Are you looking for an easier way to track your carb intake and stick to your keto, low-carb, or macros-focused diet? With so many different food tracking apps on the market, it can be hard to know which one is right for you. That‘s where Carb Manager comes in.
This popular app has over 8 million users and offers robust tools for logging meals, getting actionable insights on your nutrition, planning your grocery trips, and connecting with a like-minded community. I dug into the app to bring you this comprehensive Carb Manager review and help you determine if it‘s the right fit for your wellness needs.
What is Carb Manager?
Carb Manager is a feature-packed mobile app (for iOS and Android) and web platform designed to simplify food tracking, meal planning, and carb counting. While it can be used by anyone interested in monitoring their diet, it‘s especially helpful for those on keto and low-carb eating plans.
The app provides food and exercise logging, macro tracking, access to a huge database of keto recipes, customized meal plans and grocery lists, an active community forum, and even an educational "Keto Academy" to help users learn more about the ins and outs of a ketogenic lifestyle.
Carb Manager was launched in 2010 by founder Wes Coughlin and is owned by parent company Wombat Apps, Inc. It has been featured in major publications like Men‘s Health, Women‘s Health, CNET, Parade, and more for its user-friendly design and robust feature set.
How Does Carb Manager Work?
Getting started with Carb Manager is simple. Just download the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, or sign up on the Carb Manager website to use the web version. The basic app is free, with the option to upgrade to Carb Manager Premium for a fee (more on that later).
Once you create an account and log in, you can start exploring Carb Manager‘s main features:
Advanced Food Logging
The heart of the Carb Manager app, the food logger allows you to easily track your meals, snacks, and drinks using their database of over 1 million foods. You can search for items or scan barcodes to automatically import nutrition information.
The Premium version also allows you to log food by taking photos with your phone‘s camera. Carb Manager breaks down your food into macronutrients, micronutrients, and net carbs, displaying your daily progress and goals in easy-to-read graphs and charts.
Macros Tracker
Carb Manager automatically calculates your ideal macronutrient ratio based on your diet type (keto, low-carb, etc.), physical characteristics, and goals. It displays your intake of fats, protein, carbohydrates, and net carbs throughout the day to help you stay on track. You can also customize your macros as needed.
Keto Recipes
Get access to a searchable and filterable database of over 10,000 keto and low-carb recipes, all with complete nutritional information, beautiful photos, and step-by-step instructions. Save your favorites, add ingredients to your shopping list, and even calculate how a recipe will impact your macros for the day.
Personalized Meal Plans
Carb Manager will build you a customized weekly meal plan based on your food preferences, dietary restrictions, schedule, and macro/calorie goals. It generates an easy-to-follow plan with recipes and even a shopping list that you can take to the grocery store or order online for delivery.
Exercise Logging
The exercise tracker allows you to log over 350 common exercises and workouts, see how many calories you‘ve burned, and view your activity history and progress over time. You can manually add exercises or sync data from Apple Health, Google Fit, Fitbit, and other popular activity tracking devices/apps.
Community Forums
Connect with Carb Manager‘s active community of keto and low-carb dieters to find support, motivation, tips, and advice. You can browse topics, search for keywords, ask questions, and share your own experiences, recipes, and success stories.
Keto Academy
Carb Manager‘s "Keto Academy" offers a wealth of resources to educate users on the ketogenic diet and healthy low-carb living. Access guides, articles, tutorials, videos, FAQs, and more created by a team of doctors, nutritionists, and keto experts. A great resource for keto beginners and veterans alike.
Health Insights & Reports
The app tracks a number of key health metrics such as weight, body fat percentage, blood glucose, ketones, GKI, and insulin. It allows you to log these metrics manually or sync data from smart devices. You can then generate detailed reports and charts to visualize your progress over weeks or months and spot trends.
Is Carb Manager Right for You?
Carb Manager is a powerful tool for anyone following a keto or low-carb eating plan, or who simply wants better insight into their nutrition, macros, and health data. It‘s also great for those who prefer a structured approach, with guided meal plans, automatic calculations/tracking, and built-in communities for support and accountability.
