Comparison

Bon Appétit vs SideСhef

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

Head to head
About

Bon Appétit

Discover thousands of trusted recipes and cooking inspiration from expert editors and Test Kitchen. Find personalized recommendations for every occasion and cook with confidence using practical tools and guidance.

Highlights
  • Thousands of trusted recipes
  • Personalized recommendations
  • Expert guidance from Test Kitchen
  • Save and organize recipes
  • Practical cooking tools
  • Curated content for tastes and diets
Features
Read full description

Your next favorite recipe starts here. Discover thousands of trusted recipes, personalized recommendations, and inspiration from the Bon Appétit editors and Test Kitchen—all in one app. From easy weeknight dinners to special gatherings, find recipes for every day, mood, and occasion. With Test Kitchen expertise, expert guidance, and practical cooking tools at your fingertips, it's easier to find something worth making and cook with confidence. Subscribe to Bon Appétit in the app, or if you're already a Bon Appétit or Epicurious subscriber, simply log in for unlimited access. THE BON APPÉTIT APP INCLUDES: Find your next favorite Explore our extensive recipe archive featuring trusted recipes vetted by our Test Kitchen. Get thousands of ideas Discover recipes for every day and occasion, from quick weeknight dinners to weekend baking and special gatherings. Cook with expert guidance Get cooking tips, read reviews, and find answers to your questions from Bon Appétit editors in the comments. Made for the way you cook Discover curated recommendations tailored to your tastes and dietary preferences. Save recipes for later Keep your favorite recipes saved, organized, and easy to find whenever you're ready to cook. Your kitchen companion From finding inspiration to following a recipe, the Bon Appétit app makes everyday cooking easier with practical tools, trusted recipes, and expert guidance. ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? If you already subscribe to Bon Appétit or Epicurious, simply log in with your existing account to enjoy unlimited access to the Bon Appétit app. SUBSCRIBE TO BON APPÉTIT Subscribe through the app to unlock unlimited access to recipes in the Bon Appétit app, plus your subscriber benefits across bonappetit.com and epicurious.com. Choose from two in-app subscription options: - Monthly: $4.99/month. Cancel anytime. - Annual: $23.99/year. Cancel anytime. The app is free to download. Subscribers receive unlimited access. Non-subscribers may access the app by starting a free 30-day trial, which automatically renews at $4.99 a month or $23.99 annually, unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period and will state the cost of renewal. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication. Subscriptions may be managed by the user, and auto-renewal may be turned off by updating the user’s App Store Subscription settings after purchase. The Bon Appétit app requires iOS 18 or above. For assistance accessing your account or subscription, visit https://www.bonappetit.com/info/subscription-faq Information about our Terms of Use & Privacy Policy can be found at - Privacy policy: https://www.condenast.com/privacy-policy - Terms of Use: https://www.condenast.com/user-agreement - Class action waiver and arbitration provisions: https://www.condenast.com/user-agreement#introduction-arbitration-notice

About

SideСhef

Discover and cook delicious meals with step-by-step instructions, personalized recommendations, and integrated grocery shopping. This app simplifies meal planning and helps you explore new cuisines, even if you're a beginner cook.

Highlights
  • Step-by-step recipe guidance
  • Personalized recipe recommendations
  • Integrated grocery list creation
  • One-click online grocery shopping
  • Meal planning tools
  • Smart appliance control
  • Beginner-friendly cooking tutorials
Features
Read full description

