Most recipe apps now want a monthly subscription. If you just want somewhere to keep your recipes without another bill, here are the options that are genuinely free to use, and what you give up with each.
What "free" usually means
There are three kinds of free recipe app:
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Free plan, paid upgrade. The app is free up to a limit, and you pay only if you want more.
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Free with ads. Everything works, but you see ads.
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Free and self-hosted. Open source software you run on your own server. Free forever, but you need some technical skill.
Recipe Shelf
Recipe Shelf has a free plan that holds up to 50 recipes, with no card required to sign up. You can import recipes from 250+ supported recipe sites, add your own by hand, and share them with a link. It works on iPhone, Android and the web from one account.
New accounts also get a 14-day trial of every feature, so you can try unlimited recipes, photo import, Smart Paste and nutrition before deciding whether you need more than the free plan. If you never upgrade, you keep the free plan.
Best for: people who want a simple, free start on every device.
Tandoor and Mealie
Tandoor and Mealie are open source recipe managers you host yourself. Both are free, support URL import and meal planning, and keep your data on your own server. The catch is setup: you need a server or home lab and some comfort with Docker.
Best for: technical users who want full control.
Copy Me That
Copy Me That is free to use with ads, and has an optional paid tier. It saves recipes through a browser button and has a mobile app.
Best for: people who mostly save from a desktop browser.
Paprika
Paprika is not a subscription. Its free trial never expires but is limited to 50 recipes with no sync between devices. To sync, you buy the app once per platform, so a phone plus a computer means paying twice. We compare it with other apps in our guide to
Paprika alternatives.
Best for: people happy to pay once and stay on one platform.
How to choose
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Want free on every device with no setup: Recipe Shelf.
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Want free forever and can run a server: Tandoor or Mealie.
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Mostly save from your laptop browser: Copy Me That.
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Prefer a one-time purchase: Paprika.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a recipe app with no subscription?
Yes. Recipe Shelf has a free plan with no card required, Tandoor and Mealie are free if you host them yourself, and Paprika is a one-time purchase rather than a subscription.
Is there a free version of the Paprika app?
Yes, sort of. Paprika's free trial has no time limit but holds only 50 recipes and doesn't sync between devices. To sync, you buy the app separately on each platform. Recipe Shelf's free plan also holds 50 recipes, and it syncs across iPhone, Android and web.
Which recipe app is completely free?
Self-hosted apps like Tandoor and Mealie are completely free. For an app that works out of the box, Recipe Shelf's free plan holds up to 50 recipes at no cost.
Can I import recipes from websites for free?
Yes. Recipe Shelf's free plan includes importing from supported recipe sites.