Quick answer: Mealime shuts down on October 21, 2026. Its recipes are moving to Meals Hub, a free meal planner inside the Albertsons Companies grocery apps (Safeway, Albertsons, Vons, Jewel-Osco and their sister stores). If you want the closest free replacement, use Meals Hub. If you don’t want your meal planner living inside a grocery store app, the best alternatives are Samsung Food (free), Plan to Eat ($5.95/month) and Paprika (one-time purchase).
If you opened Mealime this week and saw the shutdown notice, you’re not alone. It was one of the simplest meal planning apps out there: pick a few recipes, get a clean grocery list, cook in about 30 minutes. Over 4.5 million people signed up, and now all of them need a plan B in the next few weeks.
I write about meal planning and Mediterranean eating here, and I don’t sell a meal planning app subscription, so this is the honest version: what’s actually happening, what to do before October 21, and which alternative fits the way you used Mealime.
What’s Happening to Mealime (the Facts)
Here’s what Mealime’s own shutdown page says, in plain English:
- The app stops working on October 21, 2026.
- Pro subscribers won’t be charged again. Billing stopped right away, and all Pro recipes and features are open to every user until the shutdown.
- The recipes are moving to Meals Hub. Albertsons Companies bought Mealime in 2021, and Meals Hub is the recipe and meal planning feature inside their grocery store apps and websites. It’s free and made by the same recipe team.
- Your account doesn’t transfer. You’ll sign in to an Albertsons Companies store app and set your dietary preferences again.
- Your personal data will be deleted when Mealime shuts down.
- You don’t need to live near one of their stores. Meals Hub still lets you browse recipes, make meal plans and build shopping lists.
What to Do Before October 21
- Write down your go-to meals. Scroll through your favorites and list the 10 to 15 recipes you actually cook. The shutdown page doesn’t mention an export tool, so screenshots or a note on your phone are the safest backup.
- Save your grocery staples. Your usual shopping list is the most useful thing to carry over, whichever app you pick next.
- Use Pro for free while you can. Every Pro recipe is unlocked right now, so it’s a good week to try the ones you never opened.
- Pick your replacement based on how you used Mealime, not on which app has the most features. The next section helps with that.
Free to use
If you used Mealime to decide what to eat
Full disclosure: I built this one. The Full Plate Meal Builder is a free tool that helps you put together meals that keep you full, by picking a protein, a fiber source and a healthy fat. It is a meal builder, not a recipe library or a shopping app, so if those are what you relied on Mealime for, the apps below are a better fit.
Try the Meal Builder freeThe 5 Best Mealime Alternatives (and Who Each One Is For)
Prices were checked on each company’s own website in September 2026.
1. Meals Hub: the official replacement
Best for: people who loved Mealime’s recipes and want zero learning curve. Same recipe team, all the Mealime recipes plus thousands more, and it’s completely free, including everything that used to be Pro. Open any Albertsons Companies store app, tap “More,” then “Meals Hub.” It also works on the store websites.
The catch: it lives inside a grocery store app, so expect store deals and shopping prompts next to your meal plan. If you shop at Safeway, Albertsons, Vons or Jewel-Osco anyway, that’s a plus. If not, it may feel cluttered.
Price: free.
2. Samsung Food: the best free standalone app
Best for: a free meal planner that isn’t tied to a store. Samsung Food (formerly Whisk) lets you save recipes from any website, drag them into a weekly plan and build a shopping list. It works on iPhone and Android, not just Samsung phones.
The catch: Mealime handed you a short list of simple recipes. Samsung Food gives you the whole internet, which can mean more decisions, not fewer.
Price: free, with an optional paid Food+ tier.
3. Plan to Eat: best if you have your own recipes
Best for: people who already have favorite recipes. Import recipes from any blog, put them on a calendar and get one combined grocery list organized by store section. It’s calm and focused.
The catch: it doesn’t suggest meals. If you liked Mealime choosing recipes for you, this won’t replace that part.
Price: free trial with no card needed, then $5.95/month or $49/year.
4. Paprika: best for no subscriptions, ever
Best for: people who are tired of apps disappearing or changing prices. Paprika is a recipe manager with meal planning, a pantry and grocery lists. You pay once per platform, and your recipes stay on your devices, which matters more after a shutdown like this one.
