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Noom vs Weight Watchers comes down to two different ideas about weight loss: Noom teaches daily habit and psychology lessons, and WW (formerly Weight Watchers) gives you a points system to track food. Each study cited below compared one program with a control or comparison group, not the two against each other, and the one Noom survey has no comparison group at all, so no number on this page says one beats the other. What the research does show is that Weight Watchers has the longer trial record, and every Noom study cited here has authors who work for Noom or list it as their affiliation.
I am not a doctor, and I have not used either one. If you are weighing a whole range of options, my guide to the best weight loss programs for women over 40 explains how to evaluate any plan, and my Noom review goes deeper on Noom alone.
What is the difference between Noom and Weight Watchers?
Noom describes itself on its home page as “psychology-based weight loss,” built around bite-sized daily lessons, human coaching plus AI support, and meal and water logging. WW describes a Points program, “350+ ZeroPoint, no-track foods,” camera-based meal tracking, and coaches, with coach-led Workshops held in studios or online.
| Feature | Noom | WW |
|---|---|---|
| Core idea | Psychology-based weight loss with daily lessons | A Points program that turns nutrition data into one number |
| Coaching | Human coaching plus AI support; a personal coach for every user | Coaches in the app; coach-led Workshops in studios or online |
| Tracking | Food and water tracking, weight logging, step counting | Camera meal tracking and Points totals for recipes |
| Food rules | Says it does not believe in “good” or “bad” foods | Says there are no “good” or “bad” foods |
| Medication | Noom Med and a GLP-1Rx program, if prescribed | Med+ through WeightWatchers Clinic, if you qualify |
| Price shown | No Noom Weight price on the home page; footnotes list separate prices for its medication programs | See the cost section below |
Read that table as marketing language, not results.
Does Weight Watchers work? What the research shows
Weight Watchers has the deeper trial history. A 2015 systematic review in the Annals of Internal Medicine reviewed 45 studies, 39 of them randomized trials, of commercial programs. At 12 months, Weight Watchers participants lost at least 2.6 percent more of their body weight than people assigned to control or education. The authors report no conflicts of interest, and noted that many trials were short and had high dropout.
A randomized trial in The Lancet put 772 overweight and obese adults from Australia, Germany and the UK into either standard care or 12 months of free Weight Watchers membership. The membership group lost an average of 5.06 kg versus 2.25 kg for standard care (adjusted difference 2.77 kg). That figure carries the last recorded weight forward for people who dropped out. Only 61 percent of the Weight Watchers group and 54 percent of the standard care group completed the 12-month visit. The trial was funded by Weight Watchers International through a grant to the UK Medical Research Council.
How long does weight loss on Weight Watchers last?
The UK WRAP trial followed 1,267 adults with a BMI of 28 or higher, referred from primary care, for five years. At one year, according to the 2017 Lancet report, average weight change was 3.26 kg lost with brief advice, 4.75 kg with a 12-week WW referral and 6.76 kg with a 52-week referral. At five years, according to the Lancet Public Health follow-up, the averages had shrunk to 0.46 kg, 1.95 kg and 2.67 kg lost, and the difference between the 52-week programme and brief advice was not statistically significant. The five-year weight was known for 69 percent of participants. The 2017 report was funded by the National Prevention Research Initiative and Weight Watchers International; the five-year follow-up lists UK NIHR and Medical Research Council funding, and its lead author reports membership of the Scientific Advisory Board for WW. So some average weight loss was still present at five years, and the differences between groups were not statistically significant.
Does Noom work? What the research shows
The Noom evidence is newer and leans on company-linked studies.
A 2026 randomized trial. The paper in Obesity Science and Practice randomized 427 adults (average age 45.3, 83 percent women) to a commercially available digital weight management program or an educational control for 16 weeks. The group on the plan lost an average of 1.2 percent of body weight at 16 weeks while the control group gained 0.6 percent. At 68 weeks, that group was down 4.1 percent and the control group up 1.5 percent. Noom’s research page lists this trial among its publications, but the abstract itself describes the program only as commercially available. Four of the paper’s eight authors list Noom, Inc. as their affiliation, and the abstract does not name a funder.
A small pilot trial. A 2022 pilot randomized trial assigned 50 people with overweight or obesity to Noom Weight (24 people) or weekly educational newsletters (26 people). The paper’s main question was whether the program changed executive function (thinking skills); weight change was reported as an additional result. After four months the Noom group lost 7.1 pounds on average while the control group gained 1.0 pound. The authors include Noom employees with salary or stock compensation.
A survey of people who had already succeeded. A 2023 survey study asked 840 people who had lost at least 10 percent of their weight with Noom Weight, 6 to 24 months earlier, what happened since. Seventy-five percent said they kept off at least 5 percent after a year, and 49 percent kept off 10 percent. Noom funded the study and its authors are or were Noom employees. It only surveyed people who had already lost a lot.
Which is better, Noom or Weight Watchers?
The research does not name a winner. A 2014 meta-analysis in JAMA of 48 randomized trials with 7,286 adults looked at named diets and diet types (the abstract’s example compares Atkins with Zone). It found that differences in weight loss between individual named diets were small, and its authors concluded that recommending any diet a patient will stick with is supported. The practical question is which plan you will still be using in month nine.
How much do Noom and Weight Watchers cost?
