Comparison · checked 2026-10-16
Kalova vs Cal AI: where the calorie numbers come from
The main difference is where the numbers come from. Cal AI's website says its AI calculates calories and macros after a depth-sensor volume estimate. Kalova's AI only identifies the foods and estimates grams; calories and macros come from USDA FoodData Central when a food matches, and the same photo gives the same answer.
Disclosure: written by Daler Soliev, who makes Kalova. Every Cal AI fact below comes from Cal AI's own App Store listing, Google Play listing or website, checked 2026-10-16. Kalova was previously published as Proba.
How do Kalova and Cal AI compare side by side?
| Cal AI | Kalova | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | iPhone and Android | iPhone (iOS 17 or later), Apple Watch app, widgets |
| Ways to log | Photo, barcode, describe a meal | Photo, describe a meal, on-device voice dictation, barcode, food search, nutrition-label scanner |
| Portion estimate | Depth sensor calculates food volume (per its website) | Vision AI estimates grams; grams shown and editable before saving |
| Where calories and macros come from | AI analyzes the meal to determine calories, protein, carbs and fat (per its website) | USDA FoodData Central when a food matches; unmatched items marked as estimates |
| Per-item sources shown | — | Yes, in the Nutrition Receipt |
| Same photo, same answer | Not tested yet | Yes, by design (deterministic) |
| Free tier | Listing says food scanning results require a subscription | 3 AI photo scans a day for the first 3 days, then 1 a day; barcode, label scanning, search and manual logging free and unlimited |
| Price | Subscription; see their listing | From 17 Oct 2026: $0.99/month or $9.99/year (US); 7-day free trial on yearly |
| Account | Support FAQ describes signing in with Apple ID or Google, with data stored in the cloud | No account, no email |
| Apple Health | Yes (per its FAQ) | Yes: burned calories, weight both ways, meal write-back |
| US App Store ratings | More than 370,000 | Far fewer; a newer, smaller app |
Where does each app get its calorie numbers?
Cal AI's website describes the flow like this: you snap a photo, the phone's depth sensor calculates food volume, and the AI analyzes the meal to determine calories, protein, carbs and fat. Its support FAQ calls the app about 80% accurate and recommends good lighting and a clear, in-focus photo.
Kalova splits the job differently. The vision AI produces only a list of foods with estimated grams. Each food is then looked up in USDA FoodData Central, a public, lab-analyzed database, and the calories and macros are scaled from that entry. If a food has no match, Kalova marks it as an estimate rather than inventing a source. Every result has a Nutrition Receipt with grams and sources per item. The methodology page has the details.
What happens when you scan the same meal five times?
This is the five-scan test: plate one meal, leave it untouched, scan it five times from the same angle, and compare the totals. We plan to run it on the same meals in both apps and publish the raw results on this page. We have not run it yet, so there are no results here. You can run it yourself in about a minute.
Where is Cal AI better?
- Android. Cal AI has a Google Play app. Kalova does not.
- Size and track record. Cal AI has more than 370,000 US App Store ratings, and its website says it is used by 5 million people. Kalova is much smaller.
- Depth sensing. Cal AI's website says it uses the phone's depth sensor for food volume. Kalova estimates grams from the photo.
- Cloud sync. Because Cal AI uses an account, its FAQ says your data survives a reinstall when you sign back in. Kalova has no account, so your log depends on your iPhone and its backup.
Where is Kalova better?
- Traceable numbers. Calories and macros come from USDA FoodData Central when a food matches, with the source shown per item.
- Repeatability. The same photo gives the same answer.
- A free tier with AI scans. Daily AI photo scans plus unlimited barcode, label scanning and search, without a subscription.
- No account. No sign-up, no email, no ads, no third-party analytics or ad trackers; the food log stays on the iPhone.
How do you switch from Cal AI to Kalova?
There is no direct import between the two apps. Apple Health is the bridge: Kalova reads burned calories, imports and exports weight, and writes logged meals to Apple Health with your permission. Cal AI's FAQ says it can connect to Apple Health too. Your weight history is the easiest thing to carry over; past meal logs depend on what Cal AI wrote to Health.
Limitations
- The author makes Kalova. Check Cal AI's listing yourself before deciding.
- No head-to-head test results are published yet. This page compares how the apps describe their methods.
- Portion size from a single photo is the main error source for both apps. Neither is a medical device.
- Kalova's app interface is in English plus 10 other languages, and translation of those 10 is partial.
Sources
Competitor facts on this page were checked on 2026-10-16 against each app's own App Store listing, Google Play listing or website. Listings change; check them before you buy.
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cal-ai-calorie-tracker/id6480417616
- https://www.calai.app/
- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.viraldevelopment.calai
Frequently asked questions
Is Kalova a good Cal AI alternative?
It is if you want to see where each calorie number came from and you use an iPhone. Kalova takes calories and macros from USDA FoodData Central when a food matches, shows grams and sources for every item, needs no account, and has a free tier with daily AI photo scans. Cal AI is the better fit if you use Android or want the larger, more established app.
Is Cal AI free?
Cal AI is free to download, but its App Store listing says food scanning analysis results require a subscription. Check the listing for current prices in your country.
Is Cal AI on Android?
Yes. Cal AI has a Google Play listing. Kalova is iPhone only for now.
Does Kalova give the same answer for the same photo?
Yes. Kalova is deterministic: the same photo gives the same foods, the same grams and the same result. You can check this with the five-scan test on any app.
Can I move my data from Cal AI to Kalova?
There is no direct import. Both apps can connect to Apple Health, and Kalova can import and export weight through Apple Health and write logged meals to it. What each app shares with Apple Health depends on the permissions you grant, so check before you switch.