Noom vs. SlimFast: Pros, Cons, Cost, and More

Noom and SlimFast basics

Here’s a closer look at how each program works.

Noom

Noom is a mobile app that helps you modify your diet and lifestyle to promote sustainable weight loss and overall health.

It collects information about your medical history, lifestyle, and weight loss goals to create a custom plan tailored to your needs. Using the app, you can track your daily activities and log your food intake to hold yourself accountable and work toward your goals.

Plus, Noom provides access to a library of recipes and your support team, which consists of a goal specialist, group coach, and virtual support group.

Unlike other programs, Noom doesn’t require restricting or eliminating any foods from your diet. However, it promotes foods with a low calorie density, which means they contain a low number of calories relative to their volume.

SlimFast

SlimFast provides a range of meal replacements and snacks to support weight loss.

This diet replaces two of your daily meals with SlimFast bars, shakes, or smoothies and gives you three snacks per day, which can either be a SlimFast product or any other low calorie snack.

It also requires you to eat one “sensible” meal per day, which should contain 500–600 calories.

Download the SlimFast Together app on any smartphone or tablet to get started. The app provides recipes, meal planning tools, educational resources, a shopping list generator, and a tracking tool for your food intake and activity levels.

Menu options

Here are the types of meals that you can expect to enjoy on each program.

Noom

Noom doesn’t provide any meals or snacks as part of its program. Instead, it suggests foods to include in your diet and provides a variety of recipes.

The app categorizes foods as green, yellow, or orange based on their calorie density.

Green foods have a low calorie density but are nutrient-dense. According to Noom, they should make up the majority of your diet. These foods include vegetables like spinach and broccoli, nonfat dairy products, and whole grains like oatmeal and whole grain bread.

Yellow foods are slightly more calorie-dense and less nutrient-dense than green foods. These are meant to be eaten in moderate portions, including lean proteins like chicken, turkey, and beans, as well as healthy fats like avocado and low fat dairy.

Orange foods have a high calorie density, a low nutrient density, or both. This category includes oils, nuts, red meats, and treats like chips, cookies, and chocolate. These items are meant to be eaten less frequently and in smaller portions.

SlimFast

SlimFast offers a variety of meals and snacks, including bars, shakes, smoothies, snack cups, and fat bombs.

The company offers various plans, such as:

• Original: The original plan from SlimFast includes products high in protein and fiber.
• Keto: These keto-friendly products are low in carbs and rich in healthy fats.
• Advanced Nutrition: This plan includes meal replacement shakes and smoothie mixes high in protein and low in carbs.
• Advanced Energy: The shakes in this plan contain as much caffeine as a cup of coffee.
• Diabetic Weight Loss: These products are free of added sugar and specifically formulated for those with type 2 diabetes.

What do the programs cost?

Here’s a price breakdown for Noom and SlimFast.

Noom

Noom is a subscription-based service that starts at $59 per month for an auto-recurring monthly membership.

You can also purchase an annual membership for $199, or around $16.58 per month.

Plus, Noom offers a 1-week trial, starting at just $0.50, when you sign up.

SlimFast

SlimFast doesn’t have any subscription plans or membership fees.

The app is free to use, and the products you purchase are the only expense for following the program.

SlimFast products are available at many retailers and range in price. Premade shakes cost around $1.25 each, while shake mixes cost about $0.45 per serving. Other SlimFast snacks and products typically cost $1–$2 per serving.

If you consume 2 premade SlimFast shakes and 3 SlimFast snacks per day, you can expect to spend around $254 per month. This figure doesn’t include other groceries or meals.

Effectiveness for weight loss

While both programs may aid weight loss, Noom is focused on making dietary and lifestyle modifications for long-term weight management. Thus, it may be more effective than SlimFast.

Noom

Some research suggests that Noom is a good option for those seeking to lose weight.

A small 8-week study funded by Noom found that women who used digital coaching programs, including Noom, achieved greater weight loss and better emotional eating behaviors than those in a control group (1).

Similarly, a study involving 35,921 people showed that nearly 78% of participants reported weight loss after using Noom for an average of 9 months (2).

