Mealime Is Shutting Down October 21: The 7 Best Mealime Alternatives
Mealime was loved for one thing: quick, simple dinners with a grocery list that built itself. Here is what the shutdown means for you, how to keep your recipes, and which apps replace which parts of Mealime. We make one of the apps on this list, so we have tried to be straight about where others are the better pick.
Updated September 29, 2026 · Prices and features checked September 29, 2026
How to save your Mealime recipes before October 21, 2026
Mealime has no export button, and it says all personal data is deleted when the app shuts down. That includes saved recipes, meal plans, and grocery lists. Here is the fastest way to keep what matters. Plan on about 20 minutes.
- Make a list of your keepers. Open your saved and favorite recipes in Mealime and write down (or screenshot) every recipe name you actually cook. The names are the most important thing to save: Mealime says its whole recipe catalog moves to Meals Hub, so with a name you can find the same recipe again later.
- Copy the full recipe for anything you would hate to lose. For each keeper, screenshot the ingredient list and every step, or copy them into a note. Pro is free for everyone until the shutdown, so recipes that used to be locked are open now. Save those too.
- Write down your settings. Note your diet, allergies, disliked ingredients, and serving size. Nothing transfers automatically. Even Meals Hub asks you to set preferences again in your Albertsons Companies store account.
- Save your grocery staples. Copy your current shopping list and any staples you keep re-adding. Lists and meal plans are deleted along with everything else.
- Check your subscription. Mealime says Pro subscribers will not be charged again before the shutdown. If you subscribed through the App Store or Google Play, open your subscriptions there and confirm Mealime is not set to renew.
- Pick a new home for the recipes. If you want to keep your own recipe collection, use a recipe keeper (Paprika, Plan to Eat, or Samsung Food) and paste your recipes in. If what you really want is for someone to plan the week for you, a done-for-you planner is the better fit, and you only need your list of favorites to guide it.
Mealime alternatives compared
The right replacement depends on which half of Mealime you relied on: its recipes and plans, or the list of your own favorites. The table sorts that out quickly.
| App | Price (US) | Trial | Plans made for you | Your own recipes | Grocery list | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meals Hub (Albertsons Companies) | Free | Not needed | You build plans from its recipes | No | Yes, shoppable at Albertsons-owned stores | Mealime fans who shop at Safeway, Albertsons, Vons, Jewel-Osco or another Albertsons banner |
| Ultimate Meal Plans(us) | $36 every 3 months ($14/mo monthly, $96/yr annual) | 14 days on quarterly or annual, card required | Yes: a new weekly plan for your diet | No | Automatic, with Instacart and Kroger options | Having dinner decided for you on a specific diet (keto, paleo, AIP, diabetic-friendly and more) |
| eMeals | $29.99 per 3 months or $59.99/yr (dinner plans) | 14 days | Yes: a new weekly menu for your chosen food style | No | Yes, sends to Walmart, Kroger, Instacart and others | Done-for-you family dinners at a low price |
| Samsung Food | Free; Food+ $6.99/mo or $59.99/yr | 7 days on Food+ | With Food+ (AI-personalized plans) | Yes: save from any website | Yes, with online ordering from partner grocers | A free all-rounder for saving recipes and planning |
| Paprika 3 | One-time: $4.99 iOS or Android, $29.99 Mac or Windows (each sold separately) | No | No | Yes: built-in browser saves recipes from the web | Yes | Owning your recipes with no subscription |
| Plan to Eat | $49/yr or $5.95/mo | 14 days, no card | No: you plan with your own recipes | Yes: web recipe importer | Yes | Keeping your own recipe collection and planning from it |
| Eat This Much | $14.99/mo or $59.99/yr (Premium); free tier available | 14 days | Yes: generated to your calorie and macro targets | Yes (manual entry) | Yes (Premium) | Hitting calorie and macro numbers |
US list prices checked September 29, 2026. App-store prices, regional prices, and sales can differ.
The best Mealime alternatives, by what you need
Listed in the order most Mealime users should consider them, based on how they used the app.
1. Meals Hub: the official replacement, if you shop Albertsons
Free · Trial: Not needed
Meals Hub is where Mealime says its recipes and team are going. It is free, it includes the recipes that used to need Pro, and it still supports dietary preferences. Open any Albertsons Companies store app, tap More, then Meals Hub. There is also a web version on the store websites.
It makes the most sense if you already shop at Safeway, Albertsons, Vons, Jewel-Osco, or another Albertsons banner, because the shopping side is built around those stores. Mealime says you can still browse, plan, and make lists without a nearby store.
Watch out for: Lives inside Albertsons grocery apps and sites. You need a store account and must set your preferences again.
2. Ultimate Meal Plans: if you want the week decided for you
$36 every 3 months ($14/mo monthly, $96/yr annual) · Trial: 14 days on quarterly or annual, card required
Mealime's best feature was that it took the thinking out of dinner. That is exactly what we do. Pick your diet and you get a weekly plan and an automatic shopping list you can send to Instacart or Kroger. Most recipes are built around 15 minutes of prep and 5 everyday ingredients, close to the quick weeknight cooking Mealime users liked.
We are strongest for people on a specific diet that general apps treat as an afterthought:
- Keto meal plans
- Paleo meal plans
- Low Carb meal plans
- Clean Eating meal plans
- AIP meal plans
- Diabetic-Friendly meal plans
It is not free and it doesn't store your own recipes. If either of those is a dealbreaker, pick one of the other apps here.
