Best apps to scan cookbooks and recipe cards

By the rule below, the best app to scan cookbooks and recipe cards is Samsung Food (14 of 14 points), if you want free meal planning with shared lists on Android and the web as well as iPhone. Next are Deglaze (13 of 14 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 (13 of 14 points), if you want a household that shares everything on iPhone and Android, and you will pay for Plus. 14 apps qualify.

For people with cookbooks, printouts or a box of family recipe cards. Checked November 4, 2026.

The ranking

  1. Samsung Food

    Vuoi una pianificazione dei pasti gratuita con liste condivise su Android e sul web oltre che su iPhone.

    14 of 14 points4.8 (6.4K ratings) on the US App Store

    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. App Store

  2. Deglaze

    Vuoi la condivisione gratuita in famiglia, un’app web e Android, e un connettore per ChatGPT e Claude con un piano a pagamento.

    13 of 14 points4.9 (4.1K ratings) on the US App Store

    Short of full marks: Mac and iPad (partly).

    Price. Free: 20 imports, then 5 a week, with household sharing. Pro is $49.99 a year, with a 7-day trial. App Store

  3. Honeydew

    Vuoi una famiglia che condivide tutto su iPhone e Android, e sei disposto a pagare per Plus.

    13 of 14 points4.8 (1.8K ratings) on the US App Store

    Short of full marks: Mac and iPad (partly).

    Price. Free with a limited number of saves. Plus is $6.99 a month or $39.99 a year. App Store

  4. Pestle

    Vuoi un gestore di ricette dal design curato con un’app per Apple Watch e un’estensione per Chrome, e ti va bene pagare per Pro.

    13 of 14 points4.7 (1.8K ratings) on the US App Store

    Short of full marks: Mac and iPad (partly).

    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. App Store

  5. Saucepan our app

    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.

    13 of 14 pointsNo ratings yet

    Short of full marks: Mac and iPad (partly).

    Price. Free to use, with no ads. Saucepan+ is $4.99 a month or $34.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial. Saucepan

  6. Crouton

    Usi un Mac o un Apple Watch in cucina, o vuoi cucinare con SharePlay, e tieni tutto su iCloud.

    12 of 14 points4.8 (2.9K ratings) on the US App Store

    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. App Store

  7. CookNest

    Vuoi un piano gratuito con condivisione, Android e web, oppure un libro di ricette stampato con le tue ricette.

    12 of 14 points4.8 (45 ratings) on the US App Store

    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. cooknest.app

  8. ReciMe

    Vuoi il salvatore di video social più diffuso, usi anche Android e non ti serve una dispensa.

    11 of 14 points4.8 (325K ratings) on the US App Store

    Short of full marks: Timers (not found), Mac and iPad (partly).

    Price. Free with 5 imports a week. In the US the yearly plan is $39.99, with a 7-day trial. recime.app

  9. Recipe Keeper

    Vuoi pagare una volta sola, hai famiglia su Android o Windows, o hai una grande pila di ricette su carta.

    11 of 14 points4.8 (31K ratings) on the US App Store

    Short of full marks: Cook mode (partly), 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. App Store

  10. Plan to Eat

    Pianifichi l’intera settimana su un calendario dal tuo ricettario, e vuoi anche il web e Android. Non ha un piano gratuito.

    11 of 14 points4.8 (6.1K ratings) on the US App Store

    Short of full marks: Mac and iPad (partly), Free plan (no).

    Price. No free plan. $5.95 a month or $49 a year, with a 14-day trial and no card. The App Store lists a one-year membership at $54.99. plantoeat.com

  11. Cookpad

    You want a large community of home-cook recipes with photos from people who cooked them, on iPhone, Android and the web.

    9 of 14 points4.4 (7,335 ratings) on the US App Store

    Short of full marks: Cook mode (not found), Timers (not found), Mac and iPad (partly).

    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. App Store

  12. Umami

    Vuoi un gestore economico che funzioni su iPhone, Android e web, e che restituisca le tue ricette in formati aperti.

    8 of 14 points4.8 (482 ratings) on the US App Store

    Short of full marks: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube (partly), Timers (not found), Mac and iPad (partly), Free plan (no).

