# Crouton: Recipe Manager — user reviews > 527 indexed App Store user reviews of Crouton by Crouton LLC, rated 4.80/5 from 2,786 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crouton-recipe-manager/id1461650987/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crouton-recipe-manager/id1461650987.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 2,516 · 4★ 151 · 3★ 46 · 2★ 24 · 1★ 49 ## What do users think of Crouton? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 🚀 Easy to use - 👍 Intuitive interface - 🚀 Seamless recipe import - 🚀 Hands-free navigation - 👍 Household sharing - 👍 Grocery list integration - 👍 Meal planning features - 👍 Scaling recipes - 👍 Customizable organization **Cons** - 🐛 Buggy recipe import - 🐛 Inconsistent hands-free navigation - 🔒 Limited free features - 🔒 Subscription required for full functionality - 🔒 Inability to share recipes with non-users **Commonly reported bugs** - Grocery list not remembering checked items - Syncing issues between devices - Inability to add more than 5 recipes in free version **Most requested features** - Recipe rating system - Nutrition information - Ability to add recipe notes and descriptions - Improved grocery list organization - Web/Windows app version - Ability to export recipes in bulk ## Newest reviews (13 of 527) ### 3/5 — Falta el idioma Español *2026-08-21, version 2026.1.2* Al igual que otras app como FoodNoms que me parecen muy pulidas y buenas, le falta la traducción al español. Debería de añadir una opción que permita colaborar con la traducción, yo mismo ayudaría a traducir la aplicación al Español. Una pena que no se le dé prioridad a esto cuando es esencial para llegar a más usuarios… Por último, la opción de poder compartir recetas debería de incluirse en la versión de pago único y no en la suscripción, no tiene sentido y a mí me quita las ganas de comprarla… ### 2/5 — Only 5 recipes *2026-08-08, version 2026.1.2* For an app marketed as free on the App Store this app only allows you to add 5 recipes before telling you, you have to pay $20-30 dollars to be allowed to add more along with unlocking the rest of the features. While I understand unlocking extra features only allowing 5 recipes for the base is a little ridiculous I would understand 30-50 recipes seeing as they are our recipes we are adding but only 5 seems a stretch. Not to mention they don’t tell you the limit until you’ve reached it so I just spent over an hour entering in 4 recipes before realizing I have to pay to unlock the ability to add more. The app is great but the execution of level locking and transparency is poor. ### 4/5 — MCP / plugin *2026-08-04, version 2026.1.2* Très bonne application mais manque une connexion a claude ou chat gpt avec l'achat unique (plus). ### 4/5 — Einfach, praktisch *2026-07-09, version 2026.1.1* Übersichtlich, leicht zu nutzen. Besonders gut: die Suche, die auch mehr als die Zutaten umfasst, die Möglichkeit, ein Rezept mehreren Ordnern zuzuordnen und extrem viele Tags zu wählen und zu benennen. Kleine Verbesserungen wären noch schön, aber mir persönlich gefällt die App dennoch besser als die Konkurrenz-Apps (der Preis auch). ### 4/5 — Great *2026-07-08, version 2026.1.1* Really handy but lower the prices for premium ### 2/5 — Beautiful but pricey. *2026-07-08, version 2026.1.1* This app is absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately, being limited to 5 recipes without paying $25 to upgrade is very much a dealbreaker. I will be finding a new recipe app, sadly. ### 4/5 — Great app *2026-07-06, version 2026.1.1* I love this app, it has totally replaced my recipe scrapbook. I would give it 5 stars if it could save recipes from social sites. ### 3/5 — Gute Rezeptapp mit Schwächen *2026-05-29, version 2026.1* Ich habe Crouton nun 3 Tage intensiv getestet und muss sagen, wenn man alles auf eine App setzen möchte ist diese App genial. Die Rezepte werden gut erfasst, die Aufmachung ist top. Einzigartiger Manko für mich und der ist leider sehr groß, der Export. Ich kann zwar die Rezepte exportieren aber leider nur in einem proprietären Format. Mit sowas bin ich leider bei anderen Dingen schon öfters in einer Sackgasse gelandet. Sei es weil Apps eingestellt wurden und ich die Daten nicht einfach wo anders hin mit nehmen konnte oder weil die Anwendung schlechter wurde und ich so umziehen wollte. Jedesmal ging das nur mit Stunden manuellen Aufwand. Gerade Rezepte, die ja in gewisser Weise