Comparison

Anchovy vs Second

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

Head to head
About

Anchovy

Easily organize your recipes, plan your meals, and generate grocery lists. Upload recipes from photos, web links, or text, and share them with friends and family. Discover new dishes and connect with a community of food lovers.

Highlights
  • Recipe scanning and uploading
  • Personalized weekly meal planning
  • Automatic grocery list generation
  • Social recipe sharing
  • Community feed for inspiration
  • Digital cookbook collection
Read full description

Recipes are home. Anchovy provides one place for all your recipes: your family staples and the ones you have yet to discover. SAVE RECIPES From handwritten cards in an old recipe box, to the dish you just found online — effortlessly import recipes from photos, screenshots, websites, text, and more. SHARE WITH FRIENDS The next time a friend asks you to send them a recipe, you can. Send recipes directly to friends or post them to your friends on the Anchovy Feed. At last, the place where recipes are stored is the same place where they’re passed around. COOK WITHOUT ADS When it’s time to cook, Anchovy keeps the recipe in focus. Enjoy a clean, ad-free view that makes it easy to follow along without pop-ups, clutter, or distractions. DISCOVER Explore your friends’ recipe collections, discover new cooks, and find dishes from a community that shares your taste. SHOP COOKBOOKS Purchase cookbooks from creators you admire and bring their recipes into your kitchen. Support the people behind the food and their mission. MAKE A GROCERY LIST Easily add items to your grocery list and satisfactorily cross them off while shopping. You can also simply turn a recipe you want to make into a grocery list in just a few taps. PLAN AHEAD Know what’s for dinner before the question comes up. Organize recipes into your calendar and make planning meals a little easier.

About

Second

Features
Read full description

Second Wind is an AI-powered culinary assistant designed for chefs, cooks, restaurants, and food professionals. Transform available ingredients into chef-quality menu concepts in seconds. Generate soups, salads, sandwiches, entrées, brunch specials, and more while receiving detailed Chef Notes, Server Notes, allergen information, and upsell suggestions. Whether you’re reducing food waste, creating daily specials, or looking for fresh inspiration during a busy service, Second Wind helps you create practical, professional menus quickly and confidently. Features include: • AI-generated menu concepts • Chef Notes and preparation ideas • Server descriptions • Upsell suggestions • Allergen awareness • Fast ingredient-based recipe inspiration Built by chefs, for chefs. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Anchovy4 screens
Second4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Anchovy at fortnightly against Second's every 2 months. Anchovy also leads on chart position (#197 vs unranked). 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. Anchovy sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Second 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

Anchovy ships an update fortnightly, Second every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 9 level
Anchovy versus Second: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAnchovySecond
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (33 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings33 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#197 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size54 MB47 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperMeal Lab, LLCRobert Struthers

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Anchovy

One-time1
  • Cookbook ($19.99)$19.99
2 purchases

Second

Subscriptions2
  • Second Wind Pro Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Second Wind Pro Annual7 Days trial$24.991 Year

Questions

Is Anchovy free?
Anchovy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Second free?
Second is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Anchovy or Second have ads?
Neither Anchovy nor Second shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Anchovy or Second?
Anchovy ships an update fortnightly, and Second every 2 months. Most recently, Anchovy was updated on November 4, 2026 and Second on October 31, 2026.

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