Quick answers
- The recipe is only spoken in the video: pick an app that reads the video as well as the caption. Of the apps we checked, Prepful, ReciMe, Deglaze, and Honeydew say they do.
- You want to plan the week and shop from it for free: Prepful and ReciMe both include a meal plan and a shopping list without paying. Copy Me That does too, up to 40 recipes.
- You only use Apple devices and hate subscriptions: Mela unlocks with a one-time purchase, but it reads captions only and hasn't been updated since June 2025.
- You already use Paprika: TikTok and Instagram import is coming in Paprika 4, now in open beta, as a Premium feature.
At a glance
| App | TikTok & Instagram | Reads | Meal plan & list | Free version | Paid | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prepful | Yes | Caption and video | Both, free | Free to start | None needed to import, plan, or shop | iOS, Android, web |
| ReciMe | Yes | Caption, then video audio | Both, free | 5 imports a week | ReciMe Plus, $39.99/yr (US) | iOS, Android, web |
| Deglaze | Yes | Caption, audio, on-screen text, and the video itself | List free, meal plan Pro only | A limited number of imports a week | Deglaze Pro, $49.99 (App Store) | iOS, Android, web |
| Honeydew | Yes (Plus) | Video transcript | Both, core features free | A limited number of saves | Honeydew Plus, $6.99/mo or $39.99/yr | iOS, Android |
| Flavorish | Yes | Not stated | Both, free | 5 social media imports | $4.99/mo or $49.99/yr | iOS, Android, web |
| Pestle | Yes | Not stated | List free, meal plan Pro only | 15 recipes | Pro, $2.99/mo, $24.99/yr, or lifetime from $39.99 | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Copy Me That | Yes, via Share | Not stated | Both, free | 40 recipes | $1/mo, or $65 lifetime | iOS, Android, web |
| Mela | Yes | Caption only | Both, via Apple Calendar and Reminders | Limited until you buy | Free download, one-time unlock: $6.99 iOS, $14.99 Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Paprika | Paprika 4 beta only (Premium) | Caption only | Both | Android: 50 recipes | Paprika 3 one-time: $4.99 iOS or Android, $29.99 Mac or Windows | iOS, Android, Mac, Windows |
| Samsung Food | Not stated in its own materials | Not applicable | Both, free | Yes | Food+, $6.99/mo or $59.99/yr | iOS, Android, web |
First checked September 30, 2026, and re-checked October 10, 2026, against each app's own website, help center, and App Store or Google Play listing. Prices are US prices. We make Prepful, so read our take on it with that in mind.
The question that matters most: caption or video?
A lot of TikTok and Instagram recipes live in two places at once. Some creators type the full ingredient list into the caption. Others say the amounts out loud and leave the caption to a hook and a few hashtags. An app that only reads the caption gets the first kind right and comes back nearly empty on the second.
The second kind is the common one. We read the captions of 152 viral TikTok recipes that food sites featured in their roundups: only 18 (about 12%) listed the ingredients with amounts, and 117 (77%) had no recipe in the caption at all. The method and the full breakdown are in our TikTok recipe caption study. For videos like those, a caption-only app has very little to work with.
Before you commit to an app, save one of your own spoken-only recipe videos with it. If the ingredients come back, it reads the video. If you get a title and a photo, it reads the caption. Whichever app you use, look over the result before you cook.
The apps, one by one
Prepful
Share a TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube post to Prepful, or paste the link, and it pulls the ingredients and steps from the caption and the video. It also imports from any recipe website and from a photo of a cookbook page or handwritten card. Saved recipes go straight onto a weekly plan, and the shopping list is built from that plan with repeat ingredients combined. It runs on iPhone, Android, and the web, and it's free to start: importing, planning, and the shopping list don't need a paid plan.
Best for: getting from a saved video to a planned week and one shopping list. Guides: save from TikTok, save from Instagram.
ReciMe
ReciMe imports from TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest through the share sheet. Its help center says it reads the caption first, then the video's audio, then the original recipe website. The grocery list (sortable by aisle or by recipe) and meal plan are free, but the free version caps you at 5 imports a week. ReciMe Plus removes the cap and adds Cooking Mode for $39.99 a year in the US. It's on iOS, Android, and the web.
