CookBookManager Alternative - Free & Open Source

CookBookManager, branded CookBook: Recipe Keeper at cookbookmanager.com, is a cloud recipe app for iOS, Android, and the web. The free plan stops at 20 saved recipes, and unlimited recipes and imports require CookBook Pro at $39.99 per year direct, or $49.99 per year through the App Store.

My wife and I made RecipeSage as a free, open source alternative with no recipe cap and no subscription. It runs in any browser, on iOS, on Android, and as native desktop apps for Windows, macOS, and Linux. We added a dedicated CookBookManager importer so you can bring your whole library over.

How they price

RecipeSage

Free forever. Unlimited recipes, no ads, no paywall. Open source under the AGPL.

CookBookManager

Free up to 20 recipes. CookBook Pro is $6.99/month or $39.99/year direct with a 14-day trial, or $9.99/month and $49.99/year via the App Store.

Feature by feature

We've tried to be fair here. Where CookBookManager is genuinely stronger, we say so. Numbers and feature claims are sourced from each product's own documentation as of August 2026.

Feature	RecipeSage	CookBookManager
Price	Free, open source	Free up to 20 recipes, then $39.99 to $49.99/year
Unlimited recipes on the free tierCookBookManager's free plan caps you at 20 saved recipes. Unlimited recipes require CookBook Pro.	Yes	No
Ad-free	Yes	Yes
Web app	Yes	Yes
iOS app	Yes	Yes
Android app	Yes	Yes
Native desktop app (Windows, macOS, Linux)RecipeSage has native desktop apps for Windows, macOS, and Linux. On the desktop CookBookManager is the web app only, and its Mac build is the iPad app running on Apple Silicon, with no Windows or Linux app.	Yes	No
Firefox and Chrome extensionCookBookManager has a Chrome extension. RecipeSage's Clip Tool works in both Firefox and Chrome.	Yes	Partial
Auto import from a URL	Yes	Yes
Import from a photo (OCR)CookBookManager scans photos with AI. RecipeSage imports from a photo of a cookbook page or handwritten card.	Yes	Yes
Import from PDF, Word, and text documentsCookBookManager imports from PDF files. Word and text-document import isn't documented. RecipeSage imports PDF, Word, and text files.	Yes	Partial
Import from social media (Instagram, TikTok, and more)	Yes	Yes
Drag-and-drop meal planner	Yes	Yes
Smart shopping list with aisle categorization	Yes	Yes
Nutrition tracking (macros, vitamins, minerals)CookBookManager tracks calories, protein, carbs, and fat. RecipeSage adds vitamins and minerals and can auto-fill from a pasted nutrition label.	Yes	Partial
Recipe scaling and unit conversion	Yes	Yes
Built-in kitchen toolkitCookBookManager converts units and has a nutrition calculator. RecipeSage's toolkit adds a pan and bakeware converter that suggests bake time and temperature and a cooking-temperature reference for safe internal temperatures.	Yes	Partial
Cook Mode (full-screen, distraction-free cooking view)Both keep the screen awake with a large font and step check-off. CookBookManager adds voice control. RecipeSage shows the ingredients and steps together and scales servings on the fly.	Yes	Yes
AI cooking assistant	Yes	Yes
Typo-tolerant searchCookBookManager has advanced search and filters. Whether its search is typo-tolerant isn't documented. RecipeSage's search tolerates typos.	Yes	Partial
Real multi-user collaborationCookBookManager families share a single account. RecipeSage gives each person their own account and still shares recipes, meal plans, and shopping lists.	Yes	No
Works offlineCookBookManager's mobile apps work offline. Offline support for its web app isn't documented. RecipeSage works offline on web and mobile.	Yes	Partial
Open source	Yes	No
Self-hostable	Yes	No
Data portabilityCookBookManager exports a .zip, but its recipe images are linked to CookBook's servers rather than embedded, so they can break after you leave. RecipeSage exports standard formats with your images included.	Yes	Partial
Public sharing by link or embed, no account neededRecipeSage gives you a public profile to share a recipe, a label, or your whole collection by link, plus website embed codes. CookBookManager keeps your library private, with no public profile or embed.	Yes	No
Printable PDF cookbook generatorCookBookManager can print or PDF an individual recipe. RecipeSage's Cookbook Generator compiles your whole collection into one printable PDF with a cover page, optional table of contents, and each recipe on its own page.	Yes	No
Actively developed	Yes	Yes

