Cookrange vs. MacroFactor

MacroFactor reverse-calculates your real metabolic rate from logged intake and weight trend and updates your target automatically; it was built by Stronger By Science's founders and has no free tier. Cookrange starts from a conceptually similar idea, but today's target is fixed — calories burned show up live on top of it, and the target itself only changes when you regenerate your plan.

MacroFactor reverse-calculates your real metabolic rate (TDEE) from the relationship between your logged calorie intake and your weight trend, then updates that estimate automatically as you keep logging consistently. It was built by Stronger By Science founders Greg Nuckols and Eric Trexler, is reported to score around 8–8.4/10 across several review sites, and is well-regarded among evidence-minded fitness enthusiasts. Cookrange starts from a conceptually similar idea — recalculating your plan from your own data — but the two apps differ plainly on when the target itself changes: MacroFactor adjusts it automatically based on your weight trend, while in Cookrange the target only changes when you choose to regenerate your plan, with calories burned shown live on top of that fixed target during the day.

Comparison table

Area	MacroFactor	Cookrange
How the target is set	Reverse-calculates TDEE from logged intake and weight trend, rather than an age/weight/activity formula	Nutrition planning built from your profile and goals
How the target updates afterward	Updates automatically and continuously as your weight trend changes — no manual action needed	Today’s target is fixed; calories burned show up on top of it through the day via Cookrange AI. The target itself only changes when you regenerate your plan — editing or swapping a single meal recalculates day/week totals immediately, but that’s a separate mechanism and doesn’t change the daily target
Meal plan / recipe suggestions	Gives you a macro target and lets you log your own recipes, but doesn’t suggest meals or generate a plan	An actual weekly meal plan generated by AI from your goals — recipes included
Free tier	None — only a 7-day free trial (some sources report promo codes extending it to 14 days); afterward $11.99/mo or $71.99/yr (publicly reported)	Core features (logging, plans, recipes, community, streaks) always free; premium only buys more AI generations
Gym/social integration	No documented gym check-in or social accountability feature found as of 2026-08-05 — sources change	QR check-in, squads, shared streaks

Which one fits

For people who log their weight consistently, want their target to adjust on its own, and would rather log freely against a number than expect a meal plan or recipe suggestions, MacroFactor’s automatic TDEE model is a strong option. For people who want to see what to eat as an actual plan, stay motivated alongside gym friends, and use the core features without paying anything, Cookrange takes a different approach.

For a broader list of evaluation criteria, see what to look for in a nutrition tracking app.