Mealime has shut down. Here's what still works.
Mealime shut down on October 21, 2026, and its notice said every account would be deleted. Its recipes carry on in Meals Hub inside Albertsons Companies grocery apps. Screenshots and files you saved before the shutdown still work. If you used Mealime to plan meal prep, Cauli plans the whole week for you, with Batches and Leftovers around your busy nights and one grocery list. Cauli is on the App Store for iPhone.
Key takeaways
- Mealime closed on October 21, 2026. The app is gone from the App Store.
- Export tools that read your Mealime account stopped working when its servers went off.
- What you saved still works: screenshots, downloaded recipe files, and Mealime's recipes in Meals Hub.
- Cauli suits meal preppers with a goal. It isn't a chef recipe library or a family planner.
What happened to Mealime
Mealime, owned by Albertsons Companies, was discontinued on October 21, 2026. Its shutdown notice said "all personal data will be deleted when the Mealime application is shut down," which covers your favorites, plans and the recipes you added yourself. Mealime points its users to Meals Hub, a free recipe and meal-planning feature inside the Albertsons Companies store apps and websites (Safeway, Albertsons, Vons, Jewel-Osco, ACME, Shaw's and others), which it says includes all Mealime recipes.
Checked October 28, 2026 on mealime.com/closing, and the App Store, where the Mealime listing no longer appears.
What still works now
- Mealime's own recipes: open any Albertsons Companies store app, tap More, then Meals Hub. Mealime says it works even if there's no store near you. Your old favorites list doesn't carry over, so search for them by name.
- Screenshots of your Favorites: if you took them before October 21, Halite still matches the names to Mealime's recipes, with ingredients and steps.
- A recipe file you downloaded: a Scullery ZIP still opens in Paprika, Mealie and Tandoor. New exports from Mealime aren't possible anymore.
- Recipes you wrote yourself: only what you saved or screenshotted survives. If you remember a favorite, write it down now while you still do.
- Your settings: your diet, allergies, dislikes and the staples you always bought. Write them down; you'll set them up again wherever you go next.
Tools checked October 28, 2026. Both are free and not connected to Cauli.
Where Cauli fits, and where it doesn't
Mealime was great at one thing many people relied on: you picked recipes and it merged them into one grocery list. Cauli goes further for people who meal prep toward a goal. It decides the week for you, then plans how each meal actually happens.
| Mealime (until October 21, 2026) | Cauli | |
|---|---|---|
| Who picks the meals | You chose recipes from its collection | Cauli plans every meal of the week from your goal, schedule and tastes; you swap any you don't want |
| Meal prep | Recipes one at a time | Each meal is a Cook, a Batch cooked once for several meals ("makes 4: tonight, Tue lunch, Wed dinner") or a Leftover on a busy night |
| Grocery list | Generated from your plan | One list by store and aisle, dishes chosen to share ingredients so packs get used up, and a cost range. Kitchen photos let it plan around what you already have |
| Calories and protein | Nutrition info on each recipe | Every day portioned to your calorie and protein target, computed from USDA data |
| When the week changes | You edited the plan yourself | Tell Cauli "Thursday's a late night" and it proposes the change for you to confirm |
| Your own recipes | Added in the app | Bring them in from a link, a screenshot or the share sheet; macros computed per portion |
| Store carts and delivery | Shop in store or through supported retailers | Not offered. You shop the list yourself |
| Chef recipe library | Yes (now in Meals Hub) | No. Dishes are composed for you |
| Available | Shut down October 21, 2026 | On the App Store for iPhone |
Mealime column from its App Store listing, checked October 7, 2026, before the shutdown.
Who should pick something else
- You want the same Mealime recipes: Meals Hub, in any Albertsons Companies store app or website.
- You plan dinners for a family: Samsung Food or Plan to Eat.
- You want to keep a recipe collection with no subscription: Paprika.
- You want a list that goes straight into a delivery cart: a planner with store integrations. Cauli doesn't do that.
Bringing your Mealime recipes into Cauli
Keep your screenshots and recipe files. In Cauli, share a screenshot, a photo or a recipe link to Cauli, or paste the text, and it reads the recipe, shows the calories and protein per portion, and adds it to your Cookbook. From there Cauli can plan it into your weeks, as a Cook or a Batch.
Cauli is on the App Store for iPhone. Get it on the App Store and bring your recipes in on day one.
Questions people ask
Did Mealime shut down?
Yes. Mealime was discontinued on October 21, 2026. Its notice said all personal data would be deleted when the app shut down, and the app is no longer listed on the US App Store.
Can I still export my Mealime recipes?
Not from Mealime. Its servers are off, so export tools that read your account no longer work. A file you already downloaded, such as a Scullery ZIP, still opens in recipe apps like Paprika, Mealie and Tandoor, and screenshots of your Favorites can still be matched to Mealime's recipes.
What is Meals Hub?
Meals Hub is where Mealime sent its users. It lives inside the Albertsons Companies grocery apps and websites, such as Safeway, Albertsons, Vons and Jewel-Osco, and Mealime says it includes all Mealime recipes plus thousands more. It works even if there's no Albertsons Companies store near you. Your Mealime account didn't move over.
What is the best Mealime alternative?
For Mealime's own recipes, Meals Hub. For a family dinner planner, Samsung Food or Plan to Eat. For a recipe collection with no subscription, Paprika. For meal prep planned around a body goal and a busy week, Cauli, on the App Store for iPhone.
Is Cauli good for families?
Cauli plans for one person's goal, and it can scale shared dinners and the grocery list when you cook for two or more. If you want a family dinner planner or a library of chef-written recipes, Meals Hub, Samsung Food or Plan to Eat will suit you better.
