# Edamam vs fatsecret Platform API > Edamam and fatsecret Platform score within a point of each other for cooking recipes, 42.2 and 42 out of 100. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side. - Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/edamam-vs-fatsecret - Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/edamam-vs-fatsecret.md (~4,200 tokens) - Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (the key docs and every listing in one file, at most 16 MB, about 4 million tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt) - API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json - MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (the whole catalogue as tools, no key) - DNS: dig +short TXT .grade.anchorterminal.com (the grade as a DNS TXT record, for a sandbox with no HTTP where names still resolve; also top., best.. and .vs.. under the zone, and the same under grade.letme.dev) - Licence: CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link this page (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data) - Updated: 2026-11-03 Edamam and fatsecret Platform API score within a point of each other on agent readiness, 42.2 (E) and 42 (E). fatsecret Platform API leads on reliability and security & auth. Both do cooking recipes. - Edamam: grade E, 42.2/100, rank #1187 of 1349. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/edamam.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/edamam.json - fatsecret Platform API: grade E, 42/100, rank #1193 of 1349. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/fatsecret.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/fatsecret.json - Best recipe, nutrition and meal planning APIs for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/cooking/index.md - All 28 cooking comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cooking/index.md ## Which one, for what ### Edamam (E) Good for: Agents that need recipe candidates filtered by diet, allergen and nutrient ranges with nutrition on each, or food and barcode nutrition through the MCP tools. Ahead on: - Schema & documentation, 66 against 52 - Agent ergonomics, 71 against 64 - Maintenance & community, 33 against 13 Also in its favour: - A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install Watch for: The API terms of use and privacy policy render by script and could not be read; no status page, security.txt or disclosure policy was found ### fatsecret Platform API (E) Good for: Agents logging foods and reading serving-level nutrients, allergens and barcodes for a person, with diaries written back; strongest outside the US on Premier with 62 regional datasets. Ahead on: - Reliability, 35 against 30 - Security & auth, 51 against 30 Also in its favour: - Free to start without a card Watch for: Natural language, image recognition, autocomplete, barcode scanning and foods.search v5 are Premier Exclusive, priced on request by market ## Why the edge ### Security & auth: fatsecret Platform API +21 - Edamam (30): One `app_id` and `app_key` pair per application, documented as query parameters first and HTTP Basic second, with no scopes, expiry or rotation found; the MCP server takes the pair as a Bearer token. Plain keys (20) less 10 for the documented query string (10 of 30). The APIs are read-only for an outside caller, but there is no read-only key mode and nothing to confirm (12 of 20). Recipe titles, ingredient lines and source urls come from the public web, and no guidance on treating them as untrusted was found; the MCP page only says to present results as estimates (5 of 15). Active user tracking counts users per app for billing, but no request log was found (3 of 15). security.txt returns 404 on developer.edamam.com and no disclosure policy, bug bounty or certification was found (0 of 20). 10 + 12 + 5 + 3 + 0 = 30. - fatsecret Platform API (51): OAuth 2.0 client credentials with seven scopes gating capabilities (`basic`, `premier`, `barcode`, `localization`, `nlp`, `image-recognition` and `feedback`), tokens of 86,400 seconds, a Client Secret that stays on the server, and token requests limited to IP addresses or CIDR ranges registered on the key; OAuth 1.0 with HMAC-SHA1 remains for delegated calls. The scopes gate capabilities rather than read or write, and no rotation procedure was found (26 of 30). Per-user data is reached only through a delegated profile token, and the shared data methods are reads, but there is no read-only scope and no confirmation step for diary writes (14 of 20). Food and brand names are verified by fatsecret and recipes are its own content, with no guidance on treating them as untrusted (8 of 15). No request log or per-call visibility was found beyond the dashboard (3 of 15). The security.txt path answered the site's generic error page, and no disclosure policy, bug bounty or certification was found (0 of 20). 26 + 14 + 8 + 3 + 0 = 51. ### Maintenance & community: Edamam +20 - Edamam (33): Read as a closed service. No dated change was found on the API pages, which carry no changelog. The Food MCP page pins mcp-remote 0.14.3, a version npm published on 21 September 2026, so that page was written or changed within the last 90 days but not demonstrably within 30 (20 of 30). No three dated changes in 90 days (0 of 20). A support widget and form, email and phone on Core and above, no public changelog or community channel (5 of 15). No official SDK; the hosted MCP server is the vendor's but is absent from the official registry, which lists only third-party edamam servers (8 of 15). No package to assess (0 of 10). 