Comparison

What's for dinner planner vs Private Meal Planner

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

Head to head
About

What's for dinner planner

Features
Read full description

What's on the menu tonight? Whether you want to cook more organised every week, let your kids vote on their favourite dishes, or simply avoid a bit of chaos, "What's for Dinner" gives you the perfect overview. Free. No ads. No hidden costs. Just you and your meals. PLAN TOGETHER Invite your partner or housemate and you both work in the same list. When one of you adds something, the other sees it right away. Your list stays in your own iCloud: we run no servers and never see your meals. ALWAYS WITHIN REACH โ€ข A home screen widget showing what you are eating today and tomorrow. โ€ข An Apple Watch app and complications, so it is right there on your wrist. โ€ข The list moves on by itself at midnight โ€” even if you have not opened the app all week. SIMPLE AND SMART โ€ข Drag your meals into whatever order you like. โ€ข Days or numbers next to your meals, whichever suits you. โ€ข Emoji magic: hundreds of dishes are recognised automatically, in Dutch, English, German, French and Spanish. On devices with Apple Intelligence your iPhone works out an emoji for dishes the list does not know yet โ€” and that happens entirely on your device. โ€ข A history of everything you have eaten, restored with a single swipe. Got brilliant ideas? Or a dish without an emoji yet? Email us at: whatsfordinnerappios@gmail.com! Download now and cook smarter, not harder.

About

Private Meal Planner

Features
Read full description

Private Meal Planner helps you plan your meals, manage your pantry, and generate shopping lists in minutes โ€” all while keeping your data on your device. Build a weekly plan that matches your diet, cook from what you already have, and avoid impulse spending at the supermarket. No accounts, no ads, no tracking โ€” just a clean, private meal planner that works the way you do. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

What's for dinner planner3 screens
Private Meal Planner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: What's for dinner planner at none against Private Meal Planner's 6. What's for dinner planner also leads on device support (3 vs 1). Private Meal Planner's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks). On price, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Private Meal Planner sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. What's for dinner planner asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

What's for dinner planner ships an update every 5 weeks, Private Meal Planner fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
What's for dinner planner versus Private Meal Planner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWhat's for dinner plannerPrivate Meal Planner
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksFortnightly โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.017.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size10 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThom RietbergPlatka Software Digital

In-app purchases

None

What's for dinner planner

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

Private Meal Planner

Subscriptions6
  • Plus Monthly Plan$2.991 Month
  • Pro Monthly Plan$5.991 Month
  • Plus Quarterly Plan$7.993 Months
Show 3 more
  • Pro Quarterly Plan$14.993 Months
  • Plus Annual Plan$22.991 Year
  • Pro Annual Plan$49.991 Year

Questions

Is What's for dinner planner free?
What's for dinner planner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Private Meal Planner free?
Private Meal Planner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do What's for dinner planner or Private Meal Planner have ads?
Neither What's for dinner planner nor Private Meal Planner shows ads.
Which is updated more often, What's for dinner planner or Private Meal Planner?
What's for dinner planner ships an update every 5 weeks, and Private Meal Planner fortnightly. Most recently, What's for dinner planner was updated on November 8, 2026 and Private Meal Planner on November 5, 2026.

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