Maya AI Coach · Comparison
Maya vs Noom: which one is right for you in 2026?
Last updated: July 16, 2026
For women over 35 who want an actual coach rather than a course, Maya offers real-time voice conversations, permanent memory, and a plan that adapts after each session for $9/month. Noom offers a structured psychology curriculum with optional human coaching, at roughly $70/month month-to-month or $209/year.
Maya vs Noom at a glance
Price
Maya: $9/mo, $19/quarter, or $89/yr (quarterly has 1 month free, annual has 2 months free)
Noom: About $70/mo month-to-month; $209/yr (about $17.42/mo); Noom Med from $69/mo
What it is
Maya: A named AI coach for women 35+: real-time voice conversations, permanent memory, and a weekly plan that adjusts after each coaching session.
Noom: A psychology-based curriculum (daily lessons) with food logging and optional async human coach chat
Coach or tool?
Maya: A coach. One persona (Maya) who talks with you, not a logging tool
Noom: A course with a coach attached: lessons drive the program; human coach replies async in chat
Voice
Maya: Yes. Real-time voice conversations, plus text chat
Noom: No real-time voice coaching
Memory
Maya: Yes. Permanent memory of your history, preferences, and past conversations
Noom: Tracks your progress data; lessons are the same curriculum for everyone
Adaptive plan
Maya: Yes. A rolling weekly plan across 8 lifestyle areas that updates after coaching sessions
Noom: Curriculum-paced program; food color system; not session-adaptive
Calorie tracking
Maya: No calorie counting or food database. Maya coaches habits, not numbers
Noom: Yes: food logging with a green/yellow/orange color system
Human coaching
Maya: No. Maya is openly an AI coach (no human coaching tier)
Noom: Yes: async chat coaching included in most plans; medical (GLP-1) track via Noom Med
Trial
Maya: Free quiz + personalized plan preview before you pay. Cancel anytime
Noom: 7-14 day trial, often around $0.50
The core difference: a coach vs a curriculum
Noom is built around daily psychology lessons: short readings based on cognitive behavioral techniques, plus food logging with a color system. A human coach is available in chat, but replies are asynchronous and the coach works from the same curriculum.
Maya flips that model. There is no homework. You talk to one coach, by voice or text, whenever you want. Maya remembers everything you have shared and adjusts your weekly plan after each coaching session. Not another tracker. An actual coach who talks, remembers, and adjusts your plan.
Price, honestly compared
Noom month-to-month is about $70. Its annual plan drops the effective rate to about $17.42/month ($209 billed upfront). Noom Med, the medication-assisted track, starts at $69/month before medication costs.
Maya is $9/month with no long commitment, $19 per quarter (1 month free vs monthly), or $89 per year (2 months free vs monthly). The quiz and personalized plan preview are free before you decide.
A day with Maya vs a day with Noom
With Noom, a typical day looks like this: read today's lesson (a few minutes of psychology homework), log your meals into the color system, maybe message your coach and hear back later. It works if you enjoy coursework and don't mind waiting for replies.
With Maya, the day has no homework. You send a voice note at 7am about how you slept and get a real answer in seconds. At 4pm, when the snack craving hits, you talk it through in the moment it is happening. Nothing to grade, nothing to catch up on: the support shows up when the decision does.
What coaching with Maya actually looks like
Screenshots from the real app. This is the difference between logging into a tool and having someone in your corner: a coach who talks, remembers, and keeps your plan honest.
Where Maya wins
- Price: $9/mo vs about $70/mo month-to-month
- Real-time voice conversations (Noom has no voice coaching)
- Permanent memory: Maya remembers your history and preferences across every conversation
- A plan that changes after your coaching sessions instead of a fixed curriculum pace
- No lessons or homework: coaching happens in conversation
Where Noom wins
- Human coaching: Noom includes access to real human coaches (async chat)
- A structured, evidence-informed CBT-style curriculum refined over a decade
- A medical track (Noom Med) with clinician access for GLP-1 medication, which Maya does not offer
- Brand recognition and a large body of published program data
The verdict
Choose Noom if you want a structured course, value having a human coach in the loop, or are exploring medically supervised GLP-1 support, and the higher price fits your budget.
Choose Maya if you want a coach who is available 24/7, talks with you by voice, remembers everything, and adjusts your plan as your life changes, at a fraction of the cost. Take the free quiz to see your plan before paying anything.
Frequently asked questions
Is Noom worth it in 2026?
Noom is worth considering if you engage with its daily lessons and want a human coach in chat. Reviewers consistently praise the curriculum and criticize the price (about $70/month month-to-month) and the reading workload. If lessons feel like homework to you, a conversational coach like Maya may fit better.
Is Maya cheaper than Noom?
Yes. Maya costs $9/month, $19/quarter, or $89/year. Noom costs about $70/month month-to-month or $209/year on the annual plan. Even Noom's best annual rate (about $17.42/month) is roughly double Maya's monthly price.
Does Noom have a real human coach?
Yes. Most Noom plans include an assigned human coach you message asynchronously in the app. Replies are not real-time and coaches follow Noom's curriculum. Maya takes the opposite approach: an AI coach that is openly AI, available instantly, by voice or text.
Does an AI weight loss coach actually work?
An AI coach helps with the part most people struggle with: consistency. Maya is available 24/7, remembers your context, and adjusts your plan as you go. It coaches habits and behavior; it is not medical care, and results depend on what you do day to day. For medical conditions, see a clinician.
Can Maya count calories like Noom?
No. Maya intentionally has no calorie counter or food database. It coaches habits, routines, and the reasons behind your eating patterns instead of asking you to log numbers. If detailed food logging is essential to you, Noom or MyFitnessPal fit that style better.
Which is better for women over 35?
Maya is designed specifically for women 35+ and its coaching, plan areas, and tone reflect that. Noom is a general-audience program. If you want coaching built around this life stage rather than a generic curriculum, that is Maya's home turf.
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