Best apps · Recipe managers
The 7 best Paprika alternatives in 2026.
Paprika has been the default recipe manager for over fifteen years, and for good reason. But it has no web app, Paprika 3 is bought per platform, and Paprika 4 is moving to a subscription. If you're looking around, here are the seven apps worth trying, and which kind of Paprika user each one suits.
By Hedgehog Chef · · 7-minute read
The short answer
The best Paprika alternative depends on why you're leaving. For a web app, a shared household and an AI meal planner, start with Hedgehog Chef. For a long-running subscription planner, Plan to Eat. For the cheapest shared list, AnyList. To keep paying once per platform like Paprika 3, Recipe Keeper. On Apple devices only, Mela or Crouton. On a tight budget, Copy Me That.
- 1. Hedgehog Chef: best for a web app, the whole household and an AI planner
- 2. Plan to Eat: best for a proven subscription planner that works offline
- 3. AnyList: best for the cheapest shared grocery list with recipes
- 4. Recipe Keeper: best for paying once per platform, like Paprika 3
- 5. Mela: best for a beautiful, private, Apple-only recipe box
- 6. Crouton: best for hands-free cooking on Apple devices
- 7. Copy Me That: best for the lowest price on every device
At a glance
| App | Best for | Price | Without paying |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Hedgehog Chef | Best for: a web app, the whole household and an AI planner | Price: Hedgehog Chef Plus ($5.99/month or $49.99/year, on sale soon), for the whole household | Without paying: A 14-day free trial with everything, no card needed; no free plan after it |
| 2. Plan to Eat | Best for: a proven subscription planner that works offline | Price: $5.95/month or $49/year on its website ($54.99/year in the App Store) | Without paying: A 14-day trial without a card; no free plan |
| 3. AnyList | Best for: the cheapest shared grocery list with recipes | Price: AnyList Complete: $9.99/year for one person or $14.99/year for a household | Without paying: Shared lists and recipes, with 5 web recipe imports; meal planning needs Complete |
| 4. Recipe Keeper | Best for: paying once per platform, like Paprika 3 | Price: A Pro upgrade bought per platform: $19.99 on iPhone/iPad and Android, $29.99 on Mac | Without paying: Free to download, with the Pro upgrade in the app |
| 5. Mela | Best for: a beautiful, private, Apple-only recipe box | Price: Mela+ is a one-time $6.99 on iPhone/iPad and $14.99 on Mac, bought separately | Without paying: Free to download, with Mela+ as a one-time upgrade |
| 6. Crouton | Best for: hands-free cooking on Apple devices | Price: Discover: $1.99/month or $14.99/year; Crouton Plus: $24.99 | Without paying: Free to download; what's free isn't spelled out on its pages |
| 7. Copy Me That | Best for: the lowest price on every device | Price: About $1/month, or a yearly or lifetime membership; one membership covers every device | Without paying: Every feature, up to 40 recipes |
How we chose
We make Hedgehog Chef, so it's first on this list: that's our bias, stated up front, and its cons are as honest as everyone else's. The other apps are in the order we'd suggest them for this job. Everything we say about them comes from their own websites, help pages and app-store listings, checked on October 13, 2026 and linked at the end, and each entry says who should pick it instead of ours. We left out store ratings, which change daily.
What we looked at:
- Can it import a Paprika library, so you don't start from scratch?
- Does it run where you cook: phone, tablet, computer, browser?
- Can everyone at home share recipes, the plan and the list?
- How it's priced: subscription, one-time, or per platform like Paprika 3
- Is it still being actively developed?
The apps
Our app
1. Hedgehog Chef
Best for a web app, the whole household and an AI planner
Hedgehog Chef does Paprika's core jobs, saving recipes, planning meals, building the shopping list and keeping a pantry, and adds the things Paprika users ask for most: a web app that runs on any computer, a separate login for everyone at home, and an AI planner that drafts the week from your own recipes.
Moving over is one step: export from Paprika (the .paprikarecipes file) and import it, photos, ratings, notes and categories included. Hedgehog Chef has no free plan: every kitchen starts with a 14-day free trial with everything included and no card, then Hedgehog Chef Plus ($5.99/month or $49.99/year, on sale soon) covers the whole household.
