When you’re sitting at a desk all day, you may notice gradual weight increases—especially if you’re not doing anything to offset that sedentary time. With many professionals finding themselves less active than they’d like, more folks are turning to weight loss supplements and apps to help them reach a healthy weight.
Simple is a weight-loss app focused on intermittent fasting, which is sometimes referred to as “IF.” It generally involves time-restricted eating, though IF can take many shapes. One of the most popular is an 8-hour eating window followed by a 16-hour fasting period. Curious to see how this app worked, we asked our team of testers to give it a try. We also consulted with a registered dietitian to determine whether intermittent fasting is a good approach for everyone. Read our Simple app review to see what we learned.
About Our Expert
This article was medically reviewed by Jillian Robillard, MS, RD, LDN, CSSD. Jillian is a licensed and registered dietitian at Whole Balanced Nutrition.
Simple App
| Fortune score | 4/5 |
at Simple App
- Our thoughts: We appreciate the focus on sustainable weight loss and healthy habits
- Who it’s for: People interested in losing weight for whom intermittent fasting might be appropriate
Pros
- Free version with useful features
- No specific diet required
- Premium version offers additional education support
Cons
- Lack of price transparency for Premium version
- Lengthy questionnaire required to get started
- Intermittent fasting is not appropriate for everyone
Simple App Specs
Our Experience with Simple App
Simple works by pairing you with a “personal AI coach” the company calls “Avo.” This AI coach is tasked with creating “daily actions” for you and offering tips and insights to help motivate you. Simple also offers educational content in the app, covering topics like food, hydration, and physical activity. The foundation of Simple’s weight-loss approach is intermittent fasting, an eating pattern that alternates periods of eating and fasting. Research notes potential health benefits and also shows that there are a few different approaches to IF. One popular approach is “time-restricted eating,” which involves setting a specific “eating window” during which meals are allowed, then fasting for the remainder of the day. Simple says it will recommend an intermittent fasting schedule tailored to your weight loss goals and timeline.
There are two options when signing up for Simple. There’s the free version of the Simple app, which allows access to Coach Avo, Nutrition Scores, and wellness habit trackers, or you can upgrade to a Premium subscription to receive daily, personalized check-ins and tips from Coach Avo. The Premium subscription also comes with access to Simple’s educational library.
Simple is not transparent about pricing, instead saying, “Our prices vary based on the subscription length you choose when signing up and are very affordable compared to human health coaches.” Additional online research showed that a Premium subscription may cost around $30 per month.
We asked our tester, Pete, to try the app and share his experience. He used the free version of the Simple app for one week, which includes one fasting plan that isn’t customizable. Pete was assigned a 16-hour fasting window followed by an 8-hour eating window, but he noted that users can adjust their start and finish times to fit their schedule. Here’s what else he said about the experience.
What We Liked
“Overall, I had a positive experience using the app,” said Pete. Here’s what he appreciated.
- Instructions (4 out of 5): “The recommendations in the Simple app are presented in a clear and easy-to-understand manner,” said Pete.
- Sustainability (4 out of 5): “The intermittent fasting guidance is easy to understand and stick with. The app’s reminder system also supports day-to-day consistency by clearly signaling when you’re in a fasting or eating window.” Additionally, “The program promotes healthy eating habits without using food shaming or body shaming tactics. Its guidance focuses on nutritious choices, balanced meals, and understanding how mood and mental health influence eating behaviors.”
- User interface (4 out of 5): Pete found the app easy to use, with a straightforward sign-up process. “When I downloaded Simple, I was prompted to answer a series of questions about my age, current weight, dietary preference, eating habits, sleep patterns, activity level, and goals. This information allowed the Simple App to recommend a plan tailored to my specific goals,” he said. Pete also noted, “The user interface is well designed, and it’s easy to set your fasting windows and log meals.”
“Simple is a great choice for anyone wanting to try intermittent fasting with additional support for their nutrition or weight-loss journey,” he commented. “While Simple offers premium personalized plans, the free version is robust and lets you experience the app’s interface.”
What We Would Change
While Pete liked certain things about the Simple app, there were also some things that could be improved.
- Accuracy (3 out of 5): “The nutritional information of the food log may not be completely accurate since you aren’t inputting the exact food into the tracker, meaning the app doesn’t take into account portion sizes. You can enter a breakfast like ‘Greek yogurt, blueberries, and granola,’ but it doesn’t ask you how much you ate.” He also noted, “When you log a meal, the app assigns it a nutrition score from 1 (low quality) to 4 (high-quality). This score is based on the meal’s protein, fiber, saturated fat, sodium, and calcium content, giving users a simple, educational way to understand the nutritional value of their food without shaming language. That said, these rating scales do have some limitations. For example, a fortified food could provide many vitamins and minerals, but also be higher in sugar, giving it a lower rating.”
We also disliked the lack of price transparency for a Premium subscription, as the company’s website states that prices vary by subscription length. We clicked “get started” to try to find pricing information, but we were instead asked to complete a lengthy questionnaire and then provide our email address—with no pricing info shown at any point in that process.
Who It’s For & Who It’s Not For
As Sydney Lappe, a dietitian based in St. Louis, Missouri, explains, “Intermittent fasting isn’t advisable for everyone, and certain populations should be more cautious or avoid it altogether unless guided by a healthcare professional. This includes, but is not limited to, those with a history of disordered eating, pregnant or breastfeeding women, individuals with low bone density or a weakened immune system, and anyone managing blood sugar levels.” Lappe says that even for otherwise healthy people, side effects like hunger and irritability can occur, especially early on. Lappe notes, “While these often improve within a month, persistent symptoms—like low energy, missed periods, or sleep disturbances—may be a sign that fasting isn’t the right fit.”
Comparing Simple App to Other Weight Loss Apps
Frequently asked questions
Does the Simple App actually work?
Everyone’s health and weight-loss needs are different, and what works for one person may not work for another. Simple’s app, which relies on intermittent fasting for weight-loss support, may be helpful for individuals who need to lose weight and for whom intermittent fasting is deemed safe. We always recommend speaking with a healthcare provider before beginning any new weight-loss program.
How much does the Simple App cost?
There’s a free version with access to certain features, and a Premium version with access to additional features. However, the company is not transparent about pricing for its Premium version. According to Simple’s website, “Upgrading to a Premium subscription will unlock daily, personalized check-ins and actions from Coach Avo, as well as our educational library to propel you to even greater success. Our prices vary based on the subscription length you choose when signing up and are very affordable compared to human health coaches.”
Is Simple App a good plan for weight loss?
As noted above, a weight-loss program that’s based on intermittent fasting isn’t going to be a great fit for everyone. We recommend speaking with a healthcare provider before starting any new weight-loss program to align on realistic goals and sustainable methods to reach them, and to ensure that you choose an approach that suits your unique health needs.
Intermittent fasting often helps people lose weight because the time restriction leads to a calorie deficit compared to their baseline eating habits. If they cannot sustain this style of eating, it could lead to weight loss, but also weight regain.