Recipe apps
Recipe apps compared: Paprika, ReciMe, Mealie and more
The short answer: ReciMe is the most used app for Instagram and TikTok recipes, Paprika is the classic pay-once app, Samsung Food has the biggest free plan, Mela and Crouton are the polished Apple-only picks, Mealie is the free one you host yourself, and Recalo is the one that also saves recipes from Google's AI Mode, ChatGPT and Claude.
Pick by what you need
You find recipes in social feeds and AI answers: Recalo
Choose it for: Saving from Google's AI Mode, ChatGPT and Claude as easily as from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and websites. Tap Share, choose Recalo, and it's a proper recipe (see how). Share a restaurant, a place or a book the same way and it goes where it belongs. How that works.
Skip it if: You want unlimited free imports. Importing uses AI, so regular use needs Pro. Sharing from other apps works in the iPhone and iPad app; on Android, use the web app.
You save mostly from Instagram and TikTok: ReciMe or Deglaze
Choose them for: Clean recipes out of reels and videos. ReciMe has 300,000 App Store ratings. Deglaze adds a web app and a connector for ChatGPT and Claude.
Skip them if: You want to pay once. Both are subscriptions after a small free allowance.
You want to pay once: Paprika
Choose it for: Reliable website import, offline cooking, a pantry, and apps for Mac, Windows and Android.
Skip it if: Your recipes come from Instagram or TikTok. It can't import them.
You want it free: Samsung Food
Choose it for: Free saving, meal planning and grocery lists, on iPhone, Android and the web.
Skip it if: You want the steps saved in the app. Samsung Food keeps the ingredients and links to the original site for the method.
You cook from an iPad or a Mac: Mela or Crouton
Choose them for: Full apps on iPhone, iPad and Mac, with a cook mode made for a tablet on the counter. Crouton adds hands-free gestures and an Apple Watch app.
Skip them if: Anyone who cooks with you is on Android.
You can run a server: Mealie
Choose it for: Everything free and on your own hardware. More in the self-hosted section.
Skip it if: You don't want to look after Docker, updates and backups.
Recipe app features compared
✓ means the app lists it. – means we couldn't find it on the app's own website or App Store page.
Swipe the table sideways to see every app.
| Feature | Crouton | Deglaze | Mela | Paprika | Recalo | ReciMe | Samsung Food |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price* | FreePlus $24.99. Discover $1.99/mo or $14.99/yr | Free tierPro $49.99/yr | FreeMela+ $6.99, paid once | Paid once per device type$4.99 iPhone and iPad, $29.99 Mac, $29.99 Windows. Android: free up to 50 recipes, then a paid unlock | Free to tryPro $3.49/mo or $34.99/yr | 5 imports a week freePlus $29.99 to $59.99/yr | FreeFood+ $6.99/mo or $59.99/yr |
| Runs on | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro | iPhone, Android, web | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, Windows | iPhone, iPad, webon Android, use the web app | iPhone, iPad, Android, web | iPhone, iPad, Android, web |
| Recipe websites | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ingredients saved, steps link to the original site |
| Instagram, TikTok, YouTube | – | ✓plus Facebook | – | – | ✓plus Facebook | ✓plus Facebook, Pinterest | – |
| Photos and cookbook pages | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | – | ✓even handwritten cards | ✓even handwritten cards | – |
| Meal planning | ✓ | ✓on Pro | ✓ | ✓ | ✓its AI writes the week's plan | ✓ | ✓ |
| Grocery list | ✓via Apple Reminders | ✓ | ✓via Apple Reminders | ✓sorted by aisle | ✓by aisle or by recipe, for one recipe or a whole week's plan | ✓ | ✓order from partner stores |
| Import from AI chatsshare a Google AI Mode, ChatGPT or Claude answer | – | – | – | – | ✓tap Share, choose Recalo. See how | – | – |
| Change a recipe with AI | ✓substitutions, on Discover | Through ChatGPT or Claude | – | – | ✓"make it vegan", saved as a new version | ✓swaps and tips, on Plus | ✓recipe customization, on Food+ |
| Connect to ChatGPT or Claudeuse your recipes from inside the chat | – | ✓official connector | – | – | ✓official connector | – | – |
| Saves more than recipes | – | – | – | – | ✓places, books, movies, notes. See how | – | – |
Self-hosted recipe apps: Mealie and Tandoor
Free, open source, and running on your own server. You look after installs, updates and backups.
