Comparison

Half Lemons vs Pixicook

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

Head to head
About

Half Lemons

Discover hundreds of creative recipes using only the ingredients you already have at home. This app acts as your digital pantry, helping you decide what to cook without needing extra trips to the store. Easily filter recipes by key ingredients and generate grocery lists for any missing items.

Highlights
  • Ingredient-based recipe generation
  • Digital pantry tracking
  • Filter recipes by key ingredient
  • Automatic grocery list creation
  • Save favorite recipes
  • Always-on app screen during recipes
Features
Read full description

Half Lemons is a recipe app for everyday cooking that serves up recipes using the ingredients you have at home. Make deciding what’s for dinner a no brainer. Get hundreds of creative recipes using the ingredients you have on hand. No trips to the store necessary. The App at a Glance: * Your digital pantry. Enter the ingredients you have at home with an easy tap interface. We keep track of them from one meal to the next. * Hundreds of recipes with no missing ingredients Recipes you can actually make with the things you have on hand. No missing ingredients. No funky substitutions needed. And definitely no trips to the store! *Always on app-screen When you follow a recipe, your phone will never go dark. No more chicken juice fingers trying to open your phone. * Filter recipes by key ingredient Want to use up the last chicken thighs? Or maybe your fresh cilantro is starting to look tired. No problem! Filter recipes using any ingredient in your kitchen. *Grocery lists. See a recipe you want to make? Missing a few ingredients? Automatically add them to a grocery list. * Save recipes you want to make If a recipe looks good save it for later. If you loved it and want to make it again save it. No limits! * All recipes are hand-picked with at least 4 stars and up * Thousands of recipes from the best sources & food bloggers Recipes are sourced from favorites like: NYT Cooking, Half Baked Harvest, Epicurious, Smitten Kitchen, Skinny Taste, BBC food, Jamie Oliver and so many more great bloggers. Our terms of use: https://www.halflemons.com/terms-of-use

About

Pixicook

This app is your all-in-one kitchen companion, offering a vast recipe library, meal planning tools, and cooking tutorials. Import recipes from various sources, get personalized recommendations, and simplify grocery shopping. It aims to make you a more organized, creative, and confident cook.

Highlights
  • 10,000+ curated recipes
  • Import recipes from photos, PDFs, URLs, emails
  • Personalized recommendations and substitutions
  • Automated grocery list generation
  • AI-powered meal planning
  • Cook-along mode with video steps
  • Video masterclasses for cooking techniques
Features
Read full description

Pixicook is the only cooking app you'll ever need! Welcome to your Ultimate Recipe Box, Cooking School, and Meal Planner in one. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned chef, Pixicook is packed with over 10,000 recipes and the tools you need to make your kitchen time more rewarding and fun. Become a better, more organized, more creative cook! DISCOVER NEW RECIPES Explore our library of 10,000+ professionally curated recipes, all tailored to your preferences. Whether you're craving comfort food or looking for healthy meals, we've got it all. IMPORT RECIPES FROM ANYWHERE Organize all your recipes in one place—import from photos, PDFs, URLs, or emails effortlessly. Your favorite dishes are always at your fingertips, perfectly organized. PERSONALIZED FOR YOU Get recommendations curated to your mood and tastes. See smart substitutions for any ingredient. Whether you're feeling adventurous or sticking to your favorites, Pixicook suggests dishes that hit the spot and fit your diet. EFFORTLESS GROCERY SHOPPING Add ingredients from any recipe to your Grocery List and shop with ease. Plus, you can order through Instacart in one tap for convenient home delivery. FLEXIBLE MEAL PLANNING Create meal plans with your favorite recipes, or let our Magic AI Planner do the work for you, personalized based on your tastes and schedule. Never worry about what to cook for the week again! EASY COOK-ALONG MODE Full-screen mode for easy directions and ingredients while you’re cooking. Video steps play automatically. VIDEO MASTERCLASS Learn essential cooking techniques and recipes with step-by-step video lessons. From knife skills to mastering complex recipes, Pixicook helps you improve at your own pace. FUN AND CREATIVITY IN THE KITCHEN Pixicook doesn’t just give you recipes—it helps you understand them. Learn how a single recipe can be adapted to create dozens of dishes. Gain confidence in the kitchen with lessons that help you think like a chef. With Pixicook, cooking becomes flexible, intuitive, and above all, fun. Download Pixicook today and start your journey to becoming a better, more organized, and creative cook! Subscription Options: Pixicook offers free access to core features. For full access to every recipe, lesson, and planning tool, choose from a monthly or annual subscription—cancel anytime. Subscription will automatically renew unless turned off in your iTunes Account Settings at least 24 hours before the current period ends. You can go to your iTunes Account settings to manage your subscription and turn off auto-renew. Your iTunes Account will be charged when the purchase is confirmed. Read our full Terms of Use & Privacy Policy: https://pixicook.com/terms-and-conditions https://pixicook.com/privacy-policy