Zeitlos sind möchte ich schon gern umziehen können wenn ich mich dazu gezwungen sehe. Da dies leider nicht geht ist die App für mich leider raus - Schade. Sollte der Export irgend wann mal in einem offnen Format möglich sein, würde ich sofort wieder zurückkehren. Für alle anderen, für die der Datenerhalt über die App hinaus nicht so wichtig ist, ist dies mit die beste App zum Rezepte sammeln im App Store ### 3/5 — Love the app… needs updates *2026-05-05, version 2026.1* I’m on my second year of paying for premium and while I truly love the app, there seem to be minimal to no improvements coming. For example, if the website has sections, it won’t read the sections. Additionally there is no way to “rate” recipes to help build a better meal plan for the week - in fact it doesn’t even de-dupe when creating a meal plan for the week. PLEASE FIX THESE BUGS and it’ll be a 5-star! ### 2/5 — Useless *2026-04-15, version 2025.8.4* I downloaded to change to metric but everything is still in cups not grams so its totally useless ### 3/5 — Was excellent but need to pay monthly for smart import loses stars *2026-04-08, version 2025.8.4* I loved this app and previously rated at five stars. It seems that overtime, they have taken some features and put it behind a monthly paywall. Specifically, smart import where you can get a PDF or text file and have it imported correctly into Crouton has now been moved behind a paywall. I already paid once, if I recall, about $20 for lifetime premium. Now it seems that this useful smart import feature is hidden behind a two dollar a month fee. I do not use this app regularly enough to warrant $24 per year for this Smart import feature. I will probably switch to a different app unfortunately ### 4/5 — I LOVE THIS APP!!! *2026-04-08, version 2025.8.4* This app is AMAZING! It’s so amazing and I love that most of the features are free and the subscription is just $1.99 a month :) please never change that, I just have one thing I’d like to suggest, I’d love if the grocery list had pre generated things you could add or when you add a recipe for it to give you the option to paste those into your grocery list instantly, AMAZING app ### 3/5 — Misses a lot of simple things *2026-04-06, version 2025.8.4* Cooking with this is great, although it doesn’t splitscreen like paprika can. You can’t drag items into folders. It takes forever to click through assigning tags. The scrolling is really strange in this app - doesn’t work properly. Not very well polished, but does the job. I guess ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Recipe import non-functional *2026-08-22, version 2026.1.2* I was so excited to purchase the plus version of this app and collect recipes that have been sitting around in hard copy. But I’m disappointed to see that the import function is completely non-functional now. Importing from camera just directs me to a page prompting me to purchase plus (which I already have) or the pricier plan, and there’s no way to actually do the import. I’ll be trying to get my money back. ### 1/5 — Used to be 5 stars *2026-08-01, version 2026.1.2* Don’t offer a one-time purchase for all the Pro features only to lock some of those features behind a monthly description afterwards. Completely defeats the purpose of paying more upfront for a one time purchase. Scummy business practice. ### 1/5 — Text import is a paid subscription *2026-07-06, version 2026.1.1* I used to love this app, I purchased the one time support package for $12 for more importing options. Now I can’t even text import since it is behind a paid subscription! It used to work just fine, but now it is “AI”. Taking away features users have paid for and putting them behind a subscription is scum. ### 1/5 — You pay for it and then they change what you get *2026-06-28, version 2026.1* I paid for this app to get the ability to have unlimited recipes and to be able to import PDFs and take pictures of recipes to import them. It was great for the first couple months and then they made updates and now those features are behind a monthly fee. Talk about a bait and switch. The app is nice, I like the setup of it, and it is very user-friendly. I just feel like I got swindled out of money just to have features that I purchased for a lifetime taken away. ### 1/5 — Could use help in the formatting department. *2026-06-28, version 2026.1* I’m OCD about the presentation and formatting of my recipes and that is