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Best Free Intermittent Fasting Apps (2026): No Subscription, No Paywalled Timer

EasyFasting EditorialJuly 31, 202617 min read

Table of Contents

Most fasting apps call themselves free, and most of them are, right up to the moment you want to do something useful. You open the app, pick a protocol, start a timer, and then discover that the fasting phase explanation is locked, your history stops at yesterday, the reminder you actually wanted is a paid feature, and a full-screen upsell arrives before you have finished your first fast.

This guide separates the apps that are genuinely usable for free from the ones handing you a feature-locked demo. We compare EasyFasting, Zero, Fastic, BodyFast and Simple on what their free tiers actually include, where the paywall sits, and what each one costs if you decide to pay. If you are still deciding whether fasting suits you at all, start with what intermittent fasting actually is and come back when you want a tracker.

Free vs Freemium Fasting Apps at a Glance

Factor	Genuinely free	Freemium with a catch
The timer itself	Starts, stops and gets corrected without payment	Runs, but you cannot edit a start time you got wrong
Protocol choice	Every schedule unlocked from day one	One or two schedules free, the rest behind a plan
Fasting history	A usable window of past fasts, visible for free	History cut to today, or blurred behind an upgrade screen
Phase and science content	Basic phase model readable by anyone	Phase names shown, explanations locked
Notifications	All alert types, fully adjustable	Only the end-of-fast reminder, extras are paid
Ads and upsells	None, or one clearly marked upgrade screen	Repeated interstitials, upsell push notifications
The catch	Long-term analytics and depth cost money	The daily loop itself costs money

What “Free” Actually Means in a Fasting App

Fasting trackers are cheap to build and expensive to keep. There is no meaningful per-user cost in counting hours, so the money has to come from somewhere else, and the category has settled on four models.

The first is timer-plus-content. The tracking loop stays free and the paywall sits around recipes, courses, challenges and coaching. Fastic and BodyFast both work broadly this way, and it is an honest trade because the free tier still runs your fast.

The second is timer-plus-analytics. Everything you need day to day is free, and the money is charged for looking backwards: charts, trends, averages, long-term history. This is EasyFasting’s model. You can fast forever without paying, but if you want to see six months of patterns you pay for it.

The third is the coaching app that happens to include a timer. Simple is the clearest example, marketing an AI coach and photo nutrition feedback with fasting as one feature among several. The free tier is generous in breadth and thin in depth, because the product being sold is the coaching.

The fourth model is the one to watch for. Some apps free the countdown and paywall the parts that make the countdown trustworthy, particularly editing. If you cannot correct a fast you forgot to end, your history is wrong, your averages are wrong, and the app has manufactured a problem it will sell you the fix for. That is not a free tier, it is a trial with no end date.

There is also the notification question. An app that is technically free but sends you three upsell pushes a week is charging you in attention. Before you commit to any tracker, open its notification settings and see how much of it you are allowed to turn off.

What Makes a Good Free Fasting Tracker?

1. A timer you can correct

You will forget to stop a fast. Everyone does. A free tier that lets you edit the start time of a running fast, and both the start and end of a finished one, keeps your record honest. A free tier that does not is quietly corrupting the data it is about to charge you to analyze.

2. Every protocol unlocked

There is no technical reason for 18:6 to cost money when 16:8 is free. Protocol gating exists purely as a conversion lever. If you are experimenting your way toward the right schedule, and most beginners are, paying to change your mind is a bad deal.

3. Your history stays visible

Streaks are the reason people stick with fasting apps, and a streak you cannot see is not motivating. A free tier should show you at least the past week, plus current and longest streaks. Anything shorter and the app is asking you to pay for memory.

4. Honest phase science

Fasting content online is full of pseudo-precision, especially the claim that autophagy switches on at a specific hour. It does not work like that, as we explain in more detail in our piece on autophagy and fasting. A good free tier tells you what phase you are in and describes it in evidence-graded language rather than promising biological events on a schedule.

