# Best free recipe apps

By the rule below, the best free recipe app is Samsung Food (16 of 16 points), if you want free meal planning with shared lists on Android and the web as well as iPhone. Next are Deglaze (16 of 16 points), if you want free household sharing, a web app and Android, and a connector for ChatGPT and Claude with a paid plan; and Honeydew (16 of 16 points), if you want a household that shares everything on iPhone and Android, and you will pay for Plus. 21 apps qualify.

https://getsaucepan.com/best/free-recipe-apps · checked November 4, 2026 · For people who do not want to pay for a recipe app.

## Ranked

1. Samsung Food: 16 of 16. Pick it if you want free meal planning with shared lists on Android and the web as well as iPhone. Price: Free for saving recipes, planning and shared lists. Samsung Food+ is $6.99 a month or $59.99 a year, with a 7-day trial. (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/samsung-food-meal-planner/id1133637674)
2. Deglaze: 16 of 16. Pick it if you want free household sharing, a web app and Android, and a connector for ChatGPT and Claude with a paid plan. Price: Free: 20 imports, then 5 a week, with household sharing. Pro is $49.99 a year, with a 7-day trial. (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/-/id6443578246)
3. Honeydew: 16 of 16. Pick it if you want a household that shares everything on iPhone and Android, and you will pay for Plus. Price: Free with a limited number of saves. Plus is $6.99 a month or $39.99 a year. (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/-/id6714449541)
4. Pestle: 16 of 16. Pick it if you want a design-led recipe manager with an Apple Watch app and a Chrome extension, and you are fine paying for Pro. Price: Free for 15 recipes. Pestle Pro is $24.99 a year, with a 14-day trial. The App Store also lists a monthly plan and lifetime purchases. (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pestle-recipe-manager/id1574776971)
5. Saucepan (our app): 16 of 16. Pick it if you want to save from Instagram, TikTok and websites, fill a Pantry by scanning your receipt, and cook with timers that ring, on iPhone. It is new: it launches November 13, 2026. Price: Free to use, with no ads. Saucepan+ is $4.99 a month or $34.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial. (/pricing)
6. Foodie: 15 of 16. Pick it if you want a new iPhone app that also shares a household list. It is young and has too few ratings on the App Store to show a score. Short of full marks: Scan cookbook pages and cards (partly). Price: Free: 3 AI imports and 5 chef messages every 7 days. Premium is $6.49 a month or $44.99 a year. (https://foodie.chewable.fit/)
7. Crouton: 14 of 16. Pick it if you use a Mac or an Apple Watch in the kitchen, or you want SharePlay cooking, and you keep everything on iCloud. Short of full marks: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube (not found). Price: Free with limits. The App Store lists Crouton Plus at $24.99 and Crouton Discover at $1.99 a month or $14.99 a year. (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/crouton-recipe-manager/id1461650987)
8. CookNest: 14 of 16. Pick it if you want a free plan with sharing, Android and the web, or a printed cookbook of your recipes. Short of full marks: Timers (not found). Price: Free with 3 automatic imports a week and no card. The App Store lists PRO purchases from $3.99 to $29.99, with periods not shown. (https://cooknest.app/)
9. ReciMe: 13 of 16. Pick it if you want the most widely used social-video saver, you are on Android too, and you do not need a pantry. Short of full marks: Shared with a household (partly) and Timers (not found). Price: Free with 5 imports a week. In the US the yearly plan is $39.99, with a 7-day trial. (https://recime.app/help/en/articles/11630592-wie-viel-kostet-das-recime-abo)
10. Recipe Keeper: 13 of 16. Pick it if you want to pay once, you have family on Android or Windows, or you have a big backlog of paper recipes. Short of full marks: Cook mode (partly) and Timers (not found). Price: Free download. Pro Upgrade is $19.99, once, on iPhone and iPad. The Mac version is $29.99. Each platform is a separate purchase. (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/recipe-keeper/id974683711)
11. AnyList: 12 of 16. Pick it if the grocery list is what you really need, you share it with a partner, and recipes are a nice extra. Short of full marks: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube (not found) and Scan cookbook pages and cards (not found). Price: Free. AnyList Complete is $9.99 a year for one person or $14.99 a year for a household. (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anylist-grocery-shopping-list/id522167641)
12. Kitchen Stories: 10 of 16. Pick it if you want a large catalog of tested recipes with step-by-step photos and videos, on iPhone, Apple TV or Android. Short of full marks: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube (partly), Save from websites (partly), Scan cookbook pages and cards (partly), Meal plan (partly) and Shared with a household (not found). Price: Free for recipes, cookbooks and shopping lists. Kitchen Stories Plus adds recipe import and fridge-based suggestions; the App Store lists it at $6.99, $7.99 and $79.99, with a 7-day free trial. (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/kitchen-stories-easy-recipes/id771068291)