    Price. 30-day trial, then a subscription or lifetime purchase to add recipes. You can still view and export. The App Store lists $0.99 or $3.99 a month, $9.99 or $19.99 a year, $19.99 or $59.99 lifetime. App Store

  13. BigOven

    Ti serve un’app di ricette e pianificazione pasti di lunga data, con un’app per Apple Watch e una lista della spesa condivisa.

    7 of 14 points4.7 (14,222 ratings) on the US App Store

    Short of full marks: Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube (not found), Cook mode (not found), Timers (not found), Mac and iPad (partly).

    Price. Free download. The App Store lists BigOven Pro at $2.99, $19.99 and $24.99, with periods not shown, and credit packs. App Store

  14. Mela

    Cerchi una libreria tranquilla solo Apple su iCloud, con un prezzo una tantum e un’app per Mac. La sua ultima versione sull’App Store risale a giugno 2025.

    14 of 14 points4.6 (884 ratings) on the US App StoreNot updated since June 2025

    Price. Free to download. Mela+ is a one-time unlock: $6.99 on iPhone and iPad, $14.99 on Mac, bought separately. App Store

Partly qualify, so not ranked: Paprika (Photo scanning of cookbook pages/recipe cards only in Paprika 4 open beta; not in Paprika 3 guide); Foodie (Photo of a cookbook page; handwritten cards not mentioned); Kitchen Stories (The importer reads screenshots and handwritten notes, with Kitchen Stories Plus only. Scanning cookbook pages is not mentioned).

Funzione per funzione

  • Sì
  • In parte
  • No
  • Non trovato
  • In arrivo
Best apps to scan cookbooks and recipe cards: features by app
AppScansionaWebsitesSocial videoModalità cucinaTimerMac e iPadPiano gratuito
Samsung FoodSìSìSìSìSìSìSì
DeglazeSìSìSìSìSìIn parteSì
HoneydewSìSìSìSìSìIn parteSì
PestleSìSìSìSìSìIn parteSì
Saucepan (ours)SìSìSìSìSìIn parteSì
CroutonSìSìNon trovatoSìSìSìSì
CookNestSìSìSìSìNon trovatoSìSì
ReciMeSìSìSìSìNon trovatoIn parteSì
Recipe KeeperSìSìSìIn parteNon trovatoSìSì
Plan to EatSìSìSìSìSìIn parteNo
CookpadSìSìSìNon trovatoNon trovatoIn parteSì
UmamiSìSìIn parteSìNon trovatoIn parteNo
BigOvenSìSìNon trovatoNon trovatoNon trovatoIn parteSì
MelaSìSìSìSìSìSìSì

Tap a mark for the note and its source. Each app’s name opens a page with every row.

How we ranked

Scanning a page or card is required. Then the other ways to bring recipes in, cooking from them, a bigger screen, and a free plan. The matrix says whether an app scans, not how well; we have not tested scan quality.

  • To qualify, an app must have “Scan cookbook pages and cards” (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 7 features: Scan cookbook pages and cards, Save from websites, Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Cook mode, Timers, Mac and iPad and Free plan. Most is 14.
  • 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.

Saucepan is our app. It is scored from its own feature list by the same rule.

Domande

What is the best app to scan cookbooks and recipe cards?

By the rule below, the best app to scan cookbooks and recipe cards is Samsung Food (14 of 14 points), if you want free meal planning with shared lists on Android and the web as well as iPhone. Next are Deglaze (13 of 14 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 (13 of 14 points), if you want a household that shares everything on iPhone and Android, and you will pay for Plus. 14 apps qualify.

How did you rank these apps?

To qualify, an app must have “Scan cookbook pages and cards” (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 7 features: Scan cookbook pages and cards, Save from websites, Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Cook mode, Timers, Mac and iPad and Free plan. Most is 14. 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 have a free plan?

Samsung Food, Deglaze, Honeydew, Pestle, Saucepan, Crouton, CookNest, ReciMe, Recipe Keeper, Cookpad, BigOven and Mela. Free plans have limits; each app’s line above says what it is.

Which of these work on Android?

Samsung Food, Deglaze, Honeydew, CookNest, ReciMe, Recipe Keeper, Plan to Eat, Cookpad and Umami, 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 14 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.