Compare · Mealime alternative
Mealime is closing. Here's an honest alternative.
Mealime closes on October 21, 2026, and its personal data will be deleted. Mealime points its users to Meals Hub, made by the same team inside Albertsons Companies' grocery apps — that's the closest match if you want Mealime's own recipes. If you'd rather plan around recipes you keep, with your household, here's how Hedgehog Chef compares.
Compared using Mealime's closing announcement, support site and App Store and Google Play listings. Last checked October 13, 2026.
Hedgehog Chef is the better fit if you want…
- A home that isn't closing, for the recipes you choose to keep.
- An AI planner that builds the week from your recipes, diet and budget.
- Everyone at home with their own login and one shared list.
- A pantry, grocery prices and reminders.
- Export everything, any time, free.
Mealime is the better fit if…
- You want Mealime's own recipes and team: Meals Hub is free, includes the former Pro recipes and is run by Mealime's core team.
- You shop at Albertsons Companies stores, where Meals Hub lives in the grocery app.
- You'd rather be handed a plan from a curated catalog than start from your own recipes.
Why Mealime users switch
What Hedgehog Chef does better than Mealime
Plans around your recipes, not a catalog
Mealime built weekly plans from its own recipes, filtered by diet, allergies and dislikes. Hedgehog Chef's AI planner does the same job with the recipes you've saved: ask for “a vegetarian week, nothing spicy, under $100” and approve the plan and list it proposes.
One list for the whole household
Mealime's support suggested families sign in to the same account, because lists couldn't be shared. In Hedgehog Chef each person has their own login, and one checked-off item disappears from every phone at once.
Cook the way you did in Mealime
Mealime's cooking mode walked through each step and could advance hands-free. Hedgehog Chef's cook mode shows one step at a time in big type, with that step's ingredients, timers you start by tapping, voice commands and read-aloud.
Never lose your recipes again
We couldn't find a way to export from Mealime. In Hedgehog Chef, export your whole library — with photos — as Paprika files, web pages, Markdown or JSON whenever you like, on every plan, and weekly backups run on their own.
Side by side
Hedgehog Chef vs. Mealime, feature by feature
Every Mealime cell comes from Mealime's own website, help pages or app-store listing, checked on October 13, 2026.
Getting it and paying for it
| Feature | Hedgehog Chef | Mealime |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Hedgehog ChefLaunched in 2026 and actively developed | MealimeClosing on October 21, 2026; personal data will be deleted |
| Where it runs | Hedgehog ChefIn any modern browser, installable on iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows and Chromebook as an app | MealimeiPhone and Android apps, and a web app for signed-in users |
| Price | Hedgehog ChefFree plan with unlimited recipes. Hedgehog Chef Plus ($5.99/month or $49.99/year, on sale soon): one subscription for the whole household, on every device | MealimeFree; Pro (was $2.99/month) became free for everyone before the shutdown |
Planning
| Feature | Hedgehog Chef | Mealime |
|---|---|---|
| Plans made for you | Hedgehog ChefYes: Ask for “a week of high-protein dinners under $150”; the planner proposes a plan and a list from your recipes for you to approve | MealimeYes: Weekly plans from Mealime's recipe catalog, with diet, allergy and dislike filters |
| Plans from your own recipes | Hedgehog ChefYes: Yes: your library is what the planner plans with | MealimePartly: You could add your own recipes, imported from the web |
| Grocery prices | Hedgehog ChefYes: Prices on your list and plan: live prices at Kroger-family stores, community prices from Open Prices, labeled estimates otherwise | MealimeNot mentioned in Mealime's support pages or store listings |
| Meal planner you edit | Hedgehog ChefYes: Week board with drag and drop, month view, reusable menus, leftovers, a calendar feed and a kitchen display | MealimePartly: A weekly plan; the previous plan was a Pro feature |
Getting recipes in
| Feature | Hedgehog Chef | Mealime |
|---|---|---|
| From recipe websites | Hedgehog ChefYes: Paste a link, or use the bookmarklet, Android share sheet or iOS Shortcut; AI reads pages without recipe markup | MealimeYes: Import from the web, in the phone apps |
| From a photo | Hedgehog ChefYes: Yes: a photo of a cookbook page or a handwritten card | MealimeNot mentioned in Mealime's support pages or store listings |
| From pasted text | Hedgehog ChefYes: Yes: paste any recipe text | MealimeNot mentioned in Mealime's support pages or store listings |
| From videos and social posts | Hedgehog ChefYes: YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Pinterest links (the recipe in the description or caption, or the page it links to) | MealimeNot mentioned in Mealime's support pages or store listings |
Cooking
