When you type “weight loss app” into the App Store, there are two things that will always appear near the top: Noom and WW.
To create a reliable resource on the head-to-head comparison of these two, we have done thorough and extensive research. We checked what users are actually saying about them and, together with several of our clients, we tested these two apps.
Let’s settle this debate of Noom vs Weight Watchers and find out which one has greater success.
What is Noom Coach?
Noom Coach is a smartphone app that provides you with a personal coach and fitness program while helping you track your calories, create meal plans, and discover recipes through their unique approach.
The weight loss application itself is free to download, and there are a lot of features available for free.
The designers claim that just using the free features alone daily will go a long way towards helping you lose weight in just a few weeks.
And the user reviews definitely support that. However, what the majority of reviews highlight the most are the benefits they get from using the coaching service through its weight loss program.
Read our full review on Noom here.
What is Weight Watchers (WW)?
Weight Watchers is a health, fitness program based on a point system that aims at helping a person to lose weight in a sustainable way.
WW International Inc. also has a smartphone app that makes it easier to track the food you eat and the exercise program you perform.
It’s a service that has been around since the 1960s, and it’s not based on a draconian approach where you’re absolutely forbidden to eat certain things.
Instead, a portion of every type of food is assigned a certain number of points, such as zero-point foods. And on any given day, you have an allocation of points to stick to.
You can watch the video below to learn more:
Comparing Noom and Weight Watchers
We decided to take a more objective look at the reported features of Noom and WW, along with thousands of user reviews, to see if we could figure out which option is the better one.
Based on a few categories, we created a simple-to-follow point system to find out which one would be a better option to lose weight.
1. Calorie Tracking: Winner = Noom
Noom claims to have an easy way of searching for different types of healthy foods and ingredients and then entering the amount you eat.
With millions of different meals in the database, the company claims to have every possible food tracking covered, so you won't spend so much time planning for your next meal. They separate them into green foods and red foods, making it easier for you to lose weight.
As long as you select food items on the green foods list, you need only worry about eating at the right time to maximize its weight loss benefits.
WW's digital weight loss plan, on the other hand, isn't counting calories as such, but rather a set amount of points for everything you eat and drink daily.
So, because it tracks your calorie progress to promote low-caloric-density foods, it’s a 1-0 lead for Noom.
2. Free Trial: Winner = WW
I tried both free trials, and while Noom's 7-day trial was insightful, WW's full-month trial gave me a better sense of the program's long-term benefits.
Noom currently has an offer where you get the first 7 days (or 1 week) of their personal coaching program for only $0.50 and you don’t get billed the full amount if you cancel within 7 days.
WW weight loss application offers a per-month subscription as well, but the company advertises that you can sign up for the program for free on the first month.
For this reason, it’s a win for the latter, as you receive a full month of free trial rather than just two weeks, so the score is now 1-1.
Related Post: Is Noom Free?
3. Support: Winner = WW
We tested out the Noom support service, and questions were answered within 24 hours or less.
There’s also quite an active Facebook group where you can follow and reach out to other users for any difficulties you’re having.
WW has built a huge community and support service for the last 50 years.
There are countless official and unofficial forums, and the Facebook groups and communities are extremely active as well.
Purely based on the experience and size of the support community, it’s a win for WW, with a current score of 1-2.
4. Coaching: Winner = Noom
Having used both coaching services, I found Noom's approach more personalized and responsive, which greatly aided my weight loss journey.
In both of the services, you can pay a subscription to have a personal coach help you along your way.
It’s around this real human dietician that Noom has built its entire concept, and from all the list of competing services we can find, it does look like they were the first to implement such a link from the weight loss application to a real human being.
While the original WW program was based on meeting up in person with other dieters, the weight loss application now allows you to connect with a personal dietician as well.
From what we have read in the reviews and experienced ourselves, there are some mixed opinions about the accessibility, with some people saying they had long delays in receiving responses.
For this reason, we’re giving the point to Noom. The score is now 2-2.
5. Ease of Use: Winner = Noom
The WW weight loss program searches for different dishes and other official products, and enters how much you ate of them to count calories. It applies to their zero-point foods.
There is also a barcode scanning feature, but a lot of people reported having difficulty with it returning the correct products.
