Mealime is closing on October 21. Here is what to do next.
Mealime's replacement only exists inside US grocery store apps. If you planned your week with Mealime from Canada, the UK, Australia or anywhere else, here is what to save and where to go.
Updated September 2026
Mealime has announced that it will be discontinued on October 21, 2026. The app that millions of people used to pick a few dinners and walk into the shop with one tidy grocery list is going away, and with it your saved plans and favourites.
This page sticks to what Mealime itself has published, then explains what Macro Recipe does the same, what it does differently, and what it does not do. It is written by the team behind Macro Recipe, so read the comparison with that in mind — we have tried to make it useful even if you end up choosing something else.
What Mealime has announced
Mealime's website now carries a banner reading “Mealime will shut down on October 21, 2026”, and every download button points to a closing notice. That notice says the app will be discontinued on that date, that Pro subscribers will not be charged again before then, and the App Store listing adds that Pro is free for everyone until the end.
The recipes are not disappearing: Mealime's owner, Albertsons Companies, is moving them into Meals Hub, a recipe and shopping feature inside its own grocery store apps — Safeway, Albertsons, Vons, Jewel-Osco, ACME, Shaw's, Tom Thumb, Randalls, Pavilions, Star Market, United Supermarkets, Haggen and Carrs.
Two lines in the notice matter most for you. First, all personal data will be deleted when the app shuts down. Second, nothing is said about exporting your plans, your favourites or your grocery lists — and Mealime has never had an export button.
What to save before October 21
Open your favourites and the plans you actually cooked from, and copy out the handful of recipes you would miss: ingredients, quantities, and the two or three steps you always forget. A screenshot per recipe is enough. Do it this week rather than on the last evening, because nothing will be recoverable afterwards.
Write down your settings too — the diet you selected, the ingredients you excluded, how many servings you cooked for. They took a while to get right, and you will be asked for the same things by whichever app you move to.
If you were paying for Pro, check your subscription in your App Store or Google Play account. Mealime says it will not charge you again, but it takes ten seconds to confirm that nothing is set to renew.
After October 21: if Mealime has stopped working
From October 21, 2026 the app is discontinued. If you open Mealime after that date and it no longer loads, signs you out or has vanished from the App Store or Google Play, that is the shutdown — not a bug on your phone, and reinstalling will not bring it back.
Your plans, favourites and grocery lists go with it: the closing notice says personal data is deleted at shutdown, so there is no account to recover and no support request that can restore them. What remains is whatever you copied or screenshotted beforehand.
What you need next is the routine, not the app: a few dinners chosen for the week, and one grocery list. The rest of this page is about where to find that again.
Outside the United States? Meals Hub is not for you
Every banner that hosts Meals Hub is an American supermarket chain, and using it means having an account with one of those stores. If you shop at Loblaws, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Woolworths or Coles, there is no store app for you to move into: the official path simply does not reach you.
Even inside the US, Meals Hub is tied to where you shop. If your weekly shop happens somewhere else, a recipe tool built around one retailer's shelves is a different product from the neutral planner Mealime was.
That is the gap this page is about. You do not need a replacement that knows a particular supermarket. You need a weekly menu, one grocery list, and a fair idea of what the basket will cost where you live.
What Macro Recipe does the same
The weekly routine is the one you know. You say how you eat — your diet, your allergies, the ingredients you never want to see, the equipment in your kitchen — and you get a menu for the week made of real dishes, not a list of nutrients.
Everything in the menu lands in a single grocery list, with quantities added up across recipes so you buy one bag of rice, not three separate lines. You can swap a dish you do not fancy, and the list follows.
When it is time to cook, each recipe opens step by step. If you like to cook once and eat several times, a batch cooking mode groups the week's preparation into one session.
What it does differently
The grocery list comes with an estimated cost, in your own currency — pounds, Canadian or Australian dollars, euros and more — adjusted for the price level of your country. You set a weekly grocery budget, the menu is built with it in mind, and the app tells you when a week goes over. It is an estimate, not a till receipt, but it answers the question Mealime never did: what will this week cost me?
You can also give the app a goal: lose weight, maintain, or build muscle. Portions are then adjusted so that the day lands near your estimated calorie and protein targets, and when a day falls short the app says so instead of pretending. If you never cared about numbers, you can ignore them and simply cook.
Dishes come from many cuisines, and dietary rules such as halal, vegetarian or pork-free are applied to what you are served rather than left for you to check line by line.
What it does not do
It is not free. Your first menu is free and there is a 3-day trial, after which Macro Recipe is a paid subscription. Mealime's core was free, so this is a real difference and you should weigh it.
It cannot bring your Mealime account over. Nobody can: Mealime offers no export, and its notice says personal data will be deleted. Be wary of any app that promises otherwise.
It is on iPhone today. And it has no link to a supermarket's online ordering — the grocery list is yours to shop from, in any store.
What three days of a weekly menu look like
An indicative example for someone aiming at roughly 1,750 kcal and 110 g of protein a day. Estimated figures; your own menu is built from your profile, your tastes and your budget.
Frequently asked questions
When exactly does Mealime shut down?
Mealime's closing notice says the app will be discontinued as of October 21, 2026. Pro subscribers are not charged again before that date.
Why is Mealime not working or missing from the App Store?
Mealime's closing notice says the app is discontinued as of October 21, 2026. After that date an app that no longer loads or can no longer be downloaded is the shutdown itself, not a fault with your phone or your account.
Can I export my Mealime recipes, plans or grocery lists?
No. Mealime has no export feature and its closing notice does not add one; it states that all personal data will be deleted at shutdown. Copy or screenshot the recipes you care about before October 21.
Is Meals Hub available in Canada, the UK or Australia?
Meals Hub lives inside the store apps of Albertsons Companies banners such as Safeway, Vons and Jewel-Osco, which are all US grocery chains. Mealime's notice describes no option for users in other countries.
Is Macro Recipe free like Mealime was?
No. Your first menu is free and there is a 3-day trial; after that it is a paid subscription. In exchange you get a weekly menu, one grocery list and an estimated grocery cost in your own currency.
I never counted calories with Mealime. Do I have to start?
No. Goals and estimated calorie and protein targets are there if you want them. You can also just choose your diet and your budget, get a weekly menu and a grocery list, and cook.
Is Macro Recipe connected to Mealime or Albertsons?
No. Macro Recipe is an independent app and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to Mealime or Albertsons Companies. Mealime is a trademark of its owner; it is named here only to describe the app that is closing.
First menu free · 3-day trial · on iPhone