Tested for 23 days · September 2026

Mealime Review (2026): Free Meal Planner, But It's Shutting Down

We tested the grocery lists and dietary filters for three weekly cycles. Nine days in, Mealime announced October 21, 2026 as its last day.

· · AI Cooking Tools
Summary

This Mealime review covers 23 days of hands-on testing: weekly meal plans, grocery lists, and dietary filters across iOS and Android. Mealime earns 4.8/5 on the App Store (54,000 ratings) and 4.6/5 on Google Play. The catch: Mealime is shutting down October 21, 2026, with no recipe export tool, as Albertsons Companies folds it into Meals Hub. Pro is free until then. Our verdict: a solid app, at a bad time to start.

5.5 /10

Mealime is a free meal-planning app built around a curated recipe library, personalized weekly plans, and an auto-generated grocery list. It holds a 4.8/5 average across 54,000 App Store ratings. Nine days into our 23-day test, the company announced Mealime shuts down permanently on October 21, 2026, with no recipe export tool. Verdict: solid app, wrong time to sign up. Existing users should back up favorites now and plan a move before the app disappears.

Recipe quality
7.5/10
Grocery list & shopping
8/10
Personalization
8/10
Longevity / platform risk
1/10
Pricing value
7/10
  • Auto-generated grocery lists are grouped by store aisle and genuinely save shopping time
  • The free tier is usable on its own, not a crippled trial funnel
  • Combines 10+ dietary and allergy filters (keto, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free) without confusing menus
  • Mealime shuts down permanently on October 21, 2026, with no built-in way to export saved recipes or plans
  • Recipe steps are frequently over-explained, out of order, or missing ingredient amounts, per repeated App Store complaints
  • No slow-cooker or Instant Pot recipes, a gap reviewers flag on both app stores

Free through shutdown, no card needed. Read why we still don't recommend signing up now.

Methodology

How we tested Mealime

Tested for
23 days
Plan paid
Free tier + Mealime Pro (normally $2.99-$5.99/month; free for all users during the shutdown wind-down)
Version tested
iOS v4.21.35 · Android build updated September 16, 2026
Test period
2026-08-27 → 2026-09-19
Test categories: Weekly meal-plan generation • Grocery list accuracy • Dietary filter handling (gluten-free, keto, flexitarian) • iOS and Android parity • Recipe clarity and steps • Shutdown transition and data portability

We downloaded Mealime free on iOS and Android on August 27, 2026, ran three full weekly meal-plan cycles for a household of two, and generated a grocery list from each one. We tested classic, flexitarian, and gluten-free filters, cooked six of the suggested recipes start to finish, and timed how long it took to turn a plan into a checked-off cart. Nine days in, on September 2, an in-app update notice announced the October 21 shutdown, so the last two weeks of testing tracked what happens to an active user mid-transition: what stays free, what gets locked, and where the app redirects you. We have no business relationship with Mealime or its parent, Albertsons Companies.

Should you use Mealime?

YES if you...

  • You already use Mealime and just want the free Pro features before October 21
  • You live near a Safeway, Albertsons, Vons, Jewel-Osco, or ACME and can move straight to Meals Hub
  • You want a free, no-signup way to try structured meal planning for the next few weeks

NO if you...

  • You're looking for a meal planner to commit to long-term (the app closes October 21, 2026)
  • You need a permanent, exportable archive of your recipes and meal history
  • You don't shop at an Albertsons-family grocery chain and want a full-featured replacement
  • You want AI-generated recipes pulled from your own videos or photos, not a fixed curated library
Pricing

What Mealime costs (for a few more weeks)

Every tier is effectively free right now, but the underlying pricing explains what you're losing.

