SparkPeople is back.
And this time, we answer only to members.
No investors. No advertisers. One founder, one community, and a highly-trained AI coach who knows your whole journey — not just your food diary — for less than the big apps charge for a barcode scanner.
Just launched: The SparkPeople Healthy Weight Program — guided weight loss AND maintenance, included in Premium.
A letter from SparkGuy
Twenty years ago I started SparkPeople, and together we helped millions of people reach their goals. Then it was sold, and eventually it was shut down. I heard from so many of you over the years: "nothing ever replaced it."
So last year I made a decision. I left my executive job, and I'm bringing SparkPeople back to life — starting by myself, funded by myself, with my own savings on the line. No investors to answer to. No advertisers to please. Which means, for the first time, the only people I answer to are you.
Remember what the original SparkPeople looked like near the end? Ads on every page, between every article, over your food tracker. Here's the honest truth about why: when advertisers are the customer, you are the product. I lived that, I hated it, and I'm never doing it again. The new SparkPeople has zero ads.
That's also why it's priced the way it is. With no ad networks or investors to feed, your membership only has to cover what it actually costs to help you — so we can charge less than apps that do far less. (And yes, my wife has gently suggested that SparkPeople should eventually buy its own groceries. That's where Founding Members come in.)
Many companies say they put their users first — for us it isn't a slogan, it's the actual structure: every dollar that builds SparkPeople comes from members. So our Purpose is simple. We answer to members, every decision passing one test — does this help members reach their goals? However SparkPeople grows from here, that will never change. You are who we build for — and your trust is never for sale.
And member-driven means every one of us drives it. Founding Members and Premium members fund it — and get back far more value than they put in. Members who reach their goals prove SparkPeople works. Members who encourage someone else make this a place worth joining. Members who spread the spark carry it to the next person who needs it. Four ways to drive the same Purpose — choose yours, or choose all four.
Member-driven, on Purpose.
— Chris (SparkGuy) Downie
What you get today — and it gets better every week
SparkCoach — an AI coach who knows you
She sees your streaks, your planner, your food log, and your goals. Talk to her by voice, show her your meals in photos, and she can even talk back. She checks in on you like a coach should — because caring is the whole point.
A food tracker that improves itself
Photo logging, barcode scanning, and voice logging. Search for a food we don't have and it usually appears by morning — and our Food Fixer corrects wrong numbers for everyone. Plus a smart, aisle-sorted grocery list and the Healthy Food List, our own science-backed weight-loss program you won't find anywhere else.
SparkStreaks & the daily planner
Build any habit with streaks that celebrate progress instead of punishing slips, and a daily planner that helps you actually do the things that matter — not just list them.
A community that makes you better
SparkTeams, friends, and a feed built on real accomplishments — streaks, gratitude, wins — not performative posts. Social media that leaves you better than it found you.
The SparkPeople Healthy Weight Program
Healthy foods and healthy habits to lose the weight, keep it off, and fuel your biggest goals in life. We believe this will be the best healthy weight loss and maintenance program ever created — and we're building it in the open, sharing anonymized results as we go.
30-Day Foundation
Daily lessons that build the machine — self-paced, with your class beside you
The Journey
Weekly focus themes and coaching until you reach YOUR goal, however long that takes
Maintenance for life
Keeping it off is a different skill — we teach it. That's the point, not an upsell
Guided daily by SparkCoach — who knows your real life, your trackers, and your why — with meal planning, an aisle-sorted grocery list, and a class of people climbing the same mountain. Included in Premium — which every new member gets free for 3 months.
“I used the old SparkPeople with some success — but with SparkCoach this new site is incredible. I'm not tech savvy, and I'm able to use most of it easily. Now after one week I feel like I can really make this work this time.”
“It's like having a best friend that's always there for you. It's the one ingredient that I have always been missing in my weight loss journey.”
— Arleen, back after the original SparkPeople
“This is the best health accountability program I have ever used.”
— SparkPeople beta member
“I’m going to tell all my friends at MyFitnessPal about SparkPeople.”
— SparkPeople beta member
“I’d pay for this.”
— SparkPeople beta member
The honest comparison
Millions of us use MyFitnessPal — many of us landed there when the original SparkPeople shut down. Here's what your money buys, side by side.
| SparkPeopleFounding Member | MyFitnessPalPremium | MyFitnessPalPremium+ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per year | $79 | $79.99 | $99.99 |
| Food tracker, barcode scan, photo logging | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ad-free | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI nutrition answers ("what should I eat?") | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| A highly-trained AI coach who knows your WHOLE journey — streaks, planner, goals, moods — and checks in on you | ✓ | — | — |
| Tell your highly-trained AI coach anything — she logs your food, water, weight & grocery list for you | ✓ | — | — |
| A supportive community woven into everything — teams, friends & daily cheers | ✓ | Forums on the side | Forums on the side |
| Streaks, points & motivation built in | ✓ | — | — |
| Behavior-change program from a New York Times best-seller (The Spark) | ✓ | — | — |
| Food database that improves itself overnight | ✓ | — | — |
| Smart grocery list — aisle-sorted, built from your recipes, shareable | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Meal plans | On our build list — members asked for the classic SparkPeople meal planner | — | ✓ |
| Who the company answers to | Members | Shareholders | Shareholders |
MyFitnessPal pricing as of July 2026. We think MFP is a fine tracker — we just believe you deserve more.