13. BigOven: 10 of 16. Pick it if you want a long-running recipe and meal planning app with an Apple Watch app and a shared grocery list. Short of full marks: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube (not found), Cook mode (not found) and Timers (not found). Price: Free download. The App Store lists BigOven Pro at $2.99, $19.99 and $24.99, with periods not shown, and credit packs. (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bigoven-recipes-meal-planner/id294363034)
14. Cookpad: 10 of 16. Pick it if you want a large community of home-cook recipes with photos from people who cooked them, on iPhone, Android and the web. Short of full marks: Shared with a household (not found), Cook mode (not found) and Timers (not found). Price: Free, with no ads. The App Store lists Premium Service at $4.99 and $1.99. Premium puts the most popular recipes first in search, allows unlimited imports and adds advanced filters. (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cookpad-recipe-meal-planner/id585332633)
15. SideChef: 10 of 16. Pick it if you want a big catalog of guided recipes with a photo or video at every step, and you order groceries from Walmart, Instacart or Amazon Fresh. Short of full marks: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube (not found), Scan cookbook pages and cards (not found) and Shared with a household (no). Price: Free to download and use. Recipes, meal plans and grocery ordering do not need a subscription. SideChef Premium adds 800+ cooking classes and premium recipes for $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year, after a 7-day free trial. (https://www.sidechef.com/premium/)
16. Copy Me That: 10 of 16. Pick it if you mostly clip recipes from websites, want the lowest price, and like to use a browser as much as the phone. Short of full marks: Scan cookbook pages and cards (not found), Shared with a household (partly), Cook mode (partly) and Timers (not found). Price: Free up to 40 recipes. $0.99 a month for unlimited recipes, or $65 for lifetime. (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/copy-me-that-recipe-manager/id956800243)
17. Eat This Much: 9 of 16. Pick it if you want a planner that picks your meals to hit exact calorie and macro targets, on iPhone, Android or the web. Short of full marks: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube (not found), Scan cookbook pages and cards (not found), Grocery list (partly) and Timers (not found). Price: Free for planning one day at a time. Premium is $59.99 a year ($5 a month) or $14.99 month to month, with a 14-day trial. (https://help.eatthismuch.com/help/what-do-i-get-for-subscribing)
18. Cooklist: 9 of 16. Pick it if you shop at a US retailer it connects to and you want the pantry to fill from your loyalty account. Short of full marks: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube (partly), Scan cookbook pages and cards (not found), Cook mode (not found) and Timers (not found). Price: Free with ads. The App Store lists Pro at $7.99 a month and $49.99 a year. (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cooklist-pantry-meals-recipes/id1352600944)
19. Tasty: 4 of 16. Pick it if you want a big library of Tasty's video recipes and you buy groceries from Walmart. Short of full marks: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube (not found), Save from websites (no), Scan cookbook pages and cards (not found), Meal plan (partly), Grocery list (partly), Shared with a household (not found) and Timers (not found). Price: Free, with ads. Tasty+ is $3.99 a month or $34.99 a year on the US App Store. (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tasty-recipes-cooking-videos/id1217456898)
20. Mela: 16 of 16. Pick it if you want a quiet Apple-only library on iCloud with a one-time price and a Mac app. Its last App Store update was June 2025. Price: Free to download. Mela+ is a one-time unlock: $6.99 on iPhone and iPad, $14.99 on Mac, bought separately. (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mela-recipe-manager/id1548466041) Not updated since June 2025.
21. SuperCook: 0 of 16. Pick it if you just want a free way to find recipes from what's in your fridge, on the web, Android or iPhone, and you're happy to cook from the original website. Short of full marks: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube (not found), Save from websites (no), Scan cookbook pages and cards (not found), Meal plan (not found), Grocery list (not found), Shared with a household (not found), Cook mode (not found) and Timers (not found). Price: Free. The App Store lists no in-app purchases. (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/supercook-recipe-by-ingredient/id1477747816) Not updated since June 2022.