Watch out for: Not the cheapest option here, and it does not store your own recipe collection.
3. eMeals: the cheapest done-for-you weekly menu
$29.99 per 3 months or $59.99/yr (dinner plans) · Trial: 14 days
eMeals sends a new week of dinners for the food style you choose and pushes the shopping list to Walmart, Kroger, Instacart, and others. On the annual plan it costs less than we do, and it is a solid choice for families who want a set menu.
Watch out for: Dinner-only unless you pay for the all-day bundle; you cannot add your own recipes.
4. Samsung Food: the best free all-rounder
Free; Food+ $6.99/mo or $59.99/yr · Trial: 7 days on Food+
Samsung Food is free to start, saves recipes from any website, plans your week, and builds a grocery list. You don't need a Samsung phone. It is the easiest free option if you want to paste in your Mealime favorites and keep going.
Watch out for: The free planner saves only 3 meal plans; personalized plans need Food+.
5. Paprika: own your recipes, no subscription
One-time: $4.99 iOS or Android, $29.99 Mac or Windows (each sold separately) · Trial: No
If losing your Mealime collection made you never want to rent your recipes again, Paprika is the answer. You buy it once per platform, save recipes from the web or type them in, and plan meals from your own library.
Watch out for: You do all the planning yourself, and each platform is a separate purchase.
6. Plan to Eat: a recipe collection with a real planner
$49/yr or $5.95/mo · Trial: 14 days, no card
Plan to Eat is a long-running, customer-funded planner built around your own recipes, with a web importer, a calendar, and grocery lists. The 14-day trial doesn't need a card.
Watch out for: No recipe library of its own and no free plan.
7. Eat This Much: if you care about the numbers
$14.99/mo or $59.99/yr (Premium); free tier available · Trial: 14 days
Eat This Much generates meal plans to hit calorie and macro targets. It is a different style from Mealime, and better if tracking is the point.
Watch out for: Plans are built around the numbers first, so meals can feel repetitive.
Where Ultimate Meal Plans fits, honestly
Choose us if you used Mealime so you wouldn't have to decide what's for dinner, and you eat a particular way: keto, paleo, low carb, clean eating, AIP, or diabetic-friendly. You get a plan every week, a shopping list, and simple recipes.
Skip us if you want a free app, you mainly want to store and cook your own recipes, or you want to keep shopping at an Albertsons store with the recipes you already know. Meals Hub, Samsung Food, Paprika, and Plan to Eat are better for those.
Not sure which diet suits you? The free diet quiz takes about a minute. You can also see every plan and price on the pricing page.
Switch in about two minutes
Pick your diet, get this week's plan and shopping list, and cook. Start with a 14-day free trial on the quarterly plan.
14-day trial on quarterly or annual · card required · cancel anytime
Frequently asked questions
When does Mealime shut down?
Mealime says the app will be discontinued as of October 21, 2026. Until then Pro features are free for everyone, and existing Pro subscriptions will not be charged again.
Can I export my Mealime recipes?
No. Mealime has no export feature, and the closing notice does not add one. Save recipe names, ingredients, and steps by hand (screenshots or copy and paste) before the shutdown.
What happens to my Mealime data?
Mealime says all personal data is deleted when the app shuts down. That includes saved recipes, meal plans, grocery lists, and preferences. Until then you can use the privacy rights in its privacy policy, including asking for deletion sooner.
Is Meals Hub the same as Mealime?
It is built by the same core team and includes all the Mealime recipes plus thousands more, and it is free. The difference is that it lives inside Albertsons Companies grocery apps and websites (Safeway, Albertsons, Vons, Jewel-Osco and others), you sign in with a store account, and you set your dietary preferences again. Mealime says it still works for browsing recipes, building plans, and making shopping lists if there is no Albertsons store near you.
What is the best Mealime alternative?
It depends on what you used Mealime for. If you shop at an Albertsons-owned store, Meals Hub keeps the same recipes for free. If you want the week planned for you, eMeals or Ultimate Meal Plans are the closest done-for-you options. If you want to keep your own recipe collection, Paprika or Plan to Eat. For a free all-rounder, Samsung Food.
Is there a free Mealime alternative?
Yes. Meals Hub is free, and Samsung Food has a free plan with recipe saving, planning, and grocery lists (its personalized plans need the paid Food+ tier). Paprika is not free, but it is a one-time purchase with no subscription.
Can Ultimate Meal Plans import my Mealime recipes?
No, and no app can import them directly because Mealime has no export. Ultimate Meal Plans does not store personal recipe collections. It gives you a new weekly plan for your diet with a shopping list. If keeping your own recipes is the priority, a recipe keeper such as Paprika or Plan to Eat is a better fit.
How much does Ultimate Meal Plans cost?
The quarterly plan is $36 every 3 months with a 14-day free trial (card required, cancel anytime). There is also a $14 monthly plan without a trial and a $96 annual plan with the same 14-day trial.
Keep reading
Sources
- Mealime, "Mealime is moving to Meals Hub" (closing notice and FAQ)
- eMeals App Store listing (subscription prices)
- Samsung Food Help, "Meal Planner FAQ"
- Paprika Recipe Manager (official site and store listings)
- Plan to Eat, "How much does Plan to Eat cost?"
- Eat This Much, "What do I get for subscribing?"
Ultimate Meal Plans makes a competing meal planning app. We are not affiliated with any other app named on this page, and we don't earn a commission from them.