Recipe Keeper vs Paprika app—Which One is Better? If you love cooking and want to keep your recipes organized, you’ve probably come across these two popular apps. I’ve been using Paprika for about 2 years, but I’ve also heard great things about Recipe Keeper. Curious to see how it compares, I decided to give it a fair try—using it for a few weeks to get past the learning curve.
Why do I need a recipe manager?
I have a collection of handwritten recipes from the past 5–10 years, but these days, most of my cooking inspiration comes from websites and Instagram accounts. While I still refer to my old recipes, flipping through a notebook every time is inconvenient. As a busy mom, I want everything organized, in one place, categorized, and easily accessible.
Also, I don’t see the point of a recipe manager app that limits how many recipes you can store—after all, we use these apps because we have tons of recipes to save, right? That’s why I’ll be reviewing the paid versions of both apps on my iPhone. (FYI: The free version allows up to 50 recipes in Paprika and 20 in Recipe Keeper.)
Table of Contents
Top Features – paprika vs recipe keeper
1) Importing Recipes from Websites
One of the biggest perks of a recipe manager is the ability to import recipes from websites. In Paprika, you just open its in-app browser, paste the URL, click “Download,” and the app automatically saves the recipe. This feature works seamlessly for me in Paprika. However, in Recipe Keeper, I ran into issues where some websites showed “Page Not Found.” Recipe Keeper’s in-app help page states that it can only recognize recipes from certain websites, while others must be imported manually. Paprika also mentions this limitation in its user guide, but I’ve never personally encountered a site it couldn’t clip.
Importing Recipes from Instagram
I never thought to try importing IG recipes in Paprika’s browser before (not sure why I assumed it wouldn’t work!). Turns out, you can log in to your IG account via Paprika’s browser and download recipes directly. The only downside? You have to sign in to IG each time, so I prefer to bookmark a few recipes and save them in one go.
With Recipe Keeper, the process is more straightforward. You go straight to IG and click to share the IG recipe post to Recipe Keeper, and it automatically extracts the recipe from the caption! I don’t use TikTok, but I’ve read that the process is similar.
RECIPE KEEPER VS PAPRIKA: Tie (Paprika works better for website imports, but Recipe Keeper makes Instagram imports easier.)
2) Scanning Cookbooks / Handwritten Recipes
Recipe Keeper has a scanning feature that lets you snap photos of handwritten recipes or printed cookbooks. It uses Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology to convert images into text. I tested this with my handwritten recipes, and it did a pretty good job! It even rephrased some of my sentences, thanks to Natural Language Processing (NLP). The only issue? Some text in “circled” (see screenshot below) or odd locations were omitted, so I had to manually correct it.
Paprika doesn’t have OCR scanning, so I just take a photo and store it in the app. I can still categorize and search for these recipes, but I have to tap on the image to zoom in. For printed cookbooks, I usually snap a pic on my iPhone and use Live Text to copy and paste into Paprika manually.
If you have a lot of handwritten or printed recipes, Recipe Keeper’s OCR is definitely a huge advantage.
RECIPE KEEPER VS PAPRIKA: ✅Recipe Keeper (This feature is available in its free version!)
3) Entering New Recipes Manually
I tested both apps by manually entering the same recipe in each. Both provide fields like categories, source, photo, rating, serving size, cook time, and nutrition. Paprika has an extra “Difficulty” field (Easy-Medium-Hard), which is handy for days that you want to do easy cooking.
Recipe Keeper has built-in kitchen conversions (e.g. fractions, tsp/tbsp) that’s fixed to the entry field, while Paprika suggests similar ingredients as you type (see label numbered 5: typing “vanilla” suggests “vanilla bark” or “vanilla bean paste”).
Formatting & Embedding Photos
In Recipe Keeper, you have to use Markdown Formatting (e.g. *bold* for bold, _italic_ for italics). Paprika also uses Markdown, but it provides a toolbar with buttons (see label numbered 1) for formatting, making it easier. Formatting is essential for me especially in longer and more complex recipes.
Paprika also lets you embed photos (see label numbered 2) directly into the recipe steps, which is super helpful for baking—especially when I need visuals for whipped egg whites or bread dough rolling. You also have the option to not insert the photos in-line with text but just include them as a general photo attachment for the recipe. Recipe Keeper only allows general photo attachments, not inline images.
Both apps also have useful features for cross-referencing various sources like:
✔ Embed clickable links within the “Directions” section to access external content
✔ Include a link to another recipe that is already within the app itself
RECIPE KEEPER VS PAPRIKA: ✅Paprika (Easier formatting + photo embedding in instructions.)
4) Cooking Mode Experience
When following a recipe, Recipe Keeper keeps the ingredients and directions on the same page, while Paprika separates them into tabs (unless using a tablet/PC).
Both apps allow you to:
✔ Cross off ingredients as you go
✔ Highlight recipe steps
✔ Scale recipes & convert measurements
✔ Toggle easily between several recipes by “pinning” them
✔ Keep screen on during cooking (can also be turned on/off in each app’s setting)
Timers & Multi-tasking
A huge win for Paprika is its built-in timers. If a recipe says, “Bake for 15 minutes,” the time gets highlighted, and tapping it starts a countdown timer. You can even run multiple timers at once! Recipe Keeper lacks this feature, so you have to use your phone’s clock app.