20 + 0 + 5 + 8 + 0 = 33. - fatsecret Platform API (13): Read as a closed service. No dated API change could be read first-hand. The blog that carries the 'What's new' notes sits behind a robots.txt that answered 403, the method pages are undated, and the official Postman repository's last push is 1 July 2025, more than 180 days before 3 November 2026 (0 of 30). No three dated changes in 90 days established (0 of 20). A developer forum on Google Groups, a contact form, and email, phone, Slack and video support on Premier, with no public changelog on the platform site (8 of 15). No official SDK; an official Postman collection (5 of 15). No package to assess (0 of 10). 0 + 0 + 8 + 5 + 0 = 13. ### Schema & documentation: Edamam +14 - Edamam (66): Public OpenAPI 3.0.3 documents for Recipe Search v2 (four operations) and the Food Database, and the Food MCP's two tools take typed arguments (25). No llms.txt (404) and no Markdown docs (0 of 10). Operation and parameter descriptions state purpose, and the by-uri description warns that missing recipes are not flagged, but there is little on when not to use an operation (12 of 20). Enums for type, diet, health, cuisineType, mealType, dishType, imageSize, co2EmissionsClass and 31 field names, required flags, a 1 to 20 bound on uris, and the MCP arguments are required lists and strings (14 of 15). Examples on the docs page, an `Errors` schema of errorCode, message and params, but no example error body and no code list (9 of 15). v2 in the path and retired versions marked, but no changelog and a Shopping List V1 end date with no year (6 of 15). 25 + 0 + 12 + 14 + 9 + 6 = 66. - fatsecret Platform API (52): No OpenAPI or similar document was found; the official Postman collection is the only machine-readable contract (8 of 25). No llms.txt (a redirect) and no Markdown docs (0 of 10). Each method page states purpose, parameters, response fields and Premier status, with little on when not to use a method (12 of 20). Parameters are typed with defaults and allowed values, `max_results` is capped at 50, but the field tables mistype allergen names as Long and leave food_images out of the food-level fields (11 of 15). Example responses in XML and JSON on each method, a central error code list with the body shape, and per-method error codes (13 of 15). Methods carry versions (v1 to v5) and older versions stay documented, but no changelog is on the platform site and the blog's 'What's new' could not be read (8 of 15). 8 + 0 + 12 + 11 + 13 + 8 = 52. ### Agent ergonomics: Edamam +7 - Edamam (71): `field` selects any of 31 response fields, results a call are capped by plan at 100 or 1,000, and the MCP server lists two compact tools (22 of 25). `_links.next` paging with diet, health, cuisine, dish, meal, time, calorie and about 40 nutrient range filters (20 of 20). An error schema with errorCode, message and params, but the codes are not enumerated (10 of 20). Every recipe operation is a read and safe to repeat; the shopping-list POST aggregates quantities and stores nothing; the MCP tools' annotations were not read (12 of 20). `type` and `q` are the only required search parameters, with no official SDK in any language (7 of 15). 22 + 20 + 10 + 12 + 7 = 71. - fatsecret Platform API (64): `max_results` up to 50 (default 20), `format=json`, and `include_*` switches add sub-categories, images and attributes only when asked, but there is no field selection and each food carries every serving (15 of 25). Zero-based `page_number`, `food_type` generic or brand, region and language filters (18 of 20). Numeric error codes with messages, for OAuth, parameters and application errors, but limit errors come as codes 11 and 12 with no HTTP status or retry hint (13 of 20). Food and recipe methods are reads and safe to repeat; diary and saved-meal writes have no idempotency key (10 of 20). No parameter is required on foods.search, but there is no official SDK in any language (8 of 15). 15 + 18 + 13 + 10 + 8 = 64. ### Reliability: fatsecret Platform API +5 - Edamam (30): Read with the hosted lines. No status page was found on the developer portal, the docs, the OpenAPI documents or the MCP page, and a search found none (0), so there is no incident history to read (5). Per-minute throttles and monthly call allowances are published for every plan, 10, 100 and 300 a minute on Recipe Search and 50 to 1,200 on the Food Database (15). No 429, Retry-After or backoff guidance was found; the OpenAPI file lists only 400, 403 and 404 (0 of 15). No SLA was found (0). The v2 APIs are generally available, with beta marked on individual fields (10). 0 + 5 + 15 + 0 + 0 + 10 = 30. - fatsecret Platform API (35): Read with the hosted lines. No status page was found on the platform site, the guides, the editions page or the about page (0), so there is no incident history to read (5). The limit is published with a number, 5,000 calls a day on Basic in the terms and on the editions page, and Premier is unlimited (15). Limits surface as error codes 11 and 12 in the body; no HTTP 429, Retry-After or backoff guidance was found, and diary writes have no idempotency key (5 of 15). Premier carries a month-by-month SLA with service credits, named on the editions page without figures, and every edition claims more than 99.9 per cent uptime (5 of 10). The API is generally available, with versioned methods (10). 