Comparison

Cookpad vs LaLena

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

Head to head
About

Cookpad

Discover and organize thousands of homemade recipes from a global community. Search by ingredients, dietary needs, or cooking methods. Share your own culinary creations and connect with fellow food enthusiasts.

Highlights
  • Thousands of home-cooked recipes
  • Ingredient-based search
  • Dietary and cuisine filters
  • Personal recipe organizer
  • Community sharing and interaction
  • Ad-free experience
Read full description

Not sure what to cook tonight? Cookpad recommends: search by ingredient or by dish across thousands of authentic recipes from a global community of home cooks — all verified by the people who have actually cooked them. WHAT SHOULD I COOK TONIGHT? Tell us what's in the fridge and we'll tell you what to make with it. Chicken, salmon, ground beef, half a box of lasagna noodles: every recipe we put in front of you has already been cooked by someone before you, who left a photo of how it turned out (Cooksnap) and wrote up how it went. It isn't a list of recipes to scroll — it's a recommendation for tonight's dinner, with the proof that it works. RECIPES VERIFIED BY THE COMMUNITY Trustworthy recipes, written by the people who cook them every day, not by an editorial team. Every Cooksnap is a photo from someone who made it before you, with comments on how it went: where it goes wrong, whether the measurements add up, how long it really takes. That's how we know what to recommend — no editor decides it, the person who cooked it proves it. IMPORT FROM ANYWHERE, INCLUDING INSTAGRAM AND TIKTOK Write your own recipes or import your favorites from any website, from Instagram, from TikTok, from a book or from a handwritten notebook. Build your own biggest recipe collection, all in one place. Tap Share and the recipe is added straight to your collection — ingredients and steps separated, ready to follow. No more screenshots lost in your camera roll. Save them as drafts and finish them whenever you want. AUTOMATIC TRANSLATION Find a recipe in Spanish, Italian or Japanese and read it in English: the translation is automatic. AD-FREE. ALWAYS. No ads, not even in the free version. No banner to close with flour on your hands, no video starting up while you're reading the measurements. YOUR DIGITAL RECIPE BOX, ALL IN ONE PLACE Your recipe keeper, cookbook and cooking app — all in one. Save cooking recipes from anywhere and find them again in seconds. • Import & Scan: Import any recipe from a website or a social post in one tap. Snap a photo of a handwritten recipe or cookbook page: AI turns it into a digital recipe. • Create with AI: Write your own recipes with the AI Recipe Assistant, without forgetting a single step. Save the draft and finish it whenever you have time. • Organize & Plan: Sort everything into private folders by theme — chicken, desserts, gluten-free, breakfast. Build your weekly menu in a few taps and let your shopping list build itself from your recipes: you only add what's missing. • Cook What You Have: Cook with what's already in your fridge or pantry. Save money, use your leftovers and reduce food waste. FOR EVERY TASTE AND NEED Quick and easy weeknight dinners, chicken and salmon, filet mignon and scallops, soups and chili, breakfast and lunch, baking and desserts — plus cuisines from around the world: Mexican, Italian, Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Indian. Filters for vegan, vegetarian, keto, gluten-free, dairy-free and baby-led weaning. Tools and methods: air fryer, slow cooker, Instant Pot, bread maker. SHARE YOUR COOKING Share recipes with friends, family and the community — or keep them private, just for you. Upload photos of the dishes you've made (Cooksnaps) and tell everyone how it went. Follow home cooks and food creators from around the world and ask for tips whenever you need them. JOIN A COMMUNITY THAT COOKS EVERY DAY For everyone — from beginners to experienced cooks — for weeknight dinners or special occasions. PREMIUM With Premium you get even more tools to cook your way: • The most popular recipes at the top of every search. • Import unlimited recipes. • Advanced filters to match every recipe to your preferences. Premium is available in the United States and 22 other countries. Empty the fridge and find tonight's dinner. Get in touch: help@cookpad.com

About

LaLena

Discover over 1000 recipes for all tastes and occasions, from quick meals to holiday feasts. Find recipes by category, ingredient, or keywords, with detailed instructions, photos, and videos. Save favorites and get step-by-step cooking guidance.

