Review Insights · App Store
Carbon - Macro Coach & Tracker
Reform LLC · 7,795 ratings · ★ 4.8
4.8
★★★★★
7,795 ratings
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Top complaints - extracted from 29 negative reviews
Recurring phrases mined from 1-2★ reviews. The bigger the percentage, the more users have the same problem. Fix the top 2-3 in your version and you have product-market fit on day one.
1
"paid"
8 negative reviews mention this · 28% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Beware, you don’t need this app. This app is so bad. There’s nothing advanced or even useful in it. You can’t even set more than one diet goal (seriously? What if I have to keep insulin resistance in check, and also preferably not have a heart attack soon while preventing …" - L3t0!
2
"doesn"
8 negative reviews mention this · 28% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Good idea - Not great execution. I just got carbon and paid for the subscription but I’m pretty disappointed. To start, I don’t like that they don’t give you a preview before you buy the subscription. That’s what got me. Because when making my macros, it gives you a limit …" - bestsong ever
3
"subscription"
7 negative reviews mention this · 24% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Mary. Tried it, too basic for me, canceled trial then got charged for an annual subscription. No thanks guys. Caliber and my fitness pal do everything I need." - parent of high schooler
4
"other"
7 negative reviews mention this · 24% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Not impressed. I prefer other macro-tracking apps as this one doesn’t track fiber. In addition, the “1:1 coaching” just tells you how much weight you’ve gained or lost (ok… I can do the math) and asks if I want my macros adjusted for the next week. For th…" - Slower&Steadier
5
"refund"
6 negative reviews mention this · 21% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Bar code scanner not work. Be great app but bar code scanner and label scanner works 50% of the time. Contacted support who can’t resolve the issue or offer a refund I now must go through Apple" - Dubliner1
6
"macros"
6 negative reviews mention this · 21% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Want to love it. Initially, loved the app. Easy to use and felt the macros were appropriate, signed up to use for 6 months to help get me back on track. After two check ins, it took me down to 900 calories as a female who strength trains 3 times/week and is…" - hindsy05
7
"week"
6 negative reviews mention this · 21% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Want to love it. Initially, loved the app. Easy to use and felt the macros were appropriate, signed up to use for 6 months to help get me back on track. After two check ins, it took me down to 900 calories as a female who strength trains 3 times/week and is…" - hindsy05
8
"disappointed"
6 negative reviews mention this · 21% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Good idea - Not great execution. I just got carbon and paid for the subscription but I’m pretty disappointed. To start, I don’t like that they don’t give you a preview before you buy the subscription. That’s what got me. Because when making my macros, it gives you a limit …" - bestsong ever
9
"food"
6 negative reviews mention this · 21% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Lame. It’s nice to have the app figure your macros HOWEVER the coaching is lame. It’s just computer generated “keep it up” or “try again next week” style advice. Nothing is personalized. I bought the yearly subscription and wanted to cancel after…" - AprilJoJo475
10
"work"
5 negative reviews mention this · 17% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Bar code scanner not work. Be great app but bar code scanner and label scanner works 50% of the time. Contacted support who can’t resolve the issue or offer a refund I now must go through Apple" - Dubliner1
11
"weight"
5 negative reviews mention this · 17% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Good idea - Not great execution. I just got carbon and paid for the subscription but I’m pretty disappointed. To start, I don’t like that they don’t give you a preview before you buy the subscription. That’s what got me. Because when making my macros, it gives you a limit …" - bestsong ever
12
"macro"
5 negative reviews mention this · 17% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Want to love it. Initially, loved the app. Easy to use and felt the macros were appropriate, signed up to use for 6 months to help get me back on track. After two check ins, it took me down to 900 calories as a female who strength trains 3 times/week and is…" - hindsy05
📋 All 29 negative reviews
Every 1-2★ review we fetched. Use the copy button to grab them all for your own analysis (paste into ChatGPT/Claude with a prompt like "summarize core user problems, group by theme, ignore bugs, focus on missing features").
Bar code scanner not work
Be great app but bar code scanner and label scanner works 50% of the time. Contacted support who can’t resolve the issue or offer a refund I now must go through Apple
Mary
Tried it, too basic for me, canceled trial then got charged for an annual subscription. No thanks guys. Caliber and my fitness pal do everything I need.
Beware, you don’t need this app
This app is so bad. There’s nothing advanced or even useful in it. You can’t even set more than one diet goal (seriously? What if I have to keep insulin resistance in check, and also preferably not have a heart attack soon while preventing sarcopenia) ? should have taken the lack of trial period as a red flag and not subscribed. I was influenced by the big names like Dr Lyon and Attia endorcing it. At this point, even the completely free bloatware called veSync which integrates with the smart kitchen scale directly has more options to track your diet and AI coaching features than this paid app. Sigh.
Bonkers Recommendations
Kept telling me to eat 900 calories a day when my BMR is 1300 and I workout all the time. That’s not realistic at all
Heavily marketed for what?
