# America's Test Kitchen vs Chef

The clearest difference is monetization model: Chef at freemium against America's Test Kitchen's subscription. Chef also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (13 vs 15.6). America's Test Kitchen's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 21 months) and ratings volume (18K vs 20). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. America's Test Kitchen sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Chef sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

America's Test Kitchen holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: America's Test Kitchen has 18K ratings behind it against 20, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of America's Test Kitchen's written reviews are positive against 50% of Chef's.

America's Test Kitchen ships an update fortnightly, Chef every 21 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | America's Test Kitchen | Chef |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (18K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/americas-test-kitchen/id1365223384/reviews)** | [4.7 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chef/id1417344314/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **18K** | 20 |
| Positive reviews | **65.7% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 21 months |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Freemium** |
| Best chart rank | **#8** | — |
| Size | 129 MB | 109 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **13** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [America's Test Kitchen LP](https://appshunter.io/developer/385122166) | [Guillaume Cendre](https://appshunter.io/developer/1287563086) |

## What reviewers say

### America's Test Kitchen

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/americas-test-kitchen/id1365223384)

**Currently charting:** #8 Top Grossing · Food & Drink (US App Store)

Access thousands of rigorously tested recipes, cooking videos, and expert product reviews. Enhance your culinary skills with on-demand classes taught by test kitchen professionals. Save favorites, create shopping lists, and discover new dishes for any occasion.

**Highlights:** 14,000+ tested recipes, Expert-led cooking classes, App-exclusive content, Product reviews and ratings, Save favorite recipes, Create shopping lists, Ad-free cooking episodes

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ATK Essential - Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Classes Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Essential + Classes - Monthly | $19.99 | per month |
| Classes Annual | $39.99 | per year |
| ATK Essential - Annual | $49.99 | per year |
| Essential + Classes - Annual | $89.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to navigate app
- 👍 Excellent recipes and cooking tips
- 👍 Helpful product reviews and recommendations
- 👍 Valuable subscription worth the cost

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent login issues and app crashes
- 🐛 Unreliable server connectivity
- 🐛 Inconsistent app performance and bugs
- 🔍 Limited search and organization features

**Reported bugs**

- Recipes and content not loading properly
- Inability to access account after updates
- Syncing issues between app and website
- Frequent log-outs and need to re-login

**Requested features**

- Add ability to categorize and organize saved recipes
- Improve search functionality and filtering options
- Implement sharing capabilities to easily share recipes
- Add support for metric measurements alongside imperial


### Chef

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chef/id1417344314)

Discover and cook thousands of recipes with a modern interface. Create your own recipes, generate shopping lists, and analyze nutritional values. Offers premium features for unlimited recipe creation and private recipes.

**Highlights:** Recipe discovery, Custom recipe creation, Automated shopping lists, Nutritional value analysis, Recipe scheduling, Modern design

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Chef Premium - One Month | $1.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is America's Test Kitchen free?

America's Test Kitchen is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Chef free?

Chef is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, America's Test Kitchen or Chef?

America's Test Kitchen is rated higher. America's Test Kitchen averages 4.9 out of 5 from 18K ratings, while Chef averages 4.7 from 20 ratings.

### Do America's Test Kitchen or Chef have ads?

America's Test Kitchen shows ads; Chef does not.

### Which is updated more often, America's Test Kitchen or Chef?

America's Test Kitchen ships an update fortnightly, and Chef every 21 months. Most recently, America's Test Kitchen was updated on October 22, 2026 and Chef on September 19, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*