Skip to content
openplate

openplate as a Yazio alternative, side by side

Last checked: October 2, 2026

openplate is open source under the MIT license, shows no ads, keeps your diary on your own device and lets you run the whole thing yourself, with no subscription when you self-host. Yazio wins on native apps, a recipe library, meal planning and a free tier, and openplate has no barcode scanner. If you want to own your food data, pick openplate.

We build openplate. This page compares it with Yazio from Yazio's own public pages, read on the date above. We have no tie to Yazio. Yazio is a trademark of its owner. Prices and features change. Check the vendor's own page before you decide.

openplate and Yazio compared, one topic per row. Each Yazio cell links to the page it comes from.
TopicopenplateYazio
Where it runsA web app that you install from your browser. There is no app store and there are no native apps.

Apps for iOS and Android.

Source: Where it runs

Languages6 interface languages: German, English, French, Italian, Spanish and Turkish.

The iOS app lists 20 interface languages.

Source: Languages

Free useThe hosted app has no permanent free tier. A new account gets a free trial first. Self-hosting is free.

A Yazio help page, as saved on 9 October 2025, says that all calorie-counting functions of the app will always be free.

Source: Free use

Price of the paid plan€5.00 a month or €40.00 a year, VAT included. Self-hosting is free.

Yazio shows its prices only after a quiz in its sign-up flow. Check Yazio for the current price.

Source: Price of the paid plan

Plan lengthA monthly plan and a yearly plan.

The App Store list shows Pro terms of 3, 6 and 12 months.

Source: Plan length

How you payCancel any month. The yearly plan runs for one year, then continues monthly at the monthly price.

Yazio Pro is paid for the whole term up front. Yazio's help center says that a monthly payment is not possible.

Source: How you pay

Free trial10 free AI scans or 14 days, whichever comes first, no card needed.

Yazio offers a 7-day free trial now and then, only on its website.

Source: Free trial

Barcode scannerNone, by design. openplate reads the printed nutrition panel from a photo instead.

Yazio lists the barcode scanner as part of its basic calorie counter, not among its Pro features.

Source: Barcode scanner

Photo scan of a mealYes. The hosted plan includes it. When you self-host, you bring your own AI key or run openplate-inference on your own hardware.

AI food tracking by photo is listed as a Yazio Pro feature.

Source: Photo scan of a meal

Recipes and meal planningNo recipe library and no weekly planner. You get saved meals and AI recipe ideas from a list of what is in your pantry.

Yazio Pro lists a database of over 3,000 recipes and meal planning ahead.

Source: Recipes and meal planning

FastingA fasting timer with history.

Yazio Pro lists fasting plans.

Source: Fasting

Vitamins and mineralsA vitamin and mineral screen. It covers foods from the food database only, not AI estimates.

Yazio Pro lists a detailed nutrient breakdown that includes vitamins and minerals.

Source: Vitamins and minerals

AdsNo ads, and no ad or tracking SDK in the app.

Google Play marks the free version as containing ads.

Source: Ads

Tools in the privacy policyNo third-party tracker. Hosted analytics use a Matomo that openplate runs itself, with cookies off.

Its privacy policy of April 2026 names Google Analytics by Firebase, AppsFlyer, Sentry and Iterable, and OpenAI for its AI features.

Source: Tools in the privacy policy

Data exportCSV and a full JSON backup. Free, and made in your browser.

Its privacy policy grants the GDPR right to a copy of your data in a machine-readable format (Article 20).

Source: Data export

What does Yazio cost compared with openplate?

Yazio has a free version with ads. Yazio Pro is a paid subscription. The App Store list shows terms of 3, 6 and 12 months. You pay for the whole term up front, and a monthly payment is not possible. Yazio shows its prices only after a quiz in its sign-up flow, and prices change often. Check Yazio's own page for the current price.

The hosted openplate app costs €5.00 a month or €40.00 a year, VAT included. A new account starts with 10 free AI scans or 14 days, whichever comes first, no card needed. After that the app locks until you pick a plan. Everything you logged stays, and you can export it.

