# SmartBites Cooking vs XChef

The clearest difference is monetization model: SmartBites Cooking at free against XChef's freemium. SmartBites Cooking also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SmartBites Cooking sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and XChef sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for SmartBites Cooking against 5.0 for XChef. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 2 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

SmartBites Cooking ships an update every 5 days, XChef every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SmartBites Cooking | XChef |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartbites-cooking/id6745743999/reviews) | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xchef/id6746722729/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **4** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 52 MB | 23 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Joe Davault](https://appshunter.io/developer/1813640232) | [Kyrylo Bielykov](https://appshunter.io/developer/1818123915) |

## What reviewers say

### SmartBites Cooking

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartbites-cooking/id6745743999)

Discover personalized recipes and find safe restaurant meals tailored to your specific dietary needs and allergies. Cook with confidence at home or eat out safely with this comprehensive food companion.

**Highlights:** Personalized allergy-safe recipes, Restaurant menu filtering by allergens, AI-generated recipe matching, Save and organize favorite dishes, Dietary profile setup, Nearby safe restaurant search

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SmartBites Premium | $4.99 | per month |
| SmartBites Premium | $39.99 | per year |


### XChef

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xchef/id6746722729)

This app uses AI to generate personalized recipes based on ingredients you have. It offers step-by-step cooking guidance, customization for dietary needs and skill levels, and helps reduce food waste with smart shopping lists.

**Highlights:** AI-generated personalized recipes, Smart step-by-step cooking mode, Customizable dietary preferences, Ingredient-based recipe suggestions, Smart shopping list generation, Reduce food waste

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Basic | $4.99 | per month |
| Starndart | $11.99 | per month |
| Pro | $22.99 | per month |
| Basic Recipe Package (IAP) | $2.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SmartBites Cooking free?

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

### Is XChef free?

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

### Which has better reviews, SmartBites Cooking or XChef?

SmartBites Cooking and XChef are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4 and 2 ratings respectively.

### Do SmartBites Cooking or XChef have ads?

Neither SmartBites Cooking nor XChef shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SmartBites Cooking or XChef?

SmartBites Cooking ships an update every 5 days, and XChef every 3 weeks. Most recently, SmartBites Cooking was updated on October 15, 2026 and XChef on October 10, 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.*