Comparison

Real Plans vs Elevate Meal Plan

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

Head to head
About

Real Plans

This app helps families plan healthy, home-cooked meals with a vast recipe library. It generates customizable meal plans and shopping lists, reducing food waste and saving money. Supports various dietary goals and integrates with grocery delivery services.

Highlights
  • Over 2000 delicious recipes
  • Fully customizable meal plans
  • Automatic shopping list generation
  • Grocery delivery integration
  • Full nutritional information
  • Reduces food waste and saves money
Features
Read full description

Real Plans is a meal planning app that helps you and your family consistently enjoy healthy, home-cooked food. Our award-winning meal planner is brimming with delicious recipes and is easily personalized for your unique tastes and lifestyle. We make it super simple to create a plan in minutes and shop efficiently (in the grocery store or order from home). Whether your goals are to rock a Whole30, lose weight with low carb, stick with a special gut-healing diet, navigate food restrictions, feed picky eaters, or just eat better overall, Real Plans sets you up for success. REAL PLANS APP FEATURES YOU’RE GOING TO LOVE: OVER 2000 DELICIOUS RECIPES Let us inspire you with dishes that are easy-to-cook favorites, tested by our own families. FULLY CUSTOMIZABLE TO HOW YOU WANT TO EAT No matter your diet or lifestyle, we have simple but powerful filters (down to the ingredient) so you don’t waste your time sifting through recipes that aren’t right for you. You can choose all your own meals or have us do it for you. You can adjust portion size for leftovers, guests, or family size too. SUPER FAST SHOPPING LIST & EASY GROCERY DELIVERY When you build a new meal plan, a grocery list of all the ingredients you’ll need for the week is automatically created, and you can add extra things (like snacks or paper towels too!). Then simply grab your iPhone, check off what you already have, and efficiently zoom through the store - OR order your ingredients online via Amazon or Instacart and have your groceries appear at your door. FULL NUTRITIONAL INFO FOR EVERY RECIPE Got food goals? Every Real Plans recipe lists comprehensive nutritional information based on the USDA database so you can easily see what you’re eating whether you’re counting macros, calories, or just curious about what’s in your meal. SAVE MONEY WITH MINIMAL FOOD WASTE We’ve all been there. Brought home a bunch of beautiful produce with grand aspirations, only to open the fridge a week later to spoiled fruit and wilted veggies. With Real Plans, you can say goodbye to excess wasted food. Our planner helps you plan and shop for only what you need to whip up delicious meals. You eat better and reduce wasted food, all the while saving you hundreds of dollars per year. For terms of use, visit https://realplans.com/terms-of-use/ For privacy policy, visit https://realplans.com/privacy-policy/

About

Elevate Meal Plan

This app aims to enhance the dining experience for college students by offering a convenient meal plan. It helps students avoid overpaying for meals, settling for low-quality food, and the stress of unused meal swipes at the end of the semester.

Highlights
  • Improved dining experience
  • Nationwide student service
  • Avoid overpaying for meals
  • No more subpar food
  • Manage meal swipes effectively
Features
Read full description

We've made it our goal to improve the dining experience of college students and in the past 10 years we've proudly served over 2 million meals to students nationwide. Overpaying for lunch and dinner, settling for subpar food, and scrambling to use up your swipes at the end of the semester will soon be things of the past.

Screenshots

Real Plans4 screens
Elevate Meal Plan3 screens

Verdict

The call

Real Plans and Elevate Meal Plan both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 99% of Elevate Meal Plan's written reviews are positive against 42% of Real Plans's. Elevate Meal Plan also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 12). Real Plans's advantage is ratings volume (2.2K vs 151) and chart position (#60 vs unranked). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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. Real Plans sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Elevate Meal Plan asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Real Plans against 4.7 for Elevate Meal Plan. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Real Plans has 2.2K ratings behind it against 151, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 42% of Real Plans's written reviews are positive against 99% of Elevate Meal Plan's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Real Plans ships an update fortnightly, Elevate Meal Plan every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Real Plans versus Elevate Meal Plan: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReal PlansElevate Meal Plan
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (2.2K ratings)4.7 (151 ratings) — better
Positive reviews42.4% of reviews98.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.2K — better151
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 11 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#60 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size100 MB80 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHolistic Squid, LLCElevate Meal Plan

Customer experience

Real Plans

All ratings2,165 ratings
Positive89.3%
Neutral2.8%
Negative7.9%
Written reviews125 reviews
Positive42.4%
Neutral8.8%
Negative48.8%

Elevate Meal Plan

All ratings151 ratings
Positive93.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.6%
Written reviews79 reviews
Positive98.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative1.3%

Bugs and requests

Real Plans

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes when updating schedules
  • Grocery list items disappearing or duplicating
  • Inaccurate nutritional information
  • Inability to delete or modify saved meals

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to adjust portion sizes
  • Integration with more recipe sources
  • More dietary filter options
  • Improved accessibility for disabled users
  • Ability to plan meals further in advance

Elevate Meal Plan

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

12 purchases

Real Plans

Subscriptions12
  • Nom Nom Paleo Recipes$0.991 Month
  • AutoImmune Wellness Recipes$0.991 Month
  • Well Fed Recipes$0.991 Month
Show 9 more
  • Whole30 Recipes$5.991 Month
  • Monthly Subscription$18.991 Month
  • Real Plans Monthly$18.991 Month
  • Whole30 Monthly Subscription$24.991 Month
  • Real Plans+Whole30 Monthly$24.991 Month
  • Quarterly Subscription$41.993 Months
  • Whole30 Quarterly Subscription$49.993 Months
  • Annual Subscription$78.991 Year
  • Whole30 Annual Subscription$99.991 Year
None

Elevate Meal Plan

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Real Plans free?
Real Plans is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Elevate Meal Plan free?
Elevate Meal Plan is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Real Plans or Elevate Meal Plan?
Elevate Meal Plan is rated higher. Real Plans averages 4.6 out of 5 from 2.2K ratings, while Elevate Meal Plan averages 4.7 from 151 ratings.
Do Real Plans or Elevate Meal Plan have ads?
Neither Real Plans nor Elevate Meal Plan shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Real Plans or Elevate Meal Plan?
Real Plans ships an update fortnightly, and Elevate Meal Plan every 11 days. Most recently, Real Plans was updated on October 29, 2026 and Elevate Meal Plan on October 25, 2026.

Other comparisons