Review Insights · App Store
Pepperplate Cooking Planner
Pepperplate Inc. · 50 ratings · ★ 2.9
2.9
★★★★★
50 ratings
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Top complaints - extracted from 72 negative reviews
Recurring phrases mined from 1-2★ reviews. The bigger the percentage, the more users have the same problem. Fix the top 2-3 in your version and you have product-market fit on day one.
1
"recipes"
41 negative reviews mention this · 57% of all complaints
★★★★★ "My recipes keep multiplying. Frustrating when you have 25 of the same recipe. Seems like they would be on top of there organization a little better. I cannot delete them, they just appear again. Second most frustrating thing is my recipes are getting lost 😭. Don’t tru…" - MaryJane’s Daughter
2
"subscription"
30 negative reviews mention this · 42% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Out of date and not user friendly. Used for years - I kept with them even after they went subscription. Then I realized there were much better options out there for much less money. This did not upgrade over all the years I used it, didn't allow auto uploads from common site…" - Francesca:0)
3
"years"
25 negative reviews mention this · 35% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Out of date and not user friendly. Used for years - I kept with them even after they went subscription. Then I realized there were much better options out there for much less money. This did not upgrade over all the years I used it, didn't allow auto uploads from common site…" - Francesca:0)
4
"free"
22 negative reviews mention this · 31% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Needs to be updated. App needs to be updated especially now that there is a monthly charge. The sorting of the shopping list has always had some opportunities but it doesn’t even sort “shredded cheese” into the cheese section. Either make free again or make s…" - Stiles2503
5
"been"
18 negative reviews mention this · 25% of all complaints
★★★★★ "No update. This is a flagrant passive income play for the developer. The app is no longer competitive with its near peer which is not subscription based. I’ve been using the app for more than 12 yrs. No significant changes since then." - Charalag
6
"month"
17 negative reviews mention this · 24% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Needs to be updated. App needs to be updated especially now that there is a monthly charge. The sorting of the shopping list has always had some opportunities but it doesn’t even sort “shredded cheese” into the cheese section. Either make free again or make s…" - Stiles2503
7
"pepperplate"
16 negative reviews mention this · 22% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Needs to be updated. App needs to be updated especially now that there is a monthly charge. The sorting of the shopping list has always had some opportunities but it doesn’t even sort “shredded cheese” into the cheese section. Either make free again or make s…" - Stiles2503
8
"paying"
15 negative reviews mention this · 21% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Switched to paprika. Wouldn’t have minded paying a one time fee but a monthly fee is ridiculous." - MrsHLK
9
"recipe"
14 negative reviews mention this · 19% of all complaints
★★★★★ "My recipes keep multiplying. Frustrating when you have 25 of the same recipe. Seems like they would be on top of there organization a little better. I cannot delete them, they just appear again. Second most frustrating thing is my recipes are getting lost 😭. Don’t tru…" - MaryJane’s Daughter
10
"monthly"
14 negative reviews mention this · 19% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Needs to be updated. App needs to be updated especially now that there is a monthly charge. The sorting of the shopping list has always had some opportunities but it doesn’t even sort “shredded cheese” into the cheese section. Either make free again or make s…" - Stiles2503
11
"paid"
11 negative reviews mention this · 15% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Browser vs. App - BIG Difference. OMG, why does the browser version of pepperplate (Mac O/S, Safari) have such useless search capabilities. I can type a recipe name in EXACTLY and find no results returned in the browser version. It's essentially useless if you're trying t…" - LinghLingh00
12
"another"
11 negative reviews mention this · 15% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Browser vs. App - BIG Difference. OMG, why does the browser version of pepperplate (Mac O/S, Safari) have such useless search capabilities. I can type a recipe name in EXACTLY and find no results returned in the browser version. It's essentially useless if you're trying t…" - LinghLingh00
📋 All 72 negative reviews
Every 1-2★ review we fetched. Use the copy button to grab them all for your own analysis (paste into ChatGPT/Claude with a prompt like "summarize core user problems, group by theme, ignore bugs, focus on missing features").
My recipes keep multiplying
Frustrating when you have 25 of the same recipe. Seems like they would be on top of there organization a little better. I cannot delete them, they just appear again. Second most frustrating thing is my recipes are getting lost 😭. Don’t trust this app.
No update
This is a flagrant passive income play for the developer. The app is no longer competitive with its near peer which is not subscription based. I’ve been using the app for more than 12 yrs. No significant changes since then.
Stole recipes
I’ve used since it was free and I can’t get my recipes off unless I pay for the subscription. Absolutely rubbish
Can’t sign in
I’ve tried to sign in but I forgot my login information. Unfortunately there is nothing on the app to let you update your login. There’s no menu page or anything. 👎🏻. You’re out of luck if you forget your password.
Crashing as soon as I open it.
I have loved this app until a couple weeks ago. Now, every time I open it, it crashes immediately. I cannot get it to open and stay open.
Can’t cancel Subscription
I have tried everything to cancel this subscription! There is no option on the app to do so. You can’t even email or call them to cancel the app!
I’m hoping that between apple and this post the my app subscription will be canceled. If not I’ll do it via my credit card by stopping payment.
Very disappointing! The app works well and has been useful but I’m not happy about not being able to cancel the subscription.
I’m hoping that between apple and this post the my app subscription will be canceled. If not I’ll do it via my credit card by stopping payment.
Very disappointing! The app works well and has been useful but I’m not happy about not being able to cancel the subscription.
Very disappointed!
I have tried OVER and OVER again to get assistance, as I suddenly cannot add or edit recipes. I have done all the trouble shooