Comparison

OLIO vs Mealpository

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

OLIO

This app connects you with neighbors to share surplus food and unwanted items for free. It's a simple, local way to reduce waste, save money, and help your community by giving items a new home.

Highlights
  • Find free food locally
  • Share free household items
  • Discover items on a map
  • Arrange local collections
  • Reduce food waste
  • Save money
  • Connect with community
Features
Read full description

Olio is your local go-to for free food and other useful stuff people nearby no longer need. From surplus supermarket food to everyday household items, Olio helps good things find a new home locally. It’s simple, free, and right on your doorstep. ⁕ Find free food near you Discover free food shared by local volunteers who rescue unsold surplus from supermarkets, local shops, cafes and more – from fresh bread and veg to cupboard staples and ready-to-eat meals. New food is added every single day. ⁕ Get (and give) free stuff locally Browse free clothes, books, toys, toiletries and more from people nearby. Got food, clothes, books or household items you’re not using? Share them in just a few taps and clear space fast. Free items are requested quickly, so things don’t hang around. ⁕ Everything happens locally See what’s available near you on the map and arrange a collection at a time that works for you. No postage. No hassle. Just neighbours helping neighbours. Small actions. Big difference. Olio makes it easy to reduce waste, save money and support your community – all at the same time. ⁕ Join a movement of millions of people already sharing locally. Download Olio and see what’s being shared near you today! Terms and conditions: https://olioapp.com/en/terms-and-conditions/ Privacy policy: https://olioapp.com/en/privacy-policy/

About

Mealpository

Features
Read full description

Mealpository gives everything your household cooks one useful place to live. Bring in Recipes from website links, cookbook pages, Photos, PDFs or pasted family notes. Review the details before saving, then find each Recipe by title, ingredient, folder or Favourite when it is time to cook. PLAN THE WEEK Keep breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and flexible meal ideas together. See what is coming up, adjust servings and keep your household working from the same Kitchen. SHOP WITH A LIST THAT FOLLOWS THE PLAN Use Grocery Lists for planned ingredients and household extras. Check items with one hand, keep supported changes pending through a poor store connection, and review anything that needs attention after reconnecting. COOK WITHOUT LOSING YOUR PLACE Open a Recipe in Cooking Mode, check Ingredients and Instructions, resume saved progress and use supported cooking timers while you work. BRING RECIPES IN FROM IPHONE OR IPAD Scan a printed page with the camera, choose Photos or a PDF, paste Recipe text, import a URL, or share a Recipe website directly to Mealpository. Extraction creates an editable draft—you remain in control of what is saved. USE THE APP WITHOUT OPENING IT FIRST Ask Siri to add an item to your active Grocery List, review what remains, or open Meal Planner. Add Grocery and Meal Plan widgets for a quick saved view, and choose the notifications and reminders useful to you. BUILT FOR HOUSEHOLDS Each person uses their own account while Recipes, Meal Plan, Grocery Lists and optional Pantry stay connected inside a shared Kitchen. Roles protect editing without making everyday cooking feel administrative. PRIVATE BY DEFAULT Recipes begin private. Share with a Kitchen, followers or an unlisted link only when you choose. Share Recipes on Discover after confirming you created the content and photos or have permission to publish them. Imported and copied Recipes keep their source history. Mealpository uses the same account and Kitchens on iPhone, iPad and the web. Some advanced administration remains available at app.mealpository.com.

Screenshots

OLIO4 screens
Mealpository4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mealpository at none against OLIO's 10. Mealpository also leads on ads (none vs shown). OLIO's advantage is update cadence (every 8 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. OLIO sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Mealpository asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

OLIO ships an update every 8 days, Mealpository every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
OLIO versus Mealpository: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOLIOMealpository
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (792 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews73.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings792 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 8 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.4 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size171 MB18 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperOlio Exchange LimitedSean Wotherspoon

Bugs and requests

OLIO

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App freezes and crashes
  • Login issues with magic link
  • Notifications not working properly
  • Listings not updating in real-time
  • Incompatibility with older devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved notification system
  • Better search and filtering options
  • Calendar view for pickups
  • Option to hide sold/collected items
  • Dark mode

Mealpository

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

7 purchases

OLIO

Subscriptions7
  • Monthly2 variants$0.991 Month
  • Monthly2 variants$2.491 Month
  • Monthly$2.991 Month
Show 4 more
  • Monthly$5.491 Month
  • Yearly - save 50%2 variants$6.991 Year
  • Yearly - save 50%$13.991 Year
  • Yearly - save 50%$19.991 Year
None

Mealpository

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is OLIO free?
OLIO is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Mealpository free?
Mealpository is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do OLIO or Mealpository have ads?
OLIO shows ads; Mealpository does not.
Which is updated more often, OLIO or Mealpository?
OLIO ships an update every 8 days, and Mealpository every 2 weeks. Most recently, OLIO was updated on November 11, 2026 and Mealpository on November 6, 2026.

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