Comparison

a better meal vs Actually Cooked

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

Head to head
About

a better meal

Simplify meal planning and discover personalized recipes with this AI-powered organizer. Create custom weekly meal plans, import recipes from anywhere, and build cooking confidence with instructional videos. Effortlessly generate grocery lists and integrate with popular shopping apps.

Highlights
  • Custom weekly meal plans
  • Import recipes from any source
  • Cooking skill instructional videos
  • Automated grocery lists
  • Grocery app integration
  • Thousands of quick & healthy recipes
  • Meal planning calendar
Features
Read full description

A Better Meal: Your all-in-one family meal planner, recipe organizer, and cooking coach. Plan to eat healthy with our easy meal planner free for busy families! Simplify meal planning and save time with A Better Meal—the easiest way to plan healthy meals for your family. Get personalized meal plans tailored to your lifestyle, whether you're gluten-free, primal, vegan, or just need easy weeknight dinners. Features CUSTOM WEEKLY MEAL PLANS New plans delivered daily - 14 days of meals always at your fingertips! Picky eaters, athletes, allergies— we’ve got you covered with customized options like a keto diet or vegetarian meal plan tailored to your family’s needs.You should try the weekly meal planner right away. IMPORT RECIPES Never lose a recipe again. Save favorites from anywhere—Pinterest, TikTok, Instagram, blogs, even handwritten cards—and organize them in custom collections, ready to add to your plan or grocery list in a tap. HONE YOUR COOKING SKILLS Learn at your own pace and build confidence with quick, practical instructional videos. Master essential techniques in minutes—and use them in real recipes right away. WEEKLY FOOD INSPIRATION Explore fresh recipes, short cooking videos, and skill-building classes—updated weekly to keep your meals exciting and your kitchen skills growing. Because food should be fun (and never boring). FAST GROCERY LISTS Seamlessly plan meals and create a grocery list in one place. Add ingredients from recipes to your grocery list with one click, making your meal planning process effortless. SEAMLESS GROCERY APP INTEGRATION Instantly transform your recipes into a shopping list and upload it to to your favorite grocery apps like Walmart, Instacart, and Kroger. Or, email the list to yourself or your partner, and shop in-store with ease. 1000s of QUICK & HEALTHY RECIPES Access a variety of quick-to-make recipes fitting your busy lifestyle. From high protein favorites to balanced family meals, discover exciting and nutritious meals your family will love. Prepare healthy meals with the diet planner. MEAL PLANNING CALENDAR Stay organized with A Better Meal’s calendar. Get peace of mind knowing all your meals are planned in advance — and take back time with tools that make meal planning easy, flexible, and fun. RECIPE FOLDERS Save and organize your recipes into easy-to-use collections for quick access to your favorite imported and saved recipes, and more. SAMPLE MEAL PLANS Nutritionist-approved sample meal plans to inspire, explore and use, including: Quick & Healthy, High-Protein, Mediterranean, Pescatarian, Vegetarian, Kid-Friendly, and Seasonal. A Better Meal Premium membership is a month-to-month or annual subscription that begins following your 7-day trial. A subscription is required to access all the features and does not require additional purchases. No long-term contracts — cancel anytime before your next renewal. No cancellation fees. Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy policy: https://www.privacypolicies.com/live/db6e3b8c-6bb5-4929-8842-2a2a12af161c

About

Actually Cooked

Features
Read full description

Delivery is quietly draining your bank account. Actually Cooked shows you exactly how much — and turns that $24 order into a meal you can make at home for a fraction of the price. HOW IT WORKS 1. Screenshot your order in any food delivery app (DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, and more). 2. Share it to Actually Cooked — two taps from the share sheet. 3. Instantly see the comparison: what that meal costs delivered vs. what it costs to cook, plus a full recipe and grocery list. 4. Send the ingredients to your grocery cart, cook it, and watch your savings add up. No typing, no searching. Prefer another way in? Upload a screenshot from your camera roll, or just type a dish name. SEE THE REAL COST Every recipe breaks down the math: the delivery range you'd have paid, the cost to cook it at home, and exactly how much you save per meal — with real grocery prices when you connect a store, or smart regional estimates anywhere. GROCERIES IN ONE TAP Don't just get the recipe — get the groceries. Send your whole ingredient list straight to your grocery cart and check out for pickup or delivery, without retyping a single item. (Grocery ordering and live prices work with Kroger-family stores — Kroger, Fred Meyer, Ralphs, QFC, King Soopers and more.) A SMARTER GROCERY LIST Ingredients are sorted into what to buy, pantry staples you already have, signature spices, and grab-and-go items. Check off what's already in your kitchen and every price updates instantly. Or copy the list to shop any store, your way. COOK IT YOUR WAY Tell us how you like to cook — keep it easy with smart shortcuts, or make everything from scratch — and your recipes adapt. Scale servings up or down and every price moves with it. BUILD THE HABIT Actually Cooked isn't really about recipes. It's about the habit. Track your total saved, your savings this month, and your cooking streaks, and unlock milestones as you go. YOUR DATA STAYS YOURS Screenshots are read right on your device — the image never leaves your phone. Your recipes and savings are stored locally. No account required. No tracking. MEMBERSHIP Your first 2 recipes are free. Actually Cooked Pro unlocks unlimited recipe generation: - Monthly: $3.99 per month - Annual: $29.99 per year Everything else — savings tracking, grocery cart, recipe history — is always included. Subscriptions auto-renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Privacy Policy: https://www.actuallycooked.com/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.actuallycooked.com/terms Stop wondering where your money goes. Start cooking — and watch it come back.

Screenshots

a better meal4 screens
Actually Cooked4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: a better meal at fortnightly against Actually Cooked's every 2 months. 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. a better meal sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Actually Cooked sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

a better meal ships an update fortnightly, Actually Cooked every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
a better meal versus Actually Cooked: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parametera better mealActually Cooked
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (61 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews88.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings61 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscription—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.1
Further details — not scored
Size101 MB42 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperBetter Meal LLCStuart Jehn

In-app purchases

7 purchases

a better meal

Subscriptions6
  • Monthly Subscription2 variants$4.991 Month
  • Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • Annual Subscription7 Days trial$39.991 Year
Show 3 more
  • Annual Subscription7 Days trial$44.991 Year
  • Annual Subscription$44.991 Year
  • Annual Subscription1 Month trial$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Subscription$199.00
2 purchases

Actually Cooked

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Actually Cooked Pro$29.991 Year

Questions

Is a better meal free?
a better meal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Actually Cooked free?
Actually Cooked is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do a better meal or Actually Cooked have ads?
Neither a better meal nor Actually Cooked shows ads.
Which is updated more often, a better meal or Actually Cooked?
a better meal ships an update fortnightly, and Actually Cooked every 2 months. Most recently, a better meal was updated on November 3, 2026 and Actually Cooked on October 28, 2026.

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