Compare
An honest look at the alternatives.
There are excellent apps out there, and we say so. But reading reviews, forums and threads, the same frustrations appear again and again. Here is how Restlos compares on the things people actually complain about.
| Meal planners compared | Restlos | Mealime | Samsung Food | Plan to Eat | Eat This Much | Paprika | AnyList | Cookidoo | Bring! | KptnCook |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free during beta | Pro $49.99/yr; closes 21 Oct 2026 | Free with ads; Food+ $59.99/yr | $49/yr after trial | Premium from $60/yr | One‑off purchase per platform | Lists free; planning $9.99–14.99/yr | ≈ €60/yr, for Thermomix | Free with ads; Premium ≈ €9/yr | Premium ≈ €60/yr |
| Plans around real pack sizes So the rest of the pack has a destination | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Carries leftovers into the next plan | Yes | No | No | Partly Manual | Partly | No | No | No | No Shopping list only | No |
| Free of ads and marketing data sharing | Yes | Yes | No Ads; policy allows sharing with partners | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No Retailer ads and offers | Not verified |
| Company and data | EU company, hosted in the EU | USA (Albertsons) | Samsung (South Korea) | USA | USA | USA | USA | Germany (Vorwerk) | Switzerland; servers in the USA | Germany (Miele) |
| Import your own recipes | Yes Even from a photo | Partly Pro only | Yes | Yes | Partly | Yes | Partly Paid plan | Partly | Partly | No Curated recipes only |
| Platforms | iPhone, web | iOS, Android, web | iOS, Android, web | iOS, Android, web | iOS, Android, web | iOS, Android, Mac, Windows | iOS, Android; web paid | Thermomix, iOS, Android, web | iOS, Android, web, watches | iOS, Android |
Checked September 2026 against public pricing pages, app store listings and privacy policies. Prices change; spotted a mistake? Write to us and we will correct it. hello@restlos.eu
What we hear
The complaints that come up again and again.
- 01
Subscription creep
Planning, syncing or the shopping list moves behind a paywall, often after people have spent weeks adding their recipes.
Free during beta, and the core planner stays free. Paid extras will be clearly separate, never features taken away.
- 02
Apps that disappear
Planners get acquired, rebranded or shut down, and years of recipes and plans go with them.
We are independent and European, and we promise you can export your data before any paid plan exists.
- 03
Leftovers are ignored
Most planners treat every day as a blank slate. The rest of the pack is your problem.
Leftovers and carried‑over items are the starting point of every plan.
- 04
Shopping lists that don’t match the shop
Lists in grams and teaspoons, with quantities that don’t exist on any shelf.
Real pack counts, grouped by aisle, modelled on German supermarkets.
- 05
Repetitive or rigid plans
The same dishes by week three, and changing one day means starting again.
Twenty‑four cuisines, ratings that learn, and changes in plain words for a single day.
- 06
Ads and data sharing
Free tiers paid for with ads, retailer placements or data shared with partners, often on servers outside Europe.
No ads, no data sales, no trackers. Hosted in the EU with European providers.
- 07
AI recipes nobody tested
Generated recipes that look plausible but don’t quite work in a real kitchen.
Real dishes first. AI only fills gaps to use something up, and arithmetic checks every amount.
Where we’re not there yet
Honesty works both ways.
- Restlos runs on iPhone and in the browser. There is no native Android app yet.
- Several people can share a shopping list by link, but not yet a full household account.
- The app interface is in English; the shopping list is in German or English.
- Pack sizes are modelled on German supermarkets for now.
- We are in beta, so expect the occasional rough edge, and tell us about it.
This week, waste nothing.
Plan your first week in two minutes. Free during beta, no card required.