QUICK ANSWER
Use Meals Hub if you want Mealime's official recipe catalogue to continue. Use MealPot if you want an iPhone planner that helps turn recipes into an editable week and shopping list; its recipe-link import requires Pro. Use Paprika or Plan to Eat if your own recipe collection matters most. Use AnyList for shared groceries, Samsung Food for free recipe discovery, and Eat This Much for calorie-led planning. Back up favourite recipes before 21 October, whichever planner you choose.
Mealime is shutting down on 21 October 2026.
Mealime's official closing page says the app will be discontinued on 21 October 2026. Mealime says its paid subscriptions are winding down and Pro recipes and features are available to all users during the farewell period.
The official path forward from Mealime is Meals Hub, available through Albertsons Companies grocery apps and websites. Mealime says Meals Hub includes the Mealime recipes people use today, plus more recipes and meal-planning tools from the same team. It also says certain preferences and settings need to be set up again in Meals Hub, and that Mealime personal data will be deleted when the app shuts down.
That means the practical question is not just "what looks like Mealime?" It is "which part of Mealime did my household actually rely on?"
What Mealime got right.
Mealime worked because it joined several jobs into one quiet flow: choose meals, generate a grocery list, cook from step-by-step instructions and adjust around food preferences. Its App Store listing still describes personalized meal plans, grocery lists, nutrition information, delivery support and preference filters across diets such as vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, keto and more.
That is why no replacement is perfect. Some apps are stronger at recipe storage. Some are stronger at grocery sharing. Some are stronger at nutrition targets. Meals Hub is the most direct catalogue continuation, while MealPot is built around the next planning question: what should we cook this week, and what will the shop look like?
Mealime and MealPot serve different moments.
Mealime's strength was a polished curated catalogue. MealPot is built for planning a week around your household, budget target and shopping list. It can also import individual recipe links with MealPot Pro, so a favourite Mealime recipe can become a saved MealPot recipe after you review the ingredients and instructions.
| Question | Mealime | MealPot |
|---|---|---|
| Current status | Announced shutdown on 21 October 2026. | Active iPhone and iPad app. |
| Best use | Use the farewell period and official Meals Hub route for the familiar catalogue. | Build an editable week, save selected recipes and review a grocery list. |
| Recipes | Curated Mealime catalogue continues through Meals Hub, according to Mealime. | MealPot recipes plus individual recipe-link import with Pro. |
| Import | No general export of your full account is promised in the closing notice. | Paste a recipe link, review the parsed recipe, then save it to My Recipes. |
| Device fit | Mealime app until shutdown; Meals Hub through Albertsons Companies store apps and websites. | iPhone and iPad with iOS or iPadOS 17 or later. |
Try one favourite before moving everything.
Copy a Mealime recipe link, import it in MealPot Pro, then check the title, servings, ingredients and instructions before saving.
Best Mealime alternatives by job.
Public pricing and device notes were checked on 15 September 2026 where available. Local App Store pricing, taxes, offers and plan names can change, so treat the table as a decision guide rather than a checkout receipt.
| Alternative | Choose it when... | Watch out for... |
|---|---|---|
| Meals Hub ↗ | You want the official continuation of Mealime recipes and planning tools. | It is tied to Albertsons Companies apps and websites. Some settings need to be recreated. |
| MealPot ↗ | You want a Mealime-friendly iPhone planner, an editable weekly plan, aisle list and individual recipe-link import. | Recipe import requires Pro and every imported recipe should be reviewed before cooking. |
| Paprika ↗ | Your own saved recipe library is the centre of the routine. | Each platform is sold separately for Paprika 3. Paprika 4 changes the model for new features. |
| Plan to Eat ↗ | You want to schedule recipes you already trust and generate groceries from a calendar. | It does not choose the meals for you. It is a paid subscription after the trial. |
| AnyList ↗ | The main pain is one clean grocery list shared across a household. | Meal planning, web access and unlimited recipe imports are part of AnyList Complete. |
| Samsung Food ↗ | You want free recipe discovery, saving, weekly planning and a shopping list across web and mobile. | Personalized Food+ planning and nutrition-goal tools are separate from the base workflow. |
| Eat This Much | Calories, macros and diet targets matter more than recreating Mealime's cooking feel. | Nutrition-first planning can feel less like browsing a polished recipe catalogue. |
What to move before Mealime closes.
- Save the recipes you would be annoyed to lose. Keep the recipe title, source link and any notes you added.
- Pick one replacement workflow first. Do you need the Mealime catalogue, a personal recipe box, automatic planning, nutrition targets or a shared grocery list?
- Test one real dinner. Move one recipe, build one list and cook from it before moving a collection.
- Review imported details. Recipe import can miss or estimate amounts. Check servings, ingredient quantities and instructions against the original recipe.
- Only pay for the missing job. A free official catalogue or shared list may solve the immediate problem; a subscription makes sense only when it removes a weekly chore you actually feel.
For MealPot, start with the Mealime import guide. For a separate readable copy, use the free website backup. The backup file is not a universal import format.
Frequently asked questions.
Is Mealime really shutting down?
Yes. Mealime's official closing page says Mealime will be discontinued on 21 October 2026.
What is the closest free Mealime alternative?
Meals Hub is the official continuation for Mealime recipes and planning tools. Samsung Food also has free recipe saving, planning and shopping tools, but it is a different product and catalogue.
Can I import Mealime recipes into MealPot?
You can import individual Mealime recipe links through MealPot Pro. Open Recipes, tap plus, choose Import Recipe, paste the link, then review and save. It does not transfer your whole Mealime account or favourites list.
Which app should I choose for Android?
Meals Hub, Paprika, Plan to Eat, AnyList and Samsung Food document Android or web routes. MealPot's app route is for iPhone and iPad.
Should I wait until shutdown?
No. Keep using Mealime if it works for you during the farewell period, but back up important recipes and test your next workflow before 21 October while your recipes and notes are still easy to check.
What is the best free app for meal planning?
Meals Hub keeps the Mealime catalogue free inside Albertsons Companies store apps. Samsung Food offers free recipe saving, planning and shopping tools across web and mobile. MealPot is a free download on iPhone and iPad; its weekly plan generator and recipe import sit in Pro.
What is the best family meal planner app?
It depends on the family's bottleneck. AnyList suits one shared grocery list; Plan to Eat suits scheduling a trusted recipe collection; Meals Hub continues Mealime's recipes for free; MealPot is for an iPhone week that writes the aisle-ordered list.
What is the best digital recipe keeper?
Paprika is built around keeping a personal recipe library across devices. AnyList suits households centred on a shared list. MealPot keeps imported links on iPhone and iPad with Pro. Whatever you pick, keep a readable copy of key recipes outside any single app.
Can ChatGPT make a meal plan for me?
It can brainstorm dinners and draft a week's menu. For a repeatable weekly routine, check whether its output gives you the recipe details and grocery quantities you need.