LaLa Lunchbox vs School Lunch Planner
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
LaLa Lunchbox
This app simplifies school lunch planning by involving children in the process. Kids select meals from a customizable food library, which then generates a grocery list for parents. It aims to reduce food waste, save time and money, and encourage healthier eating habits.
- Kid-friendly meal selection with virtual lunchboxes
- Customizable food library
- Automatic grocery list generation
- Dietary-specific food bundles
- Syncs across multiple devices
- Parental controls for food choices
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Featured in The New York Times, Parents, The Washington Post and Mashable! If packing school lunch is a chore, LaLa Lunchbox is the solution! LaLa Lunchbox is the best-selling meal planning app for families and the only one that involves kids in the process of choosing their foods. The app makes lunch planning and packing easier and helps families save time and money. Kids set up virtual lunchboxes and select meals for the week ahead by feeding a hungry monster from a completely customizable Food Library of healthy options. Kids' choices become a handy grocery list for parents. No more "what's for lunch" arguments in the morning or uneaten, wasted food at the end of the day. The app teaches children and their families about packing a better lunch, helps kids get out of a picky eating rut, and syncs with multiple devices. Add or remove foods at any time to control what is available for kids to choose. Our new dietary specific food bundles (nut free, gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian and kosher) are curated by a dietitian and designed to provide lunch packing inspiration for a variety of lifestyles and eating habits. ------------------------------- Use LaLa Lunchbox to ------------------------------- EMPOWER KIDS - They'll love picking their own lunch. SAVE MONEY - No more wasted, unwanted food. SAVE TIME - Make grocery shopping a breeze. ----------------------------- Key Features ----------------------------- 1. Monsters and lunchboxes can be customized by kids. 2. Extensive, completely customizable library of fruits, veggies, proteins and snacks. 3. Always updated, easy-to-use grocery shopping list. 4. One click sync between multiple iOS devices. 5. Complete parental control over available food choices and number of allowable items in lunchboxes. 6. Foods curated by dietitian available in dietary-specific bundles designed to fit a variety of lifestyles and be allergy friendly. 7. Easily save any meal to a library of favorites for quick access. 8. Easily share favorite meals with friends via Twitter, Facebook and email. 9. No third-party advertising ---------------------------- What Others Are Saying ---------------------------- "A slick, fun little app that helps parents and children plan meals together." - The New York Times "LaLa Lunchbox can be just what your picky eater needs to develop a healthy lifestyle." - Parents.com "With this handy app your kids get involved in their lunch and may even get excited about eating healthier." - The Washington Post "You'll love the lunch-packing organization that LaLa Lunchbox provides." - Parenting.com "With LaLa Lunchbox, you can take a deep breath and know that help is an app away." - Mashable "This super handy resource helps you come up with ideas and keep track of lunch-packing for your brood." - Cool Mom Tech --------------------------- LaLa Lunchbox was created by an MBA mom who was looking for a solution that would make planning lunches for her school-aged daughter easier. It teaches children about smart food choices and helps picky eaters broaden their horizons. Join us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/lalalunchbox Find more lunch inspiration on Instagram: http://instagram.com/lalalunchbox Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/lalalunchbox Important Message For Parents: This app is free to use with a robust library of food items to choose from but dietary-specific food bundles and blogger food bundles require payment. You may restrict in-app purchases by disabling them on your device. By downloading this app you agree to LaLa Lunchbox's Privacy Policy and Terms of Service at http://lalalunchbox.com/privacy and http://lalalunchbox.com/terms-of-service/.
