Ellim vs Cronometer
An honest, side-by-side comparison. We tell you where Cronometer wins, too.
Cronometer is the best micronutrient tracker on the market, and it's honest about its free tier. But it's a nutrition instrument, not a fitness app — the training half of your life doesn't fit in it. If you lift, Ellim gives you the whole picture in one app; if you only track nutrients, Cronometer is a worthy specialist.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Ellim | Cronometer |
|---|---|---|
| Price (Free tier) | Free: unlimited routines, tracking, graphs, 3,500+ exercises, no ads | Free with ads; reports limited to a 7-day windowSource: Cronometer Gold↗ |
| Premium Price | $17.99/mo or $99.99/yr | $10.99/mo or $59.99/yr (Gold)Source: Cronometer Gold↗ |
| AI Workouts | LLM-based conversational AI (premium) | |
| Nutrition Tracking | Free (search + barcode) | Free (barcode and custom targets included)Source: Cronometer Gold↗ |
| AI Meal Detection | Photo-based (premium) | Photo Logging (Gold only)Source: Cronometer Support — Photo Logging↗ |
| Water Tracking | Free (one-tap cups + daily goal; weekly trends premium) | Free (custom container size is Gold)Source: Cronometer Support — Water Tracking↗ |
| Exercise Library Size | 3,500+ exercises | Calorie-burn estimates onlySource: Cronometer Support — Add Exercise↗ |
| Workout Tracking | Yes | Duration + intensity only — no sets, reps, or routinesSource: Cronometer Forums — feature request↗ |
| Custom Routines | Yes | |
| Apple Watch | No | Yes |
| HealthKit | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | No | Yes |
Try it yourself — Ellim is free
Workout tracking + nutrition logging + 3,500+ exercises + unlimited routines. All free. No paywall, no credit card.
Download Ellim FreeSee Ellim in Action
AI builds your workout
Track every set
Log meals with AI
3,500+ exercises
What you get with Ellim that Cronometer doesn't
exercises
builds your workout
describe it, AI creates it
routines & tracking
no caps, no paywall
Where Cronometer Falls Short
- Not a workout tracker — exercise logging is a calorie-burn estimate from duration and intensity; users have been requesting sets/reps/weight logging on the forums for yearsSource: Cronometer Forums↗
- Aggressive full-page ads on the free tier, interrupting the logging flow — a recurring complaint on their own forumsSource: Cronometer Forums — ads↗
- Free tier caps reports and charts to a 7-day window — long-term history requires GoldSource: Cronometer Forums↗
- Dense, data-heavy interface that independent reviewers describe as overwhelming for everyday calorie countingSource: Garage Gym Reviews↗
Where Ellim Wins
A Real Training Log
Cronometer's "exercise tracking" is a calorie estimator: pick an activity, set duration, get a burn number. No sets, no reps, no routines, no progression. Ellim is a full lifting tracker — 3,500+ exercises, unlimited custom routines, performance graphs — free.
History That Doesn't Expire
Cronometer's free tier shows reports for a rolling 7 days; your long-term trends live behind Gold. Ellim's free tier keeps your full workout history and any day's nutrition view — the timeline is yours.
No Ads, Ever
Cronometer's free tier runs full-page ads that its own forum users have complained about for years. Ellim's free tier has no ads — the free experience is the product, not the billboard.
Where Cronometer Wins
We believe in honest comparisons. Here is what Cronometer does well.
- The deepest micronutrient tracking in the category — full vitamin, mineral, amino-acid, and fatty-acid panels, on the free tier
- Lab-verified food database (NCCDB + USDA) instead of crowdsourced entries — genuinely more accurate data
- Barcode scanning and custom targets are free — rare honesty in this category
- Fasting timer, custom biometrics, and a professional tier used by real dietitians
In-Depth: Ellim vs Cronometer
Nutrition Data Depth
The Training Side
Free Tier Trade-offs
Where Each Fits
Pricing Comparison
- Free forever: full workout tracking
- 3,500+ exercise library with graphs
- Unlimited routines (no cap)
- Free nutrition tracking — search + barcode scanner
- Curated workout routines ready to use
- Premium: AI meal detection from photos + AI workout generation
Free with ads; full nutrient panel, barcode scanning, and custom targets included, but reports capped to a 7-day window
Which App Is Right for You?
Choose Cronometer if...
Choose Cronometer if micronutrients are the point: you're tracking vitamins, minerals, or fatty acids for medical, keto, or carnivore reasons and want lab-verified data instead of crowdsourced entries. Its free tier is genuinely fair on the nutrition side — barcode scanning and custom targets included. If "working out" means cardio you log by the minute, its exercise diary is enough.
Choose Ellim if...
Choose Ellim if you train with weights. Cronometer structurally cannot log a lifting session — no sets, reps, or routines — while Ellim ships a complete free training log alongside free nutrition and water tracking, with no ads and no 7-day history wall. AI meal-photo detection and AI workout generation are clearly-scoped premium upgrades on top.
The Verdict
Cronometer is the best micronutrient tracker on the market, and it's honest about its free tier. But it's a nutrition instrument, not a fitness app — the training half of your life doesn't fit in it. If you lift, Ellim gives you the whole picture in one app; if you only track nutrients, Cronometer is a worthy specialist.
Download Ellim FreeFree download. No credit card required.
Switching Is Easy
You don't need to start from scratch. Bring your routines with you.
Import by Photo
Take a screenshot of your current routine. Ellim's AI reads it and creates the routine for you.
Import by Text
Paste your routine as text — exercises, sets, reps. Ellim converts it into a trackable routine instantly.
Or Start Fresh
Browse our curated routines or let AI build a personalized plan. Your workout history starts building from day one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Cronometer track workouts?
Only as calorie burn. You pick an exercise, an effort level, and a duration, and it estimates calories — there's no way to log sets, reps, or weight, and no routine builder. Users have requested real strength logging on Cronometer's forums for years. Ellim tracks full lifting sessions free.
Is Cronometer free?
The free tier is real and fair for nutrition: full nutrient panel, barcode scanning, and custom targets included. But it shows ads, and reports are capped to a 7-day window — long-term history, photo logging, and the AI features need Gold at $10.99/mo or $59.99/yr.
Is Cronometer better than Ellim for nutrition?
For micronutrient depth, yes — Cronometer tracks 84+ nutrients against a lab-verified database, which Ellim doesn't attempt. For everyday logging, Ellim is free without ads or a history cap, and adds AI meal detection from photos on premium.
Does Cronometer have water tracking?
Yes, free — though customizing your container size requires Gold. Ellim's free water tracking includes customizable cups, a body-weight-based daily goal, and one-way Apple Health sync, with weekly trends on premium.
Can I use Cronometer and Ellim together?
Some micronutrient-focused lifters do run a specialist nutrition app beside a training app. But if what you want is calories, macros, water, and workouts in one place, Ellim covers all of it in one free tier — no second subscription.
Other Comparisons
Ready to try Ellim?
3,500+ exercises, ready-to-use routines, and nutrition tracking — all free. AI workouts on Premium.