falling apart in Crouton as it doesn’t seem to support tiered bulleted lists, etc. so I’m having to find creative workarounds. Additionally iCloud sync does not work. I added pictures to my recipes from my phone (since I used it to take the pics) and I’ve pushed sync on my iPhone and iPad more times than I can count and the pictures and both devices are still not in sync with each other. The solution offered in the app is turn off a bunch of the features you pay for with iCloud+? So many other apps have figured this out without this - reach out to other developers and ask for help (respectfully). Update: please fix annoying formatting issues like when you try to select text within the steps it wants to drag the whole back of text versus selecting - what kind of UI decision was that - imagine if every item you wanted to SELECT something Apple said no take the whole box and drag it - the more normal behavior is allowing people to select especially since you already have the sandwiches on the side to allow for re-ordering. Update 2: Smart Import is NOT smart. How do you take a numbered list and literally put ALL the steps for a whole section under one number - they’re literally numbered. There doesn’t seem to be a winner in this category of app - all have their own quirks and things that require you to fight the app versus the app just recording recipes as advertised - go figure. The Notes app is still the GOAT at this point. Update 3: another example of UI design and produces unintended changes: I realized I was editing part of a recipe that had already been editing and when to hit escape thinking it would take me back a screen. Apparently escape is programmed to discard all changes without any warning. So 30 minutes of work gone. ### 1/5 — Awful experience *2026-06-23, version 2026.1* I installed Crouton on my MacBook M2 running Tahoe 26.5.1 and tried to manually enter a recipe. I first tried to give the recipe a name but I couldn’t type into that box. I thought, maybe there has to be an actually recipe before I can give it a name, so I typed in the ingredients and the steps and tried again. Still couldn’t type in the Recipe Name box. I tried saving it but couldn’t without giving it a name. This really looks like an IOS app that was ported to macOS without rigorous testing. I’ve uninstalled it. ### 1/5 — Could use help in the formatting department. *2026-06-20, version 2026.1* I’m OCD about the presentation and formatting of my recipes and that is falling apart in Crouton as it doesn’t seem to support tiered bulleted lists, etc. so I’m having to find creative workarounds. Additionally iCloud sync does not work. I added pictures to my recipes from my phone (since I used it to take the pics) and I’ve pushed sync on my iPhone and iPad more times than I can count and the pictures and both devices are still not in sync with each other. The solution offered in the app is turn off a bunch of the features you pay for with iCloud+? So many other apps have figured this out without this - reach out to other developers and ask for help (respectfully). Update: please fix annoying formatting issues like when you try to select text within the steps it wants to drag the whole back of text versus selecting - what kind of UI decision was that - imagine if every item you wanted to SELECT something Apple said no take the whole box and drag it - the more normal behavior is allowing people to select especially since you already have the sandwiches on the side to allow for re-ordering. Update 2: Smart Import is NOT smart. How do you take a numbered list and literally put ALL the steps for a whole section under one number - they’re literally numbered. There doesn’t seem to be a winner in this category of app - all have their own quirks and things that require you to fight the app versus the app just recording recipes as advertised - go figure. The Notes app is still the GOAT at this point. ### 1/5 — Subscription required to import recipes *2026-05-18, version 2026.1* I’m on the plus version and I can’t import recipes from simple text files (markdown) or pdf’s unless I pay for a subscription. Pdf’s might be trickier but a markdown or text file, really? I understand subscriptions when there are server costs involved but for things that are easily processed on-device it’s just unacceptable, especially when a “plus” version has already been purchased. ### 1/5 — Non ! *2026-05-18, version 2026.1* J’ai des