On October 21, 2026, WW’s plans page listed $25 for the first month on a 6-month or 12-month plan, then $74 a month on the 12-month plan and $84 a month on the 6-month plan, with auto-renewal at the same monthly rate unless canceled. It did not say which of its programs those prices belong to, and a footnote on the page says the cost of GLP-1 medications is not included. Noom’s home page listed no price for Noom Weight, said pricing differs by product and that in most cases you can start with a free trial, and gave separate starting prices in footnotes for subscription plus medication, for new accounts only. Find and confirm the total on each company’s site before you enter a card number.
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases suggests asking any program for the total cost from start to finish, and whether any costs fall outside that total, such as membership fees or food, and whether it has been formally studied for safety and effectiveness. Its guide on choosing a safe and successful weight-loss program also asks whether a doctor or other certified health professional runs or oversees the program, whether a registered dietitian or other expert is included, and how long the average participant keeps the weight off.
Do Noom and Weight Watchers offer GLP-1 medication?
Both now say they do, and each offers medication programs alongside its core plans: Noom Med for Noom, and Med+ through WeightWatchers Clinic for WW. Noom’s home page lists Noom Med and a GLP-1Rx program with medication “shipped to your door, if prescribed,” and notes that medications require a consultation and a prescription through its platform and that not all customers qualify. WW’s home page says members may be able to access GLP-1 and other weight-loss medications through WeightWatchers Clinic if they qualify, with eligibility and a prescription required. WW cites internal, self-reported, non-randomized results for its medication members, and says individual results may vary.
If you are thinking about medication, my guide to GLP-1 weight loss covers what the labels and trials show, and a licensed clinician can help decide if a prescription is right for you.
Is Noom or Weight Watchers better for women over 40?
The abstracts of the sources cited here do not report results by age group or menopause status. The 2026 digital program trial is the closest fit, with an average age of 45.3 and 83 percent women, but it compared one program to an education control. For the Weight Watchers trials above, the abstracts do not break results out by age either.
If you are trying to sort out the eating pattern itself, my page on the best diets for women over 40 compares what trials measured. If the thing you keep losing is support, my guide to online weight loss coaching for women may help you more than either app.
How fast should you expect to lose weight?
The CDC describes a pace of about 1 to 2 pounds a week and says people who lose weight gradually are more likely to keep it off than people who lose it quickly. NIDDK says experts recommend an initial goal of 5 to 10 percent of your starting weight within 6 months. Some trial averages above, such as the 4.1 percent at 68 weeks in the 2026 trial, fall below that goal.
Who should talk to a clinician first?
Talk to your doctor, a registered dietitian, or your prescribing clinician before starting either plan if you have diabetes, a history of an eating disorder, kidney disease, or are pregnant or nursing, or if you take a GLP-1 medicine. This page is information, not medical advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Noom cheaper than Weight Watchers?
That could not be settled from the company pages on October 21, 2026. WW listed prices of $74 and $84 a month on its plans page, while Noom’s home page showed no price for Noom Weight. Compare the cost per month of the plan length you would actually commit to.
Which one has more research behind it?
Weight Watchers has more years of trial evidence on weight loss, including a 2015 systematic review whose authors report no conflicts and a five-year follow-up, though the 2011 trial and the 2017 WRAP report were partly funded by Weight Watchers International. Noom has a newer randomized trial, a small pilot and a survey, and all three have authors who work for Noom or list it as their affiliation. More research does not mean it will suit you better.
Do people keep the weight off after Noom or Weight Watchers?
On average some loss was still present in the five-year WRAP follow-up of WW referrals, but the differences between groups there were not statistically significant. In the UK WRAP trial, the difference between the 52-week WW referral and brief advice was 1.76 kg at five years and was not statistically significant. Noom’s survey of 840 people reported that 75 percent of those who had lost 10 percent kept off at least 5 percent after a year, but it only asked people who had already succeeded.
Does Weight Watchers prescribe weight loss medication?
WW’s site says members may be able to access GLP-1 and other weight-loss medications through its affiliated medical group, WeightWatchers Clinic, if they qualify and are prescribed one. WW lists it as its own program, Med+, and it requires a clinician to prescribe.
Do Noom or Weight Watchers ban any foods?
Neither company’s site says so. Noom says it does not believe in “good” or “bad” foods, and WW says there are no “good” or “bad” foods, while its Points program steers choices with a number for each food.
I am Judy, not a medical professional, and this page does not replace advice from your doctor or dietitian.
Sources
- Gudzune et al., Efficacy of commercial weight-loss programs: an updated systematic review, Annals of Internal Medicine, 2015
- Jebb et al., Primary care referral to a commercial provider for weight loss treatment versus standard care, The Lancet, 2011
- Ahern et al., Extended and standard duration weight-loss programme referrals for adults in primary care (WRAP), The Lancet, 2017
- Ahern et al., 5-year follow-up of the WRAP randomised controlled trial, The Lancet Public Health, 2022
- Johnston et al., Comparison of weight loss among named diet programs in overweight and obese adults, JAMA, 2014
- Longitudinal Effects of a Digital Weight Management Program on Weight Loss: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Obesity Science and Practice, 2026
- Michaelides et al., pilot randomized controlled trial of Noom Weight, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022
- May et al., Weight loss maintenance after Noom Weight, Obesity Science and Practice, 2023
- NIDDK, Choosing a Safe and Successful Weight-loss Program
- CDC, Losing Weight
- Noom home page and research page, read October 21, 2026
- WW home page and plans page, read October 21, 2026