MyFitnessPal vs Food Diary vs
MyFitnessPal vs Food Diary: which feels right?
How It Felt starts with a no-account journal: a quiet place with no pressure to meet an outcome. MyFitnessPal is built around a structured food diary and nutrition targets. Food Diary - Stop Binge Eating presents itself as an intuitive-eating journal with guided lessons and pattern insights. How It Felt leaves room for your own reflection, without a programme to follow or a result to reach.
What each app optimises for
MyFitnessPal vs Food Diary - Stop Binge Eating
MyFitnessPal: organised food and nutrition logging. Food Diary: intuitive-eating guidance, reflection and pattern insights.
How It Felt
Gentle, judgement-free reflection on the experience of eating without making compliance the goal.
Side-by-side
| Feature | MyFitnessPal vs Food Diary - Stop Binge Eating | How It Felt |
|---|---|---|
| Primary approach | MyFitnessPal vs Food Diary - Stop Binge Eating MyFitnessPal: structured food diary and nutrition targets. Food Diary: intuitive-eating journal with lessons and insights. | How It Felt A personal journal for noticing the experience of eating. |
| Food and meal entries | MyFitnessPal vs Food Diary - Stop Binge Eating MyFitnessPal offers searchable food logging; Food Diary lets you record meals, hunger and emotions. | How It Felt Record hunger, fullness, emotions and sensory details if you choose. |
| Guidance and review | MyFitnessPal vs Food Diary - Stop Binge Eating MyFitnessPal offers diary-based nutrition views; Food Diary lists daily, weekly and monthly insights plus bite-sized lessons. | How It Felt No lesson plan or prescribed review path; the journal is there when you want to pause and notice. |
| Food database and scanning | MyFitnessPal vs Food Diary - Stop Binge Eating MyFitnessPal documents a large food database, barcode scanning and other logging tools. Food Diary's public listing focuses on journaling rather than a food database. | How It Felt No food database, barcode scanner or automated food lookup. |
| Account and data model | MyFitnessPal vs Food Diary - Stop Binge Eating MyFitnessPal uses an account across its apps and website. Food Diary's current Google Play listing says no data is collected; check its current privacy details for access and storage questions. | How It Felt No account is needed to start. Check backup, export and deletion settings for how copies are handled. |
| Clinical role | MyFitnessPal vs Food Diary - Stop Binge Eating Neither product page makes the apps a replacement for professional care; check each service's current terms and health guidance. | How It Felt Not a clinical tool and not a replacement for treatment. |
When to pick which
Pick MyFitnessPal vs Food Diary - Stop Binge Eating if…
- MyFitnessPal may be worth considering if its structured diary and food lookup tools feel supportive to you; nutrition targets can feel activating for some people.
- Choose Food Diary if guided intuitive-eating lessons and review of patterns sound supportive to you.
Pick How It Felt if…
- You want a personal place to notice meals without an account or programme to complete.
- You prefer reflection to stay gentle and available, with no target to hit or lesson path to finish.
Verdict
MyFitnessPal offers structured logging, while Food Diary adds intuitive-eating guidance and insights. How It Felt is the quieter option: a space to notice what eating is like, without asking you to optimise the answer. None is universally right; choose the one that feels supportive and easy to pause.
Frequently asked
How is How It Felt different from MyFitnessPal and Food Diary?
How It Felt is a no-account journal for hunger, fullness, emotions and sensory details. MyFitnessPal centres on structured food and nutrition logging. Food Diary adds intuitive-eating lessons and insights to its journal.
What does the Android listing say about Food Diary?
The current Google Play listing names the app Food Diary - Stop Binge Eating and lists Tristan Clarke Labs as the developer. It describes meal, hunger, emotion, insight and lesson features; check the listing for changes before relying on a particular feature.
Do I need an account?
How It Felt does not require an account. MyFitnessPal documents account access across its apps and website. Food Diary's current store listing does not settle every access or storage question, so check its current privacy details.
Are these apps treatment for eating difficulties?
No. These are consumer apps with different purposes, not substitutes for assessment, treatment or a care plan. If eating is causing distress, consider speaking with an eating-disorder-informed clinician.
Sources and review date
The official MyFitnessPal and Food Diary - Stop Binge Eating listings are linked for current product details. Features, access and pricing can change, so check those pages before choosing.
- How It Felt product page
- MyFitnessPal official site
- Food Diary - Stop Binge Eating official site
- Tamara Wallace et al. (2025): A systematic search and review focusing on the influence of health-tracking technologies on eating habits and attitudes
- Annika M. Roth et al. (2024): Exploring weight-related self-monitoring as a potential risk factor for eating disorder symptoms in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis
- Lynnette Nathalie Lyzwinski et al. (2019): The Mindfulness App Trial for Weight, Weight-Related Behaviors, and Stress in University Students: Randomized Controlled Trial
- Jake Linardon et al. (2020): E-mental health interventions for the treatment and prevention of eating disorders: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis
- Diana Peitz and Petra Warschburger (2023): What Are You Hungry for? The 9 Hunger Mindful Eating Online Randomized Controlled Trial
- A systematic review examined how health-tracking technologies can influence eating habits and attitudes; a tracking feature is not neutral for everyone. [Tamara Wallace et al. (2025)]
- A systematic review and meta-analysis examined weight-related self-monitoring as a possible risk factor for eating-disorder symptoms; context and individual response matter. [Annika M. Roth et al. (2024)]
- A randomized trial studied a mindfulness app alongside weight-related outcomes and stress; findings from one app should not be treated as a promise about another. [Lynnette Nathalie Lyzwinski et al. (2019)]
- A systematic review examined digital interventions for eating disorders; consumer apps are not substitutes for assessment or treatment. [Jake Linardon et al. (2020)]
- A randomized trial studied an online mindful-eating intervention; evidence about a guided programme does not establish that any comparison app is treatment. [Diana Peitz and Petra Warschburger (2023)]
Last reviewed: April 30, 2026.
Learn the concepts
Plain-language explainers behind the comparison.
Try How It Felt
A calmer way to be with food.
A gentle journal for noticing how eating feels.