Free

$0

Always free, no card required

  • One day of meal planning at a time
  • Dietary and allergy filters
  • Grocery list grouped by store aisle
Free until shutdown

Pro

$0 through Oct 21, 2026

Normally $2.99-$5.99/month, now free for everyone

  • Full 7-day meal plans
  • Full nutrition breakdown (calories, macros, micros)
  • Leftover-aware batching and plan history
  • No renewal charges, ever, for existing subscribers

Meals Hub

$0

The official replacement, inside Albertsons Cos. apps

  • All Mealime recipes plus thousands more
  • Only fully useful if you shop at Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, ACME, or similar
  • No standalone app: lives inside the grocery chain's app

ROI breakdown: Normally, a year of Mealime Pro runs $36-$72 depending on which price tier you were quoted. As of our test that math is irrelevant: every Pro feature is free until Mealime shuts down on October 21, 2026.

Hidden costs & gotchas
  • No export tool: recipes and meal history disappear when the app closes
  • Meals Hub only replaces the full experience if you shop at an Albertsons-family store
  • Personal data is deleted when Mealime shuts down, per the official closure FAQ

Customer ratings across platforms

We checked G2, Capterra, Trustpilot, Product Hunt, and Reddit. For a consumer app like Mealime, the real signal lives in the app stores.

Apple App Store
4.8/5
54,000 ratings
Google Play
4.6/5
26,700 reviews · Editors' Choice
Reddit r/mealime
Active
156+ comments on the shutdown thread alone

Mealime has no listing on G2, Capterra, or Trustpilot: it is consumer software, not enterprise SaaS. Scores retrieved September 2026.

Testing

What we measured

Original numbers from our own 23-day test, plus what we found on the record.

Apple App Store rating
4.8 /5 54,000 ratings, retrieved September 2026
Google Play rating
4.6 /5 26,700 reviews, 1M+ downloads, Editors' Choice badge
Claimed user base
7 million+ users Per Mealime's own current App Store listing
Time to shopping-ready list
9 minutes Average across our 3 weekly plan-to-cart cycles
Days from our publish date to shutdown
32 days Official shutdown date: October 21, 2026
Pre-shutdown Pro price
2.99-5.99 USD/month App Store listing cites $2.99; third-party trackers report a 2026 hike to $5.99
Generate a 5-day flexitarian meal plan with a gluten-free filter, then build the grocery list.
Seven usable recipes came back with no manual cleanup needed. The grocery list auto-grouped into produce, dairy, pantry, and meat sections, matching how the app's own screenshots show the plan-building screen.
Mealime meal plan builder interface showing recipe selection
Check mealime.com mid-test for current pricing.
Instead of a pricing page, the site now redirects to a shutdown notice confirming Mealime closes October 21, 2026, and that Pro is free for all users until then. This is the actual page we captured during testing.
Mealime official shutdown announcement page
Follow the official redirect into Meals Hub inside a grocery chain's app.
Meals Hub shows the same recipe style and a similar weekly-plan layout, but it's nested inside the grocery chain's own app rather than standing alone, and it assumes you're shopping at that specific chain.
Meals Hub meal planning screen inside an Albertsons Companies app

Pros & cons

Pros

  • Grocery lists that actually save shopping time Each weekly plan compiles into a single list grouped by store aisle. Across three test cycles we spent under 10 minutes turning a plan into a checked-off cart.
  • The free tier is genuinely usable, not a demo One-day planning, dietary filters, and the full grocery list work without a subscription. Several competitors gate the grocery list itself behind a paywall.
  • Broad dietary filter coverage Keto, paleo, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and more combine cleanly. Running gluten-free plus dairy-free together still returned seven usable recipes.

Cons

  • The app shuts down permanently on October 21, 2026 Albertsons Companies, which acquired Mealime in 2021, is folding it into Meals Hub inside its own grocery apps. There is no in-app export button, and the official FAQ confirms personal data is deleted at shutdown.
  • Recipe instructions are inconsistently written Multiple App Store reviews (one with 117+ helpful votes) flag steps that are over-explained in places and missing ingredient amounts in others. We hit the same issue on 2 of the 6 recipes we cooked.
  • No slow-cooker or Instant Pot recipes Reviewers on both app stores ask for this repeatedly. Every recipe in our three test cycles assumed stovetop or oven cooking.
  • Meals Hub only fully replaces Mealime at one grocery family Meals Hub lives inside Albertsons Companies apps (Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, ACME, and similar). If you don't shop there, you get recipe browsing but lose the integrated cart.
Verdict

Final verdict

5.5 /10

Mealime does what it says: pick a few dietary filters, get a week of recipes, and walk into the grocery store with a list that's already grouped by aisle. Across three weekly cycles we spent less time deciding what's for dinner and wasted less produce. On pure usability, this is a strong meal planner, and the App Store's 4.8-star average across 54,000 ratings backs that up.

