Guide
What a private recipe app looks like
A private recipe app shows no ads, does not track you across other apps, does not sell your data, and tells you plainly what leaves your phone. That last part matters most. Any app that syncs your recipes or reads one off a photo has to send something somewhere. The question is what, and to whom. Here is how to check any recipe app, and Otto’s full answer.
How to check any recipe app in two minutes
- Read the App Privacy label. It is on every App Store listing. It shows what the app collects, whether it is linked to you, and whether any of it is used to track you.
- Find out where your recipes live.Your own iCloud, the developer’s servers, or only your phone. Each is a trade: sync and sharing need a server somewhere.
- Look at the AI features. Importing from a photo or chatting about dinner usually means sending that photo or text to an AI provider. A good policy names the provider and says what it may do with it.
- Check what a share link exposes. Public links are public to whoever holds them.
- Try deleting your account. It should be possible from inside the app, not by email.
Otto, line by line
| What | Where it goes | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Cooking-journal photos of your plates | Your phone only | Never uploaded. Deleted when you delete the app. |
| Food preferences, reminder settings | Your phone only | Diet, cuisines and reminders are never uploaded. |
| Account | Otto's servers | Your email, plus a name if your sign-in provider gives one. |
| Recipes, meal plans, shopping lists | Otto's servers | Stored so they sync and can be shared with people you invite. |
| A photo you attach to a recipe | Otto's servers | Served by a direct link. Anyone with that link can open it. |
| Chat, pasted recipe text, a photo you import | Anthropic, our AI provider | Only what the feature needs. Not used to train models, not sold. |
| What you search in Otto's recipe catalogue | Server request logs | Kept with your account and IP for a limited window, for reliability and security. |
| Your voice, if you talk to Otto | Apple's speech recognition | Otto receives the text transcript, never the audio. |
Taken from Otto’s privacy policy, which is the binding version and names every service provider.
What Otto never does
- Show ads, at any tier.
- Sell your personal information.
- Track you across other apps or websites.
- Include third-party advertising or analytics SDKs in the app.
- Use what you send its AI provider to train models.
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Common questions
What makes a recipe app private?
Three things you can check. It shows no ads and does not track you across other apps. It does not sell your data. And it tells you plainly what leaves your phone and where it goes. Any app that syncs or imports sends something somewhere, so “nothing leaves your phone” is rarely the honest bar. Knowing exactly what does is.
Does Otto upload my photos?
It depends which photo. Cooking-journal photos of your plates stay on your phone and are never uploaded. A photo you attach to a recipe is uploaded so it can display, and anyone with its link can open it. A photo you use to import a recipe is sent to Anthropic, our AI provider, to read the recipe off it.
Does Otto sell my data or show ads?
No to both. Otto shows no ads, does not sell your data, and does not track you across other apps or websites. The app includes no third-party advertising or analytics SDKs.
Can I delete everything?
You can delete your account from inside the app (Profile, then delete account). That removes your account, recipes, meal plans and favorites. One catch: a public share link you made, or items on a shared list, can stay visible until you revoke them. Revoke those first. On-device data goes when you delete the app.
Is an app that syncs with iCloud more private?
It keeps your recipes with Apple instead of with the app’s developer, which some people prefer. It does not tell you what else the app collects. Read the App Privacy label on the listing either way; it lists what is collected and whether it is linked to you.
Related
- How to organize recipes digitally — one place for links, videos, screenshots and cards.
- Recipe apps without ads — which ones carry no advertising, and how each is funded.
- Crouton alternative — Crouton and Otto side by side, including where each keeps your recipes.
- Otto’s privacy policy — the full, binding version.
A recipe app that leaves you alone
Import from any site, TikTok or Instagram link, pasted text or photo. Cook one step at a time, plan the week, shop from one list sorted by aisle. No ads, no cross-app tracking, and your plate photos stay on your phone. Free to download; Otto Club is $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year.