Noom users, on the other hand, are very positive in their reviews, highlighting how easy it is to find things, especially with the search results returning meals that you have previously added on other days.
You can search for green foods and red foods to maximize your weight loss program. You can even search for yellow foods if you want something in between.
From my own experience, I can vouch for Noom's user-friendly interface, which made tracking and finding foods notably simpler than WW.
Based on those reviews, it’s now a 3-2 lead for Noom.
6. Price: Winner = Noom
According to the latest offers on Noom's website, the monthly Noom cost for subscription and program is $70,00, but you can get a very generous annual plan for $209.
For WW, the personal coaching service is $43,00 with the first month free if you sign up for 6 months to develop healthy eating habits.
That's about $10.75 per week to help develop healthy habits. However, there are currently no discounts, so a personal coach will work out to be considerably more expensive in the long run.
So, purely on price per month, the former gets another point, and with a score of 4-2.
The best thing about the Noom app is that it encourages eating real, whole foods and recommends more nutrient-dense meals and snacks as often as possible.
- Jaclyn London, Registered Dietician
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7. Psychological Approach: Winner = Noom
Noom and Weight Watchers both incorporate psychological strategies, but they do so in distinctly different ways.
Noom stands out for its strong emphasis on the psychological aspects of weight loss.
The program is grounded in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which, according to a study in the National Library of Medicine, is a psychological treatment that helps individuals understand and change their thinking and behavior patterns [1].
Here's how Noom applies these principles:
- Behavioral change techniques: Noom uses daily tasks, challenges, and quizzes to encourage users to reflect on their eating habits, exercise routines, and overall lifestyle. This constant engagement is designed to foster mindfulness and self-awareness, key components of making lasting behavioral changes.
- Personalized coaching: Noom provides users with a personal coach who helps them set achievable goals and overcome psychological barriers.
- Educational content: The app delivers daily articles and tips that educate users about nutrition, exercise, and the psychology of eating. This information empowers users to make informed decisions and understand the 'why' behind their choices.
Weight Watchers takes a slightly different approach. Its focus is more on community support and a points-based system.
WW uses a points system to simplify eating choices. Foods are assigned a point value based on their nutritional content, encouraging users to make healthier food choices.
WW’s app includes features for tracking food intake and activity levels; however, it's not as effective as what Noom uses.
Our vote again goes to Noom because it's more focused on individual psychology and behavior change through education and personal coaching. In contrast, WW focuses more on counting calories and points.
Noom is clearly the winner.
FAQs
Is Noom app good for losing weight?
Yes, the Noom app is a good app for losing weight because it aims to focus your attention on what you eat for weight loss. After all, you can pick the green foods while avoiding the red foods and limiting yellow foods, ensuring healthy habits.
What foods are free on WW?
The healthy food choices are categorized into free foods (or Zero Point foods), including non-starchy fruit and veggies, fish, skinless chicken breast, beans, and lentils.
What do you eat on WW?
You eat the food choices you love, just in smaller portions for weight loss. The points system forces you to trade things like sugary snacks for a smaller lunch.
References
1.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3584580/
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Thanks for this article! But if you’re going to pick between noom vs weight watchers, what would you choose for your own lifestyle? What app is better for weight loss?
I was a member of another program for a few years and got down to my goal weight. But things suddenly changed. They started changing their program too many times until it confused the hell out of me. One day I decided not to stay a member. They missed the mark when they decided that certain foods would be zero points even though they are not; a zero point orange actually must have a point, right? But the zero points makes you think it will have no impact on your goal. I was totally convinced that my decision before was correct. I will now switch to this app and start rebuilding myself. Thanks you!
A subscription model app to help lose weight seems ridiculous and a great way to bleed people dry who are unable to take responsibility for what they put in their mouths. While tracking and awareness provided by this app can help, an app won’t do squat if you are not committed to changing your behavior. Lack of long term/permanent behavior changes cannot be fixed by an app, but it will provide the failed weight loss person with something other than themselves to blame for failure. I’ve been there. I’ve had and maintained very significant weight loss for 25 years so I do have some idea what I am talking about. But I definitely agree on this one. I will want you guys to try the mobile app out. Let us know what you have experienced with these programs
I like the flexibility of phone and computer accessibilities of the two programs. The previous program I had mainly because of the group meetings, leader encouragement and member interaction with ideas. To be honest, I love using this new program on their mobile app for tracking. My main dislike of the previous program is not knowing my total daily intake of food contents at a glance. A point that this program emphasizes doesn’t educate me. So I sort of left it and joined this new program with their mobile app. Slowly losing, so for me it’s working. Will keep you updated.
