MyFitnessPal unveils its first paid-for wellness service

MyFitnessPal, the health and fitness tracking app which boasts 85 million users, has today (5 May) launched a new upgrade aimed at helping fitness enthusiasts move beyond step-counting and take their wellness regimes to the next level.

The firm, which was bought by sportswear giant Under Armour for US$475m (€419m, £309m) earlier this year, has introduced a premium tier to its service designed to help heavily-engaged users personalise their app experience to fit their own needs and dietary concerns.

Having attracted huge numbers of users (and access to their data) through its free proposition, analysts say MyFitnessPal’s latest offering shows the company starting to confront the challenge of converting its extensive reach into consistent revenue streams.

The paid version of the app, which costs $9.99 (€8.97, £6.59) per month, or $49.99 (€44.86, £32.99) per year is available online, on iOS, Android and Windows Phone. It will be mainly diet-focused and will allow those with specific needs to work out exactly how much of each nutrient they are getting. For example, bodybuilders will be able to closely monitor their protein intake, while those with a heart condition can accurately track the amount of sodium in their food.

Using the upgraded app, paid users can choose from one of four different profiles: a macronutrients profile to see carbs, fat, protein and calories; a heart-healthy profile to track fat, sodium, cholesterol and calories; a carb-conscious profile for tracking carbs, sugars, fibre and calories; or a custom profile enabling users to choose any three nutrients they want. Having chosen a profile, users receive a customised dashboard with graph options for analysis, while they can also pair calorie intake with recorded activity to guard against weight gain.

MyFitnessPal has sought to overcome the issue of inaccurate nutrient counting by expanding the “verified foods” section, which lists thousands of food products in the MyFitnessPal database that have been checked for calorie and nutrition count accuracy. Paid users will also gain access to exclusive content — including recipes, meal plans and nutrition tips — as well as an advert-free experience while using the upgraded app.

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