Does Cronometer track cholesterol?

Cronometer is the app people most often recommend on Reddit for tracking cholesterol and saturated fat, and for good reason: it's one of the most accurate nutrition trackers available. This page covers exactly what it does for cholesterol, what you get free, and where it falls short. Every Cronometer detail here was checked against Cronometer's own help centre and app store listings on 16 October 2026.

Dietary cholesterol vs blood cholesterol

• Dietary cholesterol is the cholesterol in food, mostly from eggs, meat, shellfish and dairy, measured in milligrams.
• Blood cholesterol is what your lipid panel measures: total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglycerides.

For most people, saturated fat moves blood LDL more than dietary cholesterol does, so saturated fat and fibre are the food numbers worth watching most. Cronometer tracks all three.

What Cronometer tracks for free

• Cholesterol, saturated fat and fibre per food. The free tier tracks calories and up to 95 nutrients and compounds, drawing on a database of over a million lab-analysed or verified foods. That's Cronometer's biggest strength: totals are far less likely to have gaps than in apps that rely on user-submitted entries.
• Your lipid panel as biometrics. Under Add Biometric → Labs you'll find Total Cholesterol, LDL Cholesterol, HDL Cholesterol and Triglycerides (plus C-reactive protein, HbA1c and others). Each result is saved on the diary date you're viewing, so go to your test date first.
• Nutrient targets. You can set custom macro and micronutrient targets, such as a daily saturated fat limit, on the free plan.
• A barcode scanner, free and unlimited.
• Web, iPhone and Android. Cronometer is on all three, which matters if you're not on iPhone.

What needs Cronometer Gold

• The Lipid Panel chart. Cronometer's chart library has a preset that plots triglycerides, total, HDL and LDL together. Free users get an energy chart and a single-metric chart; the library charts are Gold.
• Long-term views. The free plan generates reports and charts within a 7-day window. Since lipid tests are usually months apart, seeing your results as a trend realistically needs Gold.
• Custom charts that correlate nutrients with biometrics, for example saturated fat intake against LDL over a year.
• Voice and photo logging, custom biometrics, nutrition scores and an ad-free app.

Gold costs $10.99 a month or $59.99 a year in the US App Store (checked October 2026).

How to set up Cronometer for lowering cholesterol

1. Log your last lipid panel. Open the diary on your test date, tap Add Biometric, choose Labs, and enter each value in mg/dL or mmol/L. Not sure what the numbers mean? See how to read your cholesterol test results.
2. Set a saturated fat target. The American Heart Association suggests about 5–6% of calories for people who need to lower LDL. Work out your number in grams with our saturated fat calculator.
3. Raise your fibre target, and favour soluble fibre from oats, beans, lentils and fruit.
4. Compare between tests, not day to day. Look at what changed in your average saturated fat and fibre between two results.

Cronometer vs Heart Tracker for cholesterol

Checked 16 October 2026 against Cronometer's help centre, Gold page and App Store listing.

If micronutrient precision is what you care about most, or you need Android or a web app, Cronometer is an excellent choice. If you want your lipid results charted next to your meals without paying or creating an account, Heart Tracker is built for that. The full head-to-head is in Cronometer vs Heart Tracker for lowering cholesterol.

What about other apps?

• Does MyFitnessPal track cholesterol? Food only, with no place for lab results.
• Does Lose It track cholesterol? Cholesterol and saturated fat goals are Premium.
• Does Apple Health track cholesterol? It stores dietary cholesterol, and lab results only via Health Records.
• Every option side by side: the best cholesterol tracking apps.

Frequently asked questions

Does Cronometer track cholesterol for free?

Yes. The free version tracks dietary cholesterol, saturated fat and fibre for each food, and you can log total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglycerides as biometrics. The Lipid Panel chart and charts covering more than 7 days need Cronometer Gold.

Can Cronometer track LDL and HDL?

Yes. LDL Cholesterol, HDL Cholesterol, Total Cholesterol and Triglycerides are built-in biometrics in the Labs category. You add each result on the date you were tested.

Is Cronometer Gold worth it for cholesterol?

Gold adds the Lipid Panel chart, long-term charts and custom charts that plot nutrients against biometrics, which is the most useful part for seeing whether diet changes moved your LDL. It costs $10.99 a month or $59.99 a year in the US (checked October 2026).

Is Cronometer accurate for saturated fat?

Cronometer is known for nutrient accuracy. Its database is built on lab-analysed and verified foods rather than mostly user-submitted entries, so saturated fat and fibre totals are usually more complete than in general calorie counters.

What is the free alternative to Cronometer for cholesterol?

Heart Tracker logs meals (with saturated fat, fibre and dietary cholesterol) and your lipid panel results with reference ranges and trend charts, all free and without an account. It's iPhone-only for now, with an Android beta open.

Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash

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