We make RecipeScan, so weigh this accordingly. Use this page to match an app to the job in front of you. The prices and features line up with the comparison on the RecipeScan homepage and with Mealime’s closing page. Checked 30 September 2026.
This image is RecipeScan’s own card. It is not a screenshot of Mealime or SideChef.
The short answer
- Dinner from a photo of the fridge or pantry, plus a grocery list of only what you are missing: RecipeScan, on iPhone and iPad. On the App Store the name is RecipeScan: Save Any Recipe.
- A much larger library, a video at every step, cooking classes, grocery checkout, a smart oven, or Android: SideChef.
- The done-for-you weekly plans you used Mealime for: Meals Hub, where Mealime says its recipes continue. Mealime itself is discontinued as of 21 October 2026.
Cook from the fridge tonight
This is the job RecipeScan is built for. You photograph the fridge or pantry, get dinner ideas from what is actually there, and a grocery list of only what is missing. If the problem is last night’s leftovers rather than a full fridge, the same app can turn those leftovers into another dinner. The weeknight version of that decision is what’s for dinner tonight. The scan-to-list walkthrough is Pantry Scan to a grocery list.
SideChef does not list a fridge photo. You type the ingredients you have. “Not listed” means we could not find it on SideChef’s US App Store listing or on sidechef.com. It is not proof the feature is absent.
Mealime is the wrong install for tonight. The app is discontinued as of 21 October 2026, and personal data is deleted when it shuts down. A fridge photo is not a reason to start an account that is about to be removed.
Save the recipe from the video
A TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, or Facebook post is a different problem from a fridge. The recipe sits in a caption, a title, or a spoken clip, and the bookmark stays inside the social app. RecipeScan takes that link from the iPhone share sheet and saves a written recipe you can plan and shop from. The full method, including what to do when nothing is written down, is how to save recipes from TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
SideChef’s social video link import is not listed. Saving a normal recipe webpage is listed for both: RecipeScan from a link, SideChef with Recipe Clipper. A photo of a finished dish that becomes a recipe is listed for both too. SideChef calls that RecipeGen AI. A cookbook page or a handwritten card is a scan in RecipeScan. That is a paper problem, not a social one.
Plan the week and shop once
Once the recipes exist, someone still has to turn them into a shop.
RecipeScan plans from recipes you choose. The grocery list combines them and skips what your pantry already has. Buying the list opens a store search at Instacart, Walmart, Kroger, Target, or Amazon Fresh. It does not match products and check out inside the app. The method, with or without an app, is how to make a grocery list from recipes.
SideChef also builds a grocery list, and it is the stronger shop. Checkout at online grocers matches products and shows live prices.
Mealime’s appeal was that it chose the week for you and handed you the list. That is a third job. RecipeScan will help you plan with recipes you pick. It will not hand you Mealime’s balanced weekly menu. If that menu is what you want, Meals Hub is where Mealime says those recipes continue.
Learn from a video, a class, or the oven
Pick SideChef when the gap is skill, not ingredients. The homepage comparison lists a video at every step and 800+ cooking classes with SideChef Premium, plus control of smart ovens from LG, GE, and Bosch Home Connect. SideChef’s library in that table is about 18,000 recipes. The app runs on Android and iOS.
RecipeScan does not have step-by-step lesson videos, a class catalog, or smart-oven control. Its library on this site is 1,300+ curated recipes. It does have a hands-free cooking mode on iPhone, and SideChef lists voice commands too, so voice is not a reason to pick one over the other. If you want to be taught, SideChef is the fit. If you already know the dish and need to get it out of the fridge, it is not.
Leave Mealime before 21 October
Mealime says it will be discontinued as of 21 October 2026. Personal data is deleted when the app shuts down. Pro subscribers are not charged again before it closes. The closing page does not mention an export. It says Mealime’s recipes continue on Meals Hub, in the Albertsons family of grocery apps and on the web.
Two decisions get mixed up here. If you want the same done-for-you plans, start with Meals Hub. If you want a copy of the recipes you actually cook, in an app you control, move them before that personal data is deleted. The steps are in how to save your Mealime recipes before the shutdown. This page does not repeat them.
How the three compare
The RecipeScan and SideChef columns match the homepage table. The Mealime column is status. We are not scoring features on an app that is closing.
