Cronometer Gold costs $10.99/mo.
These cost $0.
4 free alternatives to Cronometer Gold, checked for license, recent activity and real adoption. Each one tells you the catch, so you can switch with your eyes open.
Cronometer Gold vs Free Alternatives Matrix
Quick side-by-side comparison · $0/mo vs $10.99/mo
| Alternative | Type | License | Where It Runs | Stars | Head-to-Head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| wger | open source | AGPL-3.0+ | Local or hosted | ★ 6.6k | Cronometer Gold vs wger → |
| OpenNutriTracker | open source | GPL-3.0 | Local | ★ 2.3k | Cronometer Gold vs OpenNutriTracker → |
| Waistline | open source | GPL-3.0 | Local | ★ 714 | Cronometer Gold vs Waistline → |
| Food You | open source | GPL-3.0+ | Local | ★ 520 | Cronometer Gold vs Food You → |
The picks
4 open source · ranked by fit
- 01
wger
open sourceAGPL-3.0+Local or hosted6.6kaug 2026Meals, workouts and trend charts in one open-source bunker; polish is not the main feature.
The catch vs Cronometer Goldwger's nutrition module is much rougher for food lookup, barcode entry, micronutrient completeness, recipe analysis, and daily logging than Cronometer Gold.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- desktopmobilewebself-hosteddocker to self-host
- install
- Create an account on wger.de/use the mobile app, or deploy the official Docker Compose stack
- setup
- None for the hosted service or mobile app; self-hosting immediately requires Docker Compose, PostgreSQL, Redis/sync services, a reverse proxy, mail, backups, and upgrades.
- your data
- Hosted records live in wger's service; self-hosted users keep accounts, workouts, nutrition, measurements, and exercise data in PostgreSQL plus persistent media volumes, while the mobile client maintains an offline local database and syncs.
- checked
- 2026-08-11
- 02
OpenNutriTracker
open sourceGPL-3.0Local2.3kaug 2026Calories, macros and micronutrients stay on your phone; the app declines to become your diet coach.
The catch vs Cronometer GoldOpenNutriTracker has a smaller and less curated food database, weaker barcode and device integrations, and less mature nutrient analytics than Cronometer Gold.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- mobileone-click install
- install
- Install the iOS/Android build from the app store or F-Droid
- your data
- Diary, goals, custom foods, and measurements are stored in encrypted local Hive databases on the phone and can be exported as JSON/CSV; food searches may query the project's Supabase service and Open Food Facts.
- checked
- 2026-08-11
- 03
Waistline
open sourceGPL-3.0Local714jul 2026A plain Android calorie diary that keeps its data local and its opinions to itself.
The catch vs Cronometer GoldWaistline is a simpler Android diary with a smaller verification and reporting layer than Cronometer's detailed micronutrients, biometrics integrations, recipes, and cross-platform history.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- mobileone-click install
- install
- Install the Android app from Google Play or F-Droid
- your data
- Meals, diary entries, foods, goals, and measurements live in a local on-device database with import/export; barcode and food searches can contact Open Food Facts and USDA services.
- checked
- 2026-08-11
- 04
Food You
open sourceGPL-3.0+Local520jun 2026A local Android food diary with proper micronutrients and none of the motivational yelling.
The catch vs Cronometer GoldFood You is Android-only and cannot match Cronometer's curated food verification, broad barcode database, cross-device sync, integrations, and advanced nutrient reports.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- mobileone-click install
- install
- Install the Android app from F-Droid or the published APK
- your data
- The food diary and personal records stay in the app's local database with export/backup options; food searches can contact Open Food Facts, USDA FoodData Central, and the Swiss Food Composition Database.
- checked
- 2026-08-11
Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers · Cronometer Gold open-source replacements
What is the best free alternative to Cronometer Gold?+
The top free alternative to Cronometer Gold is wger (open source, AGPL-3.0+). Meals, workouts and trend charts in one open-source bunker; polish is not the main feature. Other popular Cronometer Gold replacements include OpenNutriTracker, Waistline, Food You.
Can I self-host a free replacement for Cronometer Gold?+
Yes. Of the 4 free alternatives to Cronometer Gold, 1 can be self-hosted on your own server or local machine: wger (AGPL-3.0+).
How much does switching from Cronometer Gold to a free alternative save?+
Cronometer Gold starts at $10.99/month per seat ($132/year). Switching a 5-person team to a free alternative like wger saves $659 per year in software subscription fees.
Should I vibe-code or build my own Cronometer Gold clone from scratch?+
Our build verdict for Cronometer Gold is KINDA (the core, yes. the polish, no). The core loop is buildable, but a dependable replacement becomes a real weekend or multi-day project. For Cronometer Gold, log user-entered nutrition and show transparent nutrient totals without diagnosis. The hard boundary is curated food database, barcode data, device integrations, reports, and mobile apps, plus hardware data, content, coaching, and trust.
What is the catch when switching from Cronometer Gold to wger?+
wger's nutrition module is much rougher for food lookup, barcode entry, micronutrient completeness, recipe analysis, and daily logging than Cronometer Gold.