0 + 5 + 15 + 5 + 5 + 10 = 35. ## Score by category | Category | Weight | Edamam | fatsecret Platform API | Edge | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 30 | 35 | fatsecret Platform API +5 | | Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run | | Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 66 | 52 | Edamam +14 | | Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 71 | 64 | Edamam +7 | | Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 30 | 51 | fatsecret Platform API +21 | | Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 25 | 25 | even | | Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run | | Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 33 | 13 | Edamam +20 | | Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 31 | 34 | fatsecret Platform API +3 | | Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | | | **Total** | | **42.2 · E** | **42 · E** | | ## Facts side by side | Fact | Edamam | fatsecret Platform API | | --- | --- | --- | | Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API | | Vendor | Edamam | fatsecret | | Hosted endpoint | `https://mcp.edamam.com/mcp/food` | no (local only) | | Transports | Streamable HTTP | | | Auth | API key | OAuth | | Pricing | Paid | Freemium | | Price for cooking recipes | $9 per month (plan) | not published | | x402 | no | no | | Tools exposed | 2 | 0 | | Read-only variant documented | no | no | | llms.txt | no | no | | Terms last updated | couldn't be read | no date given | | Privacy policy last updated | couldn't be read | no date given | | Customer content may train models | couldn't be read | not found in the text | | Terms restrict automated access | couldn't be read | yes | | Terms restrict benchmarking | couldn't be read | not found in the text | | Terms or service can change without notice | couldn't be read | yes | | Arbitration or class-action waiver | couldn't be read | not found in the text | | Popularity | none | 25 stars | ## Verdicts **Edamam.** Recipe search with 36 health labels, nutrient range filters and field selection, documented in a public OpenAPI file, with a two-tool hosted MCP server for food nutrition and images. Web recipes carry no instructions, every plan is prepaid with human-only requests and tight caching rules, and the terms, privacy policy and any status page could not be read. **fatsecret Platform API.** OAuth 2.0 client credentials with feature scopes, IP-restricted tokens, a free 5,000-call day with no card, and per-serving nutrients with allergen flags on branded and generic foods. The newest search and image methods need the sales-priced Premier edition, there is no status page, OpenAPI file or official SDK, and the privacy policy and blog could not be read. ## Before you call either ### Edamam 1. Send `app_id` and `app_key` as HTTP Basic or, for the MCP server, as `Authorization: Bearer :`, rather than in the query string 2. Expect no instructions on web recipes; return the `url` of the source to the person, and ask for the Plus plan's Edamam-owned set when steps are needed 3. Pass `field` to pick the response fields you need and follow `_links.next.href` for the next page; `type=public` is required on every search 4. Keep each call tied to a person's request and cache only the fields the plan allows, since the plan pages forbid automated collection and end access without refund 5. Show the 'Powered by Edamam' attribution with every result, as every plan requires ### fatsecret Platform API 1. Request a token with `grant_type=client_credentials` and only the scopes the task needs; a token request from an IP not registered on the key fails, so run from a fixed address 2. Use `foods.search` v1 on Basic, since v5, autocomplete, barcode and image methods answer with a scope error without Premier 3. Pass `format=json` and keep `max_results` at or below 50 with a zero-based `page_number`; treat error code 11 or 12 in the body as the rate limit, since no 429 is documented 4. Store only food_id and serving_id between sessions and re-request other values within 24 hours, as the terms require 5. Use a delegated profile token for diary writes and keep the profile's oauth_token and oauth_secret, since fatsecret does not return them again ## Questions ### Which is better for AI agents, Edamam or fatsecret Platform API? Edamam and fatsecret Platform API score within a point of each other on agent readiness, 42.2 (E) and 42 (E). fatsecret Platform API leads on reliability and security & auth. ### Do Edamam and fatsecret Platform API need an API key? Edamam needs an API key. fatsecret Platform API uses an OAuth sign-in. ### Can an agent call Edamam and fatsecret Platform API without installing anything? Edamam has a hosted endpoint at https://mcp.edamam.com/mcp/food. No hosted endpoint is listed for fatsecret Platform API. ## For agents - This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/edamam-vs-fatsecret.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/edamam-vs-fatsecret.min.md - Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "edamam", "b": "fatsecret"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare edamam fatsecret` - Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/edamam.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/fatsecret.json ## Other comparisons with Edamam or fatsecret Platform API - [Eat This Much Partner API vs fatsecret Platform API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/eat-this-much-vs-fatsecret.md) - [Edamam vs Nutritionix API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/edamam-vs-nutritionix.md) - [fatsecret Platform API vs LogMeal](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/fatsecret-vs-logmeal.md) - [fatsecret Platform API vs Nutritionix API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/fatsecret-vs-nutritionix.md) - [fatsecret Platform API vs spoonacular](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/fatsecret-vs-spoonacular.md) - [Eat This Much Partner API vs Edamam](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/eat-this-much-vs-edamam.md) - [Edamam vs LogMeal](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/edamam-vs-logmeal.md) - [Edamam vs spoonacular](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/edamam-vs-spoonacular.md) --- Query this catalogue directly over MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (Streamable HTTP, no key). How: https://www.anchorterminal.com/agents/#mcp