Yuka alternative — track what you eat, not just rate it
Yuka scores packaged products in-store. Swoodie tracks the calories and macros you actually eat — including cooked meals. Different jobs; many people use both.
The bottom line
Yuka rates packaged products; it doesn't track intake, see cooked food or plan meals. Swoodie is a different category — calorie tracking, recipes and planning — so the two genuinely complement each other.
Yuka is brilliant at one job: scan a barcode, see a colour-coded health score, get cleaner alternatives. With 80M+ users, it's the best in-store scanner for packaged goods.
But it doesn't track what you eat, can't see cooked food, and doesn't generate recipes. Swoodie is a different category — calorie tracking, recipes and meal planning — so the two genuinely complement each other.
And Swoodie now scores packaged products too: Product Check gives any barcode an instant 0–100 quality score with the additives behind it and cleaner-scoring swaps — so you get in-store quality scanning and full meal tracking in one app, no second app needed.
Feature by feature
| Feature |  Swoodie | Yuka |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent free plan (not a trial) | Free — $0 forever | Free — basic scoring |
| Annual price | $39.99 / year | ~$20–30/yr Premium (regional) |
| AI features without paying | 5 free one-time uses, no card | No AI features |
| AI photo calorie / meal scan | Trial — 5 free uses, then Premium | Barcode only — can't see cooked food |
| Barcode scanner | Trial — 5 free uses, then Premium | Barcode scoring |
| Packaged-food (barcode) lookup | Global open food databases — ~85–90% of barcodes; no Swoodie-owned database | Large product database — scores, not macros |
| Calorie estimate from a photo | Trial — scan output | |
| Allergen detection from a scan | Trial — scan output | Premium dietary alerts |
| Log a meal you ate ("ate it") | Free — basic calorie logging | No meal logging |
| Meal journal / food diary | Free: last 3 days · Premium: full history | |
| Packaged-product quality score (0–100) | Free — scan, score & breakdown · Premium: better swaps + Ask AI | Yes — its core feature |
| Recipe discovery / browse | Free — 8,000+ recipe library | |
| Swipe-to-choose recipe UX | Free | |
| Filter recipes by ingredients you have | Free — Discover Mode | |
| AI recipe generation (Chef AI) | Trial — 5 free uses, then Premium | |
| Import a recipe from a video / social post | Trial — 5 free saves, then Premium | |
| Hands-free voice cooking mode | Free | |
| Multi-day meal planner (1/3/7-day) | Trial — 5 free uses, then Premium | |
| Shopping list merges duplicate ingredients | Trial — built with the plan | |
| Real-time couples meal matching (Swipe Together) | Host: Premium · Join: Free | |
| Shared meal plan | Premium | |
| Separate macro targets per person | Premium | |
| Multi-person session (family / friends) | Host: Premium · Join: Free | |
| Intermittent fasting tracker | Tracker: Free · Coach quips: Premium | |
| Paired wellness accountability (2-person daily score) | Free — core pairing + score | |
| Calorie & macro goal setting | Free | Scores products, not your intake |
| iOS app | ||
| Android app |
Where Yuka wins
Yuka does one thing brilliantly — scan a packaged product's barcode and get an instant health score plus cleaner alternatives. With 80M+ users it's the best in-store scanner for packaged goods, and it pairs well alongside a tracker rather than replacing one.
Honest scorecard
Where Swoodie wins
- Packaged-product quality score (0–100)
- Swipe-to-choose recipe UX
- Filter recipes by ingredients you have
- Import a recipe from a video / social post
- Hands-free voice cooking mode
- Shopping list merges duplicate ingredients
- Real-time couples meal matching (Swipe Together)
- Shared meal plan
- … and 4 more on the full matrix above
The verdict
Switch to Swoodie if…
you want to track what you actually eat — including cooked meals a barcode can't see — with real calories and macros, recipes and planning.
Stay with Yuka if…
you primarily want a quick in-store health score for packaged products. Many people happily use both.
We put these comparisons together from publicly available information and each app's own website. Prices and features change — if you spot anything inaccurate or out of date, email support@swoodie.app and we'll correct it. We want this comparison to stay fair.
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