Comparison

America's Test Kitchen vs Picky Chefs

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

Head to head
About

America's Test Kitchen

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
Read full description

The America's Test Kitchen app delivers the best-tasting recipes, cooking videos, product reviews, and more than 30 years of test kitchen discoveries! Get every rigorously tested recipe from America’s Test Kitchen, Cook’s Illustrated, and Cook’s Country. Recipe collections for every occasion: Weeknight recipes, healthy recipes, desserts, slow cooker recipes, and more all include “Why This Recipe Works” so you’ll know every test kitchen discovery. Save favorite recipes, cook great food, and get the recipe app that has it all. New app-exclusive feature! ATK Classes add on with expert-led cooking classes for all skill levels and personal connections with ATK instructors. Download America’s Test Kitchen today and become a culinary master! America’s Test Kitchen Features: Save Favorite Recipes - Cooking app with 14,000+ best-ever recipes - Recipes tested by test cooks and 70,000 volunteer home cooks - Recipe Collections: slow cooker recipes, seasonal picks, quick meals & more - Recipes added every month and cooking articles added every day! - Save favorite recipes, customize recipes with personal notes & get quick access on any device Kitchen Reviews - Kitchen appliance reviews and ingredient ratings at your fingertips - Save money and time with 8,000+ rigorously researched product reviews & trusted kitchen reviews Full Episodes, Ad-Free - Cooking episodes from 42 seasons of our top-rated TV shows America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Country And More! - Get Fresh Pick recommendations based on your favorites with Recipe Recommendations - Find, compare, save favorite recipes & share with others - Shopping lists are created with ease and you’ll never forget anything again New Feature: Add On ATK Classes! - Focused, fun on-demand classes taught by test kitchen experts - Build your skills and refine your cooking intuition - Use “Cook Along” mode to see every step - Enjoy a personal connection with instructors - Access classes for all skill levels Try out the entire app with a free trial. - Current ATK Essential members can access this app at no additional charge after logging in - Access to the ATK app requires a monthly or annual ATK Essential membership, which also includes all the content across the America’s Test Kitchen, Cook’s Illustrated, and Cook’s Country sites. - Bundle ATK Essential + ATK Classes and save! Privacy Policy: https://www.americastestkitchen.com/guides/corporate-pages/privacy-policy CA Privacy Notice: https://www.americastestkitchen.com/guides/corporate-pages/privacy-policy Terms of Service: https://www.americastestkitchen.com/guides/corporate-pages/terms-of-use Contact Us: support@Americastestkitchen.com All subscriptions start at the end of the applicable free trial period. Free trials are only available upon an initial subscription. Payment will be charged to your iTunes account after your free trial period or at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription will automatically renew each month or year 24 hours before the end of the current period and your credit card will be charged through your iTunes account unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. You can turn off auto-renew at any time from your iTunes account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription to that publication, where applicable. All products reviewed by America’s Test Kitchen are independently chosen, researched, and reviewed by our editors. We buy products for testing at retail locations and do not accept unsolicited samples for testing. We list suggested sources for recommended products as a convenience to our readers but do not endorse specific retailers. When you choose to purchase our editorial recommendations from the links we provide, we may earn an affiliate commission. Prices are subject to change.

About

Picky Chefs

Transform mealtime into an engaging adventure for children. This app introduces kids to new flavors, ingredients, and food history through fun recipes and interactive learning. It aims to reduce picky eating battles and foster a lifelong curiosity about food.

Highlights
  • Educational recipes with fun backgrounds
  • Fascinating food history facts
  • Ingredient profiles with origin and nutrition
  • Expert blog for parents
  • Interactive food companion (YesChef)
  • Healthy snack alternatives
Features
Read full description