5. Quiet by default

Notifications should serve the fast, not the funnel. You want a reminder when your window opens and closes, optional phase alerts if you find them interesting, and nothing else unless you asked for it.

EasyFasting — Best Free Fasting Tracker for iPhone (2026)

EasyFasting is our app, so treat the section heading as editorial opinion rather than a neutral verdict. What follows is the specific list of what you get without paying, which you can check against the App Store listing yourself.

The free tier includes all five protocols: 14:10, 16:8, 18:6, 20:4 and OMAD. Nothing about the schedule is gated. You start a fast with one tap on a circular timer, and if you got the start time wrong you edit it while the fast is still running. Finished fasts can be edited on both ends. If you miss a day, you can skip that fast or log a rest day so the streak bridges instead of breaking, and skipped fasts still count toward your totals and averages. The skip is reversible, and any log can be deleted outright.

The parts most apps treat as premium are free here. Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets are interactive, so you can start and stop a fast without opening the app, which we cover in more depth in our guide to fasting widgets on iPhone. The Apple Watch app is complete rather than a companion stub: start and stop, switch protocol, read your live phase, all working with your phone left at home. Phase-colored circular and corner complications and a Smart Stack card come with it. Every watch surface is free, with no upsell attached.

Notifications are all free and all adjustable, including phase-milestone alerts. The Learn tab carries structured fasting courses at no cost. Awards are all earnable and shareable, with 3D animation, and you get current and longest streaks with milestones at 3, 7, 14, 21, 30, 60 and 90 days. There is no account to create, the app works offline, and if you use iCloud your data syncs privately between your own devices. The app UI ships in 15 languages.

What’s free, with no asterisk:

All five protocols: 14:10, 16:8, 18:6, 20:4, OMAD
One-tap circular timer, with editable start time mid-fast
Editable start and end times on any completed fast, plus delete
Skip a fast or log a rest day so the streak bridges, reversible
Interactive Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets
The full Apple Watch app, complications and Smart Stack card
Every notification type, including phase milestones, fully adjustable
Learn tab courses, all awards, streak milestones to 90 days
Last 7 days of history and a “This Week” stats snapshot
The six-phase model with basic phase information
No account, offline capable, private iCloud sync

Download EasyFasting free on the App Store

What’s behind the paywall. History stops at the last 7 days on free. Charts, trends, averages and insights are premium, as are the detailed phase education cards, the live awards progress view, extra accent colors and 30-day weight trends. So the honest summary is this: you can run every fast you want, forever, without paying, but if you want to study your own patterns over months you will need premium. Pricing is $7.99 monthly, $39.99 yearly, or $79.99 once for lifetime access. Monthly and yearly include a 7-day free trial. Billing runs through StoreKit, so you cancel in two taps in iOS Settings and refunds are handled by Apple, not by us.

Other Fasting Apps Worth Knowing

Zero: Fasting & Food Tracker

Zero, from Zero Longevity Science, is the best-known name in the category, rated 4.8 stars from roughly 445,000 ratings on the US App Store. It is free with in-app purchases, and the free tier covers the basic timer, streaks and insights, which is enough to run a straightforward 16:8 schedule.

Zero Plus is where the depth sits: photo-based meal logging with macro analysis, a protein score, advanced hydration tracking, habit tracking, challenges and detailed trend analytics. New users get three free meal logs to sample it. Plans run $9.99, $69.99 and $89.99, with no lifetime tier. The listing also states the app requires an internet connection.

Best for: people who want the most established fasting brand and plan to log food alongside their fasts.

Limitation: no lifetime option, it needs a connection to work, and the analytics that make it interesting are the paid part.