The catch: no meal suggestions, and you set everything up yourself.
Price: one-time purchase per platform.
5. The Full Plate Meal Builder (Full Disclosure, This Is Mine)
Best for: quick, healthy meals that actually keep you full. A lot of people didn’t really want an app. They wanted to stop thinking about dinner. My free Full Plate Meal Builder does one thing: you pick what you have, and it builds a Mediterranean meal with protein, fiber, healthy fat and a smart carb, so you’re not hungry again two hours later.
The catch: it builds one meal at a time. No weekly calendar, no grocery sync. It’s a tool for deciding what to eat, not a full planner.
Price: free, no account needed.
Mealime Alternatives at a Glance
| Option | Price | Suggests meals? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meals Hub | Free | Yes | Same Mealime recipes, no learning curve |
| Samsung Food | Free (optional paid tier) | Some | Free standalone planner |
| Plan to Eat | $5.95/month or $49/year | No | Planning your own recipes |
| Paprika | One-time per platform | No | No subscription, recipes on your devices |
| Full Plate Meal Builder | Free | Yes, one meal at a time | Filling Mediterranean meals, no counting |
How to Choose in 30 Seconds
- You liked Mealime’s recipes and shop at Safeway, Albertsons, Vons or Jewel-Osco: Meals Hub.
- You want free, but not inside a grocery store app: Samsung Food.
- You already have recipes you cook on repeat: Plan to Eat or Paprika.
- You mostly wanted fast, healthy dinners that keep you full: you might not need an app at all. Keep reading.
The Simplest Replacement: A 3-Recipe Rotation (No App Needed)
Here’s something I learned after trying a lot of meal planners: the app was never the hard part. Deciding was. Mealime worked because it made the week feel small, a few recipes and one grocery list. You can copy that on paper in about 15 minutes.
- Pick 3 dinners you like, each with a clear protein. For example: lemon chicken with roasted vegetables, salmon with quinoa, and a lentil soup.
- Cook each one twice during the week, or make a double batch and eat the leftovers for lunch.
- Build every plate the same way: protein, a big portion of vegetables or beans, a healthy fat like olive oil, and a smart carb. That’s the Full Plate Method, and it’s why these meals keep you full for hours instead of sending you to the pantry at 9pm.
- Write one grocery list from those 3 recipes and keep it. Next week, swap one recipe, not all three.
Want a ready-made week to start from? Grab the free $50 Mediterranean grocery list and 7-day meal map below. And if you’d rather have every meal worked out, my Cravings Control Reset is a 7-day high-protein Mediterranean plan with 28 meals, a grocery list and a Sunday prep plan. It’s a PDF, so it can’t shut down on you.
Free printable
Replace Mealime with one simple grocery list
Get the free printable $50 Mediterranean grocery list with prices, plus a 7-day meal map that turns one shopping trip into a week of meals. Enter your email and download it instantly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When is Mealime shutting down?
Mealime will be discontinued on October 21, 2026, according to the company’s shutdown page.
Why is Mealime shutting down?
Albertsons Companies bought Mealime in 2021 and is moving its recipes and meal planning tools into Meals Hub, inside the Albertsons Companies grocery store apps.
Will I be charged for Mealime Pro?
No. Mealime says Pro subscribers won’t be charged any more subscription fees, and all Pro recipes are available to every user until the app closes.
Can I export my Mealime recipes?
Mealime’s shutdown page doesn’t mention an export tool, and your account can’t be transferred. The Mealime recipes themselves will be on Meals Hub, so the simplest move is to write down or screenshot your favorites and find them there.
Is Meals Hub free?
Yes. Meals Hub is free, including the recipes that used to be part of Mealime Pro.
Do I need to shop at Albertsons or Safeway to use Meals Hub?
No. You can browse recipes, make meal plans and build shopping lists even if there isn’t one of their stores near you.
What is the best free alternative to Mealime?
Meals Hub if you want the same recipes, and Samsung Food if you want a standalone free planner that isn’t part of a grocery store app.
How this was researched: the shutdown details come directly from Mealime’s official closing page, and each alternative’s price was checked on its own website. I have no affiliate relationship with any of the apps listed. Last updated: September 29, 2026.
Related: Eat This Much alternatives that still work in 2026 · Mediterranean meal prep for the week · High-protein meal prep that keeps you full
