Recipe App ComparisonWhich one is actually free?
We make one of the tools on this page, so read it with that in mind. What follows is what each option is genuinely good at, what to check before you pay, and where CookingGuru is the wrong choice.
If you would rather just test the output than read a comparison, paste a cooking video below. It runs without an account.
Prefer an app? CookingGuru is free on iPhone
Share TikTok, Instagram, YouTube Shorts, Facebook, Rednote, or Pinterest cooking videos straight to CookingGuru from the iOS share sheet. Free on the App Store.
Learn more about the iOS appThe options, and what each is for
These tools get lumped together but solve slightly different problems. Matching the tool to your actual problem matters more than picking the highest-rated one.
Deliberately no price table. Free tiers and subscription prices in this category change often, and a stale number is worse than none — check the current terms in each app before deciding.
CookingGuru
This siteVideo and web page to structured recipe, usable without an account.
Good at
- Works on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Shorts, Facebook, Rednote, Pinterest, and recipe web pages
- Usable with no sign-up for the first 2 conversions, then 5 a month on a free account
- Full web tool, so it works on Android and desktop as well as iPhone
- Reads on-screen text and narration, so it handles videos with empty captions
Check before you commit
- The free tier is usage-capped, not unlimited — 5 conversions a month
- Nutrition estimates and PDF export sit behind Pro
- No native Android app; Android users use the website
Clip Recipe
Clipping recipes from social video into a personal collection, with a strong focus on mobile capture.
Good at
- Purpose-built around the capture-from-social flow
- Familiar collection and organisation model for people who already keep a digital cookbook
Check before you commit
- Check the conversion allowance on the free tier before committing to it
- Confirm which platforms are supported, as short-video coverage varies between tools
ReciMe
Saving recipes from social media and the web into a cookbook, with meal planning and shopping lists.
Good at
- Broad feature set beyond conversion — planning, lists, organisation
- Well known in the save-recipes-from-Instagram category
Check before you commit
- Frequently mentioned in searches as a paid product, so check what the free tier actually allows
- Feature depth means more app to learn if all you want is one recipe out of one video
Flavorish
AI recipe generation and adaptation, aimed at creating and tweaking recipes rather than only importing them.
Good at
- Good fit if you want the AI to invent or adjust recipes, not just transcribe them
- Useful for substitutions and scaling
Check before you commit
- Generation-first tools can be weaker at faithfully reproducing a specific video's recipe
- Check free-tier limits, which are typically expressed in generations per period
Zest
A recipe organiser and cookbook, with importing as one part of a wider collection workflow.
Good at
- Strong at organising and re-finding recipes you have already collected
- Sensible choice if your problem is a messy cookbook rather than extraction
Check before you commit
- Import quality from short-form video is the thing to test first
- Check whether video import is on the free tier or a paid add-on
cooked.wiki
Stripping recipe web pages down to the recipe, removing the story and the ads.
Good at
- Very direct for recipe blogs and web pages
- Low friction — usually just a URL in, clean recipe out
Check before you commit
- Built around web pages; short-form video is a different problem
- Less useful if most of your recipes come from TikTok or Reels
VidCook
Turning cooking videos into recipes, in the same category as this tool.
Good at
- Video-first, so it is aimed at the same core job
- Worth a side-by-side on one of your own videos
Check before you commit
- Compare output on a video with no caption — that is where converters differ most
- Check platform coverage and the free allowance
Pick by what you need, not by rating
Find the row that sounds like you.
“I just want one recipe out of one video, right now”
Use a converter you can run without signing up. Paste the link, read the recipe, close the tab.
“It has to be free, and I do not want a card on file”
Rule out anything that asks for payment details before the first conversion. Check whether the free tier is a trial or a genuine ongoing allowance — those are very different things.
“I am on Android”
Most tools in this category are iOS-first. Prioritise anything with a real web version, because that is what will work on your phone.
“I want a cookbook, meal plans, and shopping lists”
A fuller organiser app is a better fit than a converter. Expect to pay for that depth, and expect import quality to vary.
“My recipes come from blogs, not video”
A page-stripping tool handles that well. Check that whatever you pick also handles video if you ever paste a Reel.
“The videos I save have no captions”
This is the real test. Try the same silent, caption-free video in two tools and compare the ingredient lists — the gap is usually large.
Where CookingGuru is the wrong choice
If you want meal planning, automatic shopping lists, or a mature cookbook with tags and collections, a dedicated organiser app will do more than we do. CookingGuru is deliberately narrow: it is very good at getting an accurate recipe out of a video, and modest at everything after that.
