Alternatives
Crouton alternative: Crouton and Otto, side by side
Crouton is a good recipe app. It is actively maintained, rated 4.8, and runs on every Apple device you own. If it works for you, keep it. People look for an alternative for narrower reasons: they only cook from an iPhone, they save most recipes from TikTok or Instagram, or they want the shopping list sorted by aisle. Here is what actually differs.
Where Crouton is the better pick
- You cook across devices. Crouton is on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Vision Pro, synced with iCloud. Otto is iPhone-only.
- You want your recipes in iCloud. Crouton syncs through your own iCloud. Otto stores your recipes with its database provider, tied to an Otto account. Both are fair choices; they are different ones.
- You like kitchen gadgets. Crouton pairs with Bluetooth scales and the Combustion probe. Otto does neither.
- You follow recipe blogs.Crouton can follow a blog’s RSS feed. Otto cannot.
Where Otto is different
- Recipes from videos. Paste a TikTok or Instagram link and Otto pulls out the ingredients and the steps. Crouton describes importing from websites, photos and text.
- A shopping list sorted by aisle. Plan the week and Otto builds one list from it, grouped by aisle, so you walk the shop once.
- Ask Otto. Not sure what to cook? Ask, and Otto cooks up a recipe with you.
Side by side
| Crouton | Otto | |
|---|---|---|
| Price to start | Free download. The listing shows in-app purchases, including Crouton Plus at $24.99 and Discover at $1.99 a month or $14.99 a year. | Free download with a real free tier. Otto Club is $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year, with a 1-week free trial. |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro. | iPhone only. |
| Getting recipes in | Websites, a photo, plain text, and scanning a cookbook page with AI and OCR. Can also follow a blog's RSS feed. | A web link, a TikTok or Instagram link, pasted text, or a photo. |
| Cooking | Step by step mode with a hands-free option, tap-to-start timers, and support for Bluetooth scales and the Combustion probe. | Cook mode, one step at a time, with timers. |
| Planning and shopping | Weekly meal plan, which it can generate for you. Grocery lists from recipes, with Reminders integration. | Week planner. The shopping list is built from the plan and grouped by aisle. |
| Where your recipes live | Synced across your devices with iCloud. | Stored with Otto's database provider, tied to your Otto account. |
| Something different | Scaling, metric and imperial conversion, custom icons and colours. | Ask Otto, a chat that cooks up a recipe with you. |
Crouton’s column comes from its US App Store listing and crouton.app on 24 September 2026. Prices change without notice, so open the listing for current terms.
What it costs to leave
Recipes you saved from a website keep their link, and Otto imports from links. Recipes you typed in or scanned do not have that escape hatch, and Otto does not read Crouton’s export file.
If most of your collection came from links, moving is an afternoon. If you have years of scanned family recipes, the honest advice is to keep them where they are.
Common questions
Is Crouton still being updated?
Yes. As of 24 September 2026 Crouton is on version 2026.4, released 13 September 2026, and holds 4.8 stars across 2,845 ratings on the US App Store. If you read somewhere that it had been pulled, that was not true when we checked.
Is Crouton free?
It is free to download. Its App Store listing also shows in-app purchases, including Crouton Plus at $24.99 and a Discover option at $1.99 a month or $14.99 a year. We have not listed what each one unlocks, because Crouton’s own pages do not spell it out. Open the listing for its current terms.
Does Otto work on Mac or iPad like Crouton does?
No. Otto is iPhone-only today. If you cook from an iPad on the counter or plan on a Mac, Crouton covers that and Otto does not.
Can I move my Crouton recipes into Otto?
Recipes you saved from a website still have their link, and Otto imports recipes from links. Otto does not read Crouton’s own export file. So check how many of your recipes came from a URL before you move. If it is most of them, switching is an afternoon.
What does Otto cost?
Otto is free to download and has a free tier. Otto Club is $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year and starts with a 1-week free trial. There is no advertising at any tier. The full list of what Otto does is on the features page.
Related
- Paprika alternatives for iPhone — the other long-running recipe manager, and what differs.
- What a private recipe app looks like — where your recipes and photos actually go.
- Recipe apps without ads — which ones carry no advertising, and how each is funded.
If your recipes live in videos
Otto imports from any site, TikTok or Instagram link, pasted text or photo. Cook one step at a time, plan the week, and shop from one list sorted by aisle. No advertising. Free to download; Otto Club is $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year.
