A recipe app with no subscription
You don't need a subscription to keep your recipes. Meally is free for 20 recipes and 2 folders, with no ads, and Premium is sold as a one-time Lifetime purchase as well as monthly or yearly. One purchase covers both iPhone and Android when you sign in with the same account. Other recipe apps you can own outright include Paprika, Recipe Keeper and Crouton, as of October 2026.
Three ways recipe apps charge
| Model | Good | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Free with limits | Try it with your own recipes before paying anything. | Check what the limit is and what happens to your recipes when you reach it. |
| One-time purchase | Pay once and you're done. | Some apps sell each platform separately, so a phone and a computer can mean two purchases. |
| Subscription | Pays for ongoing costs like sync and AI import as they happen. | It adds up over the years, and you keep paying even in months you don't cook much. |
Recipe apps you can use without a subscription
How each app charges, as of October 22, 2026, from its US App Store page and the developer's site. Prices change, so this shows how you pay, not how much.
| App | How you pay | Subscription needed? |
|---|---|---|
| Meally | Free for 20 recipes and 2 folders. Premium: monthly, yearly, or a one-time Lifetime purchase. One purchase covers iPhone and Android. | No |
| Paprika Recipe Manager 3 | Paid app, bought once. Each version (iOS, Mac, Android, Windows) is sold separately. | No |
| Recipe Keeper | Free, with a one-time Pro upgrade. | No |
| Crouton | Free, with a one-time Crouton Plus. Its Discover feature is an optional subscription. | No |
What to check before you pay once
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Your devices
Does it run on everything you cook with, and does each device cost extra?
Meally: iPhone, iPad and Android, plus your recipe book, meal plan and grocery list in the browser at app.meallyapp.com. Premium isn't sold per platform: one purchase unlocks it on both iPhone and Android when you sign in with the same account.
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Sync
Do recipes you save on your phone show up on your other devices?
Meally: Yes. Your recipes, plans and lists sync through your Meally account.
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Import
Can it save recipes from Instagram and TikTok, or only from websites?
Meally: Websites, Instagram, TikTok, photos and PDFs. See how saving from TikTok and Instagram works.
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Ads
Does the free version show ads?
Meally: No ads, free or Premium.
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Getting your recipes out
If you ever leave, can you take your recipes with you?
Meally: Save or share any recipe as a PDF, or share it as a link, one recipe at a time. There's no bulk export yet.
How Meally's plans work
- Free: 20 recipes and 2 folders, with importing, the meal planner, the grocery list and cooking mode included. No ads.
- Premium: unlimited recipes and folders, recipe translation, and AI nutrition estimates for your meals.
- How you pay for Premium: monthly, yearly, or Lifetime, which you pay once and keep, with no renewals.
- One purchase, both platforms: Premium belongs to your Meally account, so buying it on iPhone also unlocks it on Android, and the other way round, when you sign in with the same account.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a recipe app without a subscription?
Yes. Meally is free for 20 recipes and 2 folders, and its Premium is also sold as a one-time Lifetime purchase. As of October 22, 2026, Paprika Recipe Manager 3, Recipe Keeper and Crouton can also be bought once, according to their App Store pages.
Is Meally free?
Yes, for 20 recipes and 2 folders, with no ads. Importing, the meal planner, the grocery list and cooking mode are all included. Meally Premium removes the limits and adds recipe translation.
Can I pay for Meally once instead of subscribing?
Yes. Meally Premium comes as a monthly or yearly subscription, or as Lifetime: you pay once and keep Premium, with no renewals. One Lifetime purchase unlocks Premium on both iPhone and Android when you sign in with the same account.
Why do some recipe apps charge a subscription?
Syncing your recipes between devices and importing them with AI both cost the developer money every month, and a subscription pays for that as it happens. A one-time price means the developer has to cover those costs from new sales instead.
What should I check before buying a recipe app once?
Whether it runs on every device you use and whether each one costs extra, whether your recipes sync between them, whether it imports from Instagram and TikTok, whether it shows ads, and whether you can get your recipes out again.
Start free, pay once if you want more
20 recipes and 2 folders free, no ads, on iPhone, iPad and Android.
Sources
- App Store (US), accessed October 22, 2026: Paprika Recipe Manager 3 (paid app, no in-app purchases), Recipe Keeper (Recipe Keeper Pro Upgrade), Crouton (Crouton Plus; Discover Monthly and Yearly).
- Paprika: paprikaapp.com, "each version of Paprika is sold separately". Accessed October 22, 2026. Paprika 4 was in open beta at the time; this page covers Paprika 3.
- teltarif.de, Anika Paulsen: Rezeptvideos sichern: Diese Apps speichern TikTok- und Insta-Rezepte, June 8, 2026 (Recipe Keeper and Crouton as one-time purchases).
Meally's pricing and cross-platform Premium are as of October 22, 2026, confirmed by the Meally team.