Groceree vs Mela: an honest comparison
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Mela is a polished recipe manager for iPhone, iPad and Mac from the developer of Reeder, sold as a one-time purchase, which keeps its meal plan in Apple Calendar and its grocery list in Apple Reminders. Groceree runs on iPhone and Android, reads recipes out of social videos and cookbook photos, and keeps its own grocery list that the household shares.
The choice usually comes down to the household. If everyone uses Apple devices and is happy with Reminders as the shopping list, Mela fits neatly. If someone has an Android phone, or you want a list that knows about aisles and recipes, the trade-offs change.
This page is written by the team behind Groceree. The Mela facts come from Mela’s own website, help pages and App Store listings, checked on October 4, 2026.
Feature comparison
Where the two apps actually differ, as of October 2026.
| Feature | Groceree | Mela |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | iPhone (iOS 16.4+), Android | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Saving recipes from websites | Yes — share any public recipe page or paste its link | Yes — in-app browser and share extension |
| Saving recipes from TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook | Yes — share the post or paste its link; when the caption is not the whole recipe, the video itself is read | TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, from the post’s description text, not the video |
| Scanning cookbook pages and handwritten recipes | Yes — up to 8 photos of one recipe, handwriting included | Yes — camera scan with text recognition; you tag the parts yourself |
| Pasting a recipe as text | Yes | Not listed |
| Organizing recipes | Cookbooks (one recipe can be in several) and search | Categories, favorites, “Want to Cook”, search |
| Scaling a recipe to more or fewer servings | Yes — amounts rescale as you change the serving count | Yes, with US and metric conversion |
| Meal planning calendar | No | Yes — kept in Apple Calendar |
| Recipe ingredients to the shopping list | Yes — untick what you have; the rest is added by aisle and merged with what is already on the list | Yes — into Apple Reminders |
| Shared lists | Free, unlimited members via invite link | Through a shared list in Apple Reminders |
| Sharing recipes with your household | Yes, free — share a cookbook by invite link; the people who join read and cook from it, and only you change it | Yes — one shared library with other iCloud users |
| Reading a recipe in your own language | Yes — a Translate button on imported recipes, or translate every import automatically | Yes — in the editor, on iOS 18 or later |
| App languages | 13 | 4 (English, French, German, Italian) |
| Cooking mode | Yes — keeps the screen on; tap a step to cross it out | Yes — full screen, several recipes at once, timers |
| Web and desktop access | No — mobile only | Mac app; no web or Windows version |
| Ads and paid upgrade | Ad-supported; Groceree Plus removes ads and makes recipe imports unlimited | Free download; $6.99 one-time on iPhone and iPad, $14.99 on Mac, sold separately |
| Maturity | New — small but strong ratings base | Since 2021, App Store Editors’ Choice, about 900 US ratings |
A cell marked “Not listed” means the feature is not mentioned in that app’s own store listing, website or help pages. It may still exist — we would rather say we could not confirm it than claim it is missing.
When Mela is the better choice
There are clear cases where we would point you at Mela instead.
- Your household is all Apple. Mela runs on iPhone, iPad and Mac, and its native Mac app is a pleasure on a big screen. Groceree has no Mac app.
- You prefer to pay once. Mela unlocks everything for $6.99 on iPhone and $14.99 on Mac, with no subscription and no ads.
- You want meals in your calendar. Mela plans meals in Apple Calendar, where even people without Mela can see them. Groceree has no meal planner.
- You care where your data lives. Mela needs no account, syncs through iCloud and lists “Data Not Collected” on the App Store. Groceree needs an account.
- You want to share the whole recipe library. Mela shares one library with other iCloud users; in Groceree you share one cookbook at a time, and the people you invite read and cook from it without changing it.
When Groceree is the better choice
And the cases where we think Groceree is the better fit.
- Someone in the house uses Android. Groceree runs on iPhone and Android with the same shared lists; Mela is Apple-only.
- Your recipes come from social video. Mela reads the description of a TikTok, Instagram or YouTube post; Groceree reads it too, watches the video when the recipe is only said or shown, and also takes Facebook posts.
- You want a list built for shopping. Groceree lets you untick what you already have, merges ingredients with what is already on the list and sorts them by aisle. Mela hands the ingredients to Apple Reminders.
- You photograph a recipe and want it read for you. Groceree reads a printed or handwritten page as it is, without tagging each part.
- You use the app in a language other than English, French, German or Italian. Groceree runs in 13 languages.
The short answer
If your household is all Apple, you like paying once and Reminders is already your shopping list, Mela is a beautifully made choice. If anyone uses Android, your recipes come from social video, or you want the list to be shopping-ready rather than a set of reminders, Groceree fits better, and it is free to try on both platforms.
Common questions
- Is Mela available on Android?
- No. Mela is for iPhone, iPad and Mac. Groceree is on iPhone and Android.
- Can I move my Mela recipes to Groceree?
- There is no import for Mela’s file format. Recipes you saved from websites can be added again by sharing the page into Groceree.
- Is Mela free?
- Mela is free to download, with a one-time purchase to unlock all features: $6.99 on iPhone and iPad and $14.99 on Mac. Groceree is free, with five recipe imports a week, and Groceree Plus for unlimited imports without ads.