The app‘s extensive food database, barcode scanning, and recipe logging make it easy to stay on top of your dietary needs. The personalized meal plans, grocery lists, and macro calculations save time and take the guesswork and stress out of meal planning and eating.
I particularly like that Carb Manager integrates a focus on general wellness, not just weight loss, with its educational resources, health metric tracking, and community forums. It promotes a sustainable, science-backed approach to keto and low-carb living.
It may not be the best fit for people on specialized diets outside of keto/low-carb, or for those who prefer a more intuitive or flexible approach to eating. Some may find the many features overwhelming, though most are entirely optional to use.
Carb Manager Reviews & Ratings
Carb Manager gets overwhelmingly positive reviews and high ratings from users across the web:
- 4.8/5 stars on the Apple App Store (over 634k ratings)
- 4.6/5 stars on the Google Play Store (over 194k ratings)
- 4.3/5 stars on Trustpilot (over 2.1k reviews)
Many reviewers praise the app‘s ease of use, powerful tracking tools, huge food/recipe database, and helpful community. Several mention losing significant weight and improving health markers after using Carb Manager. The personalized meal plans and grocery lists are another favorite feature.
Some of the only complaints were minor bugs or syncing issues, a desire for more customization options, and the limitations of the free version. A few noted a learning curve to using all of the app‘s features. But overall, the vast majority of users seem very satisfied with the app.
Is the Carb Manager Premium Version Worth It?
So what‘s the difference between the free and paid versions of Carb Manager? The free version includes all of the basic tracking tools (food, macros, exercise, health metrics), a smaller selection of recipes, the community forum, and educational articles.
Upgrading to Carb Manager Premium unlocks additional features:
- Advanced meal planning tools
- Customizable meal plans
- Premium recipes (2500+)
- Grocery list ordering from Instacart
- Food logging via camera photo
- Comprehensive health reports
- Goal setting tools
- Nutrition analysis
- Priority customer support
A Premium subscription costs $8.49/month or $39.99/year (with a 7-day free trial). Carb Manager also sometimes offers deals of up to 50% off.
Whether the paid version is worth it will depend on your individual needs and preferences. If you‘re serious about sticking to a keto diet long-term and want the most tools/support available, you may find the premium features worthwhile for meal planning, staying organized, and tracking progress. The expanded recipe collection and expert guidance are also valuable.
However, if you‘re just looking for a basic carb/macro tracker, are on a tight budget, or prefer to be more self-guided, the free version may suffice. Many users do successfully lose weight and eat healthier with just the free app. You can always start out on the free plan and upgrade later if you decide you want the extra features.
How to Download the Carb Manager App
The Carb Manager app is free to download for both iOS and Android devices:
- On your device, go to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store
- Search for "Carb Manager"
- Select the app and tap "Get" or "Install"
- Open the app and follow the prompts to create an account or log in
- Allow any necessary permissions, enter your personal info and goals
- Start logging and explore the app‘s features!
You can also use Carb Manager on a web browser by going to carbmanager.com and creating an account. Your data will sync across web and mobile platforms.
The basic app is free with the option to upgrade to Carb Manager Premium at any time for a monthly or yearly subscription fee.
Tips for Getting the Most Out of Carb Manager
Here are some tips to make the most of your Carb Manager experience:
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Enter your data accurately and consistently. The more info you provide, the more useful and personalized the app‘s recommendations will be. Log your food, weight, exercise, and health metrics daily if possible.
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Explore the recipe database. Save recipes you want to try and add ingredients to your shopping list. Use the filters to find options that fit your taste preferences and dietary needs.
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Let Carb Manager do the heavy lifting. The app can calculate net carbs and macros, generate meal plans, build grocery lists, and track your progress automatically. Take advantage of these features to save time and stay organized.
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Customize your goals and macros as needed. As your diet progresses, you may need to adjust your goals or macro ratios. Carb Manager allows you to easily update your targets.
