Groceree vs Pestle: an honest comparison
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Pestle is a carefully made recipe manager for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Vision Pro, from a solo developer, that saves recipes from websites and social posts and cooks with you step by step. Groceree runs on iPhone and Android, reads recipes out of social videos and cookbook photos, and puts their ingredients on a grocery list the household shares.
Both are small, independent apps. What usually decides it: whether anyone in your house uses Android, how many recipes you keep, and whether the shopping list is shared.
This page is written by the team behind Groceree. The Pestle facts come from Pestle’s own website, help pages and App Store listing, checked on October 4, 2026.
Feature comparison
Where the two apps actually differ, as of October 2026.
| Feature | Groceree | Pestle |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | iPhone (iOS 16.4+), Android | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro; Apple-silicon Macs run the iPad app |
| Saving recipes from websites | Yes — share any public recipe page or paste its link | Yes, free — share sheet, link, in-app browser or Chrome 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 | Posts via the share sheet; reading the video is not listed, and Instagram imports are English-only |
| Scanning cookbook pages and handwritten recipes | Yes — up to 8 photos of one recipe, handwriting included | Pestle Pro |
| Pasting a recipe as text | Yes | Yes |
| Recipe imports on the free plan | 5 a week; unlimited on Groceree Plus | No weekly limit, but the free tier keeps 15 recipes |
| Organizing recipes | Cookbooks (one recipe can be in several) and search | Folders, search; Smart Folders on Pestle Pro |
| Scaling a recipe to more or fewer servings | Yes — amounts rescale as you change the serving count | Yes, free, with metric and imperial conversion |
| Meal planning calendar | No | Pestle Pro — 14 days, synced to your 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 — remove what you have; pantry items crossed off |
| Shared lists | Free, unlimited members via invite link | Not listed — Households (Pro) share recipes and meal plans |
| 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 | Pestle Pro Households, with Pro for every member |
| Cooking mode | Yes — keeps the screen on; tap a step to cross it out | Yes — guided and hands-free, with timers that ring on silent |
| Reading a recipe in your own language | Yes — a Translate button on imported recipes, or translate every import automatically | Not listed |
| App languages | 13 | 7 |
| Web and desktop access | No — mobile only | No web app; a Chrome extension for saving |
| Ads and paid upgrade | Ad-supported; Groceree Plus removes ads and makes recipe imports unlimited | Free up to 15 recipes; Pestle Pro $2.99 a month, $24.99 a year or $39.99 once |
| Maturity | New — small but strong ratings base | Since 2022, 1,800+ ratings on the US App Store |
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 Pestle is the better choice
There are clear cases where we would point you at Pestle instead.
- Your household is all Apple and you like Apple’s extras: an Apple Watch app, Siri, Handoff, SharePlay cooking, widgets, and timers that ring even on silent.
- You want to pay once. Pestle Pro is $39.99 for life; Groceree Plus is a subscription.
- You plan meals or keep a pantry. Pestle Pro has a 14-day meal plan, and a pantry with barcode scanning and expiry reminders; Groceree has neither.
- You are moving from another app. Pestle imports from Paprika, Crouton, Mela and Pepperplate, and exports your cookbook as Markdown; Groceree has no file import.
- You want recipes parsed on your device. Pestle’s privacy policy says it sends no content to AI services.
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; Pestle is Apple-only.
- You keep more than 15 recipes without paying. Groceree keeps every recipe you save on the free tier too; Pestle’s free tier holds 15.
- You share the shopping list and your recipes. Groceree shares lists and cookbooks for free, each person on their own account, and a list updates on every phone straight away. Pestle’s Households share recipes and meal plans and need Pro for every member.
- The recipe is only said or shown in the video. Groceree reads the video itself; Pestle does not list reading video, and its Instagram import officially supports English recipes only.
- You scan cookbook pages without paying, in any of 13 app languages, and can translate an imported recipe with one tap.
The short answer
If your household is all Apple, you value Watch, Siri and SharePlay, and you would rather pay once, Pestle is a lovely app and worth its lifetime price. If anyone uses Android, you keep more than a handful of recipes, or you want a shopping list the household shares for free, Groceree fits better.
Common questions
- Is Pestle available on Android?
- No. Pestle is for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Vision Pro. Groceree is on iPhone and Android.
- Is Pestle free?
- Pestle is free on iPhone and iPad for up to 15 recipes. Pestle Pro is $2.99 a month, $24.99 a year or $39.99 once, with a 14-day trial. Groceree is free with five imports a week, and Groceree Plus makes imports unlimited without ads.
- Can I move my Pestle recipes to Groceree?
- There is no direct import. Recipes you saved from public posts and pages can be shared into Groceree again from the original link.