centaines de recettes en photo, sur mon Mac. J’ai téléchargé cette appli pour tester et voir ce que ça donnait, avant de l’acheter (en achat définitif). Malheureusement, impossible d’envoyer une recette de son ordi à l’appli (c’est tout ce qui m’intéressait) sans prendre un abonnement mensuel ou annuel. Nul donc ciao ! ### 1/5 — Desktop app leaves much to be desired *2026-03-24, version 2025.8.4* - Can’t zoom recipe - no keyboard shortcuts - small windows for editing recipes just more cumbersome to use than iOS apps ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Better than others *2026-08-16, version 2026.1.2* Been using crouton for a while now and I can say this is better than the ones out there which is all hype just because its all over social media doesnt mean its good ### 5/5 — Affordable and Easy to use *2026-07-16, version 2026.1.2* I have had this amazing app for over a year now. I recently started canning and preserving my food again and this app has made it so easy to keep recipes that I want to try. Whether it be regular dinners or canning/preserving recipes I have it all at my fingertips because of this app! Please note though: I do still keep hard copy books because it is still technology and there is always a chance that this will go down at some point! ### 5/5 — A lifesaver *2026-07-13, version 2026.1.1* The best app to collect your recipes in! Imports from almost anywhere and the imports are really accurate. ### 5/5 — Love the app, but… *2026-06-08, version 2026.1* Eu amo mesmo o app e não vivo sem. Mas usando com bastante frequência, sinto que a interface é muito pouco atrativa. Como a lista de cookbooks que não valoriza as imagens, a lista com imagens pequenas e cobertas de informações de texto. Ou a página da receita que não valoriza a imagem da receita e tudo muito colorido que parece infantil com as informações da receita separadas em blocos deixa tudo menos atrativo. Falta mais modernidade no app, como é visto em outros apps como Recigen, Mela, Dashi… gostaria de ver uma atualização visual. Mas tirando esse incômodo o app é simplesmente perfeito. ### 5/5 — Excellent Recipe Manager *2026-05-13, version 2026.1* I’m obsessed with converting recipes I find on Instagram, blogs, and even cookbooks into meal plans for the week. The cost for Plus/Discover is a fraction of the cost of competitors and it syncs smoothly to other household members and the kitchen iPad for cooking. Love it. ### 5/5 — I use this app every day *2026-04-28, version 2026.1* This app has changed my life. I've recommended it to all my friends and family. It's made my daily meals so much more enjoyable, the planning, the recipes, everything. ### 5/5 — Perfect but a few features I’d like to request *2026-04-26, version 2026.1* Please add the ability rate a recipe and it show visually as you look through recipes. I have a lot of recipes and it really helps if I can see which ones I’ve made and rated highly. Also I wish we could toggle between or have added a meal planner queue. I don’t always have recipes planned for a certain day depending on left overs or appetite. It’s nicer for me to have a Queue of recipes to reference that I’d like to try making soon or next. ### 5/5 — Fantastic! *2026-04-14, version 2025.8.4* I use it everyday, it feels really great. Nice experience while cooking. ### 5/5 — Genial, intuitiv und hilfreich *2026-04-04, version 2025.8.4* Rezepte zu verwalten kann eine Wissenschaft für sich sein nur nicht mit dieser wirklich durchdachten App. Hier kann man wirklich sehr bequem Rezepte sichern, egal ob manuell eintragen, über ein Foto aus einem Kochbuch oder von einer Website wie z.B. Chefkoch. Doch hier ist noch bei weitem nicht schluss… Zutaten werden bequem getrennt eingetragen, Schritte sind einfach unterteilt bzw. können unterteilt werden und das wiederum hilft beim kochen mit dreckigen Händen denn mit Handgeste oder zwinkern kann man dann durch die Schritte wandern. Mengenangaben aus den Zutaten werden per Klick im Schritt angezeigt und auch Timer lassen sich direkt aus den Schritten starten. Das sind nur ein paar der tollen Funktionen. Praktisch ist auch, dass Crouton auf allen Appleplattformen ohne Zulauf oder Abo funktioniert. ### 5/5 — The best out there *2026-03-30, version 2025.8.4* This is the best app for that purpose that you can find out there. It looks good, it works, and it’s not a ripoff. --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-03.*