October 2, 2026
Mealime was discontinued on October 21, 2026. If it was the app you used to plan dinners and prepare a shopping list, your next question is probably simple: what should I use instead?
When comparing apps like Mealime, there isn't one perfect replacement. Some apps help you keep a recipe collection. Others build a new weekly menu for you. The important thing is to choose based on the work you want the app to take off your plate.
TL;DR
- Meals Hub: Start here if you want Mealime's original recipe collection.
- PlanEat AI: Consider it if you want a personalized seven-day menu and a grocery list generated from your preferences.
- Samsung Food: Consider it if you want to collect recipes and build a weekly calendar with a free basic planner.
- Plan to Eat: Consider it if you already have favorite recipes and want to organize them into a plan.
- Paprika Recipe Manager: Consider it if maintaining your own recipe library and pantry is your priority.
- Eat This Much: Consider it if calorie and macro targets are central to your planning routine.
Editorial disclosure: Published by PlanEat AI, one of the products compared. We checked official product materials and current store listings on October 26, 2026; we have not hands-on tested every competitor. These are use-case recommendations, not an independent ranking or medical advice.
What happened to Mealime?
Mealime’s official closing notice gives October 21, 2026 as its discontinuation date. That date has passed; we are reporting the company’s notice, not claiming to have audited its deletion process. Mealime directed users toward Meals Hub, its recipe and meal-planning experience inside Albertsons Companies' grocery apps and websites.
The distinction matters: Mealime's recipe catalog continuing elsewhere does not mean your personal account and saved weekly plans automatically move to another app. According to Mealime's closing announcement, personal data would be deleted when the service shut down, and some preferences would need to be set up again in Meals Hub.
If you're looking for a favorite Mealime recipe, check Meals Hub first. If you're looking for a new way to generate next week's meals, compare the options below.
Mealime also said Pro subscribers would not incur further subscription fees before discontinuation. That does not document an automatic refund for every customer. If a charge looks wrong, check your receipt and contact the billing provider rather than assuming a refund has been issued.
The best Mealime alternative depends on how you plan
| App | Consider it if you want | Important trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Meals Hub | The original Mealime recipe collection | It is accessed through Albertsons Companies' store ecosystem; your Mealime account does not transfer automatically |
| PlanEat AI | A personalized week of meals with a connected grocery list | Designed around generating weekly plans, not importing your old Mealime account or maintaining a personal recipe archive |
| Samsung Food | A free basic planner with recipe saving and discovery | Building your own plan can involve selecting recipes; personalized AI plans are associated with Food+ |
| Plan to Eat | A calendar and shopping list based on your own recipes | It does not provide a built-in collection of meal plans or recipes |
| Paprika | A recipe manager, pantry tools and a meal calendar | It is primarily a tool for recipes you save or add yourself |
| Eat This Much | Meal plans based on calories, macros and dietary settings | Its full-week generator and automatic grocery list belong to Premium |
These are different types of products, not interchangeable versions of Mealime.
Availability in the US, Canada, UK, and Australia
The five standalone apps in this comparison had iPhone listings in all four markets when checked on October 26, 2026. A listing is not a guarantee of every feature, local checkout eligibility, or grocery-delivery coverage. Download prices are not subscription prices.
Meals Hub needs a separate check: it lives in the Albertsons Companies ecosystem. Mealime says a nearby store is not required for browsing, planning, and shopping lists, and offers a website route. That is not a promise that every store app or account-registration flow works in every country. Start with the official notice and test access where you live before relying on it.
1. Meals Hub: for people who want Mealime's familiar recipes
Meals Hub is the most natural place to look if the recipes themselves are what you miss. Mealime said its recipe collection would remain available through Meals Hub in Albertsons Companies' grocery apps and websites.
That does not mean another meal-planning app can restore the favorites, notes, or plan you had in Mealime. If your favorite meal matters more than how a new plan is generated, look for that dish in Meals Hub before starting over elsewhere.
Consider Meals Hub if: You want the Mealime recipe collection and are comfortable using the grocery-app ecosystem where it now lives.
2. PlanEat AI: for people who want their next week planned for them
PlanEat AI takes a different approach from an app where you manually fill a calendar from a recipe library. You provide your food preferences and planning constraints, and PlanEat AI generates a seven-day meal plan with recipes, calorie and nutrition information, and a grouped grocery list.
It is designed for someone who wants to spend less time deciding what to cook. Preferences such as foods you avoid, your goals, and available cooking time help shape the plan.
PlanEat AI is not a Mealime account migration service. You cannot assume that old Mealime favorites or saved plans will automatically appear in PlanEat. It is also worth checking any specific editing workflow you need, especially changes after a plan has already started, rather than assuming every planning app handles those changes identically.
Consider PlanEat AI if: You want a new, personalized weekly menu and grocery list instead of maintaining a large recipe collection yourself.