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Connect with the community. Browse the forum for inspiration, tips, and answers to common questions. Share your own progress, challenges, and advice. Accountability and support can make a huge difference.
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Take advantage of the Keto Academy. Spend some time learning about the science behind keto and low-carb diets, get answers to FAQs, clarify myths and misconceptions, and pick up helpful lifestyle tips from the experts.
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Sync Carb Manager with your other devices and apps. The app can pull data from fitness trackers, smart scales, blood glucose monitors, and Apple Health/Google Fit to give you a more complete picture of your health.
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Set realistic goals and celebrate progress. It‘s helpful to set both short-term and long-term goals for your weight, health, fitness, or physique. Recognize and reward yourself for hitting milestones along the way!
Carb Manager vs. MyFitnessPal & Other Tracking Apps
There are a number of other popular food tracking apps on the market, such as MyFitnessPal, LoseIt, FatSecret, and Cronometer. So how does Carb Manager stack up?
Carb Manager‘s biggest advantages are its specific focus on keto/low-carb diets and more extensive tracking abilities. While most other apps just track basic macros, Carb Manager also tracks net carbs, ketones, blood glucose, insulin, and more advanced health markers.
Carb Manager also offers more comprehensive and customizable keto meal planning tools, an extensive collection of keto recipes, and a built-in educational component with its Keto Academy that other general diet trackers lack.
That said, many of these other apps allow you to track macros and set net carb goals to work for a keto diet. Some have larger food databases, longer track records, or vibrant communities. And most include a free version.
Ultimately, the "best" app for you will depend on the level of customization and keto-specific resources you‘re looking for. I recommend Carb Manager for dedicated keto/low-carb dieters, but other apps are solid choices for more general food tracking needs.
Summary
Carb Manager is an impressive, feature-rich app that takes the guesswork and inconvenience out of tracking your keto or low-carb diet. It generates actionable and accurate data insights, meal plans, shopping lists, macro breakdowns, and progress reports while providing recipes and community support to keep you educated, motivated, and on track.
While the free version covers the basics, upgrading to Carb Manager Premium can unlock powerful tools for optimizing and automating your keto lifestyle. You‘ll have to decide if the extra features are worth the cost based on your goals, needs, and budget.
But with 8 million users, thousands of rave reviews, and a 4.8-star rating, Carb Manager is clearly delivering results for the low-carb community. If you‘re committed to the keto diet and looking to hit your weight loss or health goals, this app is one of the most comprehensive tools out there to support your success.
FAQs
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Is Carb Manager free?
The basic version of the app with standard tracking features is free. You can upgrade to Carb Manager Premium with advanced features for $8.49/month or $39.99/year. -
Is Carb Manager only for keto?
No, Carb Manager can be used to track macros and calories for any diet. But it was created specifically with the keto and low-carb community in mind and has numerous tools to support those eating plans. -
Does Carb Manager track net carbs?
Yes, Carb Manager automatically subtracts fiber and sugar alcohols from total carbs to calculate net carbs. You can display net carbs instead of total carbs in the app settings. -
How accurate is Carb Manager?
Carb Manager has a database of over 1 million verified foods with accurate nutrition info. It also allows users to submit new foods and correct errors to continuously improve accuracy. The net carb calculations are reliable for keto dieters. No food tracking app is 100% perfect, but Carb Manager is one of the most accurate. -
Can I use Carb Manager on my computer?
Yes, you can access the full Carb Manager platform on the web at carbmanager.com in addition to the mobile app for iOS and Android. Your data will automatically sync across devices. -
What are the requirements for Carb Manager Premium?
Anyone can upgrade to Carb Manager Premium as long as they have a Carb Manager account. Premium subscriptions can be purchased in-app or on the website. There are no special requirements beyond paying the monthly or annual subscription fee.
Contact Carb Manager
To reach Carb Manager with questions, feedback, technical issues, or billing inquiries, you can contact their support team via:
- Email: support@carbmanager.com
- Web: https://carbmanager.com/contact
You can also check their knowledge base of FAQs and technical guides at https://help.carbmanager.com