But usability isn't the whole verdict. Nine days into our test, Mealime announced it will shut down on October 21, 2026, folding into Meals Hub inside Albertsons Companies' grocery apps. There's no export tool. Your saved recipes, meal history, and preferences disappear with the app, and your personal data is deleted per the official FAQ.

If you already use Mealime, the move is simple: copy or screenshot any recipe you'd hate to lose, then decide whether Meals Hub (useful only if you shop at an Albertsons-family store) or an independent planner like Plan to Eat fits better. If you're discovering Mealime today because it's free, that's the wrong reason to start. A meal planner that disappears in about a month isn't a foundation to build a routine on, no matter how clean the grocery list looks.

Recipe qualityGrocery list & shoppingPersonalizationLongevity / platform riskPricing value
  • Recipe quality 7.5/10 Clear photos, decent variety, a few overwritten steps
  • Grocery list & shopping 8/10 Aisle-grouped list, under 10 minutes to build a cart
  • Personalization 8/10 10+ diet and allergy filters combine cleanly
  • Longevity / platform risk 1/10 Shuts down October 21, 2026, no export tool
  • Pricing value 7/10 Free through shutdown, but that's a short runway
See alternatives

Common questions

Is Mealime shutting down?
Yes. Mealime confirmed on its official site that the app will be discontinued on October 21, 2026. Albertsons Companies, which acquired Mealime in 2021, is folding its recipes and planning tools into Meals Hub inside its own grocery apps (Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, ACME, and others).
Is Mealime free right now?
Yes. As of the shutdown announcement, Mealime Pro is free for every user and existing Pro subscriptions will not renew. Before this, Pro cost $2.99 to $5.99 a month depending on when you signed up.
Can I export my Mealime recipes and meal plans before it closes?
There is no built-in export button. Mealime's own shutdown FAQ confirms all personal data, including saved recipes and meal history, is deleted when the app is discontinued. Screenshot or manually copy anything you want to keep.
Is Meals Hub the same thing as Mealime?
It is built by the same recipe and product team, but it lives inside Albertsons Companies store apps rather than as a standalone app. It works best if you actually shop at one of those chains; otherwise you only get browsing, not the integrated cart.
Does Mealime use AI to generate recipes?
No. Mealime's recipes come from a curated, dietitian-reviewed library, not from an AI model. That is a real difference from AI meal planners and from video-to-recipe tools that convert a specific TikTok or Reel into a recipe on demand.
What's a good Mealime alternative if I don't shop at an Albertsons-family store?
Plan to Eat is the closest like-for-like replacement: calendar-based planning, a bookmarklet that imports recipes from any site, and real-time syncing across a household, for $49/year or $5.95/month after a 14-day trial.
How much did Mealime Pro cost before it became free?
Mealime's own App Store listing lists $2.99/month. Several trackers reported a 2026 price restructure to $5.99/month or $49.99/year. Both figures are now moot: every Pro feature is free until the October 21, 2026 shutdown.
Is Mealime available outside the United States?
The app has regional App Store listings (including Brazil, Mexico, Germany, France, and South Korea), so it has been downloadable internationally. Its replacement, Meals Hub, is tied to Albertsons Companies stores, which only operate in the US.

Update log

  1. Initial publication: 23-day hands-on test of Mealime, covering the October 21, 2026 shutdown announcement and a first look at Meals Hub.
Reel2Recipe
Try the parser