Pros
- Imports whole libraries from Paprika (photos included), Mela, Crouton, Recipe Keeper, MasterCook, Plan to Eat, Copy Me That and more
- Runs in any browser and installs like an app on iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows and Chromebook
- Up to 8 people, each with their own login, on one subscription
- An AI planner: ask for “a week of high-protein dinners under $150” and it proposes a plan and a list from your recipes, for you to approve
- Full-screen cook mode with that step's ingredients, tap-to-start timers, voice commands and read-aloud
- Export everything, any time, even after a trial or subscription ends
Cons
- New: launched in 2026, so it doesn't have years of track record yet
- No free plan: after the 14-day free trial it's Hedgehog Chef Plus ($5.99/month or $49.99/year, on sale soon)
- No App Store or Google Play app yet: it installs from the browser instead
- Only partly offline: the shopping list, this week's plan and saved recipes open without a connection, the rest needs one
- Platforms
- Any web browser, installable as an app on iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows and Chromebook
- Price
- Hedgehog Chef Plus ($5.99/month or $49.99/year, on sale soon), for the whole household
- Without paying
- A 14-day free trial with everything, no card needed; no free plan after it
2. Plan to Eat
Best for a proven subscription planner that works offline
Plan to Eat has been around since 2008 and does the same core loop as Paprika: a recipe book, a drag-and-drop planner and a shopping list. It runs on the web as well as iPhone and Android, its phone app works offline and syncs later, and it bulk-imports libraries from Paprika, Recipe Keeper, Copy Me That and others.
It's subscription-only, at a similar price to ours, and a household shares one account. Plan to Eat decided not to have a pantry.
Pros
- Web app plus iPhone and Android apps
- The phone app keeps working offline and syncs later
- Bulk import from Paprika and many other apps
- No ads; nutrition calculated automatically
- Eighteen years of track record
Cons
- No free plan after the 14-day trial
- One shared login for the household
- No pantry, by design
- We couldn't find AI meal-plan generation
- Platforms
- iPhone and Android apps and the web
- Price
- $5.95/month or $49/year on its website ($54.99/year in the App Store)
- Without paying
- A 14-day trial without a card; no free plan
3. AnyList
Best for the cheapest shared grocery list with recipes
AnyList started as a shared grocery list and grew a recipe box and meal planner. It's polished, has native apps on iPhone, Android, Mac and Apple Watch, and a household plan costs $14.99 a year, a fraction of most subscriptions. From the phone apps, US users can send the list to Instacart, Walmart, Kroger and other stores.
The free tier is mostly a list: web recipe import stops at five, and the meal planner and web app need AnyList Complete.
Pros
- $14.99 a year for a whole household
- Native apps, including Mac and Apple Watch
- Sends lists to several US grocery services
- Siri and Alexa for adding items
Cons
- Meal planning and the web app need Complete
- Only 5 web recipe imports on the free tier
- We couldn't find a pantry or nutrition
- No bulk recipe export found
- Platforms
- iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Android and Mac apps; the web app needs Complete
- Price
- AnyList Complete: $9.99/year for one person or $14.99/year for a household
- Without paying
- Shared lists and recipes, with 5 web recipe imports; meal planning needs Complete
4. Recipe Keeper
Best for paying once per platform, like Paprika 3
If what you like about Paprika is paying once and owning the app, Recipe Keeper is the closest match. It has native apps for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android and Windows, a Pro upgrade bought once per platform, and it works offline. It scans recipes from photos, PDFs and handwritten cards, and imports from Paprika and a long list of older recipe apps.
Like Paprika 3, you pay again on each platform, and there's no web app.
Pros
- Native apps on all four big platforms
- OCR import from photos, PDFs and handwriting
- Imports from Paprika and many older apps
- Works offline; no subscription listed
- Aisle-sorted shopping list and a meal planner
Cons
- Bought separately per platform ($19.99 iPhone/Android, $29.99 Mac)
- No web app
- Nutrition is typed in by hand
- We couldn't find a pantry
- Platforms
- iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android and Windows apps; no web app
- Price
- A Pro upgrade bought per platform: $19.99 on iPhone/iPad and Android, $29.99 on Mac
- Without paying
- Free to download, with the Pro upgrade in the app
5. Mela
Best for a beautiful, private, Apple-only recipe box
Mela is a beautifully designed recipe manager for iPhone, iPad and Mac. Mela+ is a one-time purchase, recipes sync through your own iCloud, and its App Store listing says the developer collects no data. The meal plan lives in Apple Calendar and groceries go to Reminders.
It's Apple-only, and its last update was in June 2025, so weigh how actively it's developed.
Pros
- One-time price: $6.99 on iPhone/iPad, $14.99 on Mac
- Private: syncs through your iCloud, collects no data
- Lovely native design
- An open, documented export format
Cons
- iPhone, iPad and Mac only
- Last updated June 2025
- Nutrition is free text, not calculated
- The plan and list live in Calendar and Reminders
- Platforms
- iPhone, iPad and Mac
- Price
- Mela+ is a one-time $6.99 on iPhone/iPad and $14.99 on Mac, bought separately
- Without paying
- Free to download, with Mela+ as a one-time upgrade
6. Crouton
Best for hands-free cooking on Apple devices
Crouton is a modern Apple-only recipe manager with an excellent step-by-step mode: hands-free navigation, timers it finds in the text, and SharePlay to cook along with someone. It imports from links, photos, PDFs and text with AI, plans meals from your recipes, and exports to PDF, Markdown or text.
