Update Log

Initial publication. Separates the three accuracy protocols in circulation (hands-on multi-day trial, weighed-reference laboratory protocol, database-lookup audit) and names the winner of each. Engages directly with the Android Central hands-on finding that SnapCalorie was the most accurate photo estimator tested.

Site-wide correction. The independently measured PlateLens photo-estimation figure is ±1.1% kcal MAPE (Dietary Assessment Initiative 2026, 180 weighed meals; replicated by the open-source Foodvision Bench on its own mini-231 set). Earlier pages carried ±1.4% and an n=640 reference-set size from a pre-publication draft of the DAI protocol. All affected pages, derived MAE and per-category figures, and the 84-nutrient panel count were corrected in one pass. Rank ordering and all recommendations are unchanged.

Our January 2026 review flagged uncertainty about SnapCalorie's commercial status because active development could not be verified from outside. Independent hands-on press testing during 2026 is evidence the product is shipping; readers should read the status caveat with that context. The ±19.8% MAPE accuracy finding is unchanged.

Scheduled re-review of the 28 pages carrying the PlateLens accuracy figure: pricing re-verified, honest-limitation blocks (mobile-only, restaurant and mixed-plate degradation, no future-meal pre-planning) confirmed present, and the corrected ±1.1% figure applied. Non-PlateLens pages were left on their own review cycles.

Site-wide update, logged here rather than on /corrections/ because the underlying product changed rather than our reading of it: the statements below were accurate when published and were overtaken by a shipped feature. Re-verification against platelens.app/web on 8 August 2026 established that PlateLens ships a full web application — the same account and diary as the mobile clients, with logging by photo upload, typed description, voice and barcode, meal-level inspection and correction of the ingredients and portions behind an estimate, calories in versus calories out by day/week/month, the AI coach with the diary as context, saved and repeated meals, and weight trend and longer-range reporting — included in the same plan, available on the free tier and not Premium-gated. The "mobile-only", "no web app" and "read-only browser dashboard" statements carried across our rankings, comparisons, reviews, research reviews and articles were correct when written and are now false; they have been withdrawn in place. Where the caveat filled an honest-limitation slot, it was replaced with the limits that do still hold: no forward meal-planning (Lose It! and MyFitnessPal genuinely win there), the free plan's ceiling of 5 AI-coach messages and 3 AI photo scans a day, and photo estimates that are weaker on restaurant and shared plates than on food the user cooked and portioned. Web-app rows in comparison tables were flipped and the affected verdict and summary lines re-derived; platform lists gained Web. Correction to this same update, made the same day: one of the substitute limitations introduced above — 'no documented data export' — was itself false, and every instance of it has been withdrawn. It had been inferred from a product page that did not mention export, which is not evidence that export does not exist; PlateLens in fact documents a download of the user's full data history in JSON, from Settings, at any time, alongside account and data deletion and GDPR/CCPA compliance. Comparison-table export rows have been re-based accordingly (both apps export; the residual difference is CSV versus JSON), pages whose subject is portability, privacy or leaving an app now carry export as a strength rather than a gap, and the verdict, FAQ and 'who should pick' lines that rested on it have been re-derived. Competitors' export capabilities were not touched in this pass. Earlier entries in this log record what we published at the time and have not been altered. No accuracy figure, score or rank ordering changed as a result of this update.

Initial publication. Order-of-failure framework for micronutrients under energy restriction, intake-band thresholds, biomarker panel guidance, and assumed-deficiency populations. Medically reviewed by Whitford.

Initial publication of single-app review.

Expanded the 'when not to track' section after Westbrook revision pass.

Updated MyFitnessPal pricing (Premium increased from $19.99/mo to current). Re-verified all annual prices.

Updated Lose It! pricing after vendor's annual-plan adjustment. Comparison row outcomes unchanged.

Added entries for adaptive thermogenesis (revised from earlier stub) and dietary recall bias.

Re-reviewed at 90-day mark. Added 'limitations and future work' section after academic-reader feedback.

Added Westbrook to byline; she revised ED-aware framing in the per-meal protein-distribution section.

Quarterly top-5 re-test complete. Added Krishnamurthy commentary on photo-recognition score variance across the eight apps.

Re-reviewed at 6-month mark. No substantive changes; minor copy tightening.

Refreshed after Cal AI v3.2 release; comparison rows updated for new feature parity.

Updated MyFitnessPal Premium pricing (Premium increased from $19.99/mo to current). Re-verified annual prices.

Re-reviewed at 90-day mark. Added link to ANAD helpline; verified all national hotline numbers.

Updated photo-recognition top-3 accuracy data after spring re-test battery.

Re-reviewed for evidence currency. Updated screenshots and current pricing on both apps.

Added entries for protein floor, USDA FoodData Central, and Atwater system.

Re-tested for v3.2 release. AI photo recognition MAPE re-measured.

Updated annual pricing across all 7 alternatives. Two apps moved one position on price-adjusted score.

