

No

Healthcount

Yes

Weight tracking

Cronometer

Yes

Healthcount

With 7d/30d/90d trends

Progress photos

Cronometer

No

Healthcount

Before/after comparison

Body measurements

Cronometer

No

Healthcount

7-point tracking

BMI / TDEE / BMR calculator

Cronometer

Basic BMR only

Healthcount

Full suite with goals

Goal setting (weight/BMI)

Cronometer

Weight targets

Healthcount

Weight & BMI goals with progress

Symptom / side-effect logging

Cronometer

No

Healthcount

11 GLP-1 categories + severity

Period tracking

Cronometer

No

Healthcount

Cycle phase predictions

Weekly plant diversity score

Cronometer

No

Healthcount

Yes

Weekly wellness check-in

Cronometer

No

Healthcount

Yes

AI meal photo analysis

Cronometer

No

Healthcount

OpenAI Vision powered

Daily AI coaching summary

Cronometer

No

Healthcount

Personalised daily feedback

Weekly email summary

Cronometer

No

Healthcount

Yes

Trend signals & pattern detection

Cronometer

No

Healthcount

Drift detection across 7d/30d/90d

Symptom heatmaps

Cronometer

No

Healthcount

Yes

Ad-free experience

Cronometer

Free tier has full-screen ads

Healthcount

No ads ever

Full data export (GDPR)

Cronometer

CSV export

Healthcount

ZIP with all data + photos

No streaks or shame mechanics

Cronometer

Partial

Healthcount

Quiet-by-design

What you actually pay

Cronometer's free tier comes with full-screen video ads. Removing them costs up to $132 per year. Healthcount is free — no ads, no catch.

Cronometer

Nutrition tracker

Free tier

Includes intrusive full-screen video ads

Gold (annual)

$4.99/month · $59.88/year

Gold (monthly)

$10.99/month · $131.88/year

  • 84 micronutrient tracking (Gold)
  • Barcode scanning
  • Recipe builder
Recommended

Healthcount

GLP-1 & nutrition tracker

Free

No ads. Every feature included.

  • AI meal photo analysis
  • GLP-1 dose tracking & reminders
  • Macro tracking (cals, protein, carbs, fats, fiber)
  • Symptom & side-effect logging
  • Progress photos & body measurements
  • Period tracking, plant score, data export
Start tracking free

See it in action

Healthcount is designed to be fast, calm, and simple to use.

Healthcount diary view - free Cronometer alternative with natural language food logging

Quick diary logging with natural language

AI meal photo analysis - snap a photo to log calories in Healthcount

Snap a photo, get instant macros

GLP-1 dose tracking and medication scheduling in Healthcount

GLP-1 dose tracking & scheduling

Weight trends, BMI and plant score insights - free Cronometer alternative

Weight trends, plant score & BMI

GLP-1 symptom logging, period tracking and wellbeing check-ins in Healthcount

Symptoms, period tracking & wellbeing

Before and after progress photos with body measurements in Healthcount

Before & after photo comparison

Why UK users are looking for Cronometer alternatives

Cronometer was built in Canada with a predominantly North American food database. If you're in the UK, you'll quickly notice the gaps — Tesco own-brand items, Sainsbury's ready meals, and Aldi staples are often missing or have inaccurate nutritional data.

With GLP-1 prescriptions rising rapidly through UK clinics — Mounjaro, Wegovy, and Saxenda are now widely available — people need more than a food diary. They need dose tracking, symptom logging, and a way to spot whether their routine is drifting before it shows on the scales.

Healthcount is built by a UK founder, for UK users. Data handling is fully GDPR-compliant, and the features are designed around how GLP-1 medicines are actually prescribed and used in the UK. No American defaults to work around.

Features Cronometer doesn't have

These are the features that make Healthcount different — and they're all included for free.

AI meal photo analysis

Snap a photo of your meal and get instant calorie and macro estimates.

Powered by AI vision, Healthcount analyses your meal photo and returns estimated calories, protein, carbs, fats, and fiber. No manual searching through databases — just take a photo and confirm. Perfect for busy days when you don't want to log every ingredient individually.

GLP-1 dose tracking

Log your Mounjaro, Wegovy, or Saxenda dose in seconds.

Track every injection with the date, dose strength, and medication brand. Healthcount supports the full Mounjaro dose ladder, Wegovy schedule, and Saxenda daily dosing. It calculates when your next dose is due, estimates how long your current supply will last, and sends reorder reminders before you run out.

Symptom & side-effect logging

Track 11 common GLP-1 side effects with severity ratings.

Log nausea, appetite changes, headaches, injection site pain, and 8 other GLP-1-specific symptoms. Each entry captures severity (mild, moderate, severe) and time of day. Over time, symptom heatmaps reveal patterns — like whether nausea peaks after dose increases or correlates with certain foods.

Progress photos & measurements

Before/after photo comparisons with 7-point body measurements.

Upload progress photos in dated collections and compare your earliest against your latest side by side. Track body measurements at 7 points (arms, chest, waist, hips, legs) to see changes that the scales don't show. All photos are stored securely and included in your data export.

Period tracking

Cycle logging with phase predictions and ovulation estimates.

Log period start dates and Healthcount calculates your cycle length, current phase (menstrual, follicular, ovulation, luteal), and predicted future periods up to 6 months ahead. Period dates are overlaid on your medication schedule and trend charts so you can spot cycle-related patterns in weight and symptoms.

AI daily coaching

Personalised daily feedback based on your actual data — not generic tips.

Each day, Healthcount's AI analyses your food, exercise, weight trends, and medication adherence across 7, 30, and 90-day windows. It generates 3 short, personalised coaching points in a supportive tone. New users get orientation guidance, while long-term users get trend-based insights and nudges.

Try Healthcount free — no credit card, no ads, no catch

Join UK users who've switched from Cronometer. Every feature included, completely free.

Who's switching from Cronometer to Healthcount?

The GLP-1 user

Needs dose tracking, symptom logging, and weight trends in one place. Cronometer can't track medications — Healthcount was built for it.

The ad-fatigued tracker

Wants accurate food logging without full-screen video ads interrupting every session. Healthcount has zero ads — now and always.

The UK-based tracker

Tired of searching for UK supermarket foods and getting American results. Healthcount is built in the UK, for UK users, with GDPR-compliant data handling.

Frequently asked questions

Written by Anna Bromley, Healthcount Founder · Last reviewed March 2026

← Back to blog