A Mealime alternative that starts with what is in your fridge
Mealime shuts down on 21 October 2026, and its notice says personal data is deleted at shutdown. Its recipes move to Meals Hub, which is free inside the Albertsons group grocery apps. If you want a meal planner that works with any store, Pantry Pic plans your week from what you already have and lists only what is missing.
Download Pantry Pic directly from your preferred app store:
How to save your Mealime recipes
Mealime has no export button, and its notice says personal data is deleted when the app shuts down. If you can still open it, this is the quickest way to keep the recipes you actually cook. Most people only need ten or so.
Open each recipe you want to keep and take a screen capture of the ingredients and the method.
In Pantry Pic, tap Add Recipe and choose Photo. It turns the capture into a recipe you can edit, scale and cook from.
For a recipe that came from a website, paste the link instead and Pantry Pic pulls in the ingredients and steps.
Rebuild your shopping list by adding the recipes to your meal plan. Grocery lists do not carry over from Mealime.
Side by side
Still running
Shutting down on 21 October 2026
Where recipes come from
Built for what is in your fridge, or saved from a link, a photo or pasted text
A curated recipe library
How you tell it what you have
A photo of your fridge or pantry, a grocery receipt or a barcode scan, plus manual edits
Pick ingredients from a list (Pro)
Weekly meal planning
Shopping list from your recipes
Serving sizes
Any number, with quantities rescaled
Up to six
Step-by-step cooking
Cook Mode with timers
Dietary filters
11 options, including vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, keto and paleo
Diets and dislikes
Price
Free tier, then subscription or a one-off Lifetime plan
Pro free for everyone until shutdown
When Pantry Pic is the better pick
You do not shop at an Albertsons group store, so a planner built into their apps is no use to you.
You want recipes built around what is already in the fridge, so you buy less and use up what you have.
You cook for an odd number of people. Pantry Pic scales a recipe to any number of servings.
You collect recipes from all over. Pantry Pic saves them from a link, a photo or pasted text.
When Meals Hub is the better pick
You shop at Safeway, Albertsons, Vons or another store in the group, and want to order the week's ingredients from there.
You want Mealime's own recipe library. Meals Hub carries it and Pantry Pic does not.
You want it to cost nothing at all. Meals Hub is free, while Pantry Pic has a free tier and a paid plan.
Questions people ask
When is Mealime shutting down?
Mealime says it shuts down on 21 October 2026. Existing Pro subscriptions do not renew, and Pro is free for everyone until then.
What happens to my Mealime recipes and data?
Mealime's notice says all personal data is deleted when the app shuts down. Saved recipes, meal plans and grocery lists go with it, so copy out anything you want to keep first.
Can I export my Mealime recipes?
Mealime has no export tool. The practical route is to capture the recipes you cook most and import them one at a time into another app. Pantry Pic can import a recipe from a photo, a link or pasted text.
What is replacing Mealime?
Mealime points users to Meals Hub, which lives inside the Albertsons group grocery apps. It is free and carries Mealime's recipe library, but it is built around shopping at those stores.
What is the best free Mealime alternative?
If you shop at an Albertsons group store, Meals Hub is free and closest to what you had. If you want a planner that works with any store and starts from what is already in your kitchen, Pantry Pic has a free tier on iPhone and Android.
Is Pantry Pic connected to Mealime?
No. Pantry Pic is an independent app with no link to Mealime or Albertsons Companies.
Mealime made weeknight planning easy for a lot of people, and losing it is a pain. Whatever you move to, keep a copy of the recipes you love.
Cook Something Amazing with What You Already Have
Join the movement to reduce food waste and make mealtime easier. Pantry Pic turns your pantry into a recipe book, one snap at a time
Download Pantry Pic directly from your preferred app store:
Free version available • Upgrade anytime
Pantry Pic
Pantry Pic turns photos of your ingredients into delicious recipes, helping reduce food waste and making home cooking effortless
© 2026 Pantry Pic