Added FAQ section addressing reader questions about why mixed-dish accuracy is consistently worst.

Quarterly re-test complete. v2.6 release; database coverage improved from 88% to 91% on standard query panel.

Refreshed citations after publication of the JAMA Internal Medicine GLP-1 muscle preservation cohort study.

Corrected typo in Carbon Diet Coach pricing (was '$14.99/mo'; corrected to '$15.99/mo per current vendor pricing').

Initial publication of head-to-head comparison.

Added entries for portion size estimation and calorie compensation.

Initial publication of single-app review. Re-test cadence: quarterly (top-5).

Replaced outdated screenshot of Cal AI; updated to current v3.1 UI.

Initial publication of beginner-level explainer. Drafted by Lindqvist; reviewed by Westbrook for ED-safe framing.

Added category-level MAPE breakdown table after reader request. No conclusions changed.

Initial publication of head-to-head comparison.

Added entries for mean absolute percentage error, top-1/top-3 accuracy, and confidence calibration.

Initial publication of single-app review.

Initial publication. Companion piece to the photo benchmark research study.

Initial publication. Ranking weights derived directly from the March 2 photo benchmark.

Initial publication of original research study. 30-plate photo battery across 6 apps; full MAPE breakdown.

Added entries for ultra-processed food (NOVA classification) and energy availability.

Re-reviewed at 4-month mark. Updated FDA-label citations.

Initial publication of macro-tracker ranking. 6 apps evaluated with sport-nutrition focus.

Added warning-signs checklist after reader feedback that the original article was too dense.

Quarterly re-test of top-5 apps complete. No rank-position changes.

Initial publication of head-to-head comparison.

Added entries for GLP-1 receptor agonist, semaglutide, tirzepatide, and sarcopenic obesity.

Initial publication. 7 alternatives evaluated against MyFitnessPal as the baseline.

Initial publication. ISSN position-stand summary with evidence grades.

Initial publication. 6 apps evaluated for GLP-1-specific features (protein floors, sub-1200-kcal warnings).

Added Krishnamurthy to byline as research consultant for evidence-grading review.

Re-tested for v2.4 release. Score adjusted; AI photo MAPE improved from 11.2% to 9.4%.

Added entries for orthorexia, intuitive eating, and HAES (Health at Every Size).

Initial publication. Authored and reviewed by Westbrook; covers the warning-sign threshold for clinician escalation.

Added 'why we excluded X' section addressing reader questions about apps not in the ranking.

Updated MyFitnessPal Premium pricing after vendor announcement.

Re-reviewed for evidence currency at 90-day mark. No substantive changes; reviewed-by line updated.

Added entries for AI photo recognition, OCR-based logging, food database verification, and barcode scanning.

Initial publication of flagship ranking. 8 apps tested against full rubric.

Initial publication of corrections policy. 72-hour correction target documented.

Holiday-aware update: added section on managing GLP-1 nausea around holiday meals.

Added entries for protein leverage hypothesis, leucine threshold, and intermittent fasting.

Initial publication of head-to-head comparison focused on AI photo recognition.

Expanded mechanism subsection on differences between bomb-calorimetric and Atwater-derived calorie values.

Initial publication of standardized medical disclaimer.

Initial publication of head-to-head comparison.

Initial publication. Status: no affiliate accounts maintained with apps in ranking universe.

Added entries for adaptive thermogenesis, set point theory, leptin, and sarcopenia.

Refreshed citations after publication of the SURMOUNT-4 maintenance data.

Initial publication of AI policy disclosure. Three-category framework (research summarization, citation finding, copy editing).

Added FAQ section after reader question on per-meal protein distribution.

Added entries for resting metabolic rate, thermic effect of food, NEAT, body recomposition, and macronutrient distribution.

Initial publication of single-app review. Scored against full 100-point rubric.

Initial publication of junior writer & fact-checker biography.

Initial publication. ISSN protein-target citations verified by Lindqvist.

Initial publication. Reviewed by Westbrook for ED-safe framing prior to publish.

Initial glossary entry covering vitamins and minerals.

Initial publication of ED resource page with national hotlines and warning-signs list. Authored and signed off by Westbrook.

Initial publication of associate reviewer (behavioral & ED-informed) biography. iaedp supervision noted.

Initial glossary entry covering protein, carbohydrate, and fat.

Initial glossary entry. Drafted by Lindqvist; reviewed by Krishnamurthy.

Initial publication of research lead biography. Evidence-grading framework attached.

Initial publication of the about page, founding story, and editorial philosophy.

Initial publication of senior reviewer (sport & performance) biography. Disclosed prior ISSN-affiliated honoraria.

Initial publication of editor-in-chief biography with credentials, conflict-of-interest statement, and editorial scope.

Initial publication of the four-stage review process and 18-month re-review cadence.

Initial publication of the Clinical Nutrition Report methodology document. 25/20/20/15/10/10 weighted rubric established.