Mela's last update was in June 2025
Looking for a Mela alternative?
Mela is a pleasant recipe manager for Apple devices. If you want your recipes on Android or the web too, or want to plan the week and share the list with your household, Culiplan imports your Mela library for free.
What Mela does well
Mela is a recipe manager made for iPhone, iPad and Mac. If everyone in your house uses Apple devices and you only want to keep recipes, it does the job.
Why people look around
Mela only runs on Apple devices, and its last App Store update was in June 2025. Households with an Android phone, or people who want to plan the week from their recipes, look for something that works everywhere.
Mela and Culiplan side by side
| What you get | Mela | Culiplan |
|---|---|---|
| Devices | iPhone, iPad and Mac | iOS, Android and the web |
| Last update | June 2025 (App Store) | September 2026 (App Store) |
| Bringing your recipes | Exports your library as a .melarecipes file | Imports that file with ingredients, steps and photos, on the app and the web |
Move your Mela recipes in four steps
- In Mela, open Settings, choose Export and save all your recipes to a .melarecipes file.
- Create a free Culiplan account. When we ask where your recipes are now, choose "Another recipe app", then Mela.
- Pick the export file. Culiplan imports your recipes with their ingredients, steps and photos.
- On a computer, open Recipes on culiplan.com and choose Import from a file. A recipe you already have is not imported twice.
Nothing changes in Mela. Culiplan only reads the export file.
What Culiplan does
Plan the week
Fill your week with your own recipes, or let Culiplan suggest dinners for the empty days.
One shopping list
Turn the week into a shopping list that skips what is already in your pantry.
Share it at home
Everyone in your household sees the same plan and list on their own phone.
Free, every feature
No paywall, no card and no ads. On iOS, Android and the web, in 13 languages.
What we can't do
Culiplan imports your recipes and their photos, not your Mela grocery lists. Very large libraries can take more than one day to import, because of a daily import limit. There is no Mac app: on a computer you use Culiplan in the browser.
Questions
Is Culiplan free?
Yes. Every feature is free, with no card and no ads.
Does Culiplan work on Android?
Yes. Culiplan is on iOS, Android and the web, and your recipes sync between them.
Do my photos come along?
Yes. Photos stored in the Mela export are imported with each recipe.
Can my partner use it too?
Yes. Invite them to your household and you share the same week plan, shopping list and pantry.
Can I export my data?
Yes. You can download all your data from your account settings at any time.
Take your Mela recipes everywhere
Facts checked on 2026-10-27.