Dr norton heavily marketed this app like it was something special and offer guidance and directions. Instead I paid $11 for a pure caloric register app that does exactly the same as the original app I use does (free of charge). Plus the first 3 items i barcoded this app did not recognized. Well designed app though. Nice and neat.
Can’t even try it without buying an expensive subscription
I would be willing to pay the expensive subscription if it was worth it however without trying it I can’t even tell if it’s worth it.
No Lookie Lou?
Seriously though you can’t see anything in this app without paying money. You hear all these great things about the app but you can’t browse the app unless you are a paid customer. After using MacroFactor premium for the past year I wanted to check out Carbon. No trial. Nothing. I’m out.
Just a simple macro tracker
I don’t understand why people think this is worth the money, there basically no difference from my fitness pal. Very little guidance, super disappointed with the product
Just food logging and weight tracking, no advice or coaching!
I downloaded this app because I thought that it would have nuances that would help guide me in ways that I could achieve better macro balance. I’m vegetarian and it seems like it’s very easy for me to eat carbs, but more difficult to get adequate amounts of protein. I was hoping that this app would offer advice on how to bring myself into the recommended guidelines, but there’s nothing other than just simple food logging, and manual weight tracking. Free apps and even just Apple Health manage this! I expected a lot more and hope that in a few years with active development this app could be worthwhile. Definitely a waste of money and I will be attempting to get a refund forthe nine dollars. There’s a reason this app doesn’t offer a free trial, no one would purchase it otherwise. I’m also deeply disappointed in Dr. Peter Attia for the testimonial because that’s what made me download it.
Owner is anti-vegan
I’m sure this’ll encourage some carnivore diet morons to support the business, but if anyone is plant based or at the very least appreciates that plant based diets can be health promoting when done right, then be aware that the owner of this app who claims to be researched-based makes statements to suggest that a vegan/plant based diet is inferior based on bias.
Its ok
I’m disappointed there’s no where to keep track of my water intake. I have to keep track on a separate tracker
I feel like i paid too much money for what i get in this tracker- my free one seems to work better for me
I feel like i paid too much money for what i get in this tracker- my free one seems to work better for me
Not user friendly
Started using the app October 13 and it’s logging weight automatically from Apple health from October 6, which I don’t want it to do. I want my diet to be started from October 13, but apparently it’s taking my weights from before October 13 into the algorithm. I tried resetting the data. I do want to connect it to Apple health. But when I start a new diet, I don’t want it to take old weights from before the diet into account. Just frustrating
Lasted a week
It’s nearly impossible to accurately log food with this app. It’s doesn’t know anything! I had actually canceled my MyFitnessPal subscription to try this app because I had heard such good things. I lasted a week before I got so frustrated that I went back to MyFitnessPal. There’s no point if you can’t accurately log your food.
Search engine busted?
Can’t find foods, blueberries should come up but doesn’t find it in the search bar. Please fix.
Lacking
So far, I’ve been trying to log into the app and it keeps crashing. I’ll probably try deleting it and redownloading, but for a paid app this is not what I was expecting.
Want to love it
Initially, loved the app. Easy to use and felt the macros were appropriate, signed up to use for 6 months to help get me back on track. After two check ins, it took me down to 900 calories as a female who strength trains 3 times/week and is active daily with steps as a hospital worker. Wish I could get a refund as this seems to be way too low for someone like me.
Good idea - Not great execution
I just got carbon and paid for the subscription but I’m pretty disappointed. To start, I don’t like that they don’t give you a preview before you buy the subscription. That’s what got me. Because when making my macros, it gives you a limit on what you can choose. For me I weigh around 160-165 and I like to eat a bit above my weight for protein-usually at 200g-but it doesn’t let me choose that. The ceiling is at 170. So right off the bat I already can’t use the macros that work best for me. It also does the same for carbs and fats which I hate. I get that it’s supposed to kind of do the macro work for you, but I think they need to remove the initial macro restrictions! The thing that makes it not worth it though is that the only goal it asks is if you want to gain, lose, or maintain weight. It doesn’t have anything to add to your goals like “I want to build muscle” or “I want to lose fat and build muscle” ect. That is where I really think the downfall is because your body composition plays a HUGE role in your macros!!! I honestly think it’s a good concept but it needs some expanding to be more specific for user goals. One thing I will say is that it does ask if you know your body fat % which is good, but again with body composition I think it should also ask for more advanced things to be more accurate like muscle mass, water weight, etc. I guarantee everyone using this app has a scale and in this timeline a smart scale has become the standard! This isn’t over the top to ask and it would make the app so much better! Wish I could get a refund :(
Serviceable app fallen behind due to complacency
This app has seen basically no major additions or improvements since its inception 4+ years ago. At the time, it had little to no competition and therefore was, again at the time, the undisputed choice. With apps like macro factor coming out with better features, more metrics, transparent decision making and development and more while doing it for CHEAPER, I cannot consider carbon a competitor anymore in the current market.
