Quick Answer: Fasted has the strongest free tier of any fasting app — the timer, all six built-in protocols, metabolic phases, streaks and notifications, with no account and no free trial. Fasted Pro is optional and includes a $49.99 lifetime purchase, so you can avoid a subscription entirely. Vora and Fastient have free tiers but may gate certain features. Zero's premium features require a subscription.

Best Fasting Apps With No Subscription Required in 2026

The fasting app market has followed the same pattern as most health app categories: free apps with limited features and subscription upgrades to unlock the good stuff. If you're not willing to pay a recurring fee for a simple fasting timer, your options are narrower than the app store might suggest — the 2026 breakdown of fasting apps with no subscription goes through them one by one.

Here's an honest look at which fasting apps are genuinely free in 2026, and which use "free" as a marketing term for a freemium model.

The Spectrum of "Free"

Fasting apps in 2026 fall into several categories:

Truly free: All features available, no subscription, no paywall. Rare.

Freemium: Free basic timer with subscription for additional features (educational content, advanced stats, coaching, etc.).

Free trial + subscription: App appears free but requires subscription after a trial period.

One-time purchase: Pay once, own the features. Less common in mobile apps now.

Understanding which category an app falls into before you download saves time and avoids the disappointment of discovering your "free" app requires payment for the features you actually want.

1. Fasted — Best Overall Free Fasting App

Fasted has a free tier that is a whole tracker rather than a preview, and a lifetime purchase for anyone who refuses to rent software.

What's included for free:

Metabolic phase display: real-time view of what fasting phase you're in during every fast
Fasting history and streaks: your tracking history, kept on the device
All six built-in protocols: 16:8, 18:6, 20:4, OMAD and the rest
26 languages: used by fasters worldwide
No account required: start immediately
No free trial to expire: the free tier is how you try it

What Fasted Pro adds: the Fast Buddy, the hunger map, the history heatmap, detailed analytics, custom protocols, notes and data export. It is $6.99 monthly, $29.99 yearly, or $49.99 once for lifetime access.

The 4.9-star rating across app stores reflects genuine user satisfaction. The paywall exists, but it sits above a usable app rather than in front of one.

Why it belongs on this list: the free tier is complete enough to use indefinitely, and the $49.99 lifetime purchase means paying for Pro does not commit you to a subscription.

Vora offers a free version with core timer and history functionality. Social features (sharing fasts, seeing friends' fasts) are part of the free experience. Some additional features may require purchase.

What's free: Timer, history, social feed, basic stats.

What may require purchase: Check current app listing for the latest.

Vora is a reasonable free option, especially if public social sharing for accountability appeals to you. It doesn't have metabolic phase display or multiplayer buddy fasting.

3. Fastient — Free With Note-Taking

Fastient's core features — timer, journaling, weight tracking, charts — are available in the free version. It's one of the more feature-complete free options for users who want a detailed fasting journal.

What's free: Timer, notes/journaling, weight log, fasting history.

What may require purchase: Check current app listing for the latest.

If detailed journaling and weight correlation matter to you, Fastient's free version has more journaling depth than most.

4. Simple Fasting — Primarily Freemium

Simple Fasting positions itself as a comprehensive fasting and health platform. The core app is free, but significant features require a subscription. Nutritional logging, meal planning, and advanced coaching are typically behind the paywall.

If you specifically want a fasting tracker only (no nutrition logging), the free tier may be sufficient. For the full platform, it's a subscription product.

5. Zero — Free Basic / Premium Subscription

Zero is one of the most popular fasting apps but has a clear freemium model. Basic timer functionality is free. Zero Plus (subscription) unlocks additional educational content, coaching, and premium features.

For users who only want the timer, Zero's free tier works. For users who want the doctor-endorsed educational content that makes Zero notable, the subscription is required.

See our Fasted vs Zero comparison for a detailed breakdown.

What to Look for in a Free Fasting App

Not all free apps are equal in quality or longevity. When evaluating a free fasting app, consider:

Feature completeness: Does the free version actually do what you need, or is it a stripped-down demo?

No account requirement: Account-free apps are lower friction and higher privacy.

Reliability: Will the timer run accurately in the background? This is the core function and it needs to work reliably. If the countdown is all you need, the free browser fasting timer has nothing to install and no tier above it.

App store rating: A 4.9-star rating like Fasted's indicates consistently excellent user experience. Freemium apps sometimes have ratings depressed by users frustrated by paywalls.

Longevity: Free apps need a sustainable model. Apps that are "free" because they haven't monetized yet may add subscriptions later. Fasted funds itself through Pro, which is why the free tier can stay as it is.

The Hidden Cost of "Free" Freemium Apps

Some fasting apps are technically free but designed to frustrate free users into subscribing. Warning signs:

Constant upgrade prompts during fasting
Key features like history or stats locked behind paywall
Educational content or protocol explanations requiring premium
Aggressive push notifications to upgrade

Fasted doesn't do this. The timer, the protocols, the phases and the streaks are never taken away, and there is no free trial that quietly turns into a charge.

FAQ

Is Fasted's free tier free forever?

Yes. The timer, all six built-in protocols, metabolic phases, streaks, achievements and notifications cost nothing and never expire, and there is no free trial to run out. Fasted Pro is optional: $6.99 monthly, $29.99 yearly, or $49.99 once for lifetime access.

Are there any good free fasting apps besides Fasted?

Vora and Fastient both have functional free tiers. Zero has a free basic timer. Fasted has the strongest free tier because metabolic phases, all six protocols and streaks sit inside it, and its lifetime purchase is the only way in this group to buy the paid features outright.

Why do fasting apps charge subscriptions?

Development and maintenance costs are real. Many apps use subscriptions to sustain the business. Fasted charges too, but it keeps the tracker itself free and offers a $49.99 lifetime purchase instead of forcing a recurring fee.

What features should I expect from a free fasting app?

At minimum: accurate timer, fasting history, protocol selection. The better free tiers add metabolic phase display and streak tracking. Fasted's free tier covers all of those; its social feature, Fast Buddy, sits in Pro.

Do subscription fasting apps have better features than free ones?

Sometimes — but not always. Fasted puts metabolic phase display in its free tier, which several paid apps don't offer at all. The subscription you pay for with Zero buys educational content, not necessarily better tracking.