RECIPE KEEPER VS PAPRIKA: ✅Paprika (Built-in timers = game-changer.)
5) Meal Planning / Menus
I need flexibility when planning meals for my picky kids. Recipe Keeper’s Meal Planner ties menus to specific dates, while Paprika lets me create standalone menus that I can reuse anytime.
For example, I created a few rotating dinner menus for weekday nights in Paprika, and I can add it to my meal planner whenever I want (in fact, I don’t see the need to add it to my calendar). Recipe Keeper requires me to assign meals to a calendar date, which feels restrictive.
I understand that meal planning is still essential for gym-goers and those following a strict diet. Both apps offer a drag-and-drop feature for easily rearranging meals within the week, along with weekly and monthly views. However, only Paprika includes a “Daily” view.
When adding meals to a specific date, Paprika takes you directly to your recipe library, allowing you to search or browse by category (e.g. “Low carb” or “Post-workout” if you’ve created them). In contrast, Recipe Keeper requires you to know the exact recipe name, as it only provides a drop-down search field.
Neither app is designed for macros tracking, so serious fitness enthusiasts may find apps like MyFitnessPal more suitable for that purpose.
RECIPE KEEPER VS PAPRIKA: ✅Paprika (More flexible meal planning.)
6) Grocery List / Shopping List
Both apps let you add recipe ingredients to a grocery list and auto-consolidate duplicate items from various recipes. For example, if one recipe calls for 2 eggs, and another recipe calls for 3 eggs, the consolidated listing will display 5 eggs in total.
If you plan to add multiple recipe ingredients to your grocery or shopping list, Paprika will automatically consolidate duplicate items by category. Before adding them to your list, you’ll have the option to review and deselect any items you don’t need from each food category. In contrast, Recipe Keeper keeps the ingredients from each recipe separate, allowing you to browse through them individually before deciding to add to the shopping list.
Additionally, Paprika offers a Pantry feature to track expiration dates of ingredients you have at home, but I personally don’t use it.
RECIPE KEEPER VS PAPRIKA: Tie (Personal preference.)
7) Recipe Sharing
Paprika lets you share recipes via:
✔ Source URL
✔ Paprika file (for other Paprika users)
✔ Full recipe text
Recipe Keeper has a better sharing feature—it creates a unique web link so anyone can view the recipe (even non-users). If they have Recipe Keeper, they can import it instantly.
RECIPE KEEPER VS PAPRIKA: ✅Recipe Keeper (Easier sharing!)
8) Other Features (e.g., Syncing, Printing, Import/Export, and More)
I’ll briefly cover these features since I don’t use them often, but they may be important to some of you.
Both Paprika and Recipe Keeper can import recipe databases from several older applications (e.g. Cook’n, MasterCook) as they support various file types. However, if you’re planning to transfer recipes from another app, I recommend checking with their support teams for compatibility. Additionally, both apps allow you to export all or selected recipes to create backup copies of your collection.
For syncing and backups, both apps use their own servers to automatically keep everything up to date across all devices signed into the same account. However, keep in mind that each platform (e.g. Mac/Windows) requires a separate purchase.
Summary of Features Compared
Recipe Keeper vs. Paprika: Summary of Feature Comparison & Best Picks | |||
Feature | Recipe Keeper | Paprika | My Pick |
1) Importing recipes | Works better for Instagram imports | Works better for website imports | Individual preference |
2) Scanning recipes | Has OCR technology to convert images to text | No OCR scanning | Recipe Keeper |
3) Entering new recipes | No formatting toolbar, does not allow photos to be in-line with recipe text | Easier formatting, allows photo embedding in recipe text | Paprika |
4) Cooking mode experience | No in-built timers | In-built timers (plus ability to run multiple timers) | Paprika |
5) Meal planning/menus | Unable to create standalone menus; meals must be tied to dates | More flexible planning with standalones menus | Paprika |
6) Grocery / shopping list | Keeps ingredients from each recipe separate | Consolidates identical goods and group them by category | Individual preference |
7) Recipe sharing | Allows creation of unique web-link for sharing on various platforms including non-users | Less versatile sharing method; not so friendly for non-users | Recipe Keeper |
8) Price | $$$$ | $ | Paprika |
Final Thoughts – Recipe Keeper vs Paprika: Which One Should You Get?
For me, Paprika is the clear winner. It’s well-priced (at 1/4 price of Recipe keeper!) and packed with thoughtful features that make my cooking experience smoother. Since most of my recipes come from URLs, Paprika’s reliable web import and built-in timers make it my go-to app.
That said, Recipe Keeper has its strengths, especially if you:
✔ Have a lot of handwritten recipes (OCR scanning is a time-saver!)
✔ Frequently save Instagram recipes
✔ Want an easier way to share recipes with others
If you’re looking for the best all-around recipe manager, I’d recommend Paprika. But if OCR scanning is your priority, Recipe Keeper might be the better fit for you.
Either way, both apps are great at what they do—just depends on what you need! 😊