Head-to-Head Comparison · Alternative to Cronometer Gold · 🧘 wellness
Cronometer Gold vs wger
Meals, workouts and trend charts in one open-source bunker; polish is not the main feature. Here is how wger ($0/mo open source) stacks up against Cronometer Gold ($10.99/mo) across cost, hosting, data privacy, and real-world trade-offs.
Cronometer Gold vs wger Specification Matrix
facts verified 2026-08-11
| Dimension | Cronometer Gold (Paid) | wger (Replacement) |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Price | $10.99 / mo | $0 / mo |
| 1-Year Cost (1 seat) | $132 / yr | $0 / yr (Save $132) |
| 1-Year Cost (5 seats) | $659 / yr | $0 / yr (Save $659) |
| 1-Year Cost (10 seats) | $1,319 / yr | $0 / yr (Save $1,319) |
| Source & License | Proprietary SaaS | open source AGPL-3.0+ |
| Where It Runs | Vendor Cloud | Local or hosted (your machine or their cloud) |
| Platforms | Web / Cloud | desktopmobilewebself-hosteddocker to self-host |
| GitHub Stars | — | ★ 6.6k (active aug 2026) |
Deep Dive: Switching from Cronometer Gold to wger
Trade-offs, installation & data architecture
What you trade away
wger's nutrition module is much rougher for food lookup, barcode entry, micronutrient completeness, recipe analysis, and daily logging than Cronometer Gold.
How to deploy wger
Create an account on wger.de/use the mobile app, or deploy the official Docker Compose stack
What it takes to run
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.
Where your data lives
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.
Why fork wger instead of vibe-coding a Cronometer Gold clone?
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.
Cronometer Gold vs wger FAQ
Is wger a good free alternative to Cronometer Gold?+
Yes. wger is a verified open-source (AGPL-3.0+) replacement for Cronometer Gold. Meals, workouts and trend charts in one open-source bunker; polish is not the main feature.
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.
How much do you save switching from Cronometer Gold to wger?+
Cronometer Gold costs $10.99/mo ($132/yr) per seat, whereas wger is $0/mo. Switching saves $132/yr for a solo user, $659/yr for a 5-person team, and $1,319/yr for a 10-person team.
How do I install or self-host wger instead of Cronometer Gold?+
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.