If you have a weight loss goal — or you're ready to become the best version of yourself — this could be the best $79 you'll ever spend.
Choose how you join the founding era
Try everything free
3 months of free Premium
We're building in the open — members report things and we usually fix them the same day. Every new member gets the full Premium experience free for 3 months. No card required — including our brand-new Healthy Weight Program (guided weight loss AND maintenance, with SparkCoach and a class beside you). When it ends, regular pricing applies — or switch to the free tier and stay as long as you like.
Start freeLock it in for life
$79/year a ~$337/yr value
Your rate never goes up — locked for as long as SparkPeople exists — while Premium keeps growing: SparkCoach ($129/yr value), the new Healthy Weight Program($99/yr value), AI meal planning with SparkKitchen ($99/yr value), and everything still to come. A permanent Founding Member badge on your profile. And the knowledge that you're one of the people who brought SparkPeople back to life. Available for a limited time only.
You'll be charged $79 today. Founding-era thank-you (through October 5): your membership covers a full year PLUS every free month you have left — added on top, nothing overlaps — and your rate is locked at $79/year for life. Not ready? The free 3 months need no card at all. Memberships are our only source of revenue — no advertisers, no investors. I deeply appreciate your support. — SparkGuy
Founding memberships come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. If it's not right for you, email us within 30 days and we'll refund it in full — no questions, no hoops. And you can cancel anytime: the lock is on your price, never on you.
Already a beta member? Your free year stays exactly as promised — every day of it. And through October 5, 2026, locking the founding rate adds your remaining free months ON TOP of your paid year: $79 covers a full year plus every free day you have left. (Members who paid before this offer existed get their free months added back automatically — you believed first.) Thank you for being here first. 💛
And yes — there will always be a free version of SparkPeople.The trackers, streaks, planner, and community are free for everyone, because helping people shouldn't depend on their wallet. Founding Members are what make that possible — every membership helps keep SparkPeople ad-free and open to people who can't pay yet.
Fair questions
A personal note from SparkGuy
I deeply appreciate everyone committing to the paid option early — if you’re able. Memberships are our only source of revenue, on purpose: no advertisers, no investors, so we can focus 100% on helping you and others reach your most meaningful goals. And growing fast to help more people means real growing costs I’m paying. Founding members are who make the whole thing sustainable.
What does "locked for life" actually mean?
It locks the price — not you. As long as SparkPeople exists, your rate is $79/year: prices for everyone else can change, yours can’t. And it’s a status, not a leash — if life ever makes you step away, your Founding rate will be honored whenever you come back.
Can I cancel anytime? Am I committing to pay every year?
You can cancel anytime, from your account, with no penalty and no hoops. In your first 30 days, you get a full refund. After that, the year you’ve paid for isn’t refunded — instead you keep full Premium through the end of it, and you’re simply never charged again. Memberships renew yearly, and we’ll email you 30 days and again 7 days before any renewal — no surprise charges, ever. And because your Founding rate survives a break, canceling never burns your $79 price — it waits for you.
Is there a free version?
Yes — always. The trackers, SparkStreaks, the daily planner, and the community are free for everyone. SparkCoach’s personal coaching — where she knows your data, chats with you every day, and logs things for you — is what Premium adds. Founding memberships are what keep the free tier alive and the whole site ad-free.
Why is it cheaper than the big apps?
Because there’s nobody else to pay. No investors expecting returns, no ad networks taking a cut. Your membership covers real costs — the AI coaching, the servers, and a founder’s grocery bill — and that’s it. For comparison: Noom charges about $209 a year (up to $70 a month if you pay monthly) for its coaching program. Founding Members pay $79 — locked for life.
What happens when the founding offer ends?
We believe the fair value of everything in Premium is around $240/year. Final regular pricing is still being set — it won’t be that high, but it will never be $79 again. Founding Members keep $79/year forever. That’s the deal for believing early.
Is SparkCoach a real person?
SparkCoach is a highly-trained AI coach — and we’re upfront about that. She’s built on world-class AI and trained in the SparkPeople coaching approach that helped millions of people reach their goals. Because she’s AI, she’s there for you at 5am or midnight, remembers your whole journey, and never rushes you. And there are real humans behind her: Chris and the SparkPeople community read member feedback every day and keep making her better.
Is my SparkCoach conversation private?
Yes. Your conversations and health data are never sold, never shared with advertisers (we don’t have any), and never used for anything except coaching you better.
Already a member? Sign in here — everything is right where you left it. 💛
Original SparkPeople member? Welcome back — we're so glad you found us. One thing we're very sorry about: all data from the original SparkPeople was destroyed years ago when it shut down, so old accounts can't be recovered by anyone. This is an entirely new platform — vastly more powerful than the original. Join above and pick up the journey. 💛
Built by SparkGuy (Chris Downie), who helped millions reach their goals through the original SparkPeople. This time: no investors, no ads, just us.
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