If you need unlimited conversions without ever paying, no tool in this category will suit you — running the AI costs money on every conversion, so every option here caps free use somewhere. Ours is 5 a month on a free account.
And if you want a native Android app specifically, we do not have one. The website works properly on Android, but that is not the same thing as a Play Store download.
Common Questions
The questions people ask most when comparing recipe converters.
Is CookingGuru free?
Yes. You can convert 2 cooking videos into recipes without an account at all, and a free account raises that to 5 conversions a month with up to 5 saved recipes. Nothing is charged unless you choose to upgrade, and there is no credit card required to use the free tiers.
Do I need to sign up to use it?
No. Paste a video link into the converter and you get a full recipe back — ingredients, measurements, and steps — without signing up. Anonymous use is capped at 2 conversions per 30 days; you only need a free account to go beyond that or to save recipes to a cookbook.
Is CookingGuru a website or an app?
Both, and you can use either on its own. cooking.guru works in any browser on desktop, Android, and iPhone with nothing to install. There is also a free iOS app that adds a share-sheet shortcut, so you can send a TikTok or Reel straight to CookingGuru without copying links.
Does it work on Android?
Yes — the website works fully on Android in Chrome or any mobile browser, and you can add it to your home screen so it opens like an app. There is no native Android app in the Play Store yet; the native app is currently iOS only.
Is there a subscription, and what does it cost?
A subscription is optional. Pro is $4.99 a month (or $41.92 a year) and includes unlimited conversions, unlimited saved recipes, nutrition information, and PDF export, with a 7-day free trial. If you would rather not subscribe, one-off recipe credit packs start at $1.99 for 10 recipes and never expire.
Full details on the pricing page, or start converting free at cooking.guru/convert.
Comparison FAQ
Which recipe app is best for turning videos into recipes?
It depends on what you are optimising for. If you want a recipe out of a specific video with the least friction, pick a converter you can use without signing up. If you want a full cookbook with meal planning, an organiser app will serve you better even though it costs more. The honest test is to run the same caption-free cooking video through two tools and compare the ingredient lists.
Which recipe converter is actually free?
CookingGuru is usable free with no account for 2 conversions and 5 a month with a free account, and never asks for a card to use those tiers. Other tools in this category commonly offer a limited free tier or a time-limited trial. Because those terms change often, check the current limit in the app itself rather than trusting any comparison page — including this one.
Is CookingGuru a good alternative to Clip Recipe or ReciMe?
If your main need is extracting a recipe from a cooking video, yes — CookingGuru does that without a sign-up and works on the web as well as iPhone. If your main need is a mature cookbook with meal planning and shopping lists, those apps are built more around that, and CookingGuru is deliberately narrower.
What should I check before paying for any recipe app?
Three things. First, whether the free tier is an ongoing allowance or a trial that ends. Second, whether it handles the platforms you actually use, especially short-form video. Third, output quality on a video with no caption and no recipe card, since that is where these tools diverge most.
Are any of these available on Android?
Coverage varies and most are iOS-first. CookingGuru's web version is fully functional on Android in Chrome and can be added to your home screen, though there is no Play Store app. If you are on Android, weight the web experience heavily in your decision.
Do I need an app at all, or is a website enough?
A website is enough for the core job — paste a link, get a recipe. An app mainly buys you the share sheet, so you can send a video from TikTok or Instagram without copying the URL. That is convenience rather than capability.
Related pages
Free Recipe Converter
Exactly what is free here, what a free account adds, and what costs money.
Recipe Converter
The general converter for any supported cooking video or recipe page.
App That Turns Videos Into Recipes
How the iPhone share-sheet flow works, and what Android users should do instead.
Pricing
Free limits, Pro pricing, and one-off recipe credit packs.
Try our other recipe converters
CookingGuru works with every major short-video platform — pick the one you use most.
Instagram Recipe Converter
Turn Instagram Reels cooking videos into structured, step-by-step recipes.
TikTok Recipe Converter
Convert viral TikTok cooking videos into clear recipes with measurements.
YouTube Shorts Recipe Converter
Turn YouTube Shorts cooking videos into easy-to-follow recipes.
Facebook Reels Recipe Converter
Convert Facebook Reels cooking videos into recipes you can save and print.
Rednote Recipe Converter
Turn Rednote (Xiaohongshu) cooking videos into structured recipes.
Pinterest Recipe Converter
Convert Pinterest cooking video pins into clear, step-by-step recipes.