The 8 Best Intermittent Fasting Apps of 2024

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Intermittent fasting is a popular dietary strategy that involves cycling between periods of eating and fasting. While the specific eating window may change based on personal preferences, the overall goal of this diet is to reduce your daily calorie intake. This approach to eating may offer some potential benefits for individuals looking to lose weight, but it has also been shown to offer an array of additional health benefits, including better sleep, improved metabolic health and even enhanced focus.

In recent years, as the concept of intermittent fasting has become more mainstream, there has been a rise in the number of health apps and nutrition apps that are dedicated to this dietary practice. Whether you’re an experienced intermittent faster or a brand new participant, these apps are designed to help support and streamline your intermittent fasting journey.

In this article, we’ll explore some of the best intermittent fasting apps available to support your health goals. These specific apps were chosen because they have earned acclaim for their user-friendly interfaces, customizable features and innovative tools designed to simplify your fasting routine.

If you have a history of eating disorders, disordered eating or any underlying health conditions it’s important to discuss your weight loss goals with a doctor first. Always consult with a medical professional before starting a new diet, exercise routine and/or weight loss program to ensure it’s right for you.

Our Picks for the Best Intermittent Fasting Apps:

• Best Guided Intermittent Fasting App: Simple
• Best Personalized Intermittent Fasting App: Noom
• Best Intermittent Fasting App for Beginners: DoFasting
• Top-Rated Intermittent Fasting App: YAZIO
• Best Device for Tracking Metabolism: Lumen
• Best Intermittent Fasting App for Mindful Eating: Zero
• Best Free Intermittent Fasting App: FastHabit

Key features and specs:

• Price: $12.99 for a 12-week subscription or $49.99 for a yearly subscription
• Available platforms: Android and iOS
• Ratings: 4.3/5 stars (Google Play), 4.7/5 stars (Apple App Store)
• Best for those who want extra guidance on intermittent fasting and nutrition as well as help staying on track during their weight loss journey

Simple goes beyond just a fasting tracker. It’s a health app that aims to help you lose weight, improve your relationship with food and build a healthier lifestyle through guidance, education and accountability. When I downloaded Simple, I was prompted to answer a long series of questions about my age, current weight, dietary preference, eating habits, target zones, sleep patterns, activity level and goals. If you are trying to lose weight, you will enter your goal weight with the option to include a date or event you are trying to get in shape for. I chose an upcoming wedding as my deadline. Simple created a timeline for when I could expect to meet that goal if I followed the guidance it provided. Of course, meeting that goal relies on many factors outside of the app, but I thought this was a helpful tool.

With Simple, you’ll pick a 16-hour fasting and eight-hour eating window. I chose to have my first meal at 10:00 am and my last meal at 6:00 pm, but you can adjust according to your schedule. One of the things I liked about Simple was rather than logging each thing I ate, I just typed my entire meal into the app, for example, “Greek yogurt, blueberries and granola.” Then, Simple gave it a score of either low, fair, good or optimal. Another unique feature of Simple is its AI assistant that can answer questions and provide guidance about healthy recipes, workout ideas and how to improve the score of your meals. You can also use AI to log your meals by taking a photo or describing your meal. Simple also includes several short articles written by a dietitian to provide extra guidance on nutrition and fasting. Overall, I think Simple is a great choice for someone who wants to try intermittent fasting and would like additional support on their weight loss journey. Simple is offering 60% off its premium plans.

What we like:

• Provides a fasting course and nutritional guidance customized by age, gender, personal goals and more
• AI assistant makes tracking food easy and provides healthy recipe suggestions and workout ideas
• Tracks food, water intake and activity level, and it can be paired with your health app or fitness tracker, making it a well-rounded wellness app
• Tries to avoid creating food shame (no foods are off-limits) or encourage crash dieting. Instead, the app aims to help users make sustainable, healthy lifestyle changes

What to consider:

• Nutritional information may not be accurate since you’re not inputting the exact food into the tracker, and the app doesn’t take portion sizes into account
• Several reviewers complain that the app glitches, creating difficulty logging meals or editing previous entries

Key features and specs:

• Price: $59 per month or $199 for the year
• Available platforms: Android and iOS
• Ratings: 4.3/5 stars (Google Play), 4.7/5 stars (Apple App Store)
• Best for: Individuals who want long-term results by building healthy habits rather than restrictive dieting

Noom is a nutrition app that’s designed to help users make high-impact changes in their diet and lifestyle to achieve their health and fitness goals. Instead of ruling out any particular foods, Noom uses a stoplight approach to represent the foods that should be prioritized or eaten in moderation. 

