Comparisons

Copy Me That Alternatives: Where Recipe Savers Are Moving in 2026

By Frank Baird · Updated August 2026 · 6 min read

For years, Copy Me That was the answer to "what's the free recipe saver?" — a browser button, a clean list, no bill. So when its mobile apps moved toward paid plans, long-time users felt the ground shift, and the forums filled with the same question: okay, so where do I go now? Here's an honest look at the options — including, in fairness, staying put.

Short version: Export your recipes first (do it today — it takes five minutes). Then pick by habit: Paprika if you want the old-school one-time-purchase standby, AnyList if grocery lists are your center of gravity, and SavorKeep if you want modern link importing plus the ability to scan cookbook pages and handwritten cards — free to try, with premium at $19.99/year.

First, before anything else: export your recipes

Whatever you decide, get a copy of your data while your account is in good standing. Copy Me That has offered a recipe export from its website account settings — download it and keep the file. A recipe collection built over years is worth five minutes of insurance, and an export file means every option below stays open to you.

What you're actually replacing

Copy Me That did three things well: one-click saving from any recipe site, a searchable collection, and simple meal planning and lists. Any real alternative needs the first two; the third depends on how you cook. As you compare, ignore feature checklists and ask: where do my recipes come from? Websites? Social video? Cookbooks and family cards? That answer picks your app.

The alternatives, honestly compared

SavorKeep — best for collections that come from everywhere

SavorKeep covers the Copy Me That basics — paste any recipe link and it extracts clean ingredients and steps — and then goes where Copy Me That never did: point the camera at a cookbook page or a handwritten recipe card and it becomes an editable digital recipe. Search, meal planning, and auto-generated grocery lists are built in. There's no account to create; recipes live on your device and your own iCloud. Free to try, with premium at $1.99/month or $19.99/year — deliberately priced like a utility, not a streaming service.

Paprika — best one-time-purchase standby

Paprika has been the recipe-manager default for over a decade: solid website importing, meal planning, groceries, and a one-time purchase price per platform instead of a subscription. The trade-offs are a dated interface and no real answer for handwritten or photographed recipes. If your whole collection is web links and you never want another recurring charge, it remains an easy recommendation.

AnyList — best if the grocery list is the main event

AnyList is a superb shared grocery-list app that also saves recipes, rather than the other way around. Families who plan the week around a shared list love it. Recipe importing is capable; deep recipe organization is not its focus.

Mela — best for a beautiful, minimal reading experience

Mela is a lovely iOS-native app with excellent link importing and a calm, magazine-like reading view. It's for people who want their recipe app to feel like a well-set table. Collection tools are intentionally minimal.

Staying with Copy Me That — the honest option nobody lists

If you live in the website version and the new pricing fits how much you use it, staying is defensible — switching costs a weekend of setup. The real question is whether you're paying out of choice or inertia. Export your data either way.

At a glance

Import from linksScan cards & cookbooksMeal plan + listsPricing model
SavorKeepYesYes — handwriting tooYesFree to try; $19.99/yr premium
PaprikaYesNoYesOne-time, per platform
AnyListYesNoYes (list-first)Free tier; annual plan
MelaYesNoLightPaid app / subscription
Copy Me ThatYesNoYesPaid mobile plans; web version

Pricing and features current as of August 2026 and simplified — check each app's own listing before you commit.

Moving your collection without losing anything

  1. Export from Copy Me That (website → account settings) and save the file somewhere safe.
  2. Re-import the recipes you actually cook. A switch is a natural moment to prune: most people find 30–40 keepers hiding in hundreds of saves. In SavorKeep, paste each keeper's original link — or scan the printed ones.
  3. Recreate this week's meal plan first, not your whole archive. If the new app survives two real weeks of cooking, migrate the rest.

The parts of Copy Me That you liked, plus the scanner it never had

  • Paste any recipe link → clean ingredients and steps
  • Scan cookbook pages and handwritten cards into editable recipes
  • Meal planning and automatic grocery lists
  • No account — your recipes stay on your device and your iCloud
  • Free to try · Premium $1.99/mo or $19.99/yr
Get SavorKeep — Free

Frequently asked questions

Is Copy Me That still free?

The website version has remained available, but the mobile apps moved toward paid plans — which is what sent many long-time users shopping for alternatives. Their pricing may change again; check before deciding.

Can I export my recipes out of Copy Me That?

Yes — the website has offered an export in account settings. Do it before changing anything about your subscription so your data is yours no matter what.

What's the best replacement if I mostly saved from websites?

Any strong importer will feel familiar — SavorKeep, Paprika, and AnyList all handle links well. If you also have cookbooks and family recipe cards to bring in, scanning narrows the field to SavorKeep.