Noom® vs Slimming World®

Trustpilot score

Trustpilot is a platform where consumers can leave reviews and scores reflect overall customer satisfcation.

	SW	Noom	Second Nature
Star rating
Score	2.4 / 5 read reviews	4.4 / 5 read reviews	4.7 / 5 read reviews

Signing up

	SW	Noom	Second Nature
Pay what you like for the first 2 weeks	✗	✓	✓
Clear breakdown of costs	✓	✗	✓
Clear cancellation policy	✗	✓	✓
Length of programme	All plans ongoing	Dependent on your goals	Ongoing subscription
Easy to cancel	✓ (If cancelling within 14-day trial, otherwise you have to call customer support)	✓	✓
Refer-a-friend scheme	✗	✗ (not for customers in the UK)	✓
Easy to include family	✗	✗	✓

Want to make losing weight feel easier?

The Second Nature app uses behavioural science to retrain your mind to make healthy choices automatically, so these stick in the long run. Join 150,000 people who’ve used Second Nature to make losing weight feel easier - the first step is to create your personalised plan with our quick quiz.

Nutrition

	SW	Noom	Second Nature
Dietary approach	Low calorie, low fat	Low fat	Whole foods, lower carb*
Caters to vegetarian	✓	✓	✓
Caters to vegan	✓	✓	✓

*For examples of recipes on the Second Nature programme, see here.

Support

	SW	Noom	Second Nature
Tailors the plan around diabetes	✓	✓	✓
Tailors the plan around other health issues	✓	✗	✓
Face-to-face meetings	✓ (if meeting plan chosen)	✗	✗
Private chat with a registered dietitian or nutritionist	✗	✗	✓
Developed by dietitians, nutritionists, and health psychologists	✗	✗	✓
Weekend support available	✓	✗	✓

Programme features

	SW	Noom	Second Nature
Encourages daily weigh-ins	✗	✓	✗
App	✓ (2 apps, 1 for planning and 1 online access)	✓	✓
Award/prize system	✓	✗	✗
Recipe videos	✗ (Free recipe videos available on YouTube without signing up)	✗	✓
Exercise videos	✗	✗	✓
Weighing scales provided	✗	✗	✓ (on tech plan)
Tracks sleep	✗	✗	✓
Tracks steps	✗	✓	✓
Education of nutrition science	✗	✗	✓
Counting/point system	✓ (Free Foods®, Healthy Extras®, and Syns®)	✓ (calories represented by traffic light system)	✗
Food diary feature	✓	✓	✓

Pricing

When programmes provide price plans in different formats, it can be hard to accurately compare prices. To make this easier, we have calculated the price of monthly digital basic price plans on each programme to show you how costs compare (as of April 2022). All admin fees are included in these prices.

For basic monthly plans, Noom is the most expensive option. On the surface, Second Nature seems slightly more expensive than Slimming World. However, You also have the same coach throughout the whole Second Nature programme that you can build a relationship with, rather than an ad-hoc response from a different coach each time (Slimming World) or getting support from your group leader who is typically a past member with no nutrition training.

With Second Nature, you’ll have one-to-one private support from a registered dietitian or nutritionist. Ask questions, get advice on your meal plan, and tailor the plan to your lifestyle. Registration to a professional body requires a nationally recognised nutrition or dietetics degree. With Noom, you’ll also have a health coach. However, Noom coaches are not registered dietitians or nutritionists and instead have a Health Coach Certification offered by the ‘Noomiversity’, which has been approved by the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaches (NBHWC).

Registration to a professional body requires a nationally recognised nutrition or dietetics degree. Weekly face-to-face sessions with a registered dietitian or nutritionist can be very expensive (£40-£100/hour). We have added a column representing this to compare costs (Weekly Nutritionist – WN).

Monthly (basic) digital subscriptions:

	SW	Noom	Second Nature	WN
Private chat with a registered dietitian or nutritionist	✗	✗	✓	✓
The same, personal coach throughout the programme	✗	✓	✓	✓
Price	£20/month	£47/month	$60 /span>	£300/month

If you were to opt for the Slimming World face-to-face group meeting plan it would work out to be more expensive.

Example nutrition query response

Nutrition is a major part of any weight loss journey. Therefore, it is important to receive accurate and reliable nutrition advice surrounding nutrition. We asked each programme a common nutrition-related query to see how the information provided as an answer compares.

Q: Are eggs bad for your cholesterol? Should I avoid them?

Slimming World’s answer:

“I’m not trained in medical queries I’m afraid, this would be something to ask your Health Care team.”

Noom’s answer:

“No single food will stop or start weight loss. It’s all about balance! I suggest consulting with your doctor regarding specific needs (i.e. cholesterol).”

Second Nature’s answer:

“Eggs are a rich source of dietary cholesterol. It was previously thought that cholesterol-containing foods increase blood cholesterol and the risk of heart disease and strokes. However, this has not been shown to be the case as dietary cholesterol is poorly absorbed from the digestive system, and if cholesterol is absorbed, the body will produce less of it to balance out (and prevent blood cholesterol levels rising). Therefore, you do not need to be restricted unless recommended to do so from your GP/Healthcare professional. Eggs are among the most nutritious foods on the planet providing good quality protein as well as being loaded with vitamins and minerals.”

Take home message

• When choosing a weight loss programme, it is important to consider what would fit into your lifestyle and help you achieve your goals.
• Noom and Second Nature are both online and app-based programmes, whereas Slimming World has an optional face-to-face meeting plan.
• Slimming World seems to focus on diet, whereas Noom and Second Nature approach weight loss by focusing on behaviour change as well as eating habits.
• Noom is the most expensive programme on a monthly price plan basis.
• Second Nature is the only programme where you get a registered dietitian or nutritionist personal health coach.
• Noom and Slimming World have clear guides of foods to eat or avoid, which can be helpful for some but might not benefit those with an unhealthy relationship with food.
• Second Nature provides you with an education of nutrition science, allowing you to make informed decisions yourself and develop a healthy relationship with food in the long-term.
• Second Nature answers nutrition queries with the most up to date science.