Mela Alternative - Free & Open Source

Mela is a native iOS and macOS app with a one-time in-app purchase per storefront: $6.99 on iOS/iPadOS and $14.99 on macOS. Sync goes through the user's own iCloud account, but there's no Android app, no Windows or Linux app, and no web app.

My wife and I made RecipeSage as the recipe app we wanted ourselves. It's free, open source, and runs in any browser, on iOS, on Android, and on the desktop. Auto-import works from URLs, photos, PDFs, and Word docs, and the whole household can use it from any device with a browser.

How they price

RecipeSage

Free forever. No paywall, no per-platform fees, runs on Android and any browser too.

Mela

In-app purchase per device type: $6.99 iOS/iPadOS and $14.99 macOS. An Apple-only household with iPhone and Mac pays roughly $21.98.

Feature by feature

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

Feature	RecipeSage	Mela
Price	Free, open source	~$22 total
Web app (use from any browser)	Yes	No
iOS appMela is a free download with a small free tier, and the in-app purchase unlocks unlimited recipes.	Free	$6.99
Android app	Free	No
macOS app	Free	$14.99
Windows and Linux	Free	No
Auto import from a URL	Yes	Yes
Import from a photo (OCR)	Yes	Yes
Import from PDF and Word documents	Yes	No
Browser extension (Firefox, Chrome)	Yes	No
RSS-style recipe blog feed readerMela's signature feature. Subscribe to cooking blog feeds and triage new posts inside the app.	No	Yes
Drag-and-drop meal plannerMela's meal planner uses your device's native calendar. RecipeSage has inbuilt scheduling and can also use your device's calendar.	Yes	Partial
Smart shopping list with aisle categorizationMela's grocery list lives in Apple Reminders as a flat, unsorted list.	Yes	No
Recipe scaling and metric/imperial conversion	Yes	Yes
Built-in nutrition (macros, vitamins, minerals)Mela stores and displays whatever nutrition text the source page provided but doesn't have any auto-fill support for nutrition.	Yes	Partial
Multi-household free hosted accountMela shares a whole library through iCloud, with no per-recipe permissions or read-only role. Every participant needs an Apple ID and a Mela install.	Yes	No
Works offline	Yes	Yes
Open source	Yes	No
Data portabilityBoth are open: Mela exports a documented plain-JSON .melarecipe format, and RecipeSage supports well-recognized standardized formats.	Yes	Yes
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. Mela shares through iCloud (everyone needs an Apple ID and Mela) or by sending files.	Yes	No
Cook Mode (full-screen, distraction-free cooking view)	Yes	Yes
Built-in kitchen toolkitMela converts units. RecipeSage's toolkit adds a pan and bakeware converter that suggests bake time and temperature adjustments and a cooking-temperature reference for safe internal temperatures.	Yes	Partial
Printable PDF cookbook generatorRecipeSage's Cookbook Generator compiles your recipes into one printable PDF with a cover page, optional table of contents, and each recipe on its own page.	Yes	No

Why people switch from Mela to RecipeSage

Built-in kitchen toolkitRecipeSage adds a pan and bakeware converter and a safe cooking-temperature reference on top of unit conversion. Mela converts units only.
Works on Android, Windows, and LinuxRecipeSage on any device, not just Apple. Mela is Apple-only, so a household with even one non-Apple device can't share a library.
Use it from any browserRecipeSage works on a Chromebook, a Linux laptop, a work PC, or any computer with a browser. Mela has no web app at all.
Free instead of per-storefront unlocksRecipeSage is free on every device. Mela charges $6.99 on iOS and $14.99 on macOS, and each require a separate purchase.
Collaboration with separate accountsEach family member can have their own RecipeSage account and still share selected recipes, plans, and shopping lists. Mela's shared library uses one iCloud library with no control over personal/shared recipes.
Built-in nutrition trackingRecipeSage tracks macros, vitamins, and minerals per serving, and you can paste a nutrition label to auto-fill.
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 to drop a recipe onto a website or blog. Mela shares through iCloud or by sending files, so everyone needs an Apple ID and Mela installed.
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. It's an easy way to print a personal cookbook or give one as a gift. Mela has no built-in cookbook generator.

Where Mela is honestly stronger

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

Recipe blog feed subscriptionsMela lets you subscribe to cooking blogs by RSS and triage new posts in a Feeds inbox, promoting the ones you like into your library. RecipeSage has no inbuilt RSS feed-reader.

Bringing your Mela recipes over

RecipeSage has a dedicated Mela importer. It accepts both Mela's bulk archive (.melarecipes) and individual recipe files (.melarecipe).

1In the Mela desktop app, right-click the All section in the left side menu.
2Click Export Recipes.
3Select a destination to save the .melarecipes archive.
4Create a free RecipeSage account at recipesage.com.
5In RecipeSage, open Settings then Import then Mela, and upload the .melarecipes file you exported.

Start importing Read the full Mela 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 Mela

What if my family is mixed Apple and Android?

This is exactly the case where RecipeSage tends to fit better than Mela. RecipeSage has native Android and iOS apps and a real web app, so everyone in the household can use the same library from whatever device they happen to own.

Can I keep Mela on iOS and use RecipeSage on Android at the same time?

Yes, but keep in mind that the two apps don't interface with each other. The best part about RecipeSage is that data is shared between all of your devices.

Will Mela's recipe blog feed reader work in RecipeSage?

No. RecipeSage doesn't have an RSS feed reader. There are many dedicated blog feed readers that do the job well, and you can clip any recipe that you want to save using RecipeSage's excellent browser extension directly into your RecipeSage collection.

Is there a free alternative to Mela?

Yes. RecipeSage is a free, open source alternative to Mela, with no paywall and no ads. 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.

If you share a household with someone on Android, or want to use your recipes from a Chromebook, a Linux machine, or a borrowed computer, RecipeSage might be a better than Mela. RecipeSage is free, so there's no harm in giving it a try alongside Mela for a few weeks :)

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The free, open source Mela alternative for iOS, Android, Windows, and Linux