# MealBoard vs Substitutions

The clearest difference is price: MealBoard at Free against Substitutions's $1.99. MealBoard also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.4) and review sentiment (91% vs 60%). Substitutions's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and chart position (#45 vs unranked). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

MealBoard is free to download; Substitutions costs $1.99 up front. MealBoard sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Substitutions asks for nothing beyond the download.

MealBoard holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MealBoard has 3.1K ratings behind it against 29, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of MealBoard's written reviews are positive against 60% of Substitutions's.

MealBoard ships an update weekly, Substitutions every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 10, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | MealBoard | Substitutions |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $1.99 |
| Rating | **[4.7 (3.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mealboard-meal-planner/id333425918/reviews)** | [3.4 (29 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/substitutions/id372387251/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.1K** | 29 |
| Positive reviews | **90.7% of reviews** | 59.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | — | **#45** |
| Size | 16 MB | 34 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Ray Bernardo](https://appshunter.io/developer/333425921) | [Gormaya](https://appshunter.io/developer/336813706) |

## What reviewers say

### MealBoard

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mealboard-meal-planner/id333425918)

Organize recipes, plan meals, and generate smart grocery lists. Track pantry inventory, set reminders, and sync data across devices. Customize categories and store aisles for a personalized experience.

**Highlights:** Recipe import and organization, Automated meal planning, Smart grocery list generation, Pantry inventory management, Recipe scaling and measurement conversion, Cross-device data syncing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full Version Upgrade | $12.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 🚀 Helpful meal planning and grocery shopping features
- 🚀 Ability to import recipes from websites
- 👍 Customizable categories and settings
- 👍 Syncs across devices

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
- 🐛 Issues with syncing or sharing across devices
- 🐛 Difficulty with certain recipe imports
- 🔍 Steep learning curve for some features
- 💡 Lack of nutrition or calorie tracking

**Reported bugs**

- Syncing issues between devices
- Recipes not importing correctly
- Pantry management feature not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Add ability to track nutrition/calories
- Improve syncing and sharing capabilities
- Enhance recipe import functionality
- Provide more customization options
- Add support for more languages


### Substitutions

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/substitutions/id372387251)

**Currently charting:** #45 Top Paid · Food & Drink (US App Store)

This app provides a comprehensive database of nearly 1500 food and drink substitutions. It's designed to help users find alternatives for various dietary needs, allergies, and cooking requirements.

**Highlights:** Extensive substitution database, Search functionality, Covers allergies, Supports dietary needs (gluten-free, vegan, low carb), Includes baking and cooking aids, Categorized by ingredient type

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MealBoard free?

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

### Is Substitutions free?

Substitutions costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, MealBoard or Substitutions?

MealBoard is rated higher. MealBoard averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3.1K ratings, while Substitutions averages 3.4 from 29 ratings.

### Do MealBoard or Substitutions have ads?

Neither MealBoard nor Substitutions shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, MealBoard or Substitutions?

MealBoard ships an update weekly, and Substitutions every 2 months. Most recently, MealBoard was updated on November 10, 2026 and Substitutions on November 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.*