Alternatives
Mealime alternative: what to use after 21 October 2026
Mealime is shutting down on 21 October 2026. Its recipes and meal planning carry on in Meals Hub, inside Albertsons Companies’ grocery apps, and if you want Mealime as it was, that is the obvious place to go. If you’d rather cook your own recipes, the ones you’ve saved from sites, videos and screenshots, that is a different kind of app. Here is how the two compare.
What is happening to Mealime
Mealime was bought by Albertsons Companies in 2021. On its closing page, it says the app will be discontinued on 21 October 2026, and that it is moving people to Meals Hub, found under More in any Albertsons Companies store app, or on their websites.
- The recipes move. Mealime says all its recipes will be in Meals Hub, along with thousands more.
- Your account doesn’t. You sign in to an Albertsons Companies app and set up your preferences again.
- Pro is free until the end.No more Pro charges, and subscriptions won’t renew.
- Your data is deleted. All personal data goes when the app shuts down.
Where Meals Hub (or Mealime) is the better pick
- You want the plan made for you.Mealime builds a week of dinners around your diet, allergies and dislikes. Otto doesn’t build the plan for you. You put recipes on the days yourself.
- You want new recipes, not a place to keep old ones. Mealime is a catalogue of chef-written recipes, mostly around 30 minutes. Otto is built around the recipes you bring.
- You want it free.Meals Hub is free. Otto’s free tier is smaller, and the heavier features need Otto Club.
- You order groceries online, or shop at Albertsons stores.Meals Hub sits inside those grocery apps. Otto makes a list; it doesn’t order anything.
- You use an iPad, a Mac or the web. Otto is iPhone-only.
Where Otto is different
- It’s a cookbook for your recipes. Paste a recipe page link, a TikTok or Instagram link, or the recipe text, or snap a photo of a card or a screenshot. Every import opens for you to check before it saves.
- The same week-to-shopping-list loop. Put recipes on the week, and the shopping list builds itself, grouped by aisle and shareable with your kitchen.
- Paid for by you. No ads, no tracking across other apps, and your data is not sold. That is why Otto Club exists.
Side by side
| Mealime | Otto | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Shutting down on 21 October 2026. Mealime points its users to Meals Hub, in Albertsons Companies' grocery apps. | New, and not launched yet. |
| Price | Free. Pro was $2.99 a month; Mealime has made Pro free for everyone until it closes, and subscriptions won't renew. | Free download with a free tier. Otto Club is $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year, with a 1-week free trial. |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac with Apple silicon and Apple Vision. | iPhone only. |
| Where recipes come from | Mealime's own recipes, written by its chef team, mostly around 30 minutes. | Yours. A web link, a TikTok or Instagram link, pasted text, or a photo of a recipe card or screenshot. You check what Otto found before it saves. |
| Planning | A weekly plan built for you, with over 200 personalization options: diet, allergies, dislikes and servings. | A week planner. You put your recipes on the days. |
| Shopping | A grocery list generated from the plan and sorted into categories. Delivery through grocery retailers. | A shopping list built from the plan, grouped by aisle, and shareable with your kitchen. |
| Cooking | Step-by-step instructions and a hands-free mode. | Cook mode, one step at a time, with timers. Servings rescale. |
| Nutrition | Nutrition information on each recipe. Connects to the Health app. | Calories and macros per serving, as an estimate. No tracking or goals. |
Mealime’s column comes from its US App Store listing, mealime.com and its closing page on 24 September 2026. Otto’s comes from Otto’s privacy policy and the app itself.
Before 21 October
If you’re moving to Meals Hub, there is little to do: the recipes are already there, and you set your preferences again.
If you’re moving to any other app, go through Mealime first and note the recipes you actually cook. Mealime’s closing page doesn’t mention an export, and your data is deleted when the app closes. Anything you put together yourself, copy out as text now. Otto takes pasted text and sorts it into ingredients and steps. Our guide to organizing recipes digitally covers the rest of a scattered collection.
Common questions
Is Mealime shutting down?
Yes. Mealime’s website, its closing page and its App Store release notes all say the app will be discontinued on 21 October 2026. As of 24 September 2026 it is still on the US App Store, with 4.8 stars across 54,056 ratings.
What is Meals Hub?
It is where Mealime is sending its users. Mealime was acquired by Albertsons Companies in 2021, and Meals Hub lives inside the Albertsons Companies grocery apps, such as Safeway and Albertsons. Mealime says it has all the Mealime recipes plus thousands more, is free, and is run by the same team. You don’t need to shop at an Albertsons store to plan meals and make shopping lists with it.
What happens to my Mealime data?
Mealime’s closing page says all personal data will be deleted when the app shuts down. Your account doesn’t move to Meals Hub. You sign in to an Albertsons Companies app and set your preferences again there. The page doesn’t mention an export, so if there is anything in Mealime you want to keep, copy it out before 21 October.
I pay for Mealime Pro. Will I be charged again?
No, according to Mealime. Its closing page says Pro subscribers will not be charged any more fees before the app closes, and its App Store notes say Pro is now free for everyone.
What does Otto cost?
Otto is free to download and has a free tier, which includes a few imports a month. Otto Club is $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year, with a 1-week free trial, and lifts that limit. There is no advertising at any tier. The full list of what Otto does is on the features page.
Related
- How to organize recipes digitally — one place for links, videos, screenshots and cards.
- Yummly alternatives — another app that closed, and what its users moved to.
- Samsung Food alternative — a free meal-planning app, compared with Otto.
If you want a cookbook for your own recipes
Otto imports from a recipe page, a TikTok or Instagram link, pasted text or a photo. Cook one step at a time, plan the week, and shop from one list sorted by aisle. No ads. Free to download; Otto Club is $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year.
