The Ladder workout app launches a nutrition tracking experience

As advanced AI models become better at understanding different types of inputs — such as text, audio, and images — and turning them into nutritional data, the popularity of fitness apps that allow people to log their food using these methods has boomed. We’ve seen new startups like Alma and Cal AI — alongside existing apps like LifeSum, Healthify, MyFitnessPal, and MyNetDiary — either launching new apps or adding new functionality around nutrition tracking.

Now, strength training app Ladder is throwing its hat in the ring by launching its own calorie-tracking platform called Ladder Nutrition within the main app. Like other trackers, Ladder Nutrition allows you to enter your food intake in any way: taking a photo, scanning a barcode, writing it down, or describing the food you ate through voice. The app will estimate macronutrients (protein, carbs, and fat) based on your input, and you can adjust portion sizes, too.

Ladder said its advantage is that people actually track workouts through the Ladder app, with nutrition tracking their inputs (macros and calories) and outputs (workouts) in one place.

The company said it uses a series of artificial intelligence models to recognize images, identify ingredients and calculate macros. She noted that by default, most AI-based food models are trained on US-centric data, which means they may not accurately recognize global cuisines, so she partnered with a nutrition data provider to get accurate food data from other parts of the world. This approach means that if one model fails to identify a dish or macros, another model can intervene.

The tracker also has a protein mode, which helps you track your daily protein intake. It also includes lines, badges and progress reminders to liven up the nutrition tracking process and help people log their food regularly, Ladder said.

Ladder said that when it surveyed its members last year, the results showed they wanted an in-app nutrition tracker, rather than having to use another app for that. That’s why the company focused on shipping nutrition tracking this year.

The company said it tested food tracking over the past month and that 70% of testers said they planned to switch calorie tracking apps after using Ladder features.

“Nutrition was the next logical step for Ladder, and our members have been begging us for it,” Ladder CEO Greg Stewart told TechCrunch via email. “They wanted a simpler, smarter way to connect what they eat to how they perform – and that’s exactly what Ladder Nutrition delivers.”

“It’s just the beginning,” Stewart continued. In the future, Ladder will build on this foundation with features that provide more prescriptive guidance — what to eat, how to fuel, and how to optimize nutrition based on an individual’s training habits and goals on an ongoing basis, he said.

The nutrition tracking feature is free to all Ladder members, who pay $29.99 per month or $179.99 per year. According to Ladder, the app has more than 300,000 paid members worldwide.