Cookmate's strength is import: 200-plus websites plus old-school formats like MealMaster and MasterCook. If you're migrating a big or unusual collection, that flexibility is real.
Day to day, though, the free tier shows ads and caps your synced collection at 60 recipes, with regular nudges to upgrade, and the interface shows its age. Gratin keeps the 'bring everything in' spirit without the ads or the cap.
Gratin vs Cookmate, side by side
Based on how each product generally works today. Product names belong to their owners. Visit Cookmate ↗
Gratin comes out cheaper and cleaner: Cookmate's Premium is about $23 a year to remove the ads and the 60-recipe cap, while Gratin's app is free, unlimited, and ad-free, with hosted sync at $12 a year or a one-time $39. If you're technical you can also self-host that sync yourself.
See how Gratin is priced, and why →What Cookmate gets right, and where it grates
Where Cookmate shines
- Imports from 200+ sites and legacy recipe formats
- Genuinely cross-platform, including Android
- Full toolkit: scaling, planner, shopping lists, book scanning
Where it can frustrate
- Ads on the free tier
- Free cloud tier caps you at 60 recipes, with upgrade nudges
- Dated interface and occasional sync glitches
Why people move to Gratin
No ads, no recipe cap
Cookmate's free tier shows ads and limits synced recipes. Gratin is ad-free with no limit on how much you save.
Your data on your device
Gratin is local-first. Your recipes don't depend on a cloud tier; they live with you and work offline.
A cleaner, calmer app
Cookmate is powerful but dated. Gratin is designed to feel modern and stay out of your way while you cook.
The verdict
Cookmate is a strong importer with a dated, ad-supported daily experience. Gratin gives you an ad-free, unlimited, on-device recipe book that's simply more pleasant to use.
Frequently asked questions
Can Gratin import my recipes from Cookmate?
You can bring recipes in via URLs and the clipper, and Gratin's open-standard export makes it easy to move data out again. For very unusual legacy formats, exporting to something standard first helps.
Does Gratin show ads?
Never. There are no ads and no upgrade nags. Optional hosted sync is $12/year or a one-time $39, or self-host the relay yourself if you're technical.
Is there a recipe limit?
No. Save as many recipes as you like. There's no free-tier cap.