Thank you so much to Total Shape for taking the time to compare these two programs which everyone is debating on. In my experience, I have been a member of one of the two programs for several years. I did great and lost a lot of weight, but then they changed the program without asking if you were interested in changing to a different version of the plan which kinda sucks. I have not had very good luck staying on the new version of the program. Now I have gained weight on a vacation. I have thought about giving this other program with the mobile app a try, but I am so glad that I read the information that you have posted before subscribing to it. I only have a flip phone, and have no desire to have a smart phone… But due to your thoughts, I am willing to buy a smart phone just for this mobile app. Thank you so much for outlining how this mobile app works!
Thanks for sharing your well-thought-out assessment and comparison of the two programs. I tried the mobile app program. But I found the app-only aspect to be a big negative. While I was excited to try something new and was encouraged by the concept of a coach, I wasn’t able to successfully navigate the app on the small screen of my phone. I quit after three days when my frustration level regarding the technology aspect just overwhelmed me. I would have been more interested had they offered a format I could have used on my laptop with a larger screen. I am 63 years old. Perhaps, I do not fit the mobile app profile of happy app users as it is difficult for me for my age. Nonetheless, thanks again for your great comparison. Hoping to find the program that best fits me.
I started signing up for the mobile app in summer of 2019 and lost the a handful of weight. I struggled for years to get rid of but with patience. I found the app very smart at helping to uncover the reasons and triggers that drive mindless eating. But you won’t reach that understanding in a week. I was motivated to take the time to lose the weight slowly and did so in about three months. The daily interactive discussions are well-written, clever and engaging and as you get further into the app, require more thought and participation to find out what makes you tick when it comes to food. You start out stating clear goals about what you want to change in your relationship to food. I have also had epiphanies about other aspects of my life that have been borne of these daily discussions. Aside from this app, I had another program I ever had success with losing my extra kilos. However, I think this mobile app is even smarter and more effective compared to the other program I had. As a matter of fact, it also turns out to be cheaper than the other capitalist program. After years of going in and out of that expensive program, I found the meetings stale and mostly a gab session of people sharing tips about the latest pre-packaged products sold by the program and how many points they were. On the other hand, this mobile app focused me on adding much more green food into my already healthy food plan. I am a huge fan of this mobile app. I totally agree with you on this one!
I was a chronic participant of the older program, and I lose and gain. I join and quit. I can’t stick with the program because they change annually. They say they change, but it’s relearning over and over. They were inconsistent which made me inconsistent in return. For good, I stopped all at once and rested for a while. Then, I decided to try the new mobile app after finding out your overview about it. I fell in love with it. I totally loved it. I loved the daily tools – they were whimsical and kept my attention. Also, the coaches were great and the group I was assigned to were from all walks of life. This was daily, so it did keep me more on track. I was able to convince my wife and we will be nerds together for this app.
Hi, thanks for your insight. I joined the program for over 25 years and though it did work I always went back to eating again and gained weight. Thus the 25 years wasted!! My daughter has lost over 50+ pounds while using the mobile app and she loves it. As jealous of her, I am trying it now and love it as well. I feel it really teaches you better choices in food and their system really works. Change your way of thinking about food really makes a huge difference. This is what I learned after joining the mobile app.
As a former fit person who used to track everything, I found Weight Watchers to be more liberating and in line with intuitive eating than any other “diet” I have ever tried. Weight watchers app reviews are also good so far.
Based on Weight Watchers reviews 2021, the app is really worth it. Medical experts also found it effective for weight loss and said that its diet is safe.
Few of your analyses or the comments here discuss the need to integrate exercise with nutrition. I like the WW app because it includes a dashboard to input and track your physical activities each week. Unless I missed it, Noom has no such feature. I see you’ve edited out the names of the programs on this site, which makes it confusing to know which one folks are talking about. I also find it alarming when people tout the huge weight losses in a few months. Authentic weight laws takes longer and is slower, otherwise I don’t think it’s sustainable.