| Feature | Mealie | Tandoor |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Freeor hosted for you from €1.99/mo |
| Setup | One Docker container | Docker plus a Postgres database |
| Instagram, TikTok, YouTube | ✓with your own AI key | YouTube title and description only |
| Photos and pasted text | ✓with your own AI key | ✓with your own AI key |
| Meal plan and shopping list | ✓ | ✓ |
| Nutrition | When the source lists it | ✓worked out from ingredients |
| On your phone | In the browser, or third-party apps | In the browser, or third-party apps |
| Home Assistant | ✓official integration | ✓shopping list sync |
Mealie is the easier start and is updated every week or two. Tandoor suits big collections: it imports from more than 20 apps and works out nutrition for you.
Where Recalo is different
We make Recalo, so this part is our pitch. Here's what it does that the other apps on this page don't list.
Save a recipe from an AI answer
You search for a recipe and Google's AI Mode just answers it. Or ChatGPT or Claude writes you one. Saving it usually means a screenshot. With Recalo:
- Tap Share on the answer or the conversation.
- Choose Recalo.
- It lands as a recipe with ingredients, steps and times, ready to cook, remix or plan.
No connector or setup needed.
One share button for everything you save
Recipe apps save recipes. Recalo saves whatever you share and works out what it is.
Then ask for anything later, in your own words: "that miso pasta", "cafés in Lisbon", "what was that book about the lighthouse". Plan the trip, the week's dinners or movie night from what you've saved.
Once a recipe is saved
- Remix it. Open it and say "make it vegan" or "make a high protein version". The new version is saved next to the original.
- Keep a log of every cook. Note what worked and what didn't, so next time starts from your best version.
- Plan the week. Recalo's AI picks dinners from your own recipes, writes the grocery list, by aisle or by recipe, or adds to the one you already have, and sets your cooking reminders. Or do it in ChatGPT.
How we checked
We make Recalo. We gave every app the same treatment and name where others do better.
Sources. Every fact about another app comes from its own website or US App Store listing, checked on September 28, 2026. We did not test other apps hands-on.
Spot a mistake? Apps change fast. Tell us through our contact page and we'll fix it.
Where the facts come from
- Crouton: App Store
- Deglaze: deglaze.app, App Store
- Mealie: docs.mealie.io, GitHub
- Mela: mela.recipes, App Store
- Paprika: paprikaapp.com, App Store
- ReciMe: recime.app, App Store
- Samsung Food: App Store
- Tandoor: tandoor.dev, docs
Questions
Which recipe app is free?
Samsung Food is free to use, and Mealie and Tandoor are free if you host them. ReciMe, Deglaze, Crouton, Mela and Paprika on Android have free versions with limits.
Which recipe apps import from Instagram and TikTok?
ReciMe, Deglaze and Recalo. Mealie does too once you connect an AI provider. Paprika, Mela, Crouton and Samsung Food don't list it.
Is there a recipe app without a subscription?
Paprika is paid once per platform. Samsung Food, Mealie and Tandoor are free.
How do I save a recipe from Google's AI Mode or ChatGPT?
Tap Share on the answer, choose Recalo, and it's saved as a recipe. Here's how it works. Of the apps on this page, Recalo is the only one that lists this.
Which recipe apps work with ChatGPT or Claude?
Deglaze and Recalo each have their own connector. Mealie has community-built ones.