You can also run openplate on your own server. The software costs nothing. You pay for your server and, for photo scans, for your own AI key or your own hardware.

Pricing

Is openplate free?

The software is. The hosted app is not. openplate is open source under the MIT license, and you can run your own copy for free. The hosted app at app.openplate.de needs a paid plan once the free trial ends.

Yazio works differently. It says that all calorie-counting functions of its app will always be free, on a help page saved on 9 October 2025. Its free version shows ads, and Yazio Pro removes them.

What is the difference in privacy?

openplate keeps your diary on your device. On your own instance, syncing is optional. On the hosted app, every account syncs. A synced diary is encrypted on your device before it is uploaded. But the operator holds a recovery key that can restore a diary, and so can read it. On the hosted app, the operator is openplate. If you self-host, you are the operator.

openplate shows no ads and has no third-party tracker. Hosted analytics use a Matomo that openplate runs itself, with cookies off.

Yazio's privacy policy, dated April 2026, names Google Analytics by Firebase, AppsFlyer, Sentry and Iterable. It says OpenAI Ireland Ltd. is its technical provider for AI features, and that transfers to the USA happen mainly under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework.

What does Yazio do better?

Yazio does several things that openplate does not.

  • Native apps. Yazio has iOS and Android apps. openplate is a web app that you install from your browser.
  • Recipes and meal planning. Yazio Pro lists a database of over 3,000 recipes and meal planning ahead. openplate has saved meals and AI recipe ideas from your pantry, but no recipe library and no weekly planner.
  • Fasting plans. Yazio Pro lists them. openplate has a fasting timer with history.
  • Languages. The Yazio iOS app lists 20 interface languages. openplate has 6.
  • A free tier. Yazio says its calorie-counting functions will always be free. The hosted openplate app has no free tier after the trial.
  • Barcode scanning. Yazio lists a barcode scanner in its basic calorie counter. openplate has none, by design. You photograph the printed nutrition panel instead.
  • Activity. openplate does not sync with wearables or health apps, and it does not log exercise.

Can I move my Yazio diary to openplate?

Yes, with a third-party open-source tool called yazio-exporter. It reads your Yazio diary and writes it to files on your computer. You then select those files in openplate. openplate and Yazio did not make the tool, and it can stop working if Yazio changes its app. The import guide lists every step.

Who should pick which app?

Pick openplate if you want open source code under the MIT license, no ads, your data on your own device, free CSV and JSON export, or a copy that you run on your own server with no subscription. Plan for no barcode scanner.

Pick Yazio only if native apps, a large recipe database, meal planning, fasting plans or a free tier matter more to you than those, and you accept ads in the free version.

Not sure? Try the free trial of openplate. It needs no card.

Questions and answers

Is openplate free?

The software is free and open source. Self-hosting costs nothing. The hosted app at app.openplate.de needs a paid plan after a free trial.

How much does Yazio Pro cost?

We do not print a price. Yazio shows its prices only after a quiz in its sign-up flow, and prices change often. Pro is a paid subscription. You pay for the whole term up front, and a monthly payment is not possible. Check Yazio's own page for the current price.

Does openplate have a barcode scanner?

No, by design. openplate reads the printed nutrition panel from a photo. Yazio lists a barcode scanner as part of its basic calorie counter, not among its Pro features.

Where does openplate store my diary?

On your device. On the hosted app, every account syncs, so an encrypted copy also sits on our servers. On your own instance, sync is optional. A synced diary is encrypted on your device before it is uploaded. The operator holds a recovery key that can restore a synced diary, and so can read it. On the hosted app, the operator is openplate.

Can I import my Yazio diary?

Yes, with the third-party tool yazio-exporter. It can stop working if Yazio changes its app. The import guide shows the steps.

Sources

Want to try openplate? Open the app page or read how to run it yourself. The source code is at github.com/LowCarbCheck/openplate.

Using another app? See how openplate compares with MyFitnessPal.