Mealime is shutting down: how to move your meal planning (and what to look for next)

If Mealime has been quietly running your weeknights for the last few years, the news that it's closing probably landed with a thud. You had a rhythm: pick a few recipes, get the shopping list, cook. Now you need a new plan, and you need it before your favourites disappear.

The good news is that you have a few weeks, and moving your meal planning is mostly a matter of saving what matters and then being a bit picky about where you land next. Let's walk through it.

What's actually happening

Mealime's own closing notice says the app "will be discontinued as of October 21, 2026". The same date appears at the top of its App Store listing.

A few other details from that notice are worth knowing:

• Pro is free until the end. Pro subscribers won't be charged any more subscription fees before the app is discontinued, and the App Store listing says existing Pro subscriptions won't renew.
• The recipes are moving. Mealime is owned by Albertsons Companies, and the notice says its recipes are moving to Meals Hub inside the Albertsons family of grocery apps (Safeway, Albertsons, Vons, Jewel-Osco and others). If you shop with one of those US chains, that may be a natural next step for you.
• Your personal data will be deleted. The notice states that all personal data will be deleted when the app shuts down.

The notice doesn't describe any way to export or download your saved recipes, meal plans or shopping lists. So if there's anything in there you'd miss, the safe assumption is that you need to save it yourself, before 21 October.

Step 1: Save the recipes you love

Start with the recipes you actually cook. Not the ones you saved once and never opened, but the handful your household asks for again and again. For most people that's somewhere between five and twenty.

For each one:

1. Open the recipe in the app and make sure the full ingredient list and method are showing.
2. Take screenshots of the whole thing, scrolling as you go so nothing is cut off. Or copy the text into a note if you prefer something searchable.
3. Note any tweaks you make. Swapped the chicken for chickpeas? Always double the garlic? Write that down now, because the app won't remember it for you after the shutdown.
4. Check whether there's a public web page for it. Some recipes may also be published on the web. If you can find one, save the link, since a link is the easiest thing to bring into a new app.

Do this sooner rather than later. If the app is slow or quirky in its final weeks, you'll be glad you didn't leave it to the evening of the 20th.

Step 2: Save the rest of your routine

Recipes are the obvious part, but a meal planning habit is more than a recipe box. Take two minutes to jot down:

• Your usual weekly rhythm. How many dinners you plan, which nights are takeaway or leftovers, which nights need to be fast.
• Your dietary settings. Allergies, dislikes, vegetarian nights, portion sizes. You'll want to set these up again wherever you go next.
• Your regular shopping list staples. The things you buy every week regardless of the plan.

That little list is what makes a new app feel like home quickly, instead of starting from scratch.

What to look for in your next app

Every meal planning app does recipes and shopping lists. These are the things that tend to separate an app you'll keep using from one you'll abandon in a month.

Does it know what's already in your kitchen?

A plan built only from recipes tends to send you to the shop for things you already have. Look for an app with a proper pantry: a list of what's in your fridge, freezer and cupboards, ideally with expiry dates, so your plan can start from what needs using up.

Can your household share it?

If more than one person shops or cooks, a shared plan and a shared shopping list save a lot of "did you get the milk?" messages. Check whether sharing is built in, how many people it covers, and whether everyone needs their own subscription.

Can you get your recipes in easily, and out again?

This is the lesson from any app closing. Before you commit, check how you'd bring recipes in (typing, links, photos) and what you could take with you if you ever left. Being able to see and copy your own recipes at any time is the bare minimum.

Is the billing fair and clear?

Look for a free plan you can genuinely try, clear terms on what's included, and an easy way to cancel through your app store account. You shouldn't need to read the small print twice.

Does it help on the night, not just on Sunday?

Planning is half the job. The other half is standing at the stove at 6:30 pm. Features like step-by-step cooking, timers and hands-free help make the plan actually happen.

A quick checklist before 21 October

• List the recipes your household actually cooks
• Screenshot or copy each one in full, including your own tweaks
• Save web links for any recipes that also exist on a public page
• Write down your dietary settings and weekly rhythm
• Note your regular shopping list staples
• Try one or two alternatives with a real week of meals before the deadline
• Bring your saved recipes into whichever app you choose

Where Pantry Bliss fits

I'll be upfront: I build Pantry Bliss, so weigh this accordingly. It's one option among several, and the checklist above applies to us as much as anyone.

Here's what it does that's relevant if you're moving from Mealime:

• Importing recipes. You can paste a link to a recipe web page, or snap up to six photos of recipe pages. Those photos are designed for cookbook pages, but they're also worth trying with clear, uncropped screenshots of the recipes you saved. Results depend on how readable the image is, so give each imported recipe a quick check. Wherever possible, the original author is credited.
• A pantry with expiry dates. Add items by scanning barcodes, a receipt or a photo of a shelf, and see what needs using up first, with "Use it up" recipe ideas built around those ingredients.
• One plan for the whole household. A weekly meal planner, shopping lists built from your recipes and plan, and a pantry that everyone in the house shares.
• Help on the night. Cook mode walks you through one step at a time, with timers and a voice guide that reads steps aloud and responds to "next", "back", "repeat" and "start timer".

There's no bulk import from Mealime, and we're not going to pretend otherwise. Bringing your favourites across is a one-recipe-at-a-time job, which is another good reason to start with the twenty you really cook rather than the two hundred you saved.

There's a free plan, and a paid Household plan if you want more. If you'd like a side-by-side look, our Mealime switch guide covers the move in more detail. Whatever you choose, save those recipes this week. Future you, at 6:30 pm on a Tuesday, will be grateful.