Fastic Weight Loss & Fasting

Fastic, from HealthVida GmbH, is rated 4.8 stars from around 246,000 ratings. Its free tier is unusually broad: the fasting timer, a food and calorie tracker, body-status phases, a step counter, a water tracker, Apple Health sync and an AI chat. If you want one app covering fasting and general nutrition without paying, this is a strong free tier.

Fastic Plus adds 4,500 or more recipes, the Fastic Academy, challenges, a fasting buddy and coaching. Pricing is $14.99 for one month, $27.99 for three and $39.99 for twelve, with other tiers listed at $12.99, $19.99, $29.99 and $79.99.

Best for: anyone who wants fasting plus calorie and step tracking in a single free app.

Limitation: the paid tiers are among the most expensive monthly options here, and the breadth means more screens between you and the timer.

BodyFast: Intermittent Fasting

BodyFast, from BodyFast GmbH, is rated 4.7 stars from about 145,000 ratings. Its free tier is the most generous on schedules: 10 or more customizable fasting plans, a timer with reminders, weight and body measurement logging, fasting stage information, water tracking and educational content. If you like changing your plan often, that flexibility is worth a look.

The Coach subscription is the upsell: personalized weekly plans, daily coaching, 100 or more recipes, nutrition facts, weekly challenges, achievements and priority support. Pricing varies by plan, from $11.99 to $16.99 for one month, $17.49 to $34.99 for three, $54.99 for six and $34.99 to $69.99 for twelve.

Best for: people who want plan variety and body measurement tracking without paying.

Limitation: the pricing structure has a lot of variants, which makes it hard to know what you will actually be charged.

Simple: AI Weight Loss Coach

Simple, from AM APPS, is rated 4.7 stars from roughly 391,000 ratings and markets itself as “the Duolingo of health.” Its free tier includes the AI coach “Avo”, photo nutrition feedback, beginner workouts, food, water, activity and weight logging, a Success Score, a Home Screen widget and Apple Health integration.

Simple Pro costs $14.99 or $29.99, Simple Premium $29.99 or $59.99, and a Workbooks Bundle is $29.99. The paid tiers add personalized plans and on-demand coaching. Fasting here is one component of a broader weight-loss product rather than the center of the app.

Best for: people who want conversational coaching and photo-based food feedback more than a precise fasting tracker.

Limitation: if what you want is a fasting timer, most of the interface is about something else.

Free Tier Compared: EasyFasting vs Zero vs Fastic vs BodyFast vs Simple

Feature on the free tier	EasyFasting	Zero	Fastic	BodyFast	Simple
Free protocols	All 5 (14:10, 16:8, 18:6, 20:4, OMAD)	Basic timer	Fasting timer	10+ customizable plans	Not specified in listing
Fasting history on free	Last 7 days + “This Week” snapshot	Streaks and basic insights	Not specified in listing	Weight and measurement logs	Success Score, logging
Phase / science content	Six-phase model, basic info, Learn courses	Not specified in listing	Body-status phases	Fasting stage info	Not specified in listing
Widgets	Home Screen + Lock Screen, interactive	Not specified in listing	Not specified in listing	Not specified in listing	Home Screen widget
Apple Watch	Full app, complications, Smart Stack	Not specified in listing	Not specified in listing	Not specified in listing	Not specified in listing
Notifications	All types, incl. phase milestones, adjustable	Not specified in listing	Not specified in listing	Timer with reminders	Not specified in listing
Account required	No account, works offline	Requires internet connection	Not specified in listing	Not specified in listing	Not specified in listing
One-time purchase option	Lifetime $79.99	No lifetime tier	Not specified in listing	Not specified in listing	Workbooks Bundle $29.99 (add-on)
Paid plan pricing	$7.99/mo, $39.99/yr, $79.99 lifetime	$9.99 / $69.99 / $89.99	$14.99 1mo, $27.99 3mo, $39.99 12mo	$11.99–$16.99 1mo, $34.99–$69.99 12mo	Pro $14.99/$29.99, Premium $29.99/$59.99

“Not specified in listing” means the App Store listing does not state it either way, not that the feature is missing. Prices are US App Store, verified July 2026, and can change.