Why people switch from CookBookManager to RecipeSage

No 20-recipe cap and no subscriptionRecipeSage is free and never caps your library. CookBookManager's free plan stops at 20 recipes, and unlimited recipes, imports, and AI features require CookBook Pro at $39.99 to $49.99 per year.
Native apps on every desktopRecipeSage has native desktop apps for Windows, macOS, and Linux, plus the web app. On the desktop CookBookManager is web-only, and its Mac build is the iPad app on Apple Silicon, with no Windows or Linux app.
Open source and truly portableRecipeSage is open source, self-hostable, and exports your full library in standard formats with your images included. CookBookManager is closed source, and its export links to images on CookBook's servers rather than embedding them, so those images can disappear after you leave.
Deeper nutritionRecipeSage tracks macros, vitamins, and minerals per serving, and you can paste a nutrition label to auto-fill. CookBookManager tracks calories, protein, carbs, and fat.
Collaboration with separate accountsEach person can have their own RecipeSage account and still share recipes, meal plans, and shopping lists. CookBookManager families share one login.
Share your recipes with anyoneRecipeSage gives you a public profile to share a single recipe, a whole label, or your entire collection by a link anyone can open without an account, plus embed codes for a website or blog. CookBookManager keeps your library private.
Turn your collection into a printable cookbookRecipeSage's Cookbook Generator assembles your recipes into a single PDF, with a cover page, an optional table of contents, and each recipe on its own page with its image and nutrition. CookBookManager can print or PDF one recipe at a time but has no cookbook generator.

Where CookBookManager is honestly stronger

We're not pretending RecipeSage wins on everything. Here's whatCookBookManager does better than us today.

Voice control in cook modeCookBookManager's cooking mode responds to voice commands like 'Next' or 'Complete onion', so you can move through a recipe without touching the screen. RecipeSage's Cook Mode is on-device but not voice-controlled.
AI recipe and image generationIf you want an app to invent new recipes and dish photos for you, CookBookManager's AI Chef is built for that. RecipeSage deliberately focuses on keeping and cooking the real recipes you save rather than generating them.

Bringing your CookBookManager recipes over

RecipeSage has a dedicated CookBookManager importer. It accepts CookBookManager's export, a .zip archive with one .yml file per recipe.

1In CookBookManager (CookBook), open the side menu, then Settings, and find the backup or export recipes option.
2Choose the export that produces a .zip archive of your recipes.
3Save the .zip file.
4Create a free RecipeSage account at recipesage.com.
5In RecipeSage, open Settings then Import then CookBookManager, and upload the .zip file you exported.

CookBookManager stores recipe images on its own servers and its export links to them rather than embedding them. Import your recipes into RecipeSage while your CookBookManager account is still active so the images are still reachable.

Start importing Read the full CookBookManager import guide

About the people behind RecipeSage

My wife and I built and run RecipeSage. We're not a venture-backed startup. We cook every night, we got tired of paying subscriptions and losing access to recipes when an app changed hands, so we built the app we wanted to use. Hosting is funded by optional contributions and has been since 2018, and the source code is on GitHub under the AGPL.

If you ever want to leave RecipeSage, you can export everything in standard formats or run the whole thing on your own server. Your recipes are yours.

Common questions about switching from CookBookManager

Is there a free alternative to CookBook / CookBookManager?

Yes. RecipeSage is a free, open source alternative to CookBookManager (CookBook: Recipe Keeper), with no paywall, no ads, and no 20-recipe cap. You can import your recipes, plan meals, build shopping lists, track nutrition, and use it on the web, desktop, iOS, and Android. If you ever decide to leave, you can export everything or self-host.

Will my CookBookManager recipes and their images come across?

Your recipes come across in full through the dedicated importer. CookBookManager's export links to images on its own servers rather than embedding them, so import into RecipeSage while your CookBookManager account is still active, so those images are still reachable.

Can I use RecipeSage on Windows or Linux?

Yes. RecipeSage has native desktop apps for Windows, macOS, and Linux, plus the web app in any browser. On the desktop CookBookManager is the web app only, with no Windows or Linux app.

Do I lose access to my recipes after 20 like CookBookManager's free plan?

No. RecipeSage is free with no recipe cap. Save 20 recipes or 20,000. CookBookManager's free plan stops at 20 saved recipes, and lifting that requires a paid CookBook Pro subscription.

If you'd rather keep the real recipes you've collected, without a 20-recipe cap, a subscription, or AI-generated filler, RecipeSage will import your CookBookManager library and give it a free, open home. It costs nothing to try.

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The free, open source CookBookManager alternative