# a better meal vs Actually Cooked

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | a better meal | Actually Cooked |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (61 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-better-meal-menu-planner/id6443470543/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **61** | — |
| Positive reviews | 88.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Subscription | — |
| Size | 101 MB | 42 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Better Meal LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1646237236) | [Stuart Jehn](https://appshunter.io/developer/1886995263) |

## What reviewers say

### a better meal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-better-meal-menu-planner/id6443470543)

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

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $4.99 | per month |
| Monthly Subscription | $6.99 | per month |
| Annual Subscription | $39.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription | $44.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription | $44.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription | $49.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Subscription | $199.00 | one-time |


### Actually Cooked

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/actually-cooked/id6760954292)

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Actually Cooked Pro | $29.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*