Calorie tracking app Ladder launches Nutrition programs

 As multimodal AI continues to improve — interpreting text, images, voice notes, and even photos of meals — nutrition-logging apps have seen a major surge. New players like Alma and Cal AI, along with established names such as LifeSum, Healthify, MyFitnessPal, and MyNetDiary, have all rolled out fresh features that make tracking food intake faster and more accurate.

Now, strength-training platform Ladder is expanding into this space with its own calorie-tracking tool, Ladder Nutrition, built directly into the main app. Similar to other modern trackers, users can log meals in multiple ways: snapping a photo, scanning a barcode, typing in their food, or simply describing it with voice input. The app then breaks down estimated macros — proteins, carbs, and fats — and lets you adjust portions as needed.

Ladder believes its edge is simplicity: instead of bouncing between different apps, members can track both sides of the fitness equation — workouts (output) and nutrition (input) — in one place.

To power this system, Ladder uses multiple AI models for food recognition, ingredient detection, and macronutrient calculation. The company noted that most off-the-shelf food-recognition models are heavily U.S.-focused, which can misidentify global cuisines. To fix that, Ladder partnered with a broader nutrition data provider so the app can better recognize international dishes. If one AI model fails to identify a meal, another model steps in as backup.

The tracker also includes a dedicated Protein Mode, along with streaks, badges, and reminders — a gamified approach to help users stay consistent. According to Ladder, member feedback made it clear that users wanted nutrition tracking built into the app rather than relying on third-party tools, which is why the company prioritized the feature this year.

During early testing, Ladder says that 70% of beta users reported they were likely to ditch their existing calorie trackers after trying the new features.

“Nutrition was the next logical step for Ladder, and our members were pleading with us for it,” CEO Greg Stewart told TechCrunch. “They wanted a simple, smarter way to connect what they eat with how they perform — and that’s exactly what Ladder Nutrition delivers.”

Stewart added that this launch is only phase one. The company plans to introduce more tailored guidance going forward — personalized advice on what to eat, how to fuel properly, and how to optimize nutrition based on individual training goals.

The feature is included for all Ladder subscribers at no extra cost. The app, which has over 300,000 paying members worldwide, is priced at $29.99 per month or $179.99 per year.