| Feature | RecipeScan | SideChef | Mealime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it stands | On the App Store for iPhone and iPad | iOS and Android | Discontinued as of 21 October 2026. Recipes continue on Meals Hub. |
| Premium, per year | $29.99 | $49.99 | Pro is not charged again before close |
| Premium, per month | $4.99 | $4.99 | Closing / Meals Hub |
| Free trial | 7 days | 7 days | Closing / Meals Hub |
| Photo of your fridge or pantry to recipe ideas | Yes | Not listed. You type the ingredients you have. | Closing / Meals Hub |
| Photo of a finished dish to a recipe | Yes | Yes. RecipeGen AI. | Closing / Meals Hub |
| Save recipes from any website | Yes | Yes. Recipe Clipper. | Closing / Meals Hub |
| Import TikTok, Instagram and YouTube links | Yes, from the share sheet. Also Pinterest and Facebook. | Not listed | Closing / Meals Hub |
| Grocery list from your recipes | Yes. Skips what your pantry already has. | Yes | Closing / Meals Hub |
| Buy the list from online grocers | Opens a store search: Instacart, Walmart, Kroger, Target, Amazon Fresh. | Yes. Matched to products with live prices. | Closing / Meals Hub |
| Calorie estimate from a meal photo | Yes | Not listed | Closing / Meals Hub |
| Hands-free cooking with voice control | Yes | Yes | Closing / Meals Hub |
| AI cooking assistant chat | Yes | Not listed | Closing / Meals Hub |
| Recipe library | 1,300+ recipes | About 18,000 recipes | Recipes continue on Meals Hub |
| Video at every step and cooking classes | No | Yes. 800+ classes with Premium. | Closing / Meals Hub |
| Controls smart ovens | No | Yes. LG, GE, Bosch Home Connect. | Closing / Meals Hub |
| Android | No. iPhone and iPad only. | Yes | Closing / Meals Hub |
RecipeScan is free to start. Premium is $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year, with a 7-day trial. The free plan includes 1,300+ curated recipes, favorites, basic meal planning, a grocery list, and weekly free AI allowances. SideChef is free to use. SideChef Premium is $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year, with a 7-day trial. The 800+ classes sit on SideChef Premium in the homepage table.
Checked 30 September 2026. RecipeScan rows follow the homepage comparison and the US App Store listing for RecipeScan: Save Any Recipe (id 6758753386). SideChef rows follow that same homepage table, from SideChef’s US App Store listing and sidechef.com (Premium classes, Recipe Clipper, RecipeGen AI, and voice commands), previously checked 22 September 2026. “Not listed” means we could not find it on those pages, not proof it is missing. Mealime’s column is status, from Mealime’s closing page: discontinued as of 21 October 2026, personal data deleted, Pro not charged again before close, recipes continue on Meals Hub, no export mentioned.
Who RecipeScan is not for
- You want someone else to choose a balanced week, the way Mealime’s plans did. Meals Hub is the closer match.
- You need Android. RecipeScan is iPhone and iPad only. SideChef runs on Android and iOS.
- You want cooking classes, a video at every step, or a smart oven that follows the recipe. That is SideChef.
- You want to check out a grocery order with products matched and live prices. SideChef does that. RecipeScan opens a store search.
RecipeScan is a fit when dinner starts from the fridge, from a social link, or from a page you scanned, and you are happy to choose the meals yourself on an iPhone or iPad.
Frequently asked questions
Which app fits which kitchen job?
Cook tonight from a photo of the fridge or pantry: RecipeScan, on iPhone and iPad. A large library, a video at every step, cooking classes, grocery checkout, a smart oven, or Android: SideChef. The done-for-you weekly plans Mealime was known for: Meals Hub, where Mealime says its recipes continue. Mealime itself is discontinued as of 21 October 2026.
Is Mealime still available?
Mealime says it will be discontinued as of 21 October 2026. Personal data is deleted when the app shuts down. Pro is not charged again before it closes. Its recipes continue on Meals Hub, in the Albertsons family of grocery apps and on the web. The closing page does not mention an export.
How do I save Mealime recipes before the shutdown?
This page does not repeat the move. The steps for keeping the recipes you actually cook are in the guide to saving Mealime recipes before the shutdown. If you liked Mealime's ready-made weekly plans, Meals Hub is the closer match than a new recipe app.
Does RecipeScan import recipes from TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube?
Yes. RecipeScan imports from the share sheet for TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, and Facebook. SideChef's social video link import is not listed on the pages we checked. Both apps list saving a recipe from a normal website: RecipeScan from a link, SideChef with Recipe Clipper.
Can I photograph my fridge and get dinner ideas?
In RecipeScan, yes: a photo of the fridge or pantry leads to dinner ideas and a grocery list of what is missing. SideChef is not listed for a fridge photo; you type the ingredients you have. Not listed means we could not find it on SideChef's US App Store listing or sidechef.com, not proof the feature is absent.
What does RecipeScan cost compared with SideChef?
RecipeScan Premium is $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year, with a 7-day trial. SideChef Premium is $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year, with a 7-day trial. RecipeScan's free plan includes 1,300+ curated recipes, favorites, basic meal planning, a grocery list, and weekly free AI allowances. SideChef is free to use. Checked 30 September 2026.
Who should skip RecipeScan?
Skip it if you want someone else to plan the week the way Mealime did (use Meals Hub), if you need Android (SideChef has it; RecipeScan is iPhone and iPad only), if you want cooking classes, a video at every step, or smart-oven control (SideChef), or if you want grocery checkout with products matched and live prices (SideChef). RecipeScan opens a store search instead.