Best recipe apps: 12 free and paid options
A practical comparison of recipe organisers, with free-plan limits, paid upgrades and the routines each app suits.
By The Scullery team · Written
Updated
The best recipe app depends on what you want to do with your collection. Scullery is a free option for saving recipes, choosing meals together and cooking with your household. Compare it with dedicated organisers, social-recipe importers and self-hosted libraries before moving the recipes you rely on.
Compare 12 recipe apps
We make Scullery; this comparison uses official pages checked on 15 September 2026, not a hands-on ranking. Links lead to feature and pricing sources. Dollar prices are USD; store prices and billing options vary by country.
| App and platforms | Cost | Best suited to | Check first |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scullery Web | Free — no subscription or app purchase | Household cookbook, decision making and cooking | Free account needed; AI usage limits |
| Paprika iOS, Android, Mac, Windows | One-time purchase per platform | Personal collection and scaling | Separate platform purchases |
| Recipe Keeper iOS, Android, Mac, Windows | Free trial; iOS Pro $19.99 | Scanning paper; printable cookbooks | Pro pricing varies by platform |
| Crouton iPhone, iPad, Mac, Watch | Free download; paid Plus | Apple household recipe sync | Apple devices only |
| Plan to Eat iOS, Android, web | $49/year or $5.95/month; 14-day trial | Saved recipes into weekly plans | Subscription after trial |
| AnyList iOS, Android; paid web/Mac | Free lists; Complete $9.99/year individual, $14.99/household | Recipes beside shared shopping | Calendar and web access paid |
| Samsung Food iOS, Android, web | Free; optional Food+ $59.99/year | Recipe discovery, saving and planning | Advanced personalisation requires Food+ |
| Copy Me That iOS, Android, web | 40 recipes free; paid membership thereafter | Clipping web recipes | Free collection capped |
| CookBook iOS, Android, web | 20 recipes free; $39.99/year or $6.99/month | Mixed sources and scanning | Free smart imports also capped |
| ReciMe iOS, Android, web | 5 free imports/week; Plus subscription | Saving social-media recipes | Unlimited imports require Plus |
| Mealie Self-hosted web | Free software; hosting costs separate | Running your own recipe library | Server setup and maintenance |
| Tandoor Web | Free software; hosted free/paid plans | Recipe organisation on your server | Maintain hosting or choose hosted plan |
What you get free with Scullery
Scullery's shared cookbook, household shortlists, meal planning, recipe-linked shopping and cooking steps have no subscription or app purchase cost. Use it in a phone or desktop browser. Create a free account to start; AI features have usage limits that can require a wait.
For paper collections, compare Recipe Keeper's scanning and printable cookbooks. For Apple households, consider Crouton's iCloud sync. Scullery suits people who want the whole household involved in deciding what to cook.
Choose around your own recipes
Suppose your collection includes a website curry, a handwritten cake and a saved social post. Import one of each, check the quantities, then ask another household member to find a recipe and open its shopping list.
Free downloads can have collection or import limits. Scullery, Samsung Food and self-hosted tools take different approaches to free access; compare the restrictions alongside the price. Check export options before moving everything, and start with ten recipes you actually use.