Partly qualify, not ranked: Paprika (iOS is a $4.99 one-time purchase. The Android version is free, limited to 50 recipes and no sync.); Pepperplate (Free download. Auto Renew Monthly Membership listed at $2.99. Free-tier limits not found); NYT Cooking (Free download with limited access: some editor-curated recipes and part of the Recipe Box. App Store IAP list: Cooking from $5.99 to $7.99 a month and $54.99 to $69.99 a year; All Access $29.99 a month.).

## Feature by feature

- Samsung Food: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube yes; Save from websites yes; Scan cookbook pages and cards yes; Meal plan yes; Grocery list yes; Shared with a household yes; Cook mode yes; Timers yes
- Deglaze: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube yes; Save from websites yes; Scan cookbook pages and cards yes; Meal plan yes; Grocery list yes; Shared with a household yes; Cook mode yes; Timers yes
- Honeydew: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube yes; Save from websites yes; Scan cookbook pages and cards yes; Meal plan yes; Grocery list yes; Shared with a household yes; Cook mode yes; Timers yes
- Pestle: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube yes; Save from websites yes; Scan cookbook pages and cards yes; Meal plan yes; Grocery list yes; Shared with a household yes; Cook mode yes; Timers yes
- Saucepan: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube yes; Save from websites yes; Scan cookbook pages and cards yes; Meal plan yes; Grocery list yes; Shared with a household yes; Cook mode yes; Timers yes
- Foodie: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube yes; Save from websites yes; Scan cookbook pages and cards partly; Meal plan yes; Grocery list yes; Shared with a household yes; Cook mode yes; Timers yes
- Crouton: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube not found; Save from websites yes; Scan cookbook pages and cards yes; Meal plan yes; Grocery list yes; Shared with a household yes; Cook mode yes; Timers yes
- CookNest: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube yes; Save from websites yes; Scan cookbook pages and cards yes; Meal plan yes; Grocery list yes; Shared with a household yes; Cook mode yes; Timers not found
- ReciMe: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube yes; Save from websites yes; Scan cookbook pages and cards yes; Meal plan yes; Grocery list yes; Shared with a household partly; Cook mode yes; Timers not found
- Recipe Keeper: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube yes; Save from websites yes; Scan cookbook pages and cards yes; Meal plan yes; Grocery list yes; Shared with a household yes; Cook mode partly; Timers not found
- AnyList: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube not found; Save from websites yes; Scan cookbook pages and cards not found; Meal plan yes; Grocery list yes; Shared with a household yes; Cook mode yes; Timers yes
- Kitchen Stories: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube partly; Save from websites partly; Scan cookbook pages and cards partly; Meal plan partly; Grocery list yes; Shared with a household not found; Cook mode yes; Timers yes
- BigOven: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube not found; Save from websites yes; Scan cookbook pages and cards yes; Meal plan yes; Grocery list yes; Shared with a household yes; Cook mode not found; Timers not found
- Cookpad: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube yes; Save from websites yes; Scan cookbook pages and cards yes; Meal plan yes; Grocery list yes; Shared with a household not found; Cook mode not found; Timers not found
- SideChef: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube not found; Save from websites yes; Scan cookbook pages and cards not found; Meal plan yes; Grocery list yes; Shared with a household no; Cook mode yes; Timers yes
- Copy Me That: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube yes; Save from websites yes; Scan cookbook pages and cards not found; Meal plan yes; Grocery list yes; Shared with a household partly; Cook mode partly; Timers not found
- Eat This Much: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube not found; Save from websites yes; Scan cookbook pages and cards not found; Meal plan yes; Grocery list partly; Shared with a household yes; Cook mode yes; Timers not found
- Cooklist: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube partly; Save from websites yes; Scan cookbook pages and cards not found; Meal plan yes; Grocery list yes; Shared with a household yes; Cook mode not found; Timers not found
- Tasty: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube not found; Save from websites no; Scan cookbook pages and cards not found; Meal plan partly; Grocery list partly; Shared with a household not found; Cook mode yes; Timers not found
- Mela: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube yes; Save from websites yes; Scan cookbook pages and cards yes; Meal plan yes; Grocery list yes; Shared with a household yes; Cook mode yes; Timers yes
- SuperCook: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube not found; Save from websites no; Scan cookbook pages and cards not found; Meal plan not found; Grocery list not found; Shared with a household not found; Cook mode not found; Timers not found