SideChef’s 18,000 step-by-step recipes help you get from “what’s for dinner?” to cooking your next meal in just minutes. Filter by diet and preferences, search by ingredients, create a grocery list, and instantly shop ingredients from your favorite grocer. Called “best app” by USA Today and the New York Times’s “favorite cooking app,” SideChef empowers you to eat healthier, save money, and live your most delicious life. PERSONALIZED RECIPE RECOMMENDATIONS Quickly find recipe inspiration tailored to your preferences. Filter by dietary requirements, allergies, food preferences, and ingredients you already have at home to find a recipe you like in less than one minute. ONE-CLICK GROCERY SHOPPING Easily create a grocery list, and shop ingredients directly from Instacart, Walmart, Amazon Fresh, Target, and more online grocers. Ingredients are intelligently matched to in-store products, and updated with real-time prices and availability. Make smarter decisions by seeing the percentage of each ingredient used in a recipe – an easy way to plan for leftovers and minimize food waste, while also saving money. GREAT FOR BEGINNERS New to cooking? Our step-by-step recipes include an image or video at every cooking step so you know exactly what to do. Built-in timers ensure you never overcook anything again, while how-to videos teach you valuable culinary skills – from how to properly dice an onion, to how to press tofu. Rate recipes, upload photos, exchange tips, and share cooking fails and successes with the SideChef home cooking community. EASY MEAL PLANNING Use our meal planning tool to select recipes for the week, or save appealing recipes to your cookbook. Browse thousands of curated recipe collections and meal plans for more inspiration and ideas on what you’ll cook next. RECIPES FOR EVERYONE Personalized recipe recommendations for these diets and allergens: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Low-Carb, Paleo, Keto, Gluten, Egg, Dairy, Soy, Peanut, Tree Nuts, Fish, Shellfish Recipes cover a variety of cuisines: American, Italian, Mediterranean, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, French, and more! Browse recipes from your favorite culinary influencers – top food bloggers, writers, and renowned chefs. PRAISE FROM MEDIA “If you’re always scorching the stew and you just can’t seem to achieve perfectly puffed chocolate chip cookies, let this free app serve as your new cooking companion.” — Real Simple “If you’ve ever ruined an entire meal because of a seemingly tiny mistake in timing or ingredient proportioning, then we have an app for you.” — Business Insider _________________ By downloading and using this app or purchasing a SideChef Premium subscription, you are agreeing to the SideChef terms of use and service: https://www.sidechef.com/terms For more information about how we use your personal data, please see our Privacy Policy: https://www.sidechef.com/privacy-policy. By downloading this app, you acknowledge the terms of our Privacy Policy. SIDECHEF PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION PRICING & TERMS SideChef is free to download and use. Should you choose to upgrade to SideChef Premium, we offer two auto-renewing subscription options: * Monthly SideChef Premium subscription: $4.99 USD. Cancel anytime. * Annual SideChef Premium subscription: $49.99 USD. Cancel anytime. These auto-renewing subscription plans renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours prior to the end of the subscription period. Your payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription will automatically renew each month or year 24-hours before the end of the current period. You can turn off auto-renew at any time from your iTunes account settings.

Screenshots

Bon Appétit4 screens
SideСhef4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: SideСhef at none against Bon Appétit's shown. SideСhef also leads on review sentiment (67% vs 40%) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). Bon Appétit's advantage is ratings volume (99K vs 1.7K) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, rating, 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. Bon Appétit sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and SideСhef sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 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 — 4.7 for Bon Appétit against 4.7 for SideСhef. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bon Appétit has 99K ratings behind it against 1.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 40% of Bon Appétit's written reviews are positive against 67% of SideСhef's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bon Appétit ships an update every 3 weeks, SideСhef every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Bon Appétit versus SideСhef: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBon AppétitSideСhef
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (99K ratings) — better4.7 (1.7K ratings)
Positive reviews40.1% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings99K — better1.7K
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#18 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size102 MB71 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperAdvance Magazine Publishers Inc.SideChef Group Limited

Customer experience

Bon Appétit

All ratings99,317 ratings
Positive94.8%
Neutral1.9%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews680 reviews
Positive40.1%
Neutral10.9%
Negative49.0%

SideСhef

All ratings1,669 ratings
Positive95.3%
Neutral1.4%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews150 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral4.0%
Negative29.3%

Bugs and requests

Bon Appétit

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Recipes disappearing from saved list
  • Inability to log in or access account
  • Constant crashes when trying to access content
  • Search function not working as expected

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ability to leave recipe reviews within the app
  • Improve search and filtering options
  • Implement better organization for saved recipes
  • Add metric measurement conversions
  • Provide offline access to saved recipes

SideСhef

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Bon Appétit

Subscriptions3
  • Epicurious1 Month trial$4.991 Month
  • Bon Appétit1 Month trial$23.991 Year
  • Epicurious7 Days trial$39.991 Year
2 purchases

SideСhef

Subscriptions2
  • SideChef Premium - Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • SideChef Premium - Annual7 Days trial$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Bon Appétit free?
Bon Appétit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SideСhef free?
SideСhef is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Bon Appétit or SideСhef?
Bon Appétit is rated higher. Bon Appétit averages 4.7 out of 5 from 99K ratings, while SideСhef averages 4.7 from 1.7K ratings.
Do Bon Appétit or SideСhef have ads?
Bon Appétit shows ads; SideСhef does not.
Which is updated more often, Bon Appétit or SideСhef?
Bon Appétit ships an update every 3 weeks, and SideСhef every 2 months. Most recently, Bon Appétit was updated on November 8, 2026 and SideСhef on November 6, 2026.

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