# Culinary Compass vs Mealio

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mealio at none against Culinary Compass's 2. On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Culinary Compass sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Mealio asks for nothing beyond the download.

Culinary Compass ships an update every 6 days, Mealio every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Culinary Compass | Mealio |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/culinary-compass/id6743995570/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1** | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 days** | Every 11 days |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Size | 52 MB | 56 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Bergosoft LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1805450594) | [YOUNGSEOK JOO](https://appshunter.io/developer/1875374908) |

## What reviewers say

### Culinary Compass

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/culinary-compass/id6743995570)

Discover recipes tailored to your dietary needs and restrictions. Identify food items and get instant nutritional information. Plan meals and generate shopping lists for any party size.

**Highlights:** AI-powered meal assistant, Global recipe search, Picture-based nutritional identification, Aggregate nutritional information, Customizable shopping lists

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro | $1.99 | per month |
| Pro | $19.99 | per year |


### Mealio

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mealio-meal-diary/id6758864658)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Culinary Compass free?

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

### Is Mealio free?

Mealio is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Culinary Compass or Mealio have ads?

Neither Culinary Compass nor Mealio shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Culinary Compass or Mealio?

Culinary Compass ships an update every 6 days, and Mealio every 11 days. Most recently, Culinary Compass was updated on October 8, 2026 and Mealio on October 25, 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.*