Editorial policy
How we keep our app rankings independent and honest
Our value to readers depends entirely on trust. These are the rules we hold ourselves to, and we would rather lose a referral than break one of them.
Rankings cannot be bought
No app can pay to appear, rank higher, or change its score. Every app is measured with the same benchmark described in our methodology, against the same 8,500-meal dataset, and scored on the same 11 dimensions.
How we handle affiliate links
Some links to apps may earn us a commission. Affiliate relationships never influence a score or a ranking position, and we will always disclose when a link is an affiliate link. We regularly rank highly, and recommend, apps we earn nothing from — including free apps.
Every score has at least two sets of eyes
Ranked content requires sign-off from at least two team members. Any nutrition, medical, or weight-related claim must additionally clear our registered dietitian, Hui-Ying Lim, and health-outcome claims are checked by our independent medical reviewer, Dr. Wei Zhang.
Named bylines and clear review lines
Every review and article carries the name of the person who wrote it, and, where relevant, the name of the expert who reviewed it. You can see each contributor's background, credentials, and responsibilities on their profile page.
How we use AI in our work
We use AI tools to help process testing data and draft explanatory passages, always under human review. We never let a model decide a score, a ranking, or a medical claim. The full detail is on our how we use AI page.
We disclose any commercial relationship
If we ever have a relationship with an app's maker beyond a standard affiliate link, we disclose it clearly on any page that discusses that app — and that relationship still has no bearing on the app's benchmark score.
How we handle sources and claims
Numbers on this site trace back to our own measured testing or to named external sources such as USDA FoodData Central and manufacturer labels. We do not publish a figure we cannot stand behind, and we say when something is an estimate.
How we correct mistakes
When we get something wrong, we fix it and record it in our public corrections log. When a correction changes an app's score or rank, we say so on the affected page. To request a correction, email corrections@calorietrackerguide.com.
Health content and reader safety
Calorie tracking is not appropriate for everyone. We avoid guilt-based framing, flag features that could encourage disordered eating, and remind readers that our content is information, not medical advice — see our medical disclaimer.