If you are searching for a MyFitnessPal alternative, you have probably hit a point where logging feels bigger than the thing you are logging. That is a method problem more than a brand problem. MyFitnessPal is a well-known example of search-and-scan logging, and it works for plenty of people. Ramen takes a different method: you type a line, and the numbers appear.
Two methods of logging food
Most trackers use one of two main methods, sometimes both.
- Search and scan. You look up a food in a database, or scan a barcode, then pick the closest match and set the serving.
- Type and estimate. You write what you ate in plain words, and the app estimates calories and macros from the sentence.
Neither is wrong. They suit different people. Search and scan gives you a specific database entry, and typing gives you speed and your own words. This page is about the second, and who it fits.
Why people go looking for something simpler
When people say they want a simpler tracker, it usually comes down to a few things.
- Too many steps. Search, scroll, tap, adjust the amount, confirm. Repeat for each ingredient.
- Home cooking is awkward. A homemade curry has no barcode and no obvious entry.
- It feels like a scoreboard. Red numbers and streaks can turn a record into a verdict.
- It rewrites your entry. What you ate becomes a database label.
If any of those sound familiar, a typed diary is worth a look.
What to look for in a simpler food diary
Whatever app you try, these are the questions worth asking.
- How many seconds does a normal meal take?
- Can I use my own words, and are they kept?
- Does it explain where a number came from?
- Does it tell me when it is unsure?
- Is it calm on a bad day?
- Can I take my data out, and delete my account?
We built Ramen to answer yes to every one of them. You can judge for yourself once it is out.
How Ramen works
One line per food, in your own words.
2 eggs scrambled in butter ~240
flat white, oat milk ~140
half a burrito, extra guac ~380
same as yesterday 410
These numbers are illustrative, not measured outputs. Most real answers arrive in about 2 seconds. Tap a number to read a plain-language explanation, and watch for the "~" when Ramen is less sure. Lines you have logged before come back instantly, and meals you save return when you type @.
Your words are never rewritten, reordered or corrected. There is no barcode scanner and no camera button, on purpose. If you want the reasoning, see the page on a calorie counter without barcode scanning and why we do not use photos.
Honest numbers
Typed estimates are still estimates. Ramen does not call them anything else. In our own test of 81 typed meals, 92% of calorie estimates landed within 20% of the reference value. It is our own test with its own limits, so read it as context.
For a plain explanation of what that means for your day, how reliable calorie estimates are is a good read.
Who should stay with search and scan
Honesty goes both ways. If you like weighing every ingredient and picking a specific database entry, a search-and-scan tracker gives you that control, and Ramen does not try to. If you enjoy the barcode beep on packaged food, you may miss it.
Ramen is for the person who wants a good-enough picture of the day with the least effort, and who would like their diary to sound like them. New to counting at all? Calorie counting for beginners helps you decide what level of detail suits you.
Private, offline and easy to leave
A lookup sends only the single food line, with no email attached. Your body details stay on your phone. The journal works offline, with numbers filling in when you are back online. You can export everything and delete your account, and your data is erased. Ramen also reads weight, height and activity from Apple Health, and writes calories and macros back.
Join the waitlist
Ramen is coming soon to iPhone. It will be $9.99 a month, or $39.99 for the first year then $59.99 a year, and waitlisters get the $39.99 first year. No card is needed now. Join the waitlist and we will send one email when it is ready.