SideChef is built around a catalog of step-by-step recipes with photos or videos at each step, plus meal plans and shoppable grocery lists. Saucepan saves recipes from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and websites, shows which ones you can make tonight, and cooks them hands-free. Pick Saucepan if you want to save recipes from Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, share your meal plan and grocery list with your household, and see your timers in Live Activities.
Ingredients, steps, a photo and credit to the creator.
It reads the receipt on your phone and lists the food it found.
Large type, timers that ring, and voice to move on.
| Detail | SideChef | Saucepan |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Mac with Apple silicon, Apple Vision, Android and the web.App Store | iPhone, and it runs on iPad. Android is coming soon. Your library, collections and grocery list are also on the web at getsaucepan.com/app.Saucepan |
| Syncs through | Not found on its own pages. | Sign in and your library syncs to every device. Without an account, recipes stay on your phone.Saucepan |
| Saves from | Any web recipe, by pasting its URL or with the Share button. RecipeGen AI also makes a recipe from a photo of a dish.App Store | Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, Facebook and most recipe websites, plus cookbook pages, handwritten cards and screenshots.Saucepan |
| Last App Store update | Version 5.31.4, October 29, 2026.App Store | New. Launches November 13, 2026. |
| Ratings | 4.7 stars from 1,672 ratingsApp Store | None yet. It launches soon. |
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.
You want to save recipes from Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, share your meal plan and grocery list with your household, and see your timers in Live Activities.
You do not have to choose today. Keep SideChef while you try Saucepan on a few recipes.
| Feature | SideChef | Saucepan |
|---|---|---|
| AI assistants & MCP | ||
| Works in ChatGPT | Not found | YesSaucepan |
| Works in Claude | Not found | YesSaucepan |
| Other AI apps via MCP | Not found | YesSaucepan |
| Interactive cards in the chat | Not found | YesSaucepan |
| Saving | ||
| Save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube | Not found | YesSaucepan |
| Save from websites | YesApp Store | YesSaucepan |
| Scan cookbook pages and cards | Not found | YesSaucepan |
| Planning & shopping | ||
| Meal plan | Yessidechef.com | YesSaucepan |
| Grocery list | Yessidechef.com | YesSaucepan |
| Shared with a household | Nosidechef.com | YesSaucepan |
| Send the list to grocery delivery | YesApp Store | No |
| Kitchen | ||
| Pantry | YesApp Store | YesSaucepan |
| Receipt scan | Not found | YesSaucepan |
| What can I make from what I have | YesApp Store | YesSaucepan |
| Cook mode | Yessidechef.com | YesSaucepan |
| Timers | YesApp Store | YesSaucepan |
| Nutrition | Yessidechef.com | YesSaucepan |
| Apple extras | ||
| Widgets | YesApp Store | YesSaucepan |
| Live Activities | Not found | YesSaucepan |
| Apple Watch | NoApp Store | PartlySaucepan |
| Siri and Shortcuts | Not found | YesSaucepan |
| Mac and iPad | PartlyApp Store | Partly |
| CarPlay | Not found | PartlySaucepan |
| Platforms & price | ||
| Android | YesGoogle Play | Coming |
| Web app | Yessidechef.com | Partly |
| Free plan | YesApp Store | YesSaucepan |
Tap a mark for the note. “Not found” means we looked on their own pages and did not see it.
Saucepan has shared with a household. SideChef’s own pages say it does not.
Saucepan has works in ChatGPT, works in Claude, other AI apps via MCP, interactive cards in the chat, save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, scan cookbook pages and cards, receipt scan, Live Activities and Siri and shortcuts. We did not find these on SideChef’s pages.
Yes free plan
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.
sidechef.comYes free plan
Free to use, with no ads. Saving, Cook Mode, timers, meal plans, groceries and sharing are free. Saucepan+ is $4.99 a month or $34.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial, and includes Family Sharing.
Saucepan pricingPrices are US dollars from each app’s own pages, checked November 4, 2026. Apps change them. In-app purchase lists on the App Store do not always say how long each one lasts, and we say so when they do not.
We found no way to export a whole library from SideChef on its own pages. You can still bring recipes over one at a time: share the original link to Saucepan, paste the text, or use a screenshot or photo.
SideChef: 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. Saucepan: Free to use, with no ads. Saucepan+ is $4.99 a month or $34.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial. Prices checked November 4, 2026.
SideChef: We did not find it on its own pages. Saucepan: Yes. Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest and Facebook. Reads the caption and, for videos, the on-screen text and narration.
SideChef: Yes. SideChef: Recipes & Meal Plans on Google Play. Saucepan: Android is coming soon. It runs on iPhone now.
We found no ChatGPT, Claude or MCP connector from SideChef on its own pages. Saucepan connects to both for free.
The US App Store lists SideChef at version 5.31.4, updated October 29, 2026. We checked on November 4, 2026.
We found no way to export a whole library from SideChef on its own pages. You can still bring recipes over one at a time: share the original link to Saucepan, paste the text, or use a screenshot or photo.
Choose SideChef 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.