How to Choose

Just starting out

Pick the app with the fewest decisions and the fewest locked doors. You want to try 16:8 for a couple of weeks, see how it feels, and switch schedules without a purchase screen. Any app that gates protocols will slow that down.

Anti-subscription

Look for a lifetime tier, and then check what the free tier does before you buy it. Of the apps here, EasyFasting is the one with a lifetime option, at $79.99, and Zero explicitly has none. Also check whether the app needs an account and a connection, because a tracker that stops working offline is a tracker you do not fully control.

Wants coaching and recipes

Buy a subscription, and buy the right one. Fastic and BodyFast both put recipe libraries and coaching behind their paid plans, and Simple is built around coaching from the start. A minimalist tracker will not satisfy you no matter how free it is.

Getting Started Today

If you already know your schedule, you can be fasting in under a minute: install, pick a protocol, tap start. If you do not, our beginner’s guide to intermittent fasting walks through choosing a window that fits your day, and the features page lists exactly what sits on which side of the paywall.

The practical test for any free tier is week two, not day one. That is when history limits, notification behavior and edit restrictions start to matter. Run whichever app you choose for a fortnight before you decide it is worth paying for.

Download EasyFasting free on the App Store

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a completely free intermittent fasting app?

There are apps where everything you need to run a fast is free, but almost none are free in the sense of having no paid tier at all. The realistic question is what the free tier covers. A good free tier gives you the timer, every protocol, editable start and end times, notifications and at least some history. A weak one gives you a countdown and locks the rest. EasyFasting keeps all five protocols, widgets, the Apple Watch app and notifications free, and charges only for long-term history and analytics.

Do free fasting apps paywall the timer?

Very few lock the countdown itself, because a timer nobody can start looks broken in App Store screenshots. What gets locked is everything around the timer. Common paywalls include history beyond a few days, charts and averages, detailed phase explanations, custom reminder rules and the ability to correct a fast you forgot to stop. That last one matters more than people expect. If you cannot edit a start time, one forgotten tap ruins the record, and the app quietly pushes you toward paying to fix your own data.

What is the best free fasting app for iPhone?

It depends on what you want the app to do. If you want a tracker that runs your fast properly without asking for money on day one, EasyFasting gives you all five protocols, editable fasts, full notifications, Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets and a complete Apple Watch app at no cost. If you want recipes, coaching or food logging built into the same app, Fastic, BodyFast and Simple are stronger, but those features sit behind their subscriptions. Try the free tiers before you judge the paid ones.

Do I need a subscription to track 16:8?

No. A 16:8 fast is a start time, an end time and a notification, and any competent app can do that for free. If an app asks you to subscribe before it will let you pick 16:8, that is a pricing decision, not a technical limit. Where subscriptions start to earn their price is in long-term analysis, coaching, recipe libraries and food logging. Check whether the app charges for the schedule itself or for the extras on top, because those are very different products.

Is a one-time purchase better than a fasting app subscription?

It depends how long you plan to fast. Fasting is usually a multi-year habit rather than a six-week project, so recurring fees add up in a way they do not for short-term tools. A lifetime option removes the renewal decision entirely, which some people value more than the raw math. Zero has no lifetime tier. EasyFasting offers lifetime access at $79.99 alongside $7.99 monthly and $39.99 yearly. Compare the lifetime price against roughly two years of the yearly plan and decide from there.

Can I use a free fasting app without an account or internet?

Some, but not all. Several popular fasting apps are built around cloud accounts and coaching, and Zero’s App Store listing states it requires an internet connection. EasyFasting takes the other approach. There is no account, no sign-up screen and no email capture, and it works offline because the timer and your logs live on the device. If you use iCloud, your data syncs privately across your own devices. If you do not, everything still works, it just stays on the one phone.