Green foods are the least calorically dense and have a high nutritional value. These foods typically include fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nonfat dairy. The next group of foods, labeled in yellow, should make up the bulk of your diet. The yellow foods list includes lean meats, eggs, beans and low-fat dairy. Finally, the orange foods usually have the highest calories, and should be eaten sparingly. These include oils, fried foods, nuts, seeds, pastries, sweets and meats like bacon, ham, sausage and pepperoni. It’s important to note that the color designations do not represent “good” or “‘bad” foods; instead, they correspond to the types of foods that should make up a large, medium or small part of your daily diet.

In terms of fasting, Noom compliments many different intermittent fasting programs. Not only can Noom’s three-colored food system teach you what to eat during non-fasting periods, but their lessons can also help individuals overcome common challenges associated with intermittent fasting.

What we like:

• Promotes behavioral change and healthy eating habits instead of overly restrictive diets
• A subscription to Noom includes a 10 mini-course series that you can complete at your own pace, and includes lessons on goal setting, stress relief, gratitude, joyful movement, breathing exercises, self care, types of hunger and more
• The app provides support to users through both one-on-one and group coaching from certified health coaches
• Emphasis on eating whole foods

What to consider:

• The cost of the app is pricey
• No face-to-face interaction with the certified health coaches
• The app tracks calories, but doesn’t provide the macronutrient profiles of the foods

Key features and specs:

• Price: Subscription rates can differ based on your region, currency and current promotions; available subscription periods are 3 months, 6 months and 12 months; sample 3-month subscription price is $79.20 ($6.60/week)
• Available platforms: Android and iOS
• Ratings: 2.5/5 stars (Google Play), 3.9/5 stars (Apple App Store)
• Best for: Individuals who are new to intermittent fasting and want to learn the best ways to integrate this dietary practice into their routine correctly.

The DoFasting app is intended to make intermittent fasting for beginners Simple. The process begins with a short quiz that provides users with a personalized intermittent fasting plan to complement your current lifestyle. Individuals are then encouraged to use a fasting timer, an intermittent fasting meal plan and their library of workouts to pursue their health and fitness goals.

The app’s primary feature is a customizable fasting schedule and timer, but it also includes weight, water, steps and calorie tracking, as well as over 5,000 healthy recipes and multiple online workout programs that come with video demonstrations. All in all, the information and content on this app is impressive; however, the user-interface leaves something to be desired. Despite having a vast library of healthy recipes, many consumers wish the app had a better search feature or the ability to filter for certain foods. In my opinion, this app is definitely worth the money for individuals who are new to fasting, but more experienced fasters may prefer to look elsewhere.

It’s also worth noting that you’ll need to complete an informational quiz and submit your email to get a quote for your subscription. When we completed the quiz, our results (and customer service) indicated that we were only eligible for the 3-month subscription. This contradicts the FAQs page, which says users can choose the length of subscription they want.

What we like:

• Access to over 5,000 healthy recipes
• Daily reminders and motivational notifications
• Workout routines suitable for all ages and skill levels with video-demonstrations
• Weight, water, steps and calorie tracking features

What to consider:

• No free base version of the app
• No option for personalized coaching
• Quiz and email address required to see subscription plan pricing

Key features and specs:

• Price: $19.99 annually (YAZIO PRO)
• Ratings: 4.3/5 stars (Google Play), 4.7/5 stars (Apple App Store)
• Best for: Individuals who are looking for a dual intermittent fasting and calorie and macronutrient tracking app

The standard version of YAZIO is available for free, and includes several basic features. These include a daily food diary with a robust food database for calorie and macronutrient tracking, a barcode scanner for easy food entry, an activity and water tracker and a log to keep notes or to track your weight. In terms of fasting, YAZIO provides all users with a standard 16/8 timer that allows you to easily track your eating and fasting windows. 

While the free version of the app is excellent, YAZIO PRO offers a number of additional and upgraded features. It includes personalized meal recommendations, thousands of easy-to-follow recipes, a smart-food rating system that helps individuals learn about the nutritional quality of their foods and access to all of their intermittent fasting trackers (such as 16/8, 20/4, 5:2, alternate-day and many more).

YAZIO PRO is available for less than $2 per month, and you can sign up for as little as $19.99 per year using the link below. In my opinion, this is one of the best all around nutrition trackers available, and their recipe database is a phenomenal resource for individuals with all sorts of different dietary preferences.

