# Chef Engine vs GastronomIA

Chef Engine and GastronomIA are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Both are free to download. Chef Engine sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and GastronomIA sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $99.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Chef Engine ships an update every 3 weeks, GastronomIA every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chef Engine | GastronomIA |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Subscription | — |
| Size | 83 MB | 50 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Olga Sigova](https://appshunter.io/developer/1705751611) | [GastronomIA Tech](https://appshunter.io/developer/1867460232) |

## What reviewers say

### Chef Engine

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chef-engine-weekly-meals/id6557030823)

Transform food photos, ingredient lists, or web links into personalized, step-by-step recipes. Get tailored meal suggestions with nutrition details, and customize for diets, allergies, or macros. Includes tools like a ripeness checker and barcode scanner.

**Highlights:** AI Recipe Generator, Photo-to-Recipe Camera, Social Post to Recipe, Import from Anywhere, Personalization for diets and allergies, Nutrition & Macros tracking, Barcode Product Scanner

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Chef Engine Monthly Plan | $9.99 | per month |
| Chef Engine Yearly Plan | $29.90 | per year |


### GastronomIA

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gastronomia/id6757529127)

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

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Basic | $99.99 | per month |
| Advanced | $129.99 | per month |
| Lite | $129.99 | per year |
| Premium | $199.99 | per month |
| Basic | $999.99 | per year |
| Advanced | $999.99 | per year |
| Premium | $1999.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chef Engine free?

Chef Engine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is GastronomIA free?

GastronomIA is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Chef Engine or GastronomIA have ads?

Neither Chef Engine nor GastronomIA shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Chef Engine or GastronomIA?

Chef Engine ships an update every 3 weeks, and GastronomIA every 2 weeks. Most recently, Chef Engine was updated on October 30, 2026 and GastronomIA on October 31, 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.*