PlanEat is paid: subscriptions are weekly or yearly, while generated plans cover one week. The current website pricing is US$7.99 per week or US$48.99 per year, with applicable taxes presented at checkout; mobile-store prices can differ. There is no free trial. Annual billing does not mean an annual or monthly generated menu.
If a generated week fits your routine, create your weekly plan in PlanEat AI. Before purchasing in a mobile store, review the subscription terms shown there.
A practical plan-to-list check
Before paying for a replacement, write down one ordinary week’s constraints: foods you avoid, the meals you need, and the time you actually have to cook. Compare the generated or selected recipes against those constraints, then inspect the ingredients list. Can you identify quantities, remove what you already own from your shopping notes, and understand which recipe needs each ingredient? Use this same test for every app rather than treating the longest feature list as the winner. This is an evaluation checklist, not a claim that every app automates pantry subtraction or edits a confirmed plan.
For the underlying workflow, see our meal-planning app with grocery list guide. For a closer look at the two generators, read Eat This Much vs. PlanEat AI.
3. Samsung Food: for people who like browsing and saving recipes
Samsung Food lets you assemble weekly plans using saved recipes, recipes from websites, and recipes you create. Its basic meal planner can turn a plan into a shopping list. Samsung Food also offers personalized AI planning through its Food+ upgrade.
If the fun part of Mealime for you was browsing dishes and picking what looked good, this may feel more natural than starting with an automatically generated week.
Consider Samsung Food if: You want a recipe discovery and organization workflow with a free basic meal planner.
4. Plan to Eat: for people who already have a recipe collection
Plan to Eat is built around recipes you save yourself. You collect recipes, arrange them on a planning calendar, and generate a shopping list from what you scheduled.
Its own FAQ explicitly says that the service does not provide recipes or meal plans. That can be a strength if you already know what you like to cook, but it is a meaningful difference if you were hoping for a ready-made week of suggestions.
Consider Plan to Eat if: You want more control over a personal recipe collection and are happy to choose the meals yourself.
5. Paprika: for people who want a long-term recipe organizer
Paprika Recipe Manager includes a recipe library, grocery lists, pantry tools, and a meal-planning calendar. It is particularly relevant if your main frustration is losing track of recipes gathered from different places.
Paprika and an automatic AI meal planner solve different problems. Paprika helps you organize what you choose; a generator can help decide what to eat in the first place.
Consider Paprika if: Preserving and organizing a recipe collection matters more than receiving a newly generated menu.
6. Eat This Much: for people who plan around nutrition targets
Eat This Much generates meals from preferences, schedule, budget, and calorie or macronutrient goals. Its free plan supports daily generation. According to its pricing page, automatic weekly plans and grocery lists are Premium features.
It is a practical option for someone who wants to guide meal planning with specific numerical targets. If you mainly want a simple week of recipes and a shopping list without building everything around tracking, a different style of app might be more comfortable.
Consider Eat This Much if: Precise nutrition targeting is the deciding factor in your planning routine.
How to choose a Mealime replacement in five minutes
Before installing several apps, decide which of these questions matters most:
- Do I want my old Mealime recipes? Start with Meals Hub.
- Do I want an app to suggest the week's meals for me? Compare PlanEat AI and Eat This Much, paying attention to how each uses nutrition goals and preferences.
- Do I want to build a calendar from recipes I saved? Compare Samsung Food, Plan to Eat, and Paprika.
- Do I need a grocery list generated from the final plan? Check which tier includes it and whether the list stays aligned with the meals you choose.
- Do I need to change meals after the week starts? Test that exact workflow in the current version before buying. A product description may not tell you how post-confirmation editing works.
A good replacement should fit your routine, not just have the longest feature list.
FAQ
Did Mealime shut down?
Yes. Mealime announced October 21, 2026 as its discontinuation date. Its official notice directs users to Meals Hub.
Where can I find Mealime recipes now?
Mealime directed users to Meals Hub, available through Albertsons Companies' grocery apps and websites. The recipe collection and an individual user's saved account data are separate things.
Can I import my Mealime account into PlanEat AI?
PlanEat AI does not offer a documented direct import of a Mealime account. If you use PlanEat AI, you would set your preferences and generate a new weekly meal plan.
What is a free alternative to Mealime?
Samsung Food has a free basic meal planner, and Meals Hub is presented as a free home for Mealime's recipe collection. Eat This Much has free daily generation, but its weekly planning and automatic grocery list require Premium. Check the current conditions of each service before making a decision.
Which Mealime alternative makes a grocery list?
PlanEat AI, Samsung Food, Plan to Eat, Paprika, and Eat This Much offer grocery-list functionality, though the setup and subscription requirements differ. Meals Hub also includes grocery-planning features. The important distinction is whether you choose recipes manually or have the week generated for you.