Best for: heavy social savers who don't mind a subscription. Prepful vs ReciMe
Deglaze
Deglaze saves recipes from Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and websites. Its TikTok guide says it reads the caption, transcribes the audio, reads text overlaid on the video, and analyzes the scenes themselves, for videos up to 10 minutes long. The grocery list is free, but the meal planner, aisle sorting, and scaling need Deglaze Pro, listed at $49.99 on the App Store, and the free version allows a limited number of imports a week. It runs on iOS, Android, and the web.
Best for: spoken-only and on-screen-text recipes, if you're willing to pay for planning.
Honeydew
Honeydew reads Reels, TikToks, and screenshots, and its homepage shows it writing the instructions from the video's full transcript. Its own FAQ says capturing recipes from photos, screenshots, or social media posts is part of Honeydew Plus, which costs $6.99 a month or $39.99 a year. The free tier includes core meal planning and a grocery list with a limited number of recipe saves. It's on iOS and Android with a Chrome extension; its support pages say a full web app is in development.
Best for: people happy to subscribe for video reading on the phone.
Flavorish
Flavorish imports from Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube when you share a post to it, and website imports are unlimited. The free plan includes unlimited meal plans and grocery lists and up to 5 social media imports (its pricing page doesn't say whether that is per month or in total). Its site doesn't say whether it reads the video or only the caption. Paid is $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year. It runs on iOS, Android, and the web.
Best for: mostly website recipes, with a few social saves.
Pestle
Pestle saves from Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and websites through the share sheet; its App Store subtitle is now "Save from Instagram & TikTok." The free version keeps up to 15 recipes and includes shopping lists and guided cooking. Meal planning, photo import, and PDF import need Pestle Pro: $2.99 a month, $24.99 a year, or a lifetime unlock ($39.99 and $49.99 options are both listed on the App Store). It's Apple only (iPhone, iPad, Mac), with a Chrome extension.
Best for: Apple users who want a polished cookbook app and a lifetime option.
Copy Me That
Copy Me That's store listings say it saves recipes from any website and from most apps, including social media apps, through the Share button, and its September 2026 update improved that. Its own pages don't say whether it reads the video or only the caption. Every feature is free up to 40 recipes, including a meal planner and a shopping list that sorts itself into aisles. After that it's $1 a month on its website (or $65 for lifetime). It runs on iOS, Android, and the web.
Best for: the cheapest unlimited plan on this list. Prepful vs Copy Me That
Mela
Mela extracts recipes from the video description on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, through its in-app browser or share extension, so spoken-only recipes won't come through. It keeps your meal plan in Apple Calendar and your grocery list in Apple Reminders. It's a free download, and unlocking everything is a one-time purchase ($6.99 for iPhone and iPad, $14.99 for Mac, sold separately) with no Android or web version. Its last App Store update was June 2025.
Best for: Apple users who want to pay once and like living in Calendar and Reminders. Prepful vs Mela
Paprika
Paprika 3, the current release, imports from websites, not TikTok or Instagram. Paprika 4 opened a public beta to current users on September 28, 2026, adding TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube import. It reads the post's caption or description, and it's a Premium feature. Paprika 4 moves to a free download with a Premium subscription, and its price isn't published yet. Paprika 3 is a one-time purchase per platform: $4.99 on iOS and Android, $29.99 on Mac and Windows.
Best for: long-time Paprika users with big collections. Prepful vs Paprika
Samsung Food
Samsung Food (formerly Whisk) saves recipes from any website, and its free version includes a weekly meal planner and a smart shopping list. Its own materials don't describe importing a TikTok or Instagram video, so we can't recommend it for that. Food+ ($6.99 a month or $59.99 a year) adds AI meal plans, unlimited saved plans, and Smart Cooking Mode.
Best for: a free planner for website recipes. Prepful vs Samsung Food
Whatever app you pick
Check the account is public. No app can read a private account's posts. Look for the recipe first. If the video never names the ingredients and the caption only says "link in bio," tap through to the creator's site and save that page instead. Review before you cook. Amounts spoken fast or shown on screen for a second are where imports slip.
Moving off Mealime now that it has shut down? See our Mealime alternative guide. Ready to shop? Here's how to make a grocery list from recipes.