Alternatives
Samsung Food alternative: Samsung Food and Otto, side by side
Samsung Food is a big, free, cross-platform food app. It has a huge recipe library, communities, grocery delivery and nutrition scores. If that is what you want, it is hard to beat. People look for an alternative for narrower reasons: they want a quieter app for their own recipes, or one that is paid for by its users rather than by data. Here is what actually differs.
Where Samsung Food is the better pick
- You want it free.Saving recipes, meal plans and shopping lists are free in Samsung Food. Otto’s free tier is smaller, and the heavier features need Otto Club.
- You use Android, or a browser. Samsung Food is on Android and the web, with a browser extension. Otto is iPhone-only.
- You want recipes to discover. A library of over 240,000 public recipes and food communities. Otto is built around your own collection.
- You track nutrition or order groceries online. Samsung Food has health scores, nutrition tracking with Samsung Food+, and grocery delivery through its retailers. Otto gives a nutrition estimate and nothing more.
- You have a Samsung kitchen. It connects to Samsung SmartThings Cooking. Otto connects to no appliances.
Where Otto is different
- Paid for by you, not by data. Otto shows no ads, does not track you across other apps, and does not sell your data. That is why Otto Club exists.
- Recipes from videos. Paste a TikTok or Instagram link and Otto pulls out the ingredients and the steps. You check them before anything saves.
- Quiet by design. No feed, no communities, no followers. Just your recipes, the week ahead and the shopping list, grouped by aisle.
Side by side
| Samsung Food | Otto | |
|---|---|---|
| Price to start | Free download, and the listing says its core features are free. Samsung Food+ is listed at $6.99 a month or $59.99 a year. | 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, Android and the web. A browser extension saves recipes from any page. | iPhone only. |
| Getting recipes in | Save a recipe from any website, in the app or with the extension. | A web link, a TikTok or Instagram link, pasted text, or a photo. You check what Otto found before it saves. |
| Finding new recipes | A public library the listing puts at over 240,000 recipes, plus food communities. | A Discover feed to browse, and Ask Otto, a chat that cooks up a recipe with you. No communities or followers. |
| Planning and shopping | Weekly meal plans into shared shopping lists. Grocery delivery through its integrated retailers. AI-personalised meal plans with Samsung Food+. | Week planner. The shopping list is built from the plan, grouped by aisle, and shareable with your kitchen. |
| Cooking | Step-by-step Smart Cooking Mode with Samsung Food+. Connects to Samsung SmartThings Cooking. | Cook mode, one step at a time, with timers. Servings rescale. |
| Nutrition | Nutrition info and health scores. Nutrition tracking with Samsung Food+. | Calories and macros per serving, as an estimate. No tracking or goals. |
| Ads and data | Its App Store label lists identifiers used to track you across other companies' apps and sites. Its privacy policy describes building a profile of your preferences. | No ads. No tracking across other apps. Your data is not sold. |
Samsung Food’s column comes from its US App Store listing, samsungfood.com and its privacy policy on 24 September 2026. Otto’s comes from Otto’s privacy policy and the app itself. Prices change without notice, so open the listing for current terms.
How each one is paid for
Samsung Food is free for most of what people use it for. Its privacy policy says it builds a profile of your preferences, shows product suggestions that are sometimes sponsored, and shares data with partners such as grocery retailers. Its App Store label lists identifiers used to track you across other companies’ apps and websites. None of that is hidden. It is written down, and it is a fair trade for many people.
Otto makes a different trade. It costs money past the free tier, and in return it shows no ads, does not track you across apps, and does not sell your data. Cooking-journal photos and food preferences stay on your phone. Otto does send some things out, and the private recipe app guide lists exactly what.
Common questions
Is Samsung Food still available?
Yes. As of 24 September 2026it is on the US App Store as “Samsung Food: Meal Planner”, version 5.56.0, with 4.8 stars across 6,365 ratings. It is also on Android and the web.
Is Samsung Food free?
It is free to download, and its listing says saving recipes, meal plans and shopping lists are free. The paid tier, Samsung Food+, adds things like AI-personalised meal plans, Smart Cooking Mode and nutrition tracking. Its App Store listing shows it at $6.99 a month or $59.99 a year. Open the listing for current terms.
What does Samsung Food do with my data?
Read its privacy policy for the full answer. In short, it lists health, behavioural and location data among what it may collect. It uses data to build a profile of your preferences, and some product suggestions are sponsored. Its California section lists identifiers and usage data among what it may have “sold” under that law’s wide definition, including to advertising networks. It also explains how to opt out.
Can I move my Samsung Food recipes into Otto?
Recipes you saved from websites still exist at their original address, and Otto imports from links. Otto does not read a Samsung Food export. Recipes you wrote yourself can be pasted into Otto as text, and Otto sorts them into ingredients and steps.
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
- How to import a recipe from any website — with or without an app.
- What a private recipe app looks like — where your recipes and photos actually go.
- Yummly alternatives — which apps suit the ways people used Yummly.
If you want a quieter cookbook
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 ads, no feed. Free to download; Otto Club is $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year.