Highlights
  • Over 1000 recipes
  • Categorized by taste and ingredient
  • Step-by-step instructions
  • Photos and videos
  • Favorite recipe list
  • Guided cooking mode
Features
Read full description

In this application you have access to over 1000 recipes of all categories and for all tastes. Find meat, fasting or even raw vegan recipes. both cake recipes and soups. You can also find them grouped by the most popular ingredients: chicken, pork, fish, mushrooms, etc. We have both quick and practical recipes for ordinary days, as well as recipes for holidays, Easter or Christmas, which look spectacular. However, they are all delicious and as healthy as possible. You can cook them in your kitchen and for most of them you only need the basic tools and ingredients. All recipes are carefully selected and checked so that you succeed with them from the first try. All recipes have a detailed description on the steps, with pictures, and many of them also have videos. With the LaLena app, you can easily navigate through categories, you can quickly find recipes by keywords and ingredients, you can save your favorite list of recipes that you always have on hand. Also, if you press "Start cooking", the application will guide you, step by step, through the entire recipe. With the Premium subscription you have access to premium recipes, no ads, you can change the quantities of ingredients, you can make shopping lists, you can organize your favorite recipes and you have access to special promotions. In the future we plan to add more features and premium content for subscription users. You can also find all the recipes on our bylena.com website. Terms and conditions: https://www.bylena.com/p/3/app-terms-and-conditions/ Privacy policy: https://www.bylena.com/p/2/app-privacy-policy/

Screenshots

Cookpad4 screens
LaLena4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: LaLena at 4.9 against Cookpad's 4.4. LaLena also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Cookpad's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (7.3K vs 37). On price, review sentiment, 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. Cookpad sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and LaLena sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

LaLena holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cookpad has 7.3K ratings behind it against 37, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Cookpad's written reviews are positive against 94% of LaLena's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cookpad ships an update weekly, LaLena every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Cookpad versus LaLena: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCookpadLaLena
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (7.3K ratings)4.9 (37 ratings) — better
Positive reviews88.7% of reviews93.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7.3K — better37
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#138 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size165 MB56 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCOOKPAD INC. (CA)Igor Butuc

Customer experience

Cookpad

All ratings7,322 ratings
Positive84.9%
Neutral2.9%
Negative12.2%
Written reviews1,225 reviews
Positive88.7%
Neutral2.1%
Negative9.1%

LaLena

All ratings37 ratings
Positive97.3%
Neutral2.7%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews110 reviews
Positive93.6%
Neutral2.7%
Negative3.6%

User reviews

Cookpad

From 7.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Excellent recipes
  • 🌍 Diverse recipes from around the world
  • 🙌 Easy to use and navigate
  • 💡 Ability to save and share recipes
  • 👨‍🍳 Helpful for home cooks

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
  • 🔍 Limited search functionality
  • 💰 Premium features behind paywall
  • 🌐 Restricted to registered country/language
  • 🤖 Issues with voice control and accessibility

LaLena

From 37 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🍲 Delicious recipes
  • 📝 Clear instructions
  • 📸 Good photos/videos
  • 💡 Inspiring content

Room to improve

  • 💸 Subscription required for many recipes
  • 📺 Too much advertising
  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 👎 Some recipes are locked
  • 🤔 Old recipes moved to premium

Bugs and requests

Cookpad

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Recipes disappearing from user accounts
  • Search function not working properly
  • Inability to log in or access user profiles

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add offline mode for saved recipes
  • Improve recipe organization and filtering
  • Implement translation features for recipes
  • Allow deleting or editing of user-added recipes
  • Enhance social features for better user interaction

LaLena

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Content not loading
  • Favorite recipes not saved after exiting
  • App struggles on iPad
  • Search system not very good

Requested features

2 requests
  • More Korean recipes
  • Dark mode option

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Cookpad

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Service$1.991 Month
  • Premium Service5 variants$4.991 Month
1 purchases

LaLena

Subscriptions1
  • LaLena Premium$1.991 Month

Questions

Is Cookpad free?
Cookpad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is LaLena free?
LaLena is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Cookpad or LaLena?
LaLena is rated higher. Cookpad averages 4.4 out of 5 from 7.3K ratings, while LaLena averages 4.9 from 37 ratings.
Do Cookpad or LaLena have ads?
LaLena shows ads; Cookpad does not.
Which is updated more often, Cookpad or LaLena?
Cookpad ships an update weekly, and LaLena every 5 weeks. Most recently, Cookpad was updated on September 24, 2026 and LaLena on September 20, 2026.

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