Mealie

At a glance

• Editor score
  7.1 / 10
• Pricing
  Free plan
• Best for
  Self-hosted recipe libraries with household planning
• Free plan
  Yes
• Paid from
  None
• Recipe import
  Yes
• Facts checked
  5 Oct 2026

• Where it wins

  • Imports recipes from URLs and supports migration from other recipe apps
  • Plans meals on a calendar and creates shopping lists from recipe ingredients
  • Offers household sharing, backups, a REST API, and scheduled webhooks

• Where it doesn't

  • Self-hosting and web focus may not suit users seeking a dedicated mobile app
  • Installation and configuration may require more effort than hosted recipe services
  • AI-assisted import availability can depend on installation configuration

Our verdict on Mealie

Mealie is a free, open-source recipe manager and meal planner for individuals and households. It runs as a web application and can be self-hosted, including with Docker. Recipes can be imported from supported websites or other recipe apps, or entered manually in an editor with Markdown support. Categories, tags, tools, and cookbooks help organize a library, while groups and households allow recipes to be shared. This makes Mealie a fit for people who want control over a household recipe collection rather than a primarily mobile-first cooking app.

Planning and grocery workflows are central to the product. The calendar-based planner supports scheduled meals, random recipe selection, and planner rules; shopping lists can be created from recipe ingredients. The result is a connected path from organizing recipes to deciding what to cook and assembling ingredients. Recipe actions, scheduled webhooks, and a REST API extend those workflows for people who want to connect or automate parts of their setup. Installation backups and restores are also available, relevant to users maintaining their own deployment.

The main trade-off is the self-hosted, web-focused approach: it gives users deployment control, but may not suit someone looking for a ready-to-use mobile app or a managed recipe service. Community support and documentation are the listed support channels, so buyers who expect direct vendor support should weigh that fit. An AI-assisted import feature is mentioned in the documentation, though its availability can depend on installation configuration. Choose Mealie if you value an open-source household library, migration, planning, and grocery lists; consider another option if simplicity of hosted setup or mobile-first access matters more.

Mealie pricing

Mealie fact sheet

Mealie integrations

Mealie lists 4 integrations on its own site.

• REST API
• Webhooks
• Apprise notifiers
• Recipe actions

Alternatives to Mealie

• NCNYT CookingA paid recipe service pairing a 20,000-recipe library with guided cooking and grocery lists.9.2
• CCookpadA community recipe library with searchable personal collections and optional Premium tools.9.0
• FFood.comA free recipe catalog for browsing, saving favorites, and sharing cooking notes.8.8

See all Mealie alternatives →

Featured on iTechGuides

Mealie is listed in our Recipe Apps directory. Add the badge to your site — it links back to this page.

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Guides on recipe apps

• Best recipe apps for iPhone and iPad: the best options for saving, planning, shopping, and cookingAug 2026
• 11 Best Cooking and Recipe Apps for iPhone and Android in 2026Aug 2026
• AI Recipe Generators: What They Can Do, Which Tools Are Worth Using, and How to Use Them SafelyAug 2026

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

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.

Last updated 9 Oct 2026 · How we research and update