Before MyFitnessPal, anyone attempting to cut calories or monitor intake had to do it the old fashioned way, with a notebook and pen. Launched in 2005, the app provided a database of foods with precise nutritional values.
Originally, co-founder Mike Lee built the app as a way to track his weight before his wedding, but started working on it full-time after interest from friends and family.
It wouldn’t be until 2009, when MyFitnessPal launched on iOS, that the app exploded in growth. Adding millions of users a month, Lee quickly moved from a startup mentality to a fully-grown business, expanding to over 100 countries and adding thousands of unique food items, dishes and restaurants to the database.
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Connect today!The focus was solely on tracking calories, with limited fitness features.
During Lee’s tenure, MyFitnessPal grew to 80 million active users. In 2015, Under Armour acquired the company for $475 million, the second in a series of technology acquisitions by the sport apparel brand, as it attempted to become a connected fitness brand as well.
The past five years have seen steady revenue and usage growth for MyFitnessPal, although not much has changed from the original app vision. Under Armour struggled to build out its connected fitness segment, scaling back on its hardware ambitions in the past few years after multiple failures.
In 2020, Under Armour decided it was time to shift focus, with a new CEO, Patrik Frisk, focused more on apparel and less on the technology side. It sold MyFitnessPal for $345 million to investment firm Francisco Partners, $130 million lower than the price it had acquired it for in 2015.
The fact that no major tech company jumped for MyFitnessPal when it was for sale may be indicative of how the industry views MyFitnessPal’s rather unrefined advertising platform and its low conversion rate of its everyday users to its premium subscription service.
Since the acquisition, there hasn’t been much change on the app. The subscription service is pushed a bit more heavily, but for the most part, everyday usage is the same as it was with Under Armour. Francisco Partners have not said what its plans are with the app long-term.
We have collected data and statistics on MyFitnessPal. Read on below to find out more.
MyFitnessPal key statistics
- MyFitnessPal generated $171 million revenue in 2021, a 67% year-on-year increase
- The app has 200 million users, making it the most popular health and fitness app
MyFitnessPal Overview
| Title | Title 2 |
|---|---|
| Launch date | 2005 |
| HQ | Baltimore, Maryland |
| People | Mike Lee (founder), Dipanjan Deb (CEO, Francisco Partners), Vilay Raghunathan (VP, Engineering) |
| Business type | Subsidiary |
| Parent company | Francisco Partners |
| Industry | Health & fitness |
MyFitnessPal revenue
MyFitnessPal made $171 million revenue in 2021, primarily through subscriptions to its premium service.
MyFitnessPal annual revenue 2016 to 2021 ($mm)
| Year | Revenue ($mm) |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 51 |
| 2017 | 56 |
| 2018 | 76 |
| 2019 | 86 |
| 2020 | 102 |
| 2021 | 171 |
Sources: AppFigures, Under Armour
MyFitnessPal users
MyFitnessPal said it had 200 million users when it was sold by Under Armour to Francisco Partners. Terminology is a bit confusing, we suspect this means 200 million registered users.
MyFitnessPal annual users 2015 to 2021 (mm)
| Year | Users (mm) |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 50 |
| 2016 | 75 |
| 2017 | 85 |
| 2018 | 150 |
| 2019 | 180 |
| 2020 | 200 |
Sources: Company data, The Guardian
MyFitnessPal users vs competition
Want to learn more? Read our fitness app sector profile
MyFitnessPal FAQ
How much did Under Armour sell MyFitnessPal for?
Under Armour sold MyFitnessPal for $345 million, a loss of $130 million on the price it paid in 2015
How many MyFitnessPal accounts were hacked in 2018?
According to The Guardian, 150 million MyFitnessPal accounts were hacked
How many foods are logged in MyFitnessPal’s database?
Over seven million foods have been logged as of 2020
