BigOven

Active

Country: United States (US)
Founded: 2003
Developer: BigOven, Inc.
Pricing: Freemium
Open source: No
Platforms: iOS, Android, Web

Indexes

Recipe Managers

Overview

BigOven is a recipe management and meal planning application that provides access to over 1,000,000 recipes, tools for creating grocery lists sorted by aisle, and meal planning features. It supports adding personal recipes via URL import, photo scan, or manual entry, and includes community contributions. The app targets home cooks seeking to organize recipes, plan meals, and reduce food waste through leftover tracking.

Key Features

Recipe Search - Search 1,000,000+ recipes by ingredient, course, cuisine, or lifestyle filters like diabetic or kid-friendly.
Grocery List Generation - Automatically compiles and sorts shopping lists by grocery store aisle from selected recipes.
Meal Planner - Schedule weekly menus and integrate with grocery lists.
Recipe Import - Add recipes by pasting URLs, scanning photos from books/magazines, or manual entry.
Leftover Tracker - Suggest recipes to use up remaining ingredients and reduce food waste.
Nutrition Information - View nutritional data for recipes (requires Pro subscription).
Community Reviews - Access user ratings, photos, and raves for recipes.
Favorites and Folders - Organize saved recipes into custom folders and lists.

Pricing

Plan	Price	Includes
Free	Free	Basic recipe access, search, grocery lists, meal planning, limited recipe scans (3)
Pro	$20/year or $2.99/mo	Unlimited recipe scans, nutrition info, ad-free experience, advanced import tools

Platforms & Requirements

Available as native apps on iOS and Android, with full web access at bigoven.com. iOS and Android support manual account syncing via settings. No desktop native apps; web version requires modern browser.

Integrations & Ecosystem

Recipe import from URLs
Photo scan for printed recipes
Grocery list export/print
Nutrition database
iOS/Android account sync
Share recipes via social/email
Community recipe contributions

Alternatives

App	Difference
Paprika	Stronger focus on personal recipe management and cloud sync across devices, fewer community recipes.
Mealime	Emphasizes quick, simple meal plans with auto-generated lists, smaller recipe library.
Yummly	AI-powered personalized recommendations based on diet preferences, integrated shopping via partners.
Pepperplate	Unlimited free recipe clipping from web, basic planning without subscription tiers.

Reputation

BigOven is recognized for its large recipe database and practical grocery list tools that sort by aisle. Users appreciate the ease of importing recipes and meal planning features. Criticisms include paywalls for nutrition info and unlimited scans in the Pro version, with some noting occasional sync issues on mobile apps.

Sources (6)