Screenshots

Half Lemons4 screens
Pixicook4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Half Lemons at 89% against Pixicook's 0%. Half Lemons also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (161 vs 15). Pixicook's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 11 days) and iOS requirement (13 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Half Lemons sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Pixicook sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $10.00 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Half Lemons holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Half Lemons has 161 ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Half Lemons's written reviews are positive against 0% of Pixicook's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Half Lemons ships an update every 11 days, Pixicook every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Half Lemons versus Pixicook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHalf LemonsPixicook
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (161 ratings) — better4.3 (15 ratings)
Positive reviews88.6% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings161 — better15
Update frequencyEvery 11 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.013 — better
Further details — not scored
Size61 MB64 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTheodore GoodmanBetter Ed Co.

Customer experience

Half Lemons

All ratings159 ratings
Positive89.9%
Neutral1.3%
Negative8.8%
Written reviews88 reviews
Positive88.6%
Neutral4.5%
Negative6.8%

Pixicook

All ratings14 ratings
Positive78.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative21.4%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Bugs and requests

Half Lemons

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App stuck on false 'no internet connection' error
  • Search returns irrelevant results (e.g., only French fries)
  • App crashes or freezes on startup
  • Pantry feature no longer functional after updates
  • Inconsistent recipe suggestions despite ingredient input

Requested features

11 requests
  • Multi-language support (Spanish, Russian, Ukrainian, French)
  • Account sharing for families and partners
  • Star/rating system for recipes
  • Recipe favoriting and saving functionality
  • Cloud sync across multiple devices (iPhone, iPad)
Show 6 more
  • Expanded ingredient database with more variety
  • Alternative login methods beyond Apple ID
  • Search functionality for pantry ingredients
  • Donation/tip jar option
  • Expanded Asian produce and recipe options
  • Regional ingredient name variations (e.g., arugula/rocket)

Pixicook

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Half Lemons

Subscriptions2
  • Unlimited Pro Access$0.991 Month
  • Unlimited Pro Access$3.991 Month
One-time3
  • Unlimited Pro Access$19.99
  • Unlimited Pro Access$29.99
  • Unlimited Pro Access$49.95
2 purchases

Pixicook

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly7 Days trial$10.001 Month
  • Yearly7 Days trial$60.001 Year

Questions

Is Half Lemons free?
Half Lemons is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pixicook free?
Pixicook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Half Lemons or Pixicook?
Half Lemons is rated higher. Half Lemons averages 4.6 out of 5 from 161 ratings, while Pixicook averages 4.3 from 15 ratings.
Do Half Lemons or Pixicook have ads?
Neither Half Lemons nor Pixicook shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Half Lemons or Pixicook?
Half Lemons ships an update every 11 days, and Pixicook every 3 days. Most recently, Half Lemons was updated on November 3, 2026 and Pixicook on November 4, 2026.

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