Does MyFitnessPal just encourage you to eat low-cal versions of things?

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Even if they have added sugar (such as a 99 cal yoghurt)

MFP itself doesn't encourage anything specifically - it asks you to log what you're eating and what exercise you're doing, so you can balance calories in vs calories out. It'll break that food logging out into components so you can do whatever balancing of sugar vs starch vs fibre vs protein etc that you want.

Depends on the version really.
It does have nutrition stats (although im not sure if thats a premium feature?)

It doesn't encourage you to do anything. Its just a way for me to log what ive eaten. Using your yoghurt example, i chose my yoghurt then add it to my log, It wont for example suggest i eat a different one.

Ultimately i assume most people use it simply for calorie counting so focus on the calories recorded so you could argue it might make people overlook other things but it does show things like your carb intake etc

It just tracks calories with a gentle reminder to watch sugar/fat/carb levels. Which isn't a bad thing. It certainly doesn't encourage or discourage anything.

I don't like the fact that it counts sugar in fruit as equal to the sugar in say sweets. So if I have an apple, satsumas and grapes it flags I'm over my sugar limit. Research is clear whole fruit is healthy. People are not getting fat eating fruit.

I found it very useful to analyse what I eat, and identify where you can cut down on calories, and which foods you can safely eat more of. Also how to boost protein and fibre intake, and generally eat a good balanced diet.

I've seen a few incorrect options in the drop downs when adding food.

For instance, search for 'skimmed milk' and among the options are:

"100ml = 35 cals"
"150ml = 33 cals"

Fruit is healthy, if you eat the whole thing, because it contains fibre and other things that are good for you, but the sugar in fruit is just as calorific, and just as bad for you, as the sugar in sweets, and you shouldn't eat too much of it.

Some fruits are lower in sugar, and vegetables are better

No, I'd rather eat the full version of things. If I want something like a coke, I'll have the real one as my body is probably wanting the energy boost anyway. Knowing that it's not something to consume in abundance is a good thing. Going for the artificial low calorie option means I'm not getting the nutrients that my body is expecting and is an excuse to have more of something that still isn't good for you. Besides, sweetners have a cloying aftertaste for hours and give me headaches. Food has to be made of something!

It encourages you because it focuses on calories as a target, or that's what it seems to me?

Well, if you've already made your mind up, why bother to ask people who have actually used it?

You can ignore the calories and focus on the macros if you choose.

MFP is a tool, like any tool the control is with the user. If it’s not the right tool for you, don’t use it.

Calories are important if you are trying to lose weight

I haven’t made my mind up. What a bizarre post.

You can set your own targets.
I used MFP to gain weight and it worked really well.
Told it what my goal was, how much protein, fat, cals, carbs etc I wanted to eat in a day and it kept track for me.

No, because it depends what you are using it for. You set your own targets and it's a tool that is designed to help you achieve your targets. How you use the tool is completely up to you.
It tells you of you are approaching or exceeding your targets, but doesn't suggest a different food.
It isn't perfect and not all the values are correct, but it is a good guide if used appropriately.

It's your questions which are bizarre, OP.

You've had a group of people telling you that is quite a useful app. It's free to download and use, why don't you just give it a try? You don't seem to understand how it works at all.

If you’re not a fan of MFP but still want to track food, LoseIt is a similar free app.

I am giving it a try. It gives you a calorie allowance each day, which seems to me therefore that it has a focus on calories as a means of losing weight. I wondered whether in practice, this encourages people using the app to lean towards lower calorie versions of foods, choosing a 99 calorie bar filled with crap rather than some calorie laden nuts or full fat yoghurt, for example. Having had this thought, I then posted about it on Mumsnet.

It depends what the person using it feels like eating. If I have 100 cals I might eat a boiled egg or a bit of Greek yog. Or I might be desperately unfashionable and have a kit Kat. I've lost 10lbs by using it to help me work out how many calories I'm eating per day.

I didn't change my diet, just my portion sizes. It doesn't encourage you to eat low-cal food; all food is your own choice. Some people choose low-cal food. Others, like me, reduce portions and up exercise. Have a go and see.