What we like:

• Multiple pre-set intermittent fasting trackers that range from beginner to advanced (free version only allows you to use the 16/8 tracker)
• Specific calorie and macronutrient targets based on your answers to their short quiz
• Barcode scanner feature for easy food logging
• Trackers for measurements, activity and water intake
• 100s of recipes available for YAZIO PRO members

What to consider:

• Free version of the app doesn’t allow you to track fiber, cholesterol or vitamin and mineral intake
• Free version of the app doesn’t include access to any of the recipe guides

Key features and specs:

• Price: $299 for the device, $19/month membership
• Available platforms: Android and iOS
• Ratings: 4.3/5 stars (Google Play), 3.7/5 stars (Apple App Store)
• Best for: Elite athletes and individuals who are looking to track their metabolism and learn whether their body is burning primarily fats or carbs for energy

The Lumen is a hand-held, portable device that measures your respiratory quotient. Your respiratory quotient is the ratio of carbon dioxide to oxygen that you are exhaling relative to the oxygen in the room. Without getting too much into the science, this number is translated by the app to let you know whether you’re burning mostly carbohydrates or fats for energy. The higher the number, the more carbohydrates you are utilizing, and the lower the number, the more fat you are burning. This is also where intermittent fasting comes into play because the longer you’ve been in a fasted state, the more likely you are to be burning stored body fat for energy.

Despite this information possibly being relevant to elite athletes, this knowledge may not be practical for the everyday user. If your goal is weight loss, then as long as you’re in a caloric deficit, it doesn’t really matter if your body is burning carbohydrates or fats for energy. That being said, the membership to Lumen is still a helpful tool that includes lifestyle insights and recommendations based on your daily metabolic readings, personalized nutrition plans, macro-based meal suggestions, metabolic coaching and support and integrations with Apple Health, Google Fit and Garmin.

What we like:

• Purchase includes the Lumen device, a travel case, a charging dock with USB-C cable, a detailed user guide and one free month of membership
• Portable, hand-held design and a battery life that lasts approximately two weeks between charges
• Lumen device can still be used to take unlimited metabolic readings if you cancel the monthly membership
• One-year manufacturer warranty

What to consider:

• Using the device may be tedious for some
• Information doesn’t directly track intermittent fasting

Key features and specs:

• Price: $69.99 for the year or $9.99 each month
• Available platforms: Android and iOS
• Ratings: 4.4/5 stars (Google Play), 4.8/5 stars (Apple App Store)
• Best for: Those who want access to an expert health panel and educational content library

Zero is an intermittent fasting app that aims to guide you towards more mindful eating. The app was developed by a panel of experts, including well-known physician Peter Attia, to provide easy-to-digest educational content and practical fasting features to all Zero users. Similar to other fasting apps, Zero starts with an initial questionnaire that helps to curate a sustainable fasting plan to suit your specific needs. While you don’t have to follow their fasting recommendations, this is a great feature for individuals who are new to fasting as a dietary practice.

The free version of Zero offers everything you need to begin your fasting journey including a fasting timer, educational content, a progress, calorie and water tracker, a journal and a variety of different challenges to keep you motivated. If you do decide to purchase the premium version of the app, called Zero Plus, you’ll have access to advanced statistics and personal insights to help users understand how their diet is working for them. 

Zero Plus also comes with “ask Zero”—a feature that allows you to submit questions to Zero’s team of expert health coaches. From customer reviews, this is one of the most talked about features, and many users mention it has helped them tremendously on their path to success.

What we like:

• Free version available (with an option to upgrade to Zero Plus)
• 7-day free trial of Zero Plus 
• Plus includes access to an expert panel
• Graph feature provides valuable insight into what’s happening inside your body at different stages of your fast

What to consider:

• Meal plans included, but no recipes to go alongside them
• Lack of a search function on the explore page makes it difficult to find specific content

Key features

• Price: $2.99 one-time purchase for FastHabit Premium
• Available platforms: Android and iOS
• Ratings: 4.3/5 stars (Google Play), 4.8/5 stars (Apple App Store)
• Best for: Individuals looking for a Simple fasting app that will track their fasting windows and log their fasting progress

FastHabit is a Simple app designed to help you stay consistent on your intermittent fasting journey. The app’s key features allow users to set their fasting length, as well as track their daily progress with a 10-day snapshot and streaks. The streaks notifications show how many days in a row you’ve fasted, and includes full calendar views. One of the reasons consumers enjoy using FastingHabit is the ability to set reminders to start your fast and notifications of when your fast is complete.

