# Crouton vs DinnerThyme

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Crouton at 2.9K against DinnerThyme's 1. Crouton also leads on chart position (#51 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (16.1 vs 27.0). DinnerThyme's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Crouton sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and DinnerThyme sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $0.49 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

DinnerThyme holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Crouton has 2.9K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Crouton ships an update monthly, DinnerThyme every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Crouton | DinnerThyme |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (2.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crouton-recipe-manager/id1461650987/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dinnerthyme/id1541336280/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2.9K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 78.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#51** | — |
| Size | 345 MB | 34 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.1** | 27.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Crouton LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1807416236) | [Lucas Assis Rodrigues](https://appshunter.io/developer/1357788324) |

## What reviewers say

### Crouton

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crouton-recipe-manager/id1461650987)

**Currently charting:** #51 Top Grossing · Food & Drink (US App Store)

Organize your favorite recipes from any source, plan your weekly meals, and generate grocery lists automatically. Features step-by-step cooking guidance, integrated timers, and AI-powered recipe importing.

**Highlights:** Import recipes from websites, books, and handwritten notes, AI and OCR recipe scanning, Weekly meal planning and automatic plan generation, Step-by-step cooking mode with hands-free navigation, Integrated timers and ingredient quantity display, Automatic grocery list creation, Cloud syncing across devices

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, SharePlay, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Discover Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Discover Yearly | $14.99 | per year |
| Kind Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Great Tip | $1.99 | one-time |
| Amazing Tip | $3.99 | one-time |
| Outrageous Tip | $7.99 | one-time |
| Crouton+ Early Bird | $17.99 | one-time |
| Crouton Plus | $24.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Intuitive interface
- 🚀 Seamless recipe import
- 🚀 Hands-free navigation
- 👍 Household sharing

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy recipe import
- 🐛 Inconsistent hands-free navigation
- 🔒 Limited free features
- 🔒 Subscription required for full functionality
- 🔒 Inability to share recipes with non-users

**Reported bugs**

- Grocery list not remembering checked items
- Syncing issues between devices
- Inability to add more than 5 recipes in free version

**Requested features**

- Recipe rating system
- Nutrition information
- Ability to add recipe notes and descriptions
- Improved grocery list organization
- Web/Windows app version


### DinnerThyme

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dinnerthyme/id1541336280)

Easily save, organize, and share your favorite recipes. Access your collection across all your devices and share with friends via iMessage. Unlock advanced features with a premium subscription.

**Highlights:** Save favorite recipes, Organize dishes, Share recipes with friends, Cross-device syncing, iMessage plugin for sharing, Export recipes as PDF (Premium)

**Features:** Safari Extension, Apple Watch app, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium | $0.49 | per 7 days |
| Premium | $0.99 | per month |
| Premium | $5.99 | per 6 months |
| Premium | $11.49 | per year |
| Buy me a coffee | $0.99 | one-time |
| Buy me some coffee | $4.99 | one-time |
| Buy me lots of coffee | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Crouton free?

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

### Is DinnerThyme free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Crouton or DinnerThyme?

DinnerThyme is rated higher. Crouton averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2.9K ratings, while DinnerThyme averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Crouton or DinnerThyme have ads?

Neither Crouton nor DinnerThyme shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Crouton or DinnerThyme?

Crouton ships an update monthly, and DinnerThyme every 2 weeks. Most recently, Crouton was updated on October 27, 2026 and DinnerThyme on October 24, 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.*