Make Mealtime Fun, Educational, and Stress-Free with Picky Chefs Tired of picky eating battles? Want your child to be more curious about food? Picky Chefs makes food exciting, educational, and interactive—helping kids explore new flavors, ingredients, and food history, all while making life easier for parents. With hundreds of fun and educational recipes, fascinating food history facts, hundreds of ingredient profiles, and expert blog posts, your child will develop a lifelong curiosity for food while you get the support and meal ideas you need. Why Parents Love Picky Chefs - Encourages healthy eating – Kids naturally become more open to trying new foods - Turns picky eaters into food explorers – The more they learn, the more they want to try - YesChef – Your smart food companion – Ask anything about food, from ingredient origins to recipe ideas, food history, and cooking help - YesChef works in any language – Making food learning accessible to families worldwide - Fascinating food history facts – Discover who invented your favorite foods and how they evolved - Engaging recipe backgrounds – Fun, informative narratives that connect kids to food in a meaningful way - Hundreds of ingredients with origins and nutrition info – Learn about grains, beans, seeds, and more - Helpful blog for parents – Expert advice on picky eating, nutrition, and meal planning Amazing Features for Kids & Parents - Food history and fun facts – Each recipe includes background information and kid-friendly food trivia - Stunning recipe photos – Beautiful images that make cooking exciting for kids and parents - Creative recipe ideas – Simple, fun recipes from around the world designed to help picky eaters explore new flavors with confidence - YesChef assistance – Ask about food history, ingredients, substitutions, or recipe ideas anytime, in any language - Explore 300+ ingredients – Learn where they come from, their benefits, and how they’re used in cooking - Discover the evolution of food – Dive into how recipes and ingredients have changed over time - Fun food discoveries – Learn about famous recipe accidents and surprising food origins - Essential kitchen tools – A growing library that teaches young chefs the tools they need to cook with confidence - Healthy snack alternatives – Discover homemade versions of popular store-bought snacks made with real ingredients and no additives or preservatives YesChef – Your Smart Food Companion - YesChef helps kids and parents explore food through trusted in-app content. Ask questions about ingredients, cooking tips, nutrition, or food history. Get helpful insights for picky eaters based on blog articles. YesChef grows with new recipes, facts, and ingredient info added regularly. Available in any language. Where Can You Use Picky Chefs? - At the grocery store – Discover new ingredients and ask YesChef what they are, where they come from, and how to cook with them - At the dinner table – Spark fun discussions about food, history, and culture with your child - At school or on the go – Get quick answers to food-related questions anytime, anywhere with YesChef Ready to Make Mealtime an Adventure? Say goodbye to mealtime battles and hello to a world of food discovery. Download Picky Chefs today and watch your child develop a lifelong love for food, learning, and cooking. Download now and start your food adventure! Follow us for updates & tips! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pickychefs/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pickychefs/ X: https://x.com/pickychefs Website: https://www.pickychefs.com/ Support & Contact: pickychefs@gmail.com Privacy policy: https://pickychefs1.goodbarber.app/docs/privacy_policy.html EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

America's Test Kitchen4 screens
Picky Chefs4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Picky Chefs at free with in-app purchases against America's Test Kitchen's subscription. Picky Chefs also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 66%). America's Test Kitchen's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 8 months) and ratings volume (18K vs 5). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. America's Test Kitchen sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Picky Chefs sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for America's Test Kitchen against 5.0 for Picky Chefs. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: America's Test Kitchen has 18K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 66% of America's Test Kitchen's written reviews are positive against 100% of Picky Chefs's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

America's Test Kitchen ships an update fortnightly, Picky Chefs every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
America's Test Kitchen versus Picky Chefs: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAmerica's Test KitchenPicky Chefs
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (18K ratings)5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews65.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings18K — better5
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 8 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#8 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size129 MB63 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperAmerica's Test Kitchen LPMarios Kourasis

Customer experience

America's Test Kitchen

All ratings18,073 ratings
Positive98.6%
Neutral0.4%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews505 reviews
Positive65.5%
Neutral7.3%
Negative27.1%

Picky Chefs

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

America's Test Kitchen

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • 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

4 requests
  • 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

Picky Chefs

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

6 purchases

America's Test Kitchen

Subscriptions6
  • ATK Essential - Monthly14 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Classes Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Essential + Classes - Monthly$19.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Classes Annual$39.991 Year
  • ATK Essential - Annual14 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Essential + Classes - Annual14 Days trial$89.991 Year
2 purchases

Picky Chefs

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is America's Test Kitchen free?
America's Test Kitchen is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Picky Chefs free?
Picky Chefs is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, America's Test Kitchen or Picky Chefs?
Picky Chefs is rated higher. America's Test Kitchen averages 4.9 out of 5 from 18K ratings, while Picky Chefs averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.
Do America's Test Kitchen or Picky Chefs have ads?
Both America's Test Kitchen and Picky Chefs show ads.
Which is updated more often, America's Test Kitchen or Picky Chefs?
America's Test Kitchen ships an update fortnightly, and Picky Chefs every 8 months. Most recently, America's Test Kitchen was updated on October 18, 2026 and Picky Chefs on October 5, 2026.

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