Mealime is closing October 21. Here’s how to keep your recipes!
If you use Mealime, you probably already saw the message that Mealime is being discontinued as of October 21, 2026. The team is directing users to Meals Hub, a new recipe and shopping tool built into Albertsons Companies’ grocery apps.
If you’re looking at alternatives to Meals Hub, Plan to Eat is worth trying before your Mealime account goes away for good. Plan to Eat has been an independently owned and operated meal planner since 2009. You can bring your Mealime recipes over in a few taps, and once they’re here, they work with any grocery store, not just one chain.
Since Mealime doesn’t offer a bulk recipe export, you can bring your Mealime recipes over with our Recipe Clipper.
For more information about transferring your recipes from Mealime, see our help article.
Plan to Eat’s approach to meal planning is slightly different from Mealime’s. Instead of feeding you a curated recipe database, your recipes in Plan to Eat are ones you’ve chosen, whether it’s a family favorite from a cookbook, something you found on Instagram, or a dish you’ve been making for years.
Then you create your meal plans on a planning calendar and get a shopping list generated for you. You can organize your list by store and aisle, so you can grocery shop without backtracking or forgetting anything.
Here are some of the features you’ll love in Plan to Eat:
Recipe storage with custom organization
Save recipes from any website or social platform, including Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and TikTok.
Scan in recipes from cookbooks, magazines, or handwritten cards
Import your whole collection at once if you’re moving from another app
Use Cooking View for hands-free, screen-awake instructions while you cook
Organize your recipes with your own tags, courses, and cuisines
Plans that work with your week
Reschedule recipes in seconds with drag and drop
Scale servings up or down and your shopping list will update automatically
Track leftovers and freezer meals
Save and reuse past meal plans
Calculate nutrition facts for any recipe
A shopping list that skips the guesswork
Generate a list from your meal plan and add anything else you need
Add frequently purchased items in bulk to your shopping list with the Staples List
Check off what’s already in your kitchen before you shop
Organize your list by store layout, or shop from more than one store at a time
Send your list to participating stores for pickup or delivery
Mealime and Plan to Eat Plan Meals Differently
Mealime has two options for meal planning: pre-made plans or selecting your own recipes, but the biggest difference between Mealime and Plan to Eat is what happens after you select your recipes.
Mealime gives you a general list of meals for the week without assigning any of them to a specific day. Plan to Eat’s planner is built on a calendar, so you make placement decisions when you’re creating a meal plan.
Plan to Eat was created for households that need to plan around their schedules and want to be able to schedule recipes for specific days. Understanding that difference makes the adjustment easier.
Here’s the simplest way to bridge the gap: instead of assigning each recipe to a specific day, add all of your recipes for the week to a single day on the calendar, like Monday. You can either leave the plan as is, or as you decide what to cook each night, drag and drop that recipe onto the day you’re actually making it. You end up with the same “pick a handful of meals for the week” feel you had in Mealime.
This is how a lot of long-time Plan to Eat customers use the Planner, especially if your week doesn’t run on a strict schedule. You can read more about that approach, including how to handle leftovers and staples, in My Simple, Flexible Meal Planning System.
If your household does want meals planned on specific days to work around your schedule, Plan to Eat handles that just as easily. There’s not a single “right” method for planning in Plan to Eat.
Mealime’s shutdown and transition date isn’t far off, so it’s worth setting up your new home for recipes sooner rather than later. Try Plan to Eat free for 14 days, no credit card required, and get your favorite recipes moved over before the deadline hits.
Questions about switching? Reach out to our support team at [email protected]. We’re happy to help make the move painless.