School Lunch Planner
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180 school lunches per child. Every year. Pack makes every one of them easier. Pack is the weekly school lunch planner built for parents who are done guessing what to pack. Plan the whole week in minutes, track what your kids actually eat, and get AI-powered ideas based on their real preferences - all in one place. --- WEEKLY LUNCH PLANNER Fill 5 days of lunch slots in seconds. Main, veggie, fruit, snack, and drink - every day mapped out so you're never staring into the fridge at 7am wondering what to pack. KID APPROVED TRACKING Log eat results after each lunch. Pack now tracks which foods your kids love (eat rate 80%+) and builds a Kid Approved list automatically - so every suggestion is based on what they actually eat, not guesswork. IDEAS LIBRARY Browse 60+ curated lunch ideas organized by category - mains, veggies, fruits, snacks, and drinks. Nut-free options clearly marked for allergen-restricted schools. Filter, explore, and tap to add directly to your planner. SUNDAY PREP GUIDE Batch prep smarter. Pack's Sunday guide walks you through a whole-week lunch prep session - what to cook, chop, and portion so Monday morning is painless. AI LUNCH IDEAS (PRO) Tell Pack about your kid's favorites and no-gos. Get personalized lunch idea lists powered by Grok AI - fresh suggestions that account for recent packing history, eat rate data, and allergen needs. MULTI-CHILD SUPPORT (PRO) Each child gets their own independent planner, eat rate profile, and idea recommendations. Perfect for families with multiple kids at different schools or with different preferences. --- PACK PRO INCLUDES: - AI Lunch Planner (Grok-powered, personalized suggestions) - Multi-child support (unlimited kids, independent profiles) - Avoid List - see which foods your child consistently leaves untouched Free tier: weekly planner, full ideas library, Kid Approved tracking, Sunday prep guide - for one child. Everything you need to get started. --- Your subscription is billed to your Apple ID account. Subscriptions automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel your subscription in your Apple ID account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: School Lunch Planner at monthly against LaLa Lunchbox's every 3 months. LaLa Lunchbox's advantage is iOS requirement (11.3 vs 18). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Both are free to download. LaLa Lunchbox sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and School Lunch Planner sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
LaLa Lunchbox ships an update every 3 months, School Lunch Planner monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | LaLa Lunchbox | School Lunch Planner |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (28 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 71.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 28 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 11.3 — better | 18 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 45 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | LaLa Lunchbox, LLC | Karol Jaworski |
Bugs and requests
LaLa Lunchbox
Reported bugs
17 issues- App closes when name is picked
- App won't open/crashes on home screen
- Buttons don't work (DONE button)
- Crashing and not working for months
- Photos for added foods disappear
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- Monster covers last 2 categories on iPhone 4s
- Cannot delete or edit lunchboxes
- Items deleted keep reappearing
- Grocery list check-off not working
- App not saving meals after iOS8 update
- Custom items cannot be edited
- Cannot change category after choosing a pic
- Saved in wrong category automatically
- Cannot add photo to item later
- Displaying only 10 characters in lunchbox
- Only shows pic, not label, after selection
- App not syncing between devices
Requested features
20 requests- Add a drink section
- Increase item limit per lunchbox
- Allow editing of custom items
- Add more food items/categories
- Customize food categories
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- Combine fruit and vegetable sections
- Add a notes section
- Add a sandwich builder
- Allow adding photos from the internet
- Email/print completed lunchboxes
- Swipe to switch between kids/days
- Add more animations/awards
- Allow permanent deletion of added items
- Sync food databases across apps
- Add a carbohydrates section
- Optimize for specific devices (e.g., iPhone X)
- Allow adding items to multiple categories
- Add a snack box option for half-days
- View all lunchbox items at once
- Label food items clearly in lunchbox view
School Lunch Planner
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
LaLa Lunchbox
- Aviva Wittenberg$1.99
- Gina Kirk$1.99
- Sylina Lunches$1.99
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- Gluten Free$2.99
- Vegetarian$2.99
- Dairy Free$2.99
- Nut Free$2.99
- Kosher by Ronnie Fein$2.99
- Top 8 Free Allergy Friendly$4.99
- Egg Ideas & Recipes$4.99
School Lunch Planner
- Pack Pro$4.991 Month
- Pack Pro1 Year trial$39.991 Year
- Pack Pro$39.991 Year
Questions
Is LaLa Lunchbox free?
Is School Lunch Planner free?
Do LaLa Lunchbox or School Lunch Planner have ads?
Which is updated more often, LaLa Lunchbox or School Lunch Planner?
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