## How we ranked

A free plan is required. The score counts what each app can do, not what its free plan includes, because the apps describe their limits in different ways. Read each free plan’s limit below before you choose.

- To qualify, an app must have “Free plan” (Yes, not Partly). Closed apps and general tools like Apple Notes and Notion are left out.
- Score: 2 points for Yes, 1 for Partly, 0 for No, Not found or Coming, over 8 features: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Save from websites, Scan cookbook pages and cards, Meal plan, Grocery list, Shared with a household, Cook mode and Timers. Most is 16.
- Apps with no App Store update since November 2025 go below the ones that are kept up.
- Ties go to the app with more US App Store ratings. Saucepan has none yet, so it goes below any app it ties with.
- “Not found” scores zero: we credit only what an app’s own pages show. That can undercount an app that does more than its pages say.

## Questions

### What is the best free recipe app?
By the rule below, the best free recipe app is Samsung Food (16 of 16 points), if you want free meal planning with shared lists on Android and the web as well as iPhone. Next are Deglaze (16 of 16 points), if you want free household sharing, a web app and Android, and a connector for ChatGPT and Claude with a paid plan; and Honeydew (16 of 16 points), if you want a household that shares everything on iPhone and Android, and you will pay for Plus. 21 apps qualify.

### How did you rank these apps?
To qualify, an app must have “Free plan” (Yes, not Partly). Closed apps and general tools like Apple Notes and Notion are left out. Score: 2 points for Yes, 1 for Partly, 0 for No, Not found or Coming, over 8 features: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Save from websites, Scan cookbook pages and cards, Meal plan, Grocery list, Shared with a household, Cook mode and Timers. Most is 16. Apps with no App Store update since November 2025 go below the ones that are kept up. Ties go to the app with more US App Store ratings. Saucepan has none yet, so it goes below any app it ties with. “Not found” scores zero: we credit only what an app’s own pages show. That can undercount an app that does more than its pages say.

### Which of these work on Android?
Samsung Food, Deglaze, Honeydew, CookNest, ReciMe, Recipe Keeper, AnyList, Kitchen Stories, Cookpad, SideChef, Copy Me That, Eat This Much, Cooklist, Tasty and SuperCook, as their own pages say.

### Is Saucepan on this list because you make it?
Saucepan is our app, so we score it by the same rule from its own feature list, and say so on the list. It ranks #5 of 21 here. It launches on November 13, 2026 and has no ratings yet.

### When was this checked?
Feature marks were read from each app’s App Store listing, website and help pages on November 1, 2026, and prices, platforms and update dates on November 4, 2026. Apps change often.