Comparison

MasterCook vs Simply Recipes for iOS

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

Head to head
About

MasterCook

Organize your recipes and create shopping lists with this app. It allows you to import recipes online, scale ingredients automatically, and search your collection. Collaborate with others by creating private group cookbooks.

Highlights
  • Import recipes online with one click
  • Organize recipes into custom cookbooks
  • Automatically scale recipe ingredients
  • Add recipes to shopping lists
  • Search recipes by cookbook, category, and title
  • Create private group cookbooks for collaboration
Features
Read full description

Chefs, culinary schools, restaurants, home cooks, and foodservice companies have trusted the MasterCook products for over 27 years. Let MasterCook organize your recipes and shopping lists in your private online account. A FREE 30-day trial allows you to store up to 25 recipes in your online account with full functionality of features. A paid subscription allows you to store up to 100,000 recipes in your online account until your subscription expires. Here’s what you can do with the MasterCook App: • Download recipes online with just 1 click! View a recipe in a web browser and use the Share button to send it to your MasterCook app. • Organize recipes into custom cookbooks. • Scale a recipe to change its servings, and MasterCook will adjust the ingredient amounts automatically. • Add a recipe to a shopping list. • Search your recipes based on cookbook, category, and recipe title. • Create private group cookbooks to collaborate with friends and family. Use the MasterCook mobile app on its own or use it in conjunction with the MasterCook Windows product to access even more tools like adding recipes to menus and meal plans and performing nutritional and cost analysis of your recipes and menus and meal plans. Learn more at https://www.mastercook.com/learn-more If you have any questions, contact MasterCook Support and receive a timely reply.

About

Simply Recipes for iOS

Easily manage your favorite recipes by importing them from the web, text, or by writing them yourself. The app intelligently interprets instructions, detects timers, and calculates nutrition. Organize with tags and share with friends for a seamless cooking experience.

Highlights
  • Import recipes from websites and text
  • Write and format your own recipes
  • Automatic timer detection
  • Automatic ingredient interpretation
  • Automatic nutrition calculation
  • Dedicated cooking mode
  • Organize recipes with tags
  • Share recipes with friends
Features
Read full description

A simple recipe manager that lets you focus on what matters most: cooking! - Import recipes from websites, text, or write your own - Automatic timers detected in instructions - Automatic ingredient interpretation - Automatic nutrition calculation - Recipes are intelligently interpreted so you don't have to do any tedious formatting - Dedicated "Cooking" mode displays each step with its ingredients - Organize recipes with tags to make finding the perfect dish a breeze - Share recipes with your friends

Screenshots

MasterCook4 screens
Simply Recipes for iOS4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Simply Recipes for iOS at 89% against MasterCook's 32%. Simply Recipes for iOS also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1). MasterCook's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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. MasterCook sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Simply Recipes for iOS asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MasterCook ships an update every 5 weeks, Simply Recipes for iOS every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 3, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
MasterCook versus Simply Recipes for iOS: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMasterCookSimply Recipes for iOS
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (69 ratings) — better
Positive reviews31.8% of reviews88.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings69 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size265 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperValusoft Finance, LLCChristian Stevenson

Customer experience

MasterCook

All ratings41 ratings
Positive46.3%
Neutral7.3%
Negative46.3%
Written reviews66 reviews
Positive31.8%
Neutral12.1%
Negative56.1%

Simply Recipes for iOS

All ratings67 ratings
Positive91.0%
Neutral4.5%
Negative4.5%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%

Bugs and requests

MasterCook

Reported bugs

21 issues
  • App crashes when opening
  • Cannot register/login
  • Text invisible or unreadable
  • Editing fails with error message
  • Recipes not saving
Show 16 more
  • App closes randomly
  • Recipes not importing correctly
  • Syncing issues
  • Cannot export app recipes to PC
  • Search function not working
  • App crashes on search for non-existent item
  • System error on login
  • Cannot delete app
  • Display issues after upgrade
  • Cannot see cookbook names
  • Ingredients not recognized for nutritional info
  • Cannot move between recipe edit screens
  • Keyboard covers input field
  • App not opening after upgrade
  • App not recognizing online status
  • Login credentials shown for another user

Requested features

11 requests
  • Search by ingredient
  • Print recipes and shopping lists
  • Copy/paste functionality
  • Improve UI/reduce whitespace
  • Direct web import on tablet
Show 6 more
  • Meal planning feature
  • Search function for recipes
  • Sort by category
  • Pantry functionality
  • Landscape mode for iPad
  • Ascending sort for downloaded recipes

Simply Recipes for iOS

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

MasterCook

One-time1
  • MasterCook One Year Subscription$99.99
None

Simply Recipes for iOS

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MasterCook free?
MasterCook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Simply Recipes for iOS free?
Simply Recipes for iOS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do MasterCook or Simply Recipes for iOS have ads?
Neither MasterCook nor Simply Recipes for iOS shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MasterCook or Simply Recipes for iOS?
MasterCook ships an update every 5 weeks, and Simply Recipes for iOS every 4 weeks. Most recently, MasterCook was updated on September 3, 2026 and Simply Recipes for iOS on September 13, 2026.

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