There is an option to upgrade to FastHabit premium for a one-time cost of $2.99. This adds a few advanced features that may be worth the minimal fee. FastHabit premium can integrate with your Apple Watch and the Apple Health Kit, as well as allow you to export your fasting data. This can be helpful if you’re working with a nutrition coach or registered dietitian to track your fasting progress. Despite being a very Simple app, it may be an effective and free option for experienced intermittent fasters.

What we like:

• App interface is Simple and easy to use
• Price to upgrade to FastHabit premium is only $2.99 (one time)
• Premium version integrates with the Apple Watch and Apple Health Kit

What to consider:

• Isn’t available on newer Android devices (the Android version of the app was last updated in April of 2021)
• Lacks features like food logs, recipes, community support and educational content

What Is Intermittent Fasting?

Unlike traditional diets that focus on calorie restriction or consuming specific foods, intermittent fasting is a dietary approach that primarily concerns itself with when you eat. Instead of prescribing a specific meal plan, intermittent fasting dictates specific windows of time when you eat or fast.

While the fasting periods can vary in duration and frequency, the overall goal of this dietary practice is to reduce your daily calorie intake. Some of the most popular intermittent fasting protocols include the:

16/8 method

An intermittent fasting protocol in which you fast for 16 hours a day with an eight-hour eating window. This is likely the most common method of intermittent fasting and the easiest to follow since it doesn’t restrict calories for more than 16 hours at a time. Most individuals choose to start their window around 12 p.m and stop eating around 8 p.m.

5:2 method

The 5:2 method involves eating normally five out of the seven days of the week while significantly reducing your caloric intake for two non-consecutive days. Individuals that follow this plan usually fast on Wednesday and Sunday, but eat normally the rest of the week. This method is more advanced than the 16/8 method since it involves full-day fasts. It’s important to speak with your primary healthcare provider or a registered dietitian before implementing this routine.

Alternate-day method

The alternate-day method is when you rotate between a normal day of eating with a day of complete fasting. This would be considered the most extreme of the three fasting protocols listed, and as mentioned above, you should speak with your primary healthcare provider or a registered dietitian before implementing this style of intermittent fasting.

Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

Weight loss

Intermittent fasting can help reduce your daily calorie intake and therefore lead to weight loss. During periods of fasting, the body must tap into stored fat to utilize as energy, which promotes fat metabolism. While intermittent fasting has been shown to be effective, studies have found that it produces similar results to other forms of calorie restriction. Another possible reason that intermittent fasting helps with weight loss is that it prevents most people from eating right before bed. This has been shown to optimize individuals’ circadian clocks and result in a better quality of sleep.

Related Post: The Best Weight Loss Apps to Support Your Goals

Improved metabolic biomarkers

Intermittent fasting may help to enhance insulin sensitivity, which would help to better regulate blood sugar levels and therefore reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Fasting has also been shown to improve heart health by reducing risk factors such as high blood pressure, total cholesterol levels and inflammation.

Longevity

During periods of prolonged fasting (24 hours plus), the body initiates a process known as autophagy that removes or recycles damaged cells and cellular components from the body. This can contribute to better overall cell health.

Simplicity

The idea of intermittent fasting is a relatively straightforward approach to weight loss and doesn’t require complicated meal plans or special foods. This makes it easier for some individuals to adhere to as a practical dietary regimen.

How Can an App Help With Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting apps can be valuable tools when looking to implement fasting into your daily routine. The most obvious benefit is that these apps can help you with the scheduling and timing of your fasting and eating windows. These apps may help you stick to your chosen intermittent fasting schedule by sending notifications and reminders that help you stay consistent and accountable to your plan.

In addition to the helpful timer, these apps also often incorporate some nutritional guidance, such as recipes, calorie recommendations and macronutrient advice (though you may need a macro tracking app to track your macros specifically). Some of these apps even have an active community component, which adds a social support feature for individuals who are fasting intermittently or trying to develop healthier eating habits. 

Related Post: The 9 Best Habit Tracker Apps to Enhance Your Productivity and Well-Being

Intermittent Fasting Precautions

Intermittent fasting can have numerous health benefits for many individuals, but it may not be suitable for everyone. Before starting an intermittent fasting regimen, consider these precautions, and first consult with a healthcare professional or registered dietitian—especially if you have any underlying health conditions.

