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Head-to-head · Recipe Apps

NYT Cooking vs BigOven

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 6 checks side by side
Higher score NYT Cooking #1 in Recipe Apps 9.2/10 Paid ✓ 3 of 4 features Visit NYT Cooking
BigOven #6 in Recipe Apps 8.5/10 Free plan · 30-day trial Free plan✓ 3 of 4 features Visit BigOven

NYT Cooking leads on 1 check, BigOven on 3, and 2 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 6 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreNYT Cooking · 9.2/10
  • Free planonly BigOven

NYT Cooking scores higher on our rubric for recipe apps: 9.2 against 8.5 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #6.

BigOven offers free plan; NYT Cooking doesn't. BigOven offers recipe import; NYT Cooking doesn't. NYT Cooking offers guided cooking; BigOven doesn't publish it. BigOven leads on recipe library size: 1e+06 recipes versus 20000 recipes.

NYT Cooking is the better fit for NYT recipes and polished guided cooking. BigOven is the better fit for home cooks who want recipes, meal plans, and grocery lists.

  • NYT Cooking fits best

    NYT recipes and polished guided cooking

  • BigOven fits best

    Home cooks who want recipes, meal plans, and grocery lists

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature NYT Cooking 9.2/10 Visit ↗ BigOven 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.2 8.5
Ranking #1 in Recipe Apps #6 in Recipe Apps
Best for NYT recipes and polished guided cooking Home cooks who want recipes, meal plans, and grocery lists
Pricing model Paid Free plan + paid
Starting price Not published Not published
Free plan — ✓ (best)
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Mobile Cloud, Mobile
Platforms Web, iOS, Android Web, iOS, Android
Support Email Docs
Integrations 1 integrations 1 integrations
Built for Solo, Small business Solo, Small business
Features NYT Cooking 3/4 · BigOven 3/4
Recipe import — ✓ (best)
Meal planning ✓ ✓
Guided cooking ✓ (best) Not published
Grocery lists ✓ ✓
Specs
Recipe library size 20000 recipes 1e+06 recipes (best)
Platforms web, iOS, Android web, iOS, Android
Our review
Pros
  • Search more than 20,000 recipes by diet, cuisine and meal type
  • Cook Mode and step-by-step videos guide recipe preparation
  • Build grocery lists from recipe ingredients and share them
  • Search a library of over one million recipes by title, keyword, course, or ingredient
  • Clip web recipes, scan photos, and save up to 200 recipes on Basic
  • Turn meal plans into grocery lists and access viewed items offline on mobile
Cons
  • Recipe Box features are limited without a Cooking or All Access subscription
  • Grocery Lists are subscriber-only
  • Recipe importing is not supported
  • Basic limits recipe saving to 200 and includes one RecipeScan upload
  • Meal planning and unlimited recipe saving are Pro features
  • No native desktop apps; desktop access is through the web
Our verdict

NYT Cooking is a recipe service for home cooks who want to find, save and follow recipes from The New York Times. Its searchable collection contains more than 20,000 recipes, with filters for diet, cuisine and meal type. People can save…

Read the review →

BigOven brings recipe discovery and organization together with meal planning and grocery lists for home cooks. Its library contains more than one million recipes, searchable by title, keyword, course, or ingredient. Recipes can also be…

Read the review →
  1. NYT CookingRecipe Apps 9.2Paid
  2. BigOvenRecipe Apps 8.5Free plan · 30-day trial

Strengths and trade-offs

  • NYT Cooking — where it wins

    • Search more than 20,000 recipes by diet, cuisine and meal type
    • Cook Mode and step-by-step videos guide recipe preparation
    • Build grocery lists from recipe ingredients and share them

    Where it doesn't

    • Recipe Box features are limited without a Cooking or All Access subscription
    • Grocery Lists are subscriber-only
    • Recipe importing is not supported

  • BigOven — where it wins

    • Search a library of over one million recipes by title, keyword, course, or ingredient
    • Clip web recipes, scan photos, and save up to 200 recipes on Basic
    • Turn meal plans into grocery lists and access viewed items offline on mobile

    Where it doesn't

    • Basic limits recipe saving to 200 and includes one RecipeScan upload
    • Meal planning and unlimited recipe saving are Pro features
    • No native desktop apps; desktop access is through the web
  • NYT Cooking9.2/10 · Paid

    A paid recipe service pairing a 20,000-recipe library with guided cooking and grocery lists.

    Visit NYT CookingFull verdict →
  • BigOven8.5/10 · Free plan · 30-day trial

    A recipe organizer with meal planning, grocery lists, and a library of over one million recipes.

    Visit BigOvenFull verdict →

More comparisons

All recipe apps comparisons → · Full ranking →

Guides on recipe apps

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update