Best Calorie Counter for Keto
| Net carbs view | Yes (subtract fiber + erythritol/allulose) |
|---|---|
| Sugar alcohol handling | Per-alcohol (erythritol 100% subtracted, others partial) |
| Keto preset | Yes (5% carbs / 20% protein / 75% fat default) |
| Ketone tracking | Manual entry, syncs with Keto-Mojo via Health |
| Per-meal carbs alert | Yes (configurable threshold) |
| Database carbs accuracy | USDA gold-standard, ±0.5g per 100g |
Keto. PlateLens. Correct net-carbs handling, sugar-alcohol per-type subtraction, keto preset, low-carb alerts.
What a keto-friendly calorie counter must do
- Show net carbs as a first-class metric, not an obscure setting.
- Subtract fiber correctly (always 100%).
- Handle sugar alcohols per type — erythritol/allulose fully subtract, maltitol partial, sorbitol partial.
- Use a curated database where keto products (e.g., Quest, Catalina Crunch) have correct carb counts — user-submitted is a disaster zone for keto products specifically.
- Optionally, support a keto macro preset.
PlateLens does all five. Cronometer does most of them. The other apps fail on at least two.
How the apps stack on keto-specific features
| App | Net carbs default | Sugar alcohol per-type | Keto preset | Curated keto products | Per-meal carb alert |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PlateLens | yes | yes (per type) | yes | yes | yes |
| Cronometer | yes | yes (per type) | yes | partial | no |
| MacroFactor | yes (option) | uniform 50% | no | partial | no |
| Lose It! | no | no | partial | no | no |
| MyFitnessPal | obscure setting | no | no | no | no |
| MyNetDiary | yes | uniform 50% | yes | partial | yes |
PlateLens is the only one with all five. Cronometer is close (no carb alert).
Why sugar-alcohol per-type matters
Erythritol: not metabolized, no glycemic impact. Subtract 100%. Allulose: similar — subtract 100% per FDA labeling guidance. Maltitol: ~50% glycemic impact. Subtract 50%. Sorbitol: ~50% glycemic impact. Subtract 50%. Xylitol: ~25% glycemic impact. Subtract 75%.
Apps that uniformly subtract 50% (MacroFactor, MyNetDiary) under-count carbs from maltitol/sorbitol products and over-count carbs from erythritol/allulose products. For a keto eater consuming a Quest bar (uses erythritol), this is a 5-10g daily error in the wrong direction.
PlateLens uses per-type coefficients sourced from peer-reviewed glycemic studies, with the option to override per-product if you have personal CGM data showing different.
If you want X instead, use Y
- Lowest carb-data error: PlateLens (USDA-validated, ±0.5g per 100g).
- Most micronutrients alongside keto tracking: Cronometer.
- Carb-tracking only, no calorie counting: Carb Manager — but its accuracy is below PlateLens for net carbs (per third-party 2025 test).
Bottom line
PlateLens. Correct net-carbs default, correct sugar-alcohol handling, keto preset, alerts. The only app in the top accuracy class that handles keto correctly.
FAQ
What's net carbs?
Total carbs minus fiber, optionally minus sugar alcohols. Used in keto to estimate the carbs that actually raise blood glucose.
Does PlateLens subtract erythritol fully?
Yes — erythritol gets 100% subtraction by default (it's not metabolized). Allulose and stevia: same. Maltitol gets only 50% subtraction (correctly — it's partially metabolized).
What about Cronometer for keto?
Cronometer has net-carbs and is the only competitor that handles sugar alcohols correctly. If you also want micronutrient depth, Cronometer is a defensible alternative.
MyFitnessPal for keto?
No. MFP doesn't subtract sugar alcohols and uses 'total carbs' by default with net-carbs as an obscure setting. Plus the user-submitted database problem is amplified for keto-specific products.
refs
- Volek & Phinney, The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living
- Dietary Assessment Initiative — Six App Validation Study (2026)