Comparison

Half Lemons vs MamChef

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

MamChef

Read full description

MamChef connects you with talented local chefs cooking real homemade food. Skip the chains — discover authentic, home-cooked meals made with care and fresh. DISCOVER LOCAL CHEFS Browse chef kitchens near you, explore their menus and specialties, and find dishes you won't get anywhere else. ORDER IN A FEW TAPS Build your cart and order for right now, or schedule delivery for a time that suits you. TRACK EVERY STEP Follow your order in real time — from the moment the chef starts cooking until it arrives — with instant notifications along the way. PAY SECURELY Fast, secure card payments powered by Stripe. SAVE YOUR FAVORITES Bookmark the chefs and dishes you love and reorder in seconds. RATE & GET SUPPORT Rate your orders and reach our support team directly in the app. Available in English and Lithuanian. Hungry for something real? Download MamChef and taste what your neighbors are cooking.

Screenshots

Half Lemons4 screens
MamChef4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MamChef at none against Half Lemons's 5. Half Lemons's advantage is update cadence (every 11 days vs every 3 months). On price, ads, 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. Half Lemons sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. MamChef asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Half Lemons ships an update every 11 days, MamChef every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Half Lemons versus MamChef: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHalf LemonsMamChef
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (161 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews88.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings161 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 11 days — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size61 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTheodore GoodmanMamchef, MB

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)

MamChef

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
None

MamChef

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Half Lemons free?
Half Lemons is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MamChef free?
MamChef is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Half Lemons or MamChef have ads?
Neither Half Lemons nor MamChef shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Half Lemons or MamChef?
Half Lemons ships an update every 11 days, and MamChef every 3 months. Most recently, Half Lemons was updated on October 24, 2026 and MamChef on October 24, 2026.

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