Free recipe apps

Best free recipe apps, and how they make money

A free recipe app usually means a recipe limit, banner ads or data collection. Here’s how each free option works.

Nearly every recipe app in the App Store is free to download, and most lock up once you hit their recipe limit. Others let you save recipes for free in return for banner ads and tracking your grocery habits.

Here are the ones you can actually use for free, and how each one pays its bills.

  1. 1

    GratinOur pick (biased)

    Recipe manager on macOS, Windows, iOS, Android

    We make Gratin, so we’re biased. The whole app is free on Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, with unlimited recipes, no ads, no account and on-device AI. We only charge ($12/yr or $39 once) if you want us to run Hosted sync, and you can run your own sync server for free.

    Cost
    The app is free. Hosted sync is $12/yr or $39 once, or free if you run your own sync server.
    Good for
    Home cooks who want one private recipe book on Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, and want to bring their Paprika folders with them.
    Join the closed beta
  2. 2

    RecipeSage

    Recipe manager on Web, Android, Self-hosted

    Free, open source under AGPL-3.0 and ad-free, funded by donations. Use it in your browser with an account, or run it on your own server with Docker.

    Cost
    Free and funded by donations, or run it on your own server for free (AGPL-3.0)
    Good for
    Technical cooks who want a free, open-source web app with shared lists that they can run on their own server.
    RecipeSage website ↗
  3. 3

    Copy Me That

    Recipe clipper on Web, iOS, iPadOS, Android, Browser extension

    Ad-free with a reliable browser clipper, but the free version stops at 40 recipes and keeps everything in a Copy Me That cloud account.

    Cost
    Free up to 40 recipes, then $0.99/mo, ~$12/yr, or $65 lifetime
    Good for
    People on a desktop browser who want a simple, ad-free recipe clipper.
    Copy Me That website ↗
  4. 4

    AnyList

    Grocery lists + recipes on iOS, iPadOS, macOS, Android, Web

    The shared grocery list is useful for free, but web recipe import, scaling and desktop access need the paid Complete subscription.

    Cost
    Free basic lists, or AnyList Complete at $9.99/yr ($14.99/yr household)
    Good for
    Households that mainly want a shared grocery list that updates live, with meal planning on the side.
    AnyList website ↗
  5. 5

    Samsung Food

    Recipe network on iOS, iPadOS, Android, Web

    Saves unlimited web recipes for free, paid for by ads, promoted products and feeding your cooking habits into Samsung’s marketing.

    Cost
    Free with ads, or Food+ at $6.99/mo ($59.99/yr)
    Good for
    Cooks who want a free cloud recipe service with lots of features and a social feed.
    Samsung Food website ↗
  6. 6

    Cookmate

    Recipe manager on iOS, iPadOS, macOS, Android, Web

    Free with banner ads and a 60-recipe cloud limit. Mainly useful if you need its importers for older recipe formats.

    Cost
    Free up to 60 cloud recipes with ads, or Premium at $1.99/mo ($22.99/yr)
    Good for
    Cooks moving big collections from older recipe file formats who need wide import support.
    Cookmate website ↗

Questions about choosing a recipe app

How can Gratin be free without ads or selling user data?

Your recipes and the built-in AI run on your own device, so someone who doesn’t use Hosted sync costs us nothing in server bills. The Hosted sync fee ($12/year or $39 once) covers the people who do use our servers.

What about Paprika, Mela, Crouton, and Pestle?

All four are free to download and try, so they show up when you search for free apps. But each one stops you saving new recipes after a small limit until you pay.

Your recipes, on your devices

Gratin launches soon. Leave your email and I’ll let you know when it’s out.

Want it sooner? Join the beta and get free sync for life →