# MasterCook vs GrownHere

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: GrownHere at none against MasterCook's 1. GrownHere also leads on iOS requirement (13.4 vs 16.0). MasterCook's advantage is ratings volume (5 vs 1). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. MasterCook sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. GrownHere asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for MasterCook against 5.0 for GrownHere. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MasterCook has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

MasterCook ships an update every 5 weeks, GrownHere every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MasterCook | GrownHere |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastercook/id999514024/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grownhere/id6612008011/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 31.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 265 MB | 22 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **13.4** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Valusoft Finance, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/999514023) | [Gregory Jean-Baptiste](https://appshunter.io/developer/1624400377) |

## What reviewers say

### MasterCook

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mastercook/id999514024)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| MasterCook One Year Subscription | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great for organizing recipes
- 🌟 Excellent customer support
- 📲 Syncs across devices
- 💡 Easy recipe import
- ✅ Long-time user satisfaction

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes
- 🐛 Registration/login issues
- 🐛 Display/font problems
- 🐛 Editing and saving errors
- 📉 Poor app functionality

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when opening
- Cannot register/login
- Text invisible or unreadable
- Editing fails with error message
- Recipes not saving

**Requested features**

- Search by ingredient
- Print recipes and shopping lists
- Copy/paste functionality
- Improve UI/reduce whitespace
- Direct web import on tablet


### GrownHere

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grownhere/id6612008011)

Discover locally grown produce and connect with urban farms in your community. Farmers can advertise their available items to reach a broader audience. This tool supports local food systems and fresh ingredient sourcing.

**Highlights:** Discover locally grown produce, Connect with urban farms, Search for ingredients, Farmers advertise produce, Support local food systems

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MasterCook free?

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

### Is GrownHere free?

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

### Which has better reviews, MasterCook or GrownHere?

MasterCook and GrownHere are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 5 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do MasterCook or GrownHere have ads?

Neither MasterCook nor GrownHere shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, MasterCook or GrownHere?

MasterCook ships an update every 5 weeks, and GrownHere every 2 months. Most recently, MasterCook was updated on October 24, 2026 and GrownHere on October 15, 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.*