Zoe review

• £24.99 per month for a 12-month membership, plus £299.99 for testing. Membership paid in one payment of £299.88, billed when you can see your ZOE Scores in the app.
• £39.99 per month for a four-month membership, plus £299.99 for testing. Membership paid in one payment of £159.96, billed when you can see your ZOE Scores in the app.
• £59.99 per month for a rolling monthly membership, plus £299.99 for testing, cancel any time.

Testers’ verdict:

Our testers found the blood test a little complicated, and the ‘test day’ pretty hard work. You must adhere to strict timings and rules around what you eat and when you do your tests, so it’s best not to have too much else planned for the day. The supplied muffins or cookies are dry and very sweet – one tester described them as ‘sweet polystyrene’ – and are a struggle to get down during the requisite time limit.

You are also asked to log the food you eat for the two-week period you’re wearing the monitor, which our testers found time-consuming. The app tries to make this easier, with the ability to scan barcodes or a cookbook, import a web recipe or use AI to estimate the nutritional content of a meal. However, when double-checking some of this information, one of our testers found errors in several of these methods.

Read our full review of the best personalised nutrition kits.

What information will you receive?

Your test results are used to create bespoke advice for which foods will be best for you in terms of energy levels, managing weight, reducing hunger and improving gut health (which is believed to have a knock-on effect on your general health).

Testers’ verdict:

Results took two to three weeks to arrive, and let you know broadly how well your body controls blood fat and sugar levels. Our testers had a range of results, but the foods they were advised to eat and avoid were similar, and fitted broadly within generic healthy eating recommendations. "I was disappointed to see that any food I knew to be healthy was highly rated (in the ‘Enjoy freely’ category), and any food I knew would be unhealthy scored poorly (only to be eaten ‘once in a while’). It didn’t feel that these recommendations were personalised to my metabolism – I’d imagine them to be the same for everyone."

What benefits does membership provide?

The Zoe app provides the means to track how healthily you’re eating and predict how good a meal will be for you. It regularly sends you recommendations for healthy meals, lets you know if you need to eat more of a certain macronutrient, and provides information in the form of several ‘articles’ a day. There’s a huge amount of advice around combining foods to reduce blood glucose ‘dips’ and improving gut health, and updates on the latest scientific research around diet and health.

Testers’ verdict:

Testers found the volume of information provided by Zoe to be somewhat overwhelming, although there is no requirement to read all articles. Even our most-knowledgeable testers found that they learned something new, and agreed that the app was informative and the articles provided valuable info. They generally appreciated "helpful tricks for minimising the impact of 'bad' foods – I like that nothing is forbidden and you can work to improve your score even after an unhealthy meal." Another said, "It’s amazing to see how adding more to a dish makes it better for you. I love that calories aren’t a worry and I get more points for piling yogurt and blueberries and seeds on top of my cereal than I do just eating plain muesli."

Will Zoe help you eat more healthily?

Zoe incorporates the latest studies around gut health, ultra-processed food, immunity and more to provide health-boosting advice. With an ethos of adding more nutrients rather than restricting calories or fat, it’s an approach that is easy to get on board with. There is so much information, as well as useful tricks to optimise what you eat, that you’re bound to gain tips that you can stick to in the long term.

Testers’ verdict:

Our testers all said that following Zoe had increased their understanding of nutrition and how to choose, time or combine foods in the best way for their bodies. They would pay more attention to the make-up of their meals and snacks in future, and felt that they had gained insights into how to eat more healthily that could have a lasting impact. Even those who believed they already ate well and had a good understanding of nutrition still felt they’d gained greater knowledge.

Is Zoe worth the cost?

There were mixed views as to whether Zoe is worth its cost. With an initial outlay of almost £300 for the tests, you then need a membership (at an additional monthly fee) in order to really delve into how to create healthy meals. "The test results don’t tell you much on their own – where Zoe comes into its own is showing you how to eat better. I’m not sure you even need to do the tests as, to an extent, similar advice will apply to most people," said one of our testers. It’s also important to know that, when you end your subscription, you lose access to your data and ability to score meals.

Because of the large amount of research drawn from mass studies across multiple centres and involving many scientists – as well as a slick app and plenty of educative and motivational ‘lessons’ – our testers said they could understand the reasons for the cost: "It’s well thought through and easy to use." But, they also all had doubts over accuracy and the level of personalisation. Questions were raised around the fact that no account is given to genetic variance ("Some people are slow metabolisers of caffeine, but this isn’t taken into account – in fact, coffee scores highly on Zoe"), how the menstrual cycle or periods of stress affect your blood sugar, and the limited analysis of gut microbes.

Tester verdicts in a nutshell:

"I think I know a lot about healthy eating, but I’ve still learned a lot from Zoe about the importance of a variety of foods and tricks to avoid blood-sugar spikes. I’m not someone who’s going to log everything I eat, but having this information will permanently change my diet for the better."

"It’s been a good tool to encourage me towards eating well more of the time. It’s not for me, but – if your budget runs to it, you have an interest in nutrition, and you can devote the necessary time and effort – it may be useful to you."

"It’s easy to become a Zoe bore – I am one – but I’ve also met lots of other Zoe users, and as far as I can see, talking about health to people who are also engaged in the subject is a good thing."

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This review was last updated in February 2024. If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability, please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.