# Mela vs Quest by Loop

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Quest by Loop at none against Mela's 1. Quest by Loop also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 3 weeks). Mela's advantage is chart position (#131 vs unranked) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Mela sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Quest by Loop asks for nothing beyond the download.

Mela ships an update every 3 weeks, Quest by Loop daily. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mela | Quest by Loop |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (881 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mela-recipe-manager/id1548466041/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **881** | — |
| Positive reviews | 84.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#131** | — |
| Size | 22 MB | 88 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Silvio Rizzi](https://appshunter.io/developer/325502382) | [Loop Social Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1487593678) |

## What reviewers say

### Mela

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mela-recipe-manager/id1548466041)

**Currently charting:** #131 Top Grossing · Food & Drink (US App Store)

This app helps you organize your recipes, browse and save them from the web, and manage your grocery lists. It offers a cook mode with timers and supports meal planning through your calendar.

**Highlights:** iCloud recipe syncing, In-app browser with live preview, Recipe blog feeds, Cook mode with timers, Recipe scanner, Grocery list integration, Meal planning calendar

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mela+ for iOS/iPadOS | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🌟 Beautiful and intuitive design
- 🚀 Seamless recipe importing from websites
- 👍 Excellent organization and categorization
- 💡 Convenient meal planning and grocery list features
- 🔒 No data collection or subscription required

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional sync issues across devices
- 🔍 Difficulty navigating to search bar
- 📋 Limited options for recipe scaling and measurements
- 🛒 Grocery list could be more organized by aisle or category

**Reported bugs**

- Recipes sometimes disappear from calendar and widgets
- PDF import not working for some users
- Typing becomes slow and unresponsive with large recipe collections

**Requested features**

- Add ability to rate and review recipes
- Implement nested categories and tags
- Improve recipe scanning and OCR accuracy
- Add option to assign recipes to specific users or family members
- Integrate with external grocery delivery services


### Quest by Loop

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/quest-by-loop/id6475358392)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mela free?

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

### Is Quest by Loop free?

Quest by Loop is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Mela or Quest by Loop have ads?

Neither Mela nor Quest by Loop shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Mela or Quest by Loop?

Mela ships an update every 3 weeks, and Quest by Loop daily. Most recently, Mela was updated on October 27, 2026 and Quest by Loop on October 10, 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.*