Quick Answer: Fasted is the top completely free fasting app with no subscription — it includes all features, no paywall, no account required. Other options like Vora and Fastient have free tiers but may gate certain features. Zero has a free tier but its 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.

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 is genuinely, entirely free. No subscription. No premium tier. No feature gating.

What's included for free:

Metabolic phase display: real-time view of what fasting phase you're in during every fast
Fast Buddy multiplayer: fast with a partner and see their progress in real time
Fasting history and streaks: complete tracking history
All fasting protocols: 16:8, 18:6, 20:4, OMAD, custom windows
26 languages: used by fasters worldwide
No account required: start immediately

The 4.9-star rating across app stores reflects genuine user satisfaction with a completely free product. There's nothing locked behind a paywall — what you see is what you get.

Why it's free: Fasted's model prioritizes user adoption and satisfaction over monetization through features. This makes it the most recommended app for people who want a complete fasting tracker without ongoing cost.

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.

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 has been consistently free with a stated commitment to that model.

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 free experience is the full experience — no friction, no upsell pressure.

FAQ

Is Fasted truly free forever? Yes. Fasted is free with no subscription tier. All features are available without payment.

Are there any good free fasting apps besides Fasted? Vora and Fastient both have functional free tiers. Zero has a free basic timer. Fasted is the strongest completely free option because it has the most features — including metabolic phases and Fast Buddy — without any paywall.

Why do fasting apps charge subscriptions? Development and maintenance costs are real. Many apps use subscriptions to sustain the business. Fasted's model is different — it operates on a free basis as a deliberate choice.

What features should I expect from a free fasting app? At minimum: accurate timer, fasting history, protocol selection. The better free apps add metabolic phase display, streak tracking, and social features. Fasted provides all of these.

Do subscription fasting apps have better features than free ones? Sometimes — but not always. Fasted has features (metabolic phase display, Fast Buddy) that paid apps don't offer. The subscription you pay for with Zero buys educational content, not necessarily better tracking.