Cronometer Gold alternatives: 4 open-source picks
Cronometer Gold costs $10.99/mo — $131.88 a year. These 4 alternatives replace it for $0, led by wger, OpenNutriTracker and Waistline. All 4 are open source. License, stars and last commit checked by hand on 2026-08-11. No trials, no crippled tiers.
Meals, workouts and trend charts in one open-source bunker; polish is not the main feature.
licenseAGPL-3.0+
runsyour machine or their cloud
installCreate an account on wger.de/use the mobile app, or deploy the official Docker Compose stack
dataHosted 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.
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.
setupNone for the hosted service or mobile app; self-hosting immediately requires Docker Compose, PostgreSQL, Redis/sync services, a reverse proxy, mail, backups, and upgrades.
facts verified 2026-08-11
Calories, macros and micronutrients stay on your phone; the app declines to become your diet coach.
licenseGPL-3.0
runson your machine
installInstall the iOS/Android build from the app store or F-Droid
dataDiary, 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.
setup✓ installs clean
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.
facts verified 2026-08-11
A plain Android calorie diary that keeps its data local and its opinions to itself.
licenseGPL-3.0
runson your machine
installInstall the Android app from Google Play or F-Droid
dataMeals, 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.
setup✓ installs clean
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.
facts verified 2026-08-11
A local Android food diary with proper micronutrients and none of the motivational yelling.
licenseGPL-3.0+
runson your machine
installInstall the Android app from F-Droid or the published APK
dataThe 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.
setup✓ installs clean
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.
facts verified 2026-08-11
What each one is, in full: wger
last updated 2026-08-11 · no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
how to choose a Cronometer Gold alternative
Easiest to get running
OpenNutriTracker — a one-click install, no server to maintain.
Most proven
wger, with 6,600 GitHub stars — the largest community of the 4, which usually means more answers when something breaks.
Runs on your own machine, no server
OpenNutriTracker — nothing to host, your data stays on your disk.
Works on your phone
wger has a mobile app on iOS and Android.
what you give up by leaving Cronometer Gold
- curated food database, barcode data, device integrations, reports, and mobile apps
- wearable hardware data
- coach network
- clinical validation
- large content library and social network
None of the picks above covers all of it. The full verdict says which gaps matter.
Cronometer Gold alternatives at a glance
| tool | license | running it | platforms | stars | active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| wger | AGPL-3.0+ | docker to self-host | web, linux, ios, android, self-hosted | 6,600 | 2026-08 |
| OpenNutriTracker | GPL-3.0 | one-click install | ios, android | 2,300 | 2026-08 |
| Waistline | GPL-3.0 | one-click install | android | 714 | 2026-07 |
| Food You | GPL-3.0+ | one-click install | android | 520 | 2026-06 |
why people still pay for Cronometer Gold
People still pay for Cronometer Gold because people pay for polished mobile capture, trusted content, hardware integration, and coaching rather than the basic logbook. The recurring cost buys sensor permissions, data quality, notifications, safety language, accessibility, sync, privacy, content review, and support, not just the visible interface. If none of that applies to you, any pick above saves $131.88 a year.
questions about switching from Cronometer Gold
Is there an open-source alternative to Cronometer Gold?
Yes: wger, OpenNutriTracker, Waistline and 1 more. Every tool on this page is open source: no trials, no crippled tiers.
Can open source really replace Cronometer Gold?
Our verdict is YES. wger (7k stars), OpenNutriTracker (2k stars), Waistline (714 stars) are mature open-source replacements for Cronometer Gold — self-host with docker and stop paying $10.99/mo. The full verdict, and what you give up by switching, is at caniopensourceit.online/cronometer-gold.
What is the easiest open-source Cronometer Gold alternative to set up?
OpenNutriTracker — a one-click install, no server to maintain.
What is the most popular open-source Cronometer Gold alternative?
By GitHub stars, wger (6,600). OpenNutriTracker is next with 2,300.