It is sincerely disappointing to see an app with such a head start fall face-flat
It is sincerely disappointing to see an app with such a head start fall face-flat
Not impressed
I prefer other macro-tracking apps as this one doesn’t track fiber. In addition, the “1:1 coaching” just tells you how much weight you’ve gained or lost (ok… I can do the math) and asks if I want my macros adjusted for the next week. For the cost, it’s hardly worth it, in my opinion. I will not be renewing this subscription.
Lame
It’s nice to have the app figure your macros HOWEVER the coaching is lame. It’s just computer generated “keep it up” or “try again next week” style advice. Nothing is personalized. I bought the yearly subscription and wanted to cancel after 2 months and they refused to give me a partial refund. DON’T BUY THE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION unless you’ve already tried it for a month or two.
Its nutritional library is similar to MFP. Very comprehensive and easy to add new foods.
Its nutritional library is similar to MFP. Very comprehensive and easy to add new foods.
So limiting
Paid for the full version on my trainers advice for tracking macros. Rarely found what I needed, search results don’t always show up - even if I’d entered the same food the day before. Felt like I had to build their database. Going back to MyFitnessPal
Ehhh
Can’t support using it anymore
Wish it could import from other apps
I had high hopes for this app but if the developers allowed for easier import from other apps ( like Lose It or MFP) I would have renewed my subscription.
Inaccurate food info
I was disappointed this didn’t work for me as I really liked that feature of weigh in and adjusting for unusual days. Scanned labels often were different than what the package said, if they were even in the database, which was often not the case. Protein counts were inconsistent to the norms of about 7-8g protein per ounce. Customer service was prompt in getting back to me when I shared about 9 meals that had inaccurate information just from my first week using the app but offered excuses that manufacturers update labels and that the app had the ability for me to add a food item or modify their numbers and save to my personal database. I found their database lacking compared to another fitness tracker I used and far more effort to dial it in.
Resetting all data
This is the second time this app just reset itself and ALL my data is erased. Not great for tracking macros. Not great for consistency at all. Come on. This is ridiculous.
Disappointing
Disappointed so far compared to chronometer or myfitnesspal particularly with the lack of products available to select.
Most of my food comes from Whole Foods, I’m constantly having to create products in the app for things like Mary’s Chicken, Milk, packaged dried fruits and nuts, even almond butter.
Its also not taking into account my workouts. I’m doing 1 hour a day every day and am frankly ravenous after each workout. But the app isn’t capable of understanding that or says it doesn’t believe the smart watches etc.
Annoyed that I paid for several months up front. I should have stuck with the other options I knew already but I listened to an influencer 😂
Most of my food comes from Whole Foods, I’m constantly having to create products in the app for things like Mary’s Chicken, Milk, packaged dried fruits and nuts, even almond butter.
Its also not taking into account my workouts. I’m doing 1 hour a day every day and am frankly ravenous after each workout. But the app isn’t capable of understanding that or says it doesn’t believe the smart watches etc.
Annoyed that I paid for several months up front. I should have stuck with the other options I knew already but I listened to an influencer 😂
Doesn’t stack up with the competition
Poor recent recommendations, search function, database look-up. Other apps are providing more performance and a more seamless UX.
Won’t recommend for endurance athletes
My main beef with this half-made corner-cutting AI app and the reason why I stopped using it: max level of allocated calories (setting lifestyle at “very active”) is not designed for training load being over 10 hours/week.
Other frustrating experience with the app:
1. Extremely poor food database base choice (outsourced to FatSecret), when it comes to the search quality and the database quality. App developers, why can’t you charge users $5-10 more and use MyFitnessPal, making it 100 times better for the end user. I hate, hate, hate your food search engine, it’s incredibly frustrating and annoying.
2. Barcode scanner doesn’t work most of the time.
3. Poor integration with Apple Health/Withings scale, couldn’t automatically update the weight every other time.
4. No direct integration with fitness trackers: can only use Apple Health.
Can’t wait for your chat bot to leave a passive-aggressive comment stating the superiority of your app and not addressing any of the issues raised.
Other frustrating experience with the app:
1. Extremely poor food database base choice (outsourced to FatSecret), when it comes to the search quality and the database quality. App developers, why can’t you charge users $5-10 more and use MyFitnessPal, making it 100 times better for the end user. I hate, hate, hate your food search engine, it’s incredibly frustrating and annoying.
2. Barcode scanner doesn’t work most of the time.
3. Poor integration with Apple Health/Withings scale, couldn’t automatically update the weight every other time.
4. No direct integration with fitness trackers: can only use Apple Health.
Can’t wait for your chat bot to leave a passive-aggressive comment stating the superiority of your app and not addressing any of the issues raised.
Average
I could see the potential of this app being useful however, I find it very average and comparable to others. The most unpleasant experience has been. I’ve been trying to cancel, and I have had no response from the support team. It’s very similar to other apps and I want a refund as I don’t see it being helpful for what I’m looking for.
Sentiment summary
96%
Positive (4-5★)
1%
Neutral (3★)
3%
Negative (1-2★)