The best recipe apps in 2026
Eight apps, compared on the things that actually change how you cook: whether they know what is in your kitchen, what they let you import, and what they cost.
How to read this comparison
Recipe apps split into three rough camps. Some are archives, built to store and organise recipes you already trust. Some are planners, built to fill a week and produce a shopping list. A smaller group are pantry apps, built to answer what can I cook right now with what I have.
Most disappointment comes from picking from the wrong camp, so work out which question you are asking before you look at features. Below is the full table, then a short honest note on each app, including where it beats Trova.
The best recipe apps compared
Eight apps side by side, from pantry tools to full meal planners.
| App | Pantry tracking | Recipe import | Meal planning | Nutrition tracking | Price | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trova | Yes, core feature | Web, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, photo, text | Yes | Yes, per serving | Free, Pro from £3.99/mo | iOS |
| Paprika | No | Yes | Yes | Basic | £4.99 one off | iOS, Android, Mac, Windows |
| Mealime | No | Limited | Yes | Yes | Free, Pro tier | iOS, Android |
| Samsung Food | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Free | iOS, Android, web |
| Plan to Eat | No | Yes | Yes | No | Paid, from about £4/mo | iOS, Android, web |
| Crouton | No | Yes | Yes | Basic | Free trial, then paid | iOS, Mac |
| Supercook | Session only, not saved between visits | No | No | No | Free | Web, iOS, Android |
| MyFridgeFood | No | No | No | No | Free | Web only |
Prices are the published tiers at the time of writing and are converted to pounds where the developer charges in another currency.
Which one should you pick
Trova
Best if the problem is I have ingredients and no idea what to cook. You keep a saved pantry, and Trova matches recipes against it, shows what is one ingredient away, tracks nutrition per serving and imports recipes from the web, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, a photo or plain text. Free on the App Store with an optional Pro tier from £3.99 a month. It is iOS only, which rules it out on Android and desktop.
Paprika
Best if you want offline storage and a one off payment, and you cook from a desktop. £4.99 buys it outright on iOS, Android, Mac and Windows, and it is better than Trova as a long term archive you own. No pantry tracking, and nutrition is basic.
Mealime
Best free meal planning if you do not care about your own pantry. Quick weekly plans, clean shopping lists and reliable nutrition on iOS and Android. Recipe import is limited, so it suits people happy to cook from its own library.
Samsung Food
Best if you want a big browsable recipe library. Free across iOS, Android and the web, with import, planning and nutrition, and partial pantry features. Expect a fair amount of promotion for Samsung appliances.
Plan to Eat
Best for households planning a full week of shopping. The planner and shopping list are the strongest here, on iOS, Android and web, from about £4 a month. No nutrition tracking and no pantry.
Crouton
Best if you want a beautifully made Apple native recipe manager with step by step cooking mode, on iOS and Mac. Import works well and planning is included. It is paid after a trial, has no pantry matching and only basic nutrition.
Supercook
Best free browser tool for a one off ingredient search, with no account needed. It does not save your pantry between visits and has no nutrition, planning or import.
MyFridgeFood
Best only as a nostalgic desktop bookmark. Free ingredient search on the web, with no mobile app, no saved pantry, no planning and no nutrition.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best recipe app in 2026?
It depends on the problem you are solving. Trova is the best pick if you want to cook from the ingredients you already have, Paprika if you want a recipe archive you own outright, Mealime or Plan to Eat if you plan a week of shopping, and Samsung Food if you want a large free recipe library.
Which recipe apps are free?
Trova is free on the App Store with an optional Pro tier, Mealime is free with a Pro tier, and Samsung Food, Supercook and MyFridgeFood are free. Paprika is a one off £4.99 purchase, Plan to Eat is subscription only, and Crouton is paid after a trial.
Which recipe app tracks what is in my kitchen?
Trova is built around a saved pantry that updates as you cook. Samsung Food has partial pantry features, and Supercook holds ingredients for a single browser session only. Paprika, Mealime, Plan to Eat and Crouton do not track a pantry.
What replaced Yummly after it shut down?
There is no single successor. Former Yummly users mostly split between Samsung Food for the browsable library, Paprika for saving and organising recipes, and Trova for working out what to cook from the ingredients at home.
Keep reading
Try Trova tonight
Add what is in your kitchen, and Trova shows you what you can actually cook right now.
Download Trova, free on the App StoreFree on the App Store. Pro tier optional, iOS only.