Tired of logging every meal in Yazio? Here's a different way to hit your numbers.
Yazio asks you to weigh, scan and log what you already ate. Macro Recipe builds the week's meals so the numbers land close to target before you cook — you stop logging.
Updated September 2026
Yazio is one of the most widely used calorie and macro trackers, with a database built up since 2013 and, by its own count, over 100 million users. For logging what you ate — a coffee here, a scanned barcode there — it is a mature, capable tool, and plenty of people are happy with it.
But logging and planning are two different jobs. This page looks at what Yazio does well, where its own users say it falls short, and what a weekly-menu app like Macro Recipe does the same, differently, and not at all. It is written by the Macro Recipe team, so read it with that in mind.
What Yazio does well
Its food database is large and mature, with strong coverage of European foods after more than a decade in the market, plus a barcode scanner and photo-based food recognition for quick entries.
The interface is clean enough that a French dietitian reviewing it praised it for making tracking "accessible to everyone, without complexity." It also ships structured intermittent-fasting plans and a built-in library of over 2,500 recipes.
The free tier is genuinely usable for basic calorie counting rather than a one-day trial dressed up as free, and it shows in the numbers: 4.7 out of 5 on the US App Store across roughly 51,000 ratings.
Who it's for
Yazio fits someone who wants to track everything they eat, in real time, against a database they can search or scan — the classic "log it, see the number" habit, kept up day after day.
It also suits someone who wants intermittent-fasting plans and diary stats bundled into the same app they already use to count calories.
Where it stops — what its own users say
Billing is the most repeated complaint: people report being charged the full annual price instead of the monthly rate shown to them, or being charged again after cancelling.
The photo-recognition feature, meant to save time, draws its own frustration: "Unable to adjust amounts" after it estimates a wrong portion size. The food database, despite its size, still has gaps — one reviewer noted "it doesn't recognize or allow to introduce horse meat."
Reliability comes up too: "I constantly stalls when I open it. I need to try 2 or 3 times." And several reviewers push back on how basics are gated — "total gamification of the app, earn diamonds and open chests" — with historical stats held behind the paid tier.
What Macro Recipe does the same
Like Yazio, Macro Recipe works from a goal — lose weight, maintain, or build muscle — and estimated calorie and protein targets. You tell it your diet, your allergies and the ingredients you never want to see, once, and every meal respects that.
Both apps put a number on your day. The difference is when you see it: Yazio shows the number after you log the meal, Macro Recipe estimates it before you cook, as part of a full weekly menu built from real dishes.
What Macro Recipe does differently
Instead of a diary you fill in three times a day, you get a weekly menu up front: real recipes chosen so the day's estimated calories and protein land close to your target, with portions adjusted for you specifically.
Everything in that menu lands in a single grocery list, quantities added up across recipes, with an estimated cost in your own currency. You set a weekly grocery budget, the menu is built with it in mind, and the app tells you when a week runs over — an estimate, never a till receipt, but a number Yazio's diary never gives you.
When a day would fall short of the target with a real, coherent plate, the app says so honestly instead of hiding the gap. There is no barcode to scan and no photo to snap, because there is nothing to log — you already know what you're eating before you shop.
What it does not do
No barcode scanner, no photo-based food recognition, no daily food diary, and no fasting-plan tracking — Macro Recipe is not a logging tool and does not try to replace one.
It is not free the way Yazio's basic tier is: your first menu is free and there is a 3-day trial, after which Macro Recipe is a paid subscription. It cannot import your Yazio history — nobody can promise that, and you should be wary of any app that does.
It is on iPhone today, and it has no coach chat and no gamified streaks — just the week's menu and the list that comes with it.
Switching in practice
Keep from Yazio whatever settings took you time to set: your calorie and protein targets if you have ones you trust, the diet or allergy rules, and the portion sizes that felt right. Bring those same numbers into your Macro Recipe profile and the first menu will already be close.
A first week looks like this: set your goal and diet once, get a free weekly menu of real dishes with an estimated grocery list, shop that list, and cook. There is nothing to log afterward — the next week's menu is waiting when this one runs out.
Price, honestly
Yazio's PRO tier runs roughly $6.99 billed monthly or around $47.90 a year (about $3.99/month), with the App Store showing $23.90–$47.90 for 12 months depending on region and promotion; its calorie-counting core stays free.
Macro Recipe's first menu is free, then a 3-day trial, then 9.99 € a month or 69.99 € a year. You are not paying to unlock stats or remove gamification — you are paying for a weekly menu, one grocery list, and an estimated grocery budget, all figures clearly marked as estimates.
What three days of a weekly menu look like
An indicative example for someone aiming at roughly 1,800 kcal and 120 g of protein a day. Estimated figures; your own menu is built from your profile, your tastes and your budget.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free Yazio alternative?
Macro Recipe's first weekly menu is free, with a 3-day trial afterward before it becomes a paid subscription. Yazio's calorie-counting core is also free; the difference is what you get for free — a diary with Yazio, a full weekly menu and grocery list with Macro Recipe.
Does Macro Recipe replace Yazio's food diary?
No. Macro Recipe does not log what you eat — it plans what you'll cook so the estimated calories and protein land close to your target before you shop. If you want a daily diary, that stays Yazio's job.
Why do people look for a Yazio alternative?
The most common reasons in reviews are unexpected billing (charged the annual rate instead of the monthly price shown), photo-recognition portion errors, food-database gaps, and basics gated behind the paid tier.
Is Macro Recipe cheaper than Yazio PRO?
Yazio PRO runs roughly $6.99/month or about $47.90/year depending on region and promotion. Macro Recipe is 9.99 €/month or 69.99 €/year after a free first menu and 3-day trial — check current pricing in each app, as promotions vary.
Can I import my Yazio data into Macro Recipe?
No. There is no data-import feature between the two apps. You can bring over the numbers that matter — your target calories and protein, your diet and allergy rules — by entering them once in your Macro Recipe profile.
First menu free · 3-day trial · on iPhone