Medical concerns

If you have any medical conditions, are pregnant or breastfeeding, are underweight, have a history of eating disorders or hypoglycemia, are taking any medications or have any other health concerns, it’s imperative to speak with your primary healthcare provider before starting an intermittent fasting routine. Fasting can affect various aspects of your health, and it’s important to ensure it’s safe for your specific situation.

Hydration

It’s important to stay adequately hydrated during periods of fasting. Dehydration is a common issue for individuals new to fasting because many people drink hydrating liquids only when they eat. Be sure to keep a water bottle with you throughout the day so you always have water on-hand.

Nutrition intake for athletes

Nutrient timing is essential for athletes to maximize muscle protein synthesis and replenish their glycogen stores after workouts. Intermittent fasting may not be the best weight loss strategy for athletes since they need to eat consistently for optimal performance.

Overeating

While intermittent fasting can help control your daily calorie intake, avoid overcompensating by consuming an excessive amount of calories or unhealthy foods during your eating windows. It’s important to still remain mindful of your portion sizes and food choices to stay on track with your health and wellness goals.

How to Choose the Best Intermittent Fasting App for You

When choosing the best intermittent fasting apps, consider a variety of factors, including your health and fitness goals and how they align with: 

• the features and functionality of the app
• the app’s user-interface
• consumer reviews 
• your budget

Some of the key features you may want to look for include a fasting timer, meal plans or recipes, calorie tracking, water intake logs, community and support functionality and educational resources regarding intermittent fasting. You should also check reviews to learn if the app is intuitive and easy to use. A cluttered or confusing interface can make tracking your fasting schedule more challenging. Take advantage of consumer reviews, as they often provide invaluable information regarding the features and how easy the app is to use.

Our Methodology: How We Chose the Best Intermittent Fasting Apps

We chose our list of the best intermittent fasting apps by taking into account the app’s user interface, ease of use, the functionality and features, and our own personal experience using these apps. We do our best to ensure the products we feature in our articles are of the highest quality and will help you to actually achieve your health, wellness and fitness goals.

Intermittent Fasting App FAQs

Which intermittent fasting method is the most effective?

The effectiveness of an intermittent fasting method will vary from person to person, and what works best for one individual may not work as well for another. This means your choice for the most effective method will depend on your specific goals, lifestyle and ultimately how well you can adhere to the fasting schedule chosen. In my opinion, if you are new to intermittent fasting, you should start with the 16/8 method since it’s the most similar to a normal eating schedule and doesn’t require you to fast longer than 16 hours.

Is intermittent fasting healthy?

When performed properly, intermittent fasting can be a healthy dietary approach as long as you are supporting your overall caloric needs and staying hydrated. That being said, it’s important to approach fasting with careful consideration for your specific needs and consult with your primary healthcare provider to ensure that you maintain a balanced diet and overall healthy lifestyle.

Is it better to fast for 12 or 16 hours? Why is 16 hours the magic number for fasting?

Whether a 12- or 16-hour fast is better for you likely depends on your overall goals. A 12-hour fast may be better for an athlete because the longer eating window may better accommodate a training schedule. That being said, the 16-hour fast would likely be better for someone pursuing weight loss, since the longer fasting window may result in a greater reduction in daily caloric intake. The 16-hour mark is credited with being the “magic number” for fasting because it’s around the time when your glycogen stores have been completely depleted and your body is primarily using stored body fat and proteins for energy.

Does coffee break a fast?

Coffee by itself will not break a fast since it’s essentially calorie-free. As long as it is served without cream, sugar or anything else that has calories, then you can still drink coffee or other zero-calories beverages, such as tea or water, during your fasting windows.

Is intermittent fasting everyday O.K.?

Intermittent fasting every day can be a healthy dietary approach as long as it’s done sensibly and it’s aligned with your overall health and wellness goals. While fasting every day is safe, it may not be suited for everyone, and isn’t the only way to practice intermittent fasting. The key is to choose a fasting schedule that you can maintain comfortably and consistently while still meeting your nutritional needs.

Takeaway: Is an Intermittent Fasting App Worth It?

In my opinion, an intermittent fasting app is a valuable tool to help you stay accountable to your fasting schedule, especially when you’re a beginner. Despite the primary functionality of many apps being a Simple timer, I believe the real value lies within the other features these apps provide.

From educational content on fasting to community support systems and healthy meal and recipe suggestions, these apps are specifically made to help you on your fasting journey. If you are at all interested in exploring intermittent fasting for yourself, I would highly encourage you to check out a few of the apps on our list to see which one may best meet your needs.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases.

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