Honest comparison · Checked October 2026

The best meal planner apps for UK shoppers.

We make one of these apps, so we are not neutral. Here is what each one is actually good at, including where another app is the better pick.

Try ours free Free meal plans, no sign-up

The short answer

If you want the week planned for you to a budget, with one list for a UK supermarket, use a budget planner like ours. If you already have recipes you love and want to organise them, use a recipe manager such as Paprika or Plan to Eat. If you only need a list the whole house can add to, AnyList is hard to beat.

Meal planner apps compared.

No scores or star ratings, just what each app is for and what to know before you pick it.

Our app

Make Me A Shopping List

Best for: Planning a week of meals to a budget at a UK supermarket.
What it does well: You set a weekly budget, who you are feeding and where you shop. It plans the week inside that budget and writes one shopping list grouped by aisle, with price guides for Aldi, Lidl, Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Waitrose and Iceland.
Worth knowing: Prices are estimates, not live till prices. It plans the meals for you rather than storing your own recipe collection. The free plan covers 2 weekly plans a month; Pro is £3.99 a month.

Mealime

Best for: Quick, guided recipes with a grocery list built from them.
What it does well: Pick recipes from its library and it builds the grocery list and walks you through the cooking step by step. There is a free version and a paid Pro tier.
Worth knowing: It is built in the US, so the recipes and list are not organised around UK supermarkets or a weekly budget.

Paprika

Best for: Keeping your own recipe collection in one place.
What it does well: Save recipes from almost any website, plan them on a calendar and build a grocery list from what you have planned. Paid for once rather than by subscription.
Worth knowing: You bring the recipes and do the planning yourself. There is no budget or price guide.

Plan to Eat

Best for: People who collect recipes from food blogs.
What it does well: Clip recipes from any site, drag them onto a weekly planner and get a combined shopping list. A paid subscription after a free trial.
Worth knowing: Like Paprika, the meals and the budget are up to you.

Samsung Food

Best for: Browsing and saving recipes from across the web.
What it does well: Formerly Whisk. A big recipe library, a meal planner and a shopping list, with a free tier and a paid tier.
Worth knowing: The planning is still on you, and it is not built around a UK weekly food budget.

AnyList

Best for: A shared household shopping list.
What it does well: One of the best shared lists around: everyone in the house adds to the same list and sees it update. It has recipes and meal planning too, some of it in the paid tier.
Worth knowing: It is brilliant for the list, but it will not choose the meals or price them.

Your supermarket's own app

Best for: Ordering online and booking a delivery slot.
What it does well: Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and the rest let you order, check offers and use your loyalty card, and some have recipe ideas.
Worth knowing: They are built to sell you that shop's products, not to plan a week of meals to a budget.

Features and prices of other apps change, so check their own sites before you pay. Ours are on the pricing page, and every feature is on the features page.

How to choose a meal planner app.

Three questions sort it out quickly.

1
Who picks the meals?

If you want the app to decide, choose one that plans for you. If you already know what you cook, a recipe manager is enough.
2
Do you shop to a budget?

Most apps leave the money to you. If the weekly total matters, pick one that plans to a number and shows prices for where you shop.
3
Who else uses the list?

If a partner or housemate shops too, make sure the list can be shared and ticked off by both of you.

Not ready for an app? Start with a free weekly shopping list or one of our free meal plans, like the budget meal plan for two.

Quick answers

What is the best meal planner app in the UK?

It depends on the job. If you want the meals chosen for you inside a weekly budget, with one shopping list priced for a UK supermarket, that is what Make Me A Shopping List is built for. If you already have a recipe collection and want somewhere to organise it, a recipe manager like Paprika or Plan to Eat fits better.

Is there a free meal planner app in the UK?

Yes. Make Me A Shopping List is free for 2 weekly plans and 5 meal swaps a month, with no card needed. Mealime, Samsung Food and AnyList also have free versions. Our free meal plans and shopping list templates need no sign-up at all.

Which meal planner app works with UK supermarkets?

Most meal planner apps are built in the US and do not know UK supermarket prices. Make Me A Shopping List gives price guides for Aldi, Lidl, Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Waitrose and Iceland, and the list works in any shop. The supermarkets' own apps are for ordering from that one shop.

Can a meal planner app help me stick to a food budget?

Only if it plans to a number. Most apps help you organise recipes and lists, which saves waste but leaves the budget to you. Make Me A Shopping List starts from the budget you set and plans the week inside it, using price estimates rather than live till prices.

Free to try

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Set your budget, who you are feeding and where you shop. Your first plan and list take about a minute. Free, no card.

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