Free Recipe Software for Your Computer and Phone
Recipe Notes is recipe management software that runs on every device you own: iPhone and Android apps, plus a web version for any computer — one account, everything in sync. Nothing to install on the computer: open a tab, sign in, and start. Type up a recipe on a real keyboard, and it is on your phone when you head to the kitchen.
Windows · Mac · Chromebook · iOS · Android • 4.7★ Rating • Unlimited recipes free, no ads
Better on a Big Screen
Phone and Laptop, One Collection
Save recipes from your phone during the week. On Sunday, sit down at the laptop and plan the week's dinners — the grocery list writes itself from the plan, and you check items off on your phone at the store.
Type and Edit on a Real Keyboard
The shoebox of handwritten recipe cards is a big-screen project — and so are the recipes buried in old Word documents and emails. Photograph the cards or paste the text, and Recipe Notes turns them into editable recipes. Then fix the details with a keyboard, not with your thumbs.
Nothing to Install
Works on a locked-down office computer or a Chromebook, where installing programs isn't even an option. Sign in with Google, Apple, or email. Nothing touches the hard drive.
Every Device in the House
An iPhone in your pocket, a Windows PC in the study, an Android in your partner's hand. None of that matters online. Everyone opens the same recipes, and with the Family plan the whole household cooks from one shared kitchen.
Why Online, Not Installed?
Your recipes can't die with a hard drive
Installed recipe software keeps your collection on one machine. A dead laptop, a lost license key, or a format the new computer can't open — and years of collected recipes are gone. With Recipe Notes, every recipe is backed up in the cloud the moment you save it. A new computer means signing in, not migrating. And the cloud doesn't lock you in: export any recipe to PDF whenever you want. Your data is always yours.
One account instead of one license per computer
Classic desktop programs are bought and installed per machine — and often per platform, so the Mac version, the Windows version, and the phone app are all separate purchases. An online account doesn't care what you own: the study PC, the kitchen laptop, and a Chromebook all open the same account for free.
Cooking happens away from the desk
Desktop software treats your phone as an afterthought — if there's a mobile companion at all, it's often an extra purchase that syncs awkwardly. Recipe Notes works the other way: native iPhone and Android apps and the web version share one live account, so you plan on the big screen and cook from the phone standing at the stove.
Easier on a computer that isn't new
Installing software on an older machine is a chore: running installers, finding disk space, hitting "requires a newer version of Windows," and then the endless update prompts. A tab asks nothing of your machine — if the computer can open a web page, it can run Recipe Notes.
No versions to buy
Installed software ages: version 4 comes out, the upgrade costs money, and the old one slowly stops being supported. The online version is simply always current — every improvement ships to you automatically, at no cost.
Recipe Notes vs. Classic Desktop Recipe Software
| Feature | Recipe Notes | Typical desktop software |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan; Pro optional | Paid per computer or platform |
| Installation | None — runs in the browser | Download and install per device |
| Phone sync | Included, automatic | Often a separate app or add-on |
| Import from websites | Paste any link | Varies by program |
| Photo / PDF scanning | ✓ built in | Rarely included |
| Updates | Always current | Manual upgrades, sometimes paid |
Coming from Paprika's desktop app? See the detailed Paprika comparison.
What You Get
Paste a link and the recipe arrives clean: ingredients, steps, photo — without the ads or the 2,000-word backstory
Photo & PDF scanning that reads handwriting and cookbook pages — or paste text straight from old Word documents and emails
Organize into cookbooks — Breakfast, Desserts, Keto Favorites, you name it — with 100+ custom icons
Search by ingredient: got chicken in the fridge? Find every recipe that uses it
Recipe says 4 servings but tonight it’s just two? Adjust, and every ingredient recalculates
Making three recipes this week? Ingredients merge into one clean shopping list
Meal plans sync to your Calendar; grocery lists check off in Reminders at the store
Export any recipe to PDF for printing or sharing — your data is always yours
iPhone & Android apps that import from Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and Facebook via the share button
Try It Now
Open the web app, paste a recipe link, and it shows up on your phone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Recipe Notes has a generous free plan: unlimited recipes, cloud backup and sync, and no ads. The free plan includes 10 imports per day from websites and social media, and typing in recipes by hand is always unlimited. An optional Pro subscription unlocks unlimited imports, cookbooks, and full meal planning.
Yes. Recipe Notes runs in any modern browser on Windows, Mac, Linux, or Chromebook, with nothing to download. Open my.recipenotes.app, sign in with Google, Apple, or email, and your collection is there.
Four ways: paste a link to import from any recipe website, paste plain text, scan a photo or PDF (great for handwritten family recipe cards), or type a recipe in from scratch. On your phone, the mobile app also imports from Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and Facebook with the share button.
Yes — the web version and the mobile apps share one account. Save a recipe on your phone during the week, and it is already on your laptop when you sit down to plan meals.
No download is needed on computers — the web version is the desktop experience, and it is always up to date. On mobile, Recipe Notes has native iPhone and Android apps, and the apps keep your recipes available offline.