Plan to Eat costs $5.95/mo.
These cost $0.
5 free alternatives to Plan to Eat, checked for license, recent activity and real adoption. Each one tells you the catch, so you can switch with your eyes open.
Plan to Eat vs Free Alternatives Matrix
Quick side-by-side comparison · $0/mo vs $5.95/mo
| Alternative | Type | License | Where It Runs | Stars | Head-to-Head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mealie | open source | AGPL-3.0 | Self-host | ★ 13k | Plan to Eat vs Mealie → |
| Grocy | open source | MIT | Self-host | ★ 9.4k | Plan to Eat vs Grocy → |
| RecipeSage | free | AGPL-3.0 | Local or hosted | ★ $0 forever | Plan to Eat vs RecipeSage → |
| Samsung Food | free | proprietary, free | Hosted | ★ $0 forever | Plan to Eat vs Samsung Food → |
| Tandoor Recipes | free | — | Self-host | ★ $0 forever | Plan to Eat vs Tandoor Recipes → |
The picks
2 open source · 3 free to use · ranked by fit
- 01
Mealie
open sourceAGPL-3.0Self-host13kaug 2026A household recipe server with meal plans and grocery lists; you supply the server and patience.
The catch vs Plan to EatMealie covers the core loop, but its calendar interaction, browser importer, mobile responsiveness, and maintenance burden are less polished than Plan to Eat's managed planner.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- webself-hosteddocker to self-host
- install
- Docker Compose
- setup
- A non-expert needs Docker, persistent volumes, an update/backup routine, and usually a domain plus HTTPS; importing recipe sites also produces parsing failures that must be cleaned up manually.
- your data
- Recipes, users, groups, meal plans, and shopping-list records live in SQLite by default or PostgreSQL when configured; recipe images and application assets live in the mounted data directory, and Mealie's backup/export archives keep portable copies of the database and media.
- checked
- 2026-08-10
- 02
Grocy
open sourceMITSelf-host9.4kjul 2026Meal plans and groceries run through a tiny home ERP, because apparently the fridge needed one.
The catch vs Plan to EatGrocy can calendar meals and generate groceries, but its inventory-first ERP interface makes the simple drag-recipe-to-calendar loop much slower and more complicated than Plan to Eat.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- desktopwebself-hosteddocker to self-host
- install
- Docker container/Compose, or install the PHP application on a web server
- setup
- The first obstacle is deploying and exposing a PHP/Docker web app; the larger practical hurdle is configuring locations, units, products, barcodes, and household routines before its ERP-like screens become useful.
- your data
- Products, stock, chores, recipes, meal plans, shopping lists, and history live in Grocy's SQLite database inside its data directory; configuration, uploaded pictures, and generated files are stored alongside it on the host volume.
- checked
- 2026-08-10
- 03
RecipeSage
freeAGPL-3.0Local or hostedRecipes, a calendar meal planner, and generated shopping lists, without the annual renewal.
The catch vs Plan to EatRecipeSage is close functionally, but Plan to Eat has the more refined drag-and-drop calendar, recipe clipper, mobile workflow, and long-established support.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- mobilewebextensionthey host it
- install
- Hosted signup at RecipeSage, or Docker Compose for self-hosting
- setup
- The public service has no setup blocker; self-hosting adds Docker, a database, mail, storage, HTTPS, and backups, while both versions have less refined native-mobile interaction than Paprika or AnyList.
- your data
- The hosted service stores recipes, images, labels, meal plans, shopping lists, households, and account data in RecipeSage's infrastructure; self-hosting keeps the relational application database and uploaded media in operator-controlled containers/volumes, with built-in export for portability.
- checked
- 2026-08-10
- 04
Samsung Food
freeproprietary, freeHostedDrag recipes onto a weekly plan and turn it into groceries; ads replace the annual invoice.
The catch vs Plan to EatSamsung Food removes the invoice but adds ads, recommendations, and vendor-cloud dependence, with less control and portability than Plan to Eat's focused personal recipe planner.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- mobilewebextensionthey host it
- install
- Install the mobile app or use the web app, then create a Samsung Food account
- your data
- Saved and imported recipes, meal plans, grocery lists, household-sharing records, profile data, and recommendations live in Samsung Food's cloud; the internal storage format is not disclosed.
- checked
- 2026-08-10
- 05
Tandoor Recipes
freeSelf-hostThe full recipe-plan-shopping loop; free for personal self-hosting, but the license is not actually open source.
The catch vs Plan to EatTandoor does the recipe-plan-list loop, but self-hosting and its denser web UI are a large downgrade from Plan to Eat's simple hosted calendar and importer.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- webself-hosteddocker to self-host
- install
- Docker Compose with PostgreSQL; manual Django deployment is also documented
- setup
- The first obstacle is a multi-container Django/PostgreSQL deployment with secrets, volumes, HTTPS, email, and backups; its Commons-Clause-modified AGPL license is also not an OSI-approved open-source license.
- your data
- Recipes, users, meal plans, shopping lists, books, and permissions live in PostgreSQL in the standard Docker deployment; uploaded images and static/media files live in mounted volumes, and recipe data can be exported through Tandoor's export tools.
- checked
- 2026-08-10
Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers · Plan to Eat open-source replacements
What is the best free alternative to Plan to Eat?+
The top free alternative to Plan to Eat is Mealie (open source, AGPL-3.0). A household recipe server with meal plans and grocery lists; you supply the server and patience. Other popular Plan to Eat replacements include Grocy, RecipeSage, Samsung Food.
Can I self-host a free replacement for Plan to Eat?+
Yes. Of the 5 free alternatives to Plan to Eat, 4 can be self-hosted on your own server or local machine: Mealie (AGPL-3.0), Grocy (MIT), RecipeSage (AGPL-3.0), Tandoor Recipes (free).
How much does switching from Plan to Eat to a free alternative save?+
Plan to Eat starts at $5.95/month per seat ($71/year). Switching a 5-person team to a free alternative like Mealie saves $357 per year in software subscription fees.
Should I vibe-code or build my own Plan to Eat clone from scratch?+
Our build verdict for Plan to Eat is YES (the core loop fits in a weekend). The core loop is small enough for a capable coding agent to produce a useful local version in one sitting. For Plan to Eat, store recipes, drag them onto a calendar, and generate a shopping list. The hard boundary is browser clipping, mobile apps, sync, household sharing, and workflow polish, plus sync, integrations, and household adoption.
What is the catch when switching from Plan to Eat to Mealie?+
Mealie covers the core loop, but its calendar interaction, browser importer, mobile responsiveness, and maintenance burden are less polished than Plan to Eat's managed planner.