Several of the program’s key principles may be responsible for these results.

For example, Noom focuses on dietary and lifestyle modifications to support sustainable weight loss. A 10-year study of 2,886 people that ended in 2014 associated long-term behavioral changes with improved weight loss maintenance (3).

Furthermore, Noom encourages foods with a low calorie density, which may decrease appetite and support weight loss (4, 5). When consuming fewer overall calories, you’re more likely to be in a calorie deficit, which is essential for weight loss.

SlimFast

Studies note that meal replacement programs like SlimFast benefit short-term weight loss.

One 12-week study of 174 people showed that eating one low calorie meal per day led to significant reductions in body weight, belly fat, and total body fat (6).

In a large review of 23 studies, weight loss programs incorporating meal replacements led to greater weight loss over 1 year compared with diets that didn’t include meal replacements (7).

Several older studies, one of whose lead authors was a member of the SlimFast Nutrition Institute, have also found that SlimFast may be effective for weight loss — and as effective as traditional, structured diet plans (8, 9, 10).

SlimFast products are also high in protein, which can help keep you feeling full and reduce levels of hormones that control hunger and appetite, such as ghrelin (11).

Other benefits

Here are some of the other benefits that each program has to offer.

Noom

Noom provides access to online groups and personal coaches, which may benefit those who prefer social support to stay on track.

It also collects detailed information about your diet, lifestyle, medical history, goals, and preferences to create a plan tailored to your needs. This may make it a good option for people who haven’t previously achieved success with one-size-fits-all diets.

What’s more, Noom isn’t overly restrictive or difficult to follow. You can still enjoy many of your favorite treats and indulgences in moderation.

SlimFast

SlimFast is simple, straightforward, and easy to follow, requiring dieters to prepare just one meal per day on their own.

It’s also convenient and saves time by providing meal replacements and snacks ready to enjoy without any preparation.

Like Noom, SlimFast doesn’t ban any ingredients. Instead, it lets you enjoy your favorite foods in moderation as part of your one “sensible meal” per day.

SlimFast also offers products tailored to several eating patterns, including low carb, keto, and diabetes-friendly diets.

Downsides

Both programs have a few potential downsides to consider.

Noom

Although Noom offers social support from personal coaches and peers, it’s completely virtual. All communication occurs through the app’s messaging system.

While this limitation may be fine for many people, it isn’t ideal for those who prefer in-person or video consultations. It may also be challenging for those who aren’t as tech-savvy or have limited access to a smartphone or tablet.

Additionally, Noom can be relatively expensive, especially if you opt for a month-by-month membership.

Unlike other programs, the subscription fee only provides access to the app. Other expenses like food, cooking tools, and workout equipment aren’t included.

SlimFast

Rather than teaching you dietary and lifestyle changes, SlimFast focuses on replacing meals and snacks with packaged products.

While this system may be convenient, it’s unsustainable in the long run and may increase your risk of weight regain once you transition back to a typical diet (12, 13).

It may also get expensive over time, as the plan requires you to eat two SlimFast meal replacements daily, alongside multiple snacks.

Furthermore, while SlimFast doesn’t eliminate any food groups or ingredients, it focuses mostly on calories, since two of your meals are meant to be replaced with SlimFast products. It may be challenging to build healthy habits, foster a positive relationship with food, and improve your overall diet quality.

For some people, the number of calories provided by SlimFast may be insufficient, leading to side effects like fatigue, nausea, and constipation (14).

Plus, inadequate calorie intake may increase your risk of nutritional deficiencies, especially if you rely solely on SlimFast products to meet your needs.

Which program is best?

SlimFast may be a convenient, simple, and effective option for short-term weight loss. It may also help save you time by swapping several of your meals and snacks for premade SlimFast products.

However, it emphasizes meal replacements and calorie counting, which may not be as effective as dietary or lifestyle modifications for long-term, sustainable weight loss.

Noom, on the other hand, provides tools, resources, and support to help you reach your goals. It also promotes behavior change, which may help you maintain weight loss. While it has several drawbacks, it may be a better option for promoting weight loss and improving health in the long run.