Recipe Keeper’s cost, and when it wins
Recipe Keeper if you want one recipe box and pay once. ReelsMeals if you have a backlog of saved reels.
Recipe Keeper is a long-running recipe manager for iPhone, Android, Windows and Mac, rated 4.8 from about 31,000 US App Store ratings. Pro is bought once, separately on each platform. ReelsMeals imports a whole saved folder at once and runs in any browser. Prices checked on 21 September 2026.
Recipe Keeper is a recipe box.
It imports from recipe websites, Instagram and TikTok, scans paper recipes with text recognition, and plans meals. It has apps for iPhone, Android, Windows and Mac, and syncing between your own devices is free. The free version holds 20 recipes.
ReelsMeals moves your saves.
It writes a recipe down from a reel’s caption, on-screen text and voiceover. It imports your Instagram saved folder from Instagram’s data export, or TikTok and YouTube links 50 at a time, credits every creator, and runs in the browser on any device.
Recipe Keeper takes these one at a time.
Lasagna soup
McKenna Barry · Instagram reel
Paratha smash burger buns
khudi.nyc · TikTok
Cajun chicken and andouille gumbo
Rachel · Instagram reel
Spicy peanut noodles
vitacoco · Instagram reel
Each is a real recipe on ReelsMeals, written down from a reel. Recipe Keeper imports reels too, one link at a time. ReelsMeals takes a whole saved folder, in batches of 50.
Feature by feature.
From each app’s own site and store listings, checked 21 September 2026. Where Recipe Keeper does something ReelsMeals doesn’t, the table says so.
| Feature | ReelsMeals | Recipe Keeper |
|---|---|---|
| Recipes from websites | ReelsMeals: YesPaste a link | Recipe Keeper: Yes |
| Instagram Reels | ReelsMeals: YesCaption, on-screen text and voiceover | Recipe Keeper: Yes |
| TikTok and YouTube videos | ReelsMeals: Yes | Recipe Keeper: TikTokYouTube isn’t listed |
| Move a whole saved folder | ReelsMeals: YesInstagram’s data export, or links 50 a batch | Recipe Keeper: NoOne link at a time |
| Photos of paper recipes | ReelsMeals: YesScan a card | Recipe Keeper: YesText recognition |
| Meal planning | ReelsMeals: Yes1 to 7 dinners from your saved recipes, with a short reason for each | Recipe Keeper: Yes |
| Where it runs | ReelsMeals: Any browserPhone, tablet, laptop | Recipe Keeper: Native appsiPhone, Android, Windows, Mac; no web version |
| Share a recipe as a link | ReelsMeals: YesPublic recipes get a page you can send as a link | Recipe Keeper: Not listed |
| Claude, ChatGPT and other assistants | ReelsMeals: YesOver MCP, revoke any time | Recipe Keeper: Not listed |
| Free to start | ReelsMeals: YesSave public recipes; 3 imports of links or scans | Recipe Keeper: YesUp to 20 recipes |
When Recipe Keeper wins.
You’d rather pay once.
Pro is about $19.99 once on iPhone or Android, less than a year of ReelsMeals, and it never renews.
One device is enough.
Buy Pro on that platform and you’re done. The per-platform price only adds up across several devices.
You want a proven app.
It’s rated 4.8 from about 31,000 US App Store ratings, and it scans paper recipes as well as links.
Moving from Recipe Keeper.
First, keep Recipe Keeper.
Nothing in it changes. Move a few recipes, cook from them for a week, then decide.
Then copy the source links.
Recipes Recipe Keeper saved from a reel or a website usually keep the link they came from. Copy the links of the ones you still cook.
Paste them, 50 at a time.
ReelsMeals reads each page again and writes the recipe down, credited and linked. A free account includes 3 imports of links or scans, which you can spend on a small batch; a plan imports the rest. Keep the tab open until every batch is sent; queued imports carry on on the server.
Then bring the rest of the folder.
Request your saved posts from Instagram’s Download your information page and drop the file in. Paste TikTok and YouTube links in the same box.
Recipes you typed into Recipe Keeper by hand have no link to follow: copy the recipe text into manual entry, or scan a printout. ReelsMeals can’t read Recipe Keeper’s own export file yet.
Questions.
Which is better, Recipe Keeper or ReelsMeals?
If you want a classic recipe box on one device and would rather pay once, Recipe Keeper is the better choice. Pro is a one-time purchase of about $19.99 on iOS or Android, cheaper than a year of ReelsMeals, and it imports from TikTok and Instagram too. If you have a backlog of saved videos to bring over, or you cook across several devices, ReelsMeals is the better choice. It imports a whole list of links at once and runs in any browser, with one account for every device.
Is the Recipe Keeper app free?
There is a free version, and it holds up to 20 recipes. Past that you need the Pro upgrade, which is a one-time purchase rather than a subscription.
How much does Recipe Keeper Pro cost?
Roughly $19.99 on iOS and Android and $29.99 on macOS, checked September 2026. Windows is a separate purchase again. Pro is bought per platform, so using it on a phone and a Mac means buying it twice.
Is Recipe Keeper worth it?
For a classic recipe box on one device, yes. It is rated 4.8 from about 31,000 US App Store ratings, it has no subscription, and syncing between your own devices is free. The limits are that there is no web version, each platform is a separate purchase, and it is built around storing recipes rather than rescuing a backlog of saved videos.
Is ReelsMeals cheaper than Recipe Keeper?
No, and we would rather say so. If you only need one device, Recipe Keeper's one-time purchase costs less than a year of ReelsMeals and never renews. ReelsMeals is worth paying for when the job is different: importing a backlog of saved TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube videos, sharing recipes as public links, and having structured recipes an AI assistant can plan and shop from, all in a browser with nothing installed.
Can Recipe Keeper import recipes from TikTok and Instagram?
Yes. Recipe Keeper added Instagram and TikTok importing alongside its recipe-website importer and OCR scanning for paper recipes. YouTube is not listed among its supported sources.
Bring the whole folder over.
Paste one saved reel and get the recipe back, credited to its creator. You can usually try one without an account, and a free account adds 3 imports.
Comparing other apps? Paprika, Pestle, Mela, Samsung Food, Copy Me That, ReciMe, AnyList and Crouton. Or see all comparisons.