Comparison

MealieSwift vs Forked Recipes

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

Head to head
About

MealieSwift

Access and manage your Mealie recipes with a native iOS app. Enjoy offline viewing, cook mode with timers, and advanced features like recipe editing and meal planning with paid upgrades. Supports multiple languages and integrates with iOS Reminders.

Highlights
  • Recipe filtering, viewing, and searching
  • Offline recipe access
  • Cook mode with integrated timers
  • Add and edit recipes
  • Import recipes by URL
  • Weekly meal planning
  • Shopping list sync with iOS Reminders
Features
Read full description

Connect with your Mealie recipe server in a fresh new way. Free version includes: - Recipe filtering, viewing, and searching - Offline mode for viewing recipes even when server is offline or with poor internet connection - Horizontal recipe view mode - Cook mode with integrated timers Paid features (either subscription or one-time purchase, both with family sharing enabled): - Add and edit recipes - Import recipes by URL - Share to MealieSwift from iOS share menu (i.e. easily import recipe from Safari to Mealie) - Recipe creation from image using Mealie server LLM capabilities - Recipe edit capability with LLM ingredient parse capability support (requires Mealie LLM configuration) - "Explore" tab help you discover recipes from your whole catalog to keep meal ideas fresh - Weekly meal planning - Shopping list support - Sync shopping lists with built-in iOS Reminders app Currently supports Dutch, English, French, German, and Spanish Standard Apple EULA applies: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Forked Recipes

Discover what to cook from your existing recipe collection with smart filtering based on your dietary needs and preferences. Generate personalized meal plans and create a unified shopping list from your chosen meals. Your recipes remain on your own server, ensuring privacy and control.

Highlights
  • Swipe-based recipe discovery
  • Multi-day meal plan generation
  • Customizable Chef Profile for dietary needs
  • Persistent global shopping list
  • Step-by-step cooking instructions
  • Accessibility features
Features
Read full description

Forked turns your self-hosted Mealie recipe library into a weekly meal plan and one grocery list, on your iPhone. Your recipes stay on your server. No Forked account, no ads, no tracking. NEW: YOUR WHOLE LIBRARY Browse every recipe as photo cards, search titles, ingredients, steps, and notes, and filter by favorites, rating, cook time, tags, categories, or what's safe for your Chef Profile. Add any recipe to your plan or Shopping list straight from the Library. Recipes are saved for offline reading, with servings that scale the amounts. EDIT, FAVORITE, AND RATE Edit recipes, add new ones, replace photos, favorite, and rate, right from your iPhone. Changes save to your Mealie server, wait safely while you're offline, and never overwrite someone else's edit without asking. Marking a planned meal cooked also updates Mealie's Last Made date. Requires Mealie 3.21 or later. HOUSEHOLDS Cook from one plan with the people you live with. A Forked Pro owner can invite up to four people for free to share a meal plan and shopping list, and everyone's edits sync through iCloud. Only your chosen name and emoji are shared. Your server credentials, dietary preferences, and Plan History stay private. DECIDE WHAT TO COOK Swipe through Quick Picks from your own recipes to save, pass, or favorite. Suggestions are ranked by your Chef Profile and your favorites and ratings. PLAN YOUR WEEK Generate a multi-day plan from your library, choose a vibe, and swap any meal you don't want. ONE GROCERY LIST Add a plan, saved picks, or your own items to one Shopping list. Matching quantities combine, items are grouped by store section (move one and Forked remembers), and you can paste several items at once or share the list. COOK STEP BY STEP Follow instructions one step at a time with built-in timers, and keep the screen on while you cook. CHEF PROFILES FOR EVERY DIET Record allergies, diets such as vegan, halal, and gluten-free, and the ingredients you love or avoid. Allergies and diets that leave something out remove recipes whose ingredients, title, or a "Contains" tag name it; other diets, like keto, put tagged recipes first. Filtering cannot guarantee allergen safety: always check ingredients and labels. Shared and reused meals may not match your current profile, and Household members' dietary profiles are not combined. WORKS WHEN YOUR SERVER DOESN'T After your first sync, saved recipes, plans, Quick Picks, and Shopping stay ready while your server is slow or unreachable, and Forked refreshes when it's back. FORKED PRO A $9.99 one-time purchase, shareable with Family Sharing. Pro adds Households, Plan History, Use This Plan Again, Reuse Ingredients, and Avoid Recent Meals. Everything else in Forked stays free. Optional tips unlock nothing. Household members each need Forked, iCloud with iCloud Drive, and their own access to the same Mealie library. Turning on or accepting sync shares the Plan or Shopping list, and accepting replaces that list on your device. BUILT FOR EVERYONE VoiceOver, Voice Control, Larger Text, Reduce Motion, status that doesn't rely on color, and light and dark appearance across setup, Library, recipes, Quick Picks, plans, Shopping, and cooking. Requires a self-hosted Mealie server; editing and other changes need Mealie 3.21 or later. Complete ingredients, tags, and categories give better suggestions and shopping lists. Forked is an independent app and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Mealie project.

Screenshots

MealieSwift4 screens
Forked Recipes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Forked Recipes at 5.0 against MealieSwift's 3.6. Forked Recipes also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). MealieSwift's advantage is ratings volume (30 vs 2). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. MealieSwift sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year and Forked Recipes sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Forked Recipes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MealieSwift has 30 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MealieSwift ships an update every 2 weeks, Forked Recipes every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
MealieSwift versus Forked Recipes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMealieSwiftForked Recipes
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.6 (30 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews67.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings30 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 11 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNorthwest Web Pros LLCAaron Kannengieser

Customer experience

MealieSwift

All ratings30 ratings
Positive63.3%
Neutral10.0%
Negative26.7%
Written reviews37 reviews
Positive67.6%
Neutral10.8%
Negative21.6%

Forked Recipes

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

MealieSwift

Subscriptions1
  • Yearly7 Days trial$4.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Family$9.99
4 purchases

Forked Recipes

One-time4
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Nice Tip$2.99
  • Generous Tip$4.99
Show 1 more
  • Forked Pro$9.99

Questions

Is MealieSwift free?
MealieSwift is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Forked Recipes free?
Forked Recipes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, MealieSwift or Forked Recipes?
Forked Recipes is rated higher. MealieSwift averages 3.6 out of 5 from 30 ratings, while Forked Recipes averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do MealieSwift or Forked Recipes have ads?
Neither MealieSwift nor Forked Recipes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MealieSwift or Forked Recipes?
MealieSwift ships an update every 2 weeks, and Forked Recipes every 11 days. Most recently, MealieSwift was updated on October 30, 2026 and Forked Recipes on October 28, 2026.

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