It runs on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Vision Pro, with nothing for Android or the web.
Pros
- A standout step-by-step cooking mode
- AI import from photos, PDFs and text
- Cheap: Discover is $14.99 a year
- Bulk export to PDF, Markdown and text
- Very actively updated
Cons
- Apple devices only
- What's free vs. paid isn't spelled out
- We couldn't find aisle sorting or a pantry
- Platforms
- iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Vision Pro only
- Price
- Discover: $1.99/month or $14.99/year; Crouton Plus: $24.99
- Without paying
- Free to download; what's free isn't spelled out on its pages
7. Copy Me That
Best for the lowest price on every device
Copy Me That saves a full copy of recipes from websites and social apps, with a meal planner, an aisle-sorted shopping list and a pantry list. It runs on iPhone, Android and any browser, and one membership, about $1 a month, covers every device.
It's simple: no guided cook mode, photo import or nutrition, and a household shares one login.
Pros
- About $1 a month, on every device
- Web app, iPhone, Android and a Chrome clipper
- Meal planner, aisle-sorted list and a pantry list
- Free for up to 40 recipes
Cons
- Sync needs a connection
- One shared login for the household
- No cook mode, photo import or nutrition found
- Platforms
- iPhone, Android, any web browser and a Chrome extension
- Price
- About $1/month, or a yearly or lifetime membership; one membership covers every device
- Without paying
- Every feature, up to 40 recipes
How to choose
Start with how you use Paprika today. If it's the household's recipe box and everyone needs it on their own phone and computer, you want web access and real sharing: Hedgehog Chef or Plan to Eat. If it's mostly for the shopping list, AnyList is cheaper and very good at lists.
If you love owning the app outright, Recipe Keeper (every platform) and Mela (Apple only) keep that model, and Paprika 3 itself keeps working too. If you're all-in on Apple and cook from your iPad, Crouton's cooking mode is a treat.
Whatever you choose, export your Paprika library first. Hedgehog Chef, Plan to Eat and Recipe Keeper all list Paprika among their imports, so you can try more than one with the same file.
Questions
Is Paprika going to a subscription?
Paprika 4, in open beta since September 28, 2026, is free to download, and its premium features will need a subscription after the beta. Paprika's FAQ says existing Paprika 3 owners keep their current features without subscribing. The price hasn't been announced.
Does Paprika have a web version?
No. Paprika has apps for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android and Windows, and no web app, in Paprika 3 or the Paprika 4 beta. Hedgehog Chef and Plan to Eat both run in a browser; Copy Me That has a web app too.
How do I move my recipes out of Paprika?
Export your recipes from Paprika as a .paprikarecipes file. Hedgehog Chef imports that file with photos, ratings, notes and categories, and leaves your Paprika library untouched; Plan to Eat and Recipe Keeper import from Paprika too.
What's the best free alternative to Paprika?
None of the full replacements is completely free. Copy Me That is free up to 40 recipes and then about $1 a month; AnyList's free tier covers shared lists and a few imported recipes. Most others offer a trial.
Which Paprika alternative works best for a family?
Hedgehog Chef gives up to 8 people their own login in one shared kitchen, with a list that updates on every phone instantly. AnyList also has household accounts. Plan to Eat, Copy Me That and Paprika 3 share one login.
Sources, checked on October 13, 2026:
- Plan to Eat pricing
- Plan to Eat FAQ
- Plan to Eat offline use
- Plan to Eat on a pantry
- AnyList Complete
- AnyList on the web
- AnyList online shopping (help)
- AnyList on the App Store
- Recipe Keeper
- Recipe Keeper on the App Store
- Recipe Keeper on Google Play
- Mela
- Mela on the App Store
- Crouton
- Crouton on the App Store
- Copy Me That
- Copy Me That on the App Store
- Copy Me That on Google Play
Plan to Eat, AnyList, Recipe Keeper, Mela, Crouton, Copy Me That are trademarks of their owners (AnyList: Purple Cover, Inc.; Recipe Keeper: Tudorspan Limited; Crouton: Crouton LLC; Copy Me That: Copy Me That IVS). Hedgehog Chef isn't affiliated with or endorsed by any of them. Prices are in US dollars as listed on the day we checked, and change; app-store prices can differ from website prices.
Spotted something out of date or wrong? Tell us at hello@hedgehogchef.com and we'll fix it.