| Feature | Hedgehog Chef | Mealime |
|---|---|---|
| Step-by-step cooking | Hedgehog ChefYes: Full screen, one step at a time, with that step's ingredients and big type | MealimeYes: Cooking mode with step-by-step instructions, screen kept awake |
| Hands-free | Hedgehog ChefYes: Voice commands (“next”, “start timer”) and read-aloud in cook mode | MealimeYes: A hands-free mode that moves to the next step |
| Nutrition | Hedgehog ChefYes: Calculated from the ingredients with USDA data on every plan, with daily goals and day totals on the plan | MealimeYes: Full nutrition per recipe, and Apple Health |
Shopping, pantry and your data
| Feature | Hedgehog Chef | Mealime |
|---|---|---|
| Grocery list | Hedgehog ChefYes: Sorted by aisle, amounts merged, pantry items skipped; your aisle corrections are remembered | MealimeYes: Built from the plan and sorted into categories |
| Pantry | Hedgehog ChefYes: Fridge, freezer, pantry and spices; expiry dates; “What can I make?” ranked by what you have | MealimeNot mentioned in Mealime's support pages or store listings |
| Reminders | Hedgehog ChefYes: Thaw the night before, start cooking, shopping day, use it up | MealimeNot mentioned in Mealime's support pages or store listings |
| Export | Hedgehog ChefYes: Paprika's own format, web pages, Markdown or JSON, with photos — free on every plan, plus weekly backups | MealimePartly: Lists can be printed or saved as PDF; no recipe export mentioned |
Your household
| Feature | Hedgehog Chef | Mealime |
|---|---|---|
| Everyone with their own login | Hedgehog ChefYes: Yes: up to 2 people on Free, 8 on Hedgehog Chef Plus, each with their own login | MealimePartly: Lists couldn't be shared; support suggested signing in to one account |
| Changes show up for everyone | Hedgehog ChefYes: Instantly: check off milk and it's checked on every phone | MealimeNot mentioned in Mealime's support pages or store listings |
Sources, checked on October 13, 2026:
- Mealime closing announcement
- Mealime Pro (support)
- Importing from the web (support)
- Cooking recipes (support)
- Sharing (support)
- Mealime on the App Store
- Plan to Eat: importing from Mealime
Mealime is a trademark of Albertsons Companies. Hedgehog Chef isn't affiliated with or endorsed by Albertsons Companies. Spotted something out of date or wrong? Tell us at hello@hedgehogchef.com and we'll fix it.
Questions
Mealime vs. Hedgehog Chef: common questions
When does Mealime shut down?
Mealime says it will be discontinued on October 21, 2026. Pro became free for everyone beforehand, Pro subscriptions won't renew, and Mealime says all personal data will be deleted when the app shuts down.
What is replacing Mealime?
Mealime points its users to Meals Hub, a free section of Albertsons Companies' grocery apps and websites, made by Mealime's core team and including the former Pro recipes. Your Mealime account data doesn't move over automatically.
Can I export my recipes from Mealime?
Mealime's closing page doesn't mention an export, and Plan to Eat's help center says there's no bulk export from Mealime. Before October 21, copy the ingredients and steps of the recipes you want to keep and paste them into Hedgehog Chef, or save screenshots and import them as photos.
Is there a free Mealime alternative?
Meals Hub is free. Hedgehog Chef's Free plan is free too, with no time limit and no ads: unlimited recipes, the meal planner, a shared shopping list and the pantry, with daily allowances for the AI planner.
Is Hedgehog Chef free?
Yes. The Free plan has unlimited recipes, binders, meal plans, shopping lists and the pantry for up to 2 people, with daily allowances for the AI features, and no ads. Hedgehog Chef Plus ($5.99/month or $49.99/year, on sale soon) raises the AI allowances, adds live grocery prices and fits up to 8 people.
Save the recipes you love before October 21.
Copy a recipe's text into Hedgehog Chef, or screenshot it and import the photo. Recipes you first found on a website come in from the link. Then ask the planner for next week.
More comparisons
Weighing up other apps too?
- Hedgehog Chef vs. Paprika Paprika for fully offline native apps; Hedgehog Chef for AI planning, the web and a shared household.
- Hedgehog Chef vs. AnyList AnyList for the cheapest shared list and store delivery; Hedgehog Chef for AI planning, a pantry and a free meal planner.
- Hedgehog Chef vs. Plan to Eat Plan to Eat for offline phone use and bulk import; Hedgehog Chef for a free plan, AI planning, a pantry and a login each.
- Hedgehog Chef vs. Samsung Food Samsung Food for a big recipe catalog and Samsung appliances; Hedgehog Chef for your own recipes, no ads and more on the free plan.
- Hedgehog Chef vs. Mela Mela for a one-time price and Apple-only privacy; Hedgehog Chef for Android and the web, AI planning and a smarter list.
- All comparisons Every app we've compared, and who each one suits best.
Dinner, looked after.
Start with the recipes you already love. Hedgehog Chef is free to use — bring your household, your favorite sites and your Paprika library.