Food and Symptom Diary Apps: How They Compare
Updated October 26, 2026
Short answer: mySymptoms is a detailed food diary with a food database and barcode scanning, by subscription. Bearable tracks meals among many health factors. Elara adds meal logging to a pacing diary. The Good Tracker lets you say what you ate and how you felt, or snap a food photo, and keeps it on one timeline.
How do food and symptom diary apps compare?
Competitor details are as of Oct 26, 2026, taken from each company's own site or app store listing, and each is sourced to a URL in the Sources section below. Features change, so check each company's site before you choose.
| The Good Tracker | mySymptoms | Bearable | Elara | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How you log food | Food photo, a few words or a voice note 1 | Search a food database or scan barcodes 4 | Meals as one of many tracked factors 6 | Meal logging, barcode scanner, photo uploads 7 |
| Symptoms | Voice or 0–10 sliders 1 | Intensity, duration and notes 4 | Custom symptoms 6 | Symptom diary 7 |
| Medications | Dose + timing 1 | Logged alongside food, drink, stress and exercise 4 | Medication tracking 6 | Scheduling and reminders 7 |
| Gut-specific fields | Not offered | Bowel movements (Bristol scale) 4 | Bowel movements 6 | Not stated 7 |
| Voice logging | Yes 1 | Not stated 4 | Not stated 6 | Not stated 7 |
| Patterns | Trend charts; plain-English Ask about your own logs 1 | Charts, reports, event review 4 | Correlation reports in the subscription 6 | Insights, trends and pattern summaries 7 |
| Doctor output | Doctor summaries 1 | PDF or CSV export; sharing through a clinic web app 4 | Data export 6 | Reports 7 |
| Platforms | Web app now; iOS planned 12 | iPhone, iPad, Mac 4; Android 5 | iOS, Android 69 | iOS, Android 78 |
| Plans | GT is free to use today. | See official site for access details 4 | See official site for access details 6 | Currently free 8 |
Can a food diary show what lines up with what you ate?
Not on its own. A diary shows what tends to line up in the days you log. That's a starting point for a conversation with a clinician or registered dietitian. Our food and symptom tracker guide covers what to log 3.
Which is easiest to keep up?
It depends how much detail you want. mySymptoms gives you a food database and barcode scanning for precise entries 4. Bearable and Elara fit meals into a wider daily tracker 67. The Good Tracker is built for low-effort days: a photo or one spoken sentence is enough for the day's log 1.
Which suits a gut-focused diary?
If your focus is digestive symptoms, mySymptoms has gut-specific fields like the Bristol scale and lists IBS and low-FODMAP use 4. GT doesn't have dedicated gut fields. It keeps food next to symptoms like fatigue, pain or migraine on the same day. See our migraine food tracker guide.
Where does The Good Tracker fit?
GT is for people tracking food as one part of a bigger picture. You say what you ate and how you feel, add meds, and GT keeps it on one timeline 1. Over time, trend charts show how they line up. It runs in your phone's browser until the iOS app arrives. Our chronic illness food diary guide has a simple template.
Who should choose which?
mySymptoms may suit you if: you want detailed food entries, barcode scanning and gut-specific fields, and a subscription works for you.
Bearable may suit you if: you want food as one of many factors in a tap-based tracker with graphs.
Elara may suit you if: you're pacing for ME/CFS or Long COVID and want meal logging in the same free app.
The Good Tracker may suit you if: typing is hard and you'd rather say what you ate and how you felt. It isn't the right fit if you want a food database, barcode scanning or a native app today.
Prefer talking to filling in a diary? Try a voice log in GT.
FAQ
Do I have to enter every ingredient?
Not in every app. mySymptoms has a food database and barcode scanning if you want detail. In The Good Tracker, a photo or a few words is enough for the day's log.
Does The Good Tracker track bowel movements?
Not as a dedicated field. You can mention anything in a voice note or daily note, and it stays with that day.
Is a food diary app medical advice?
No. These apps record and chart what you log. Talk to a clinician or registered dietitian before you change what you eat.
Is The Good Tracker on iPhone?
Not yet. GT runs in your phone's browser today, and an iOS app is planned.
mySymptoms, Bearable, Elara Health and other names are trademarks of their respective owners. The Good Tracker is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.
Sources and notes (competitor facts as of Oct 26, 2026)
- The Good Tracker homepage: https://www.thegoodtracker.com/
- The Good Tracker FAQ: https://www.thegoodtracker.com/faq
- The Good Tracker food and symptom guide: https://www.thegoodtracker.com/guides/food-and-symptom-tracker
- mySymptoms App Store listing: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mysymptoms-food-diary/id405231632
- mySymptoms Google Play listing: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sglabs.mysymptoms
- Bearable website and FAQ: https://bearable.app/
- Elara Health App Store listing: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/elara-health-fatigue-pacing/id6596760769
- Elara Health website ("Free to use on iOS and Android"): https://www.elarahealth.org/
- Bearable Google Play listing: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bearable
"Not stated" means we didn't find it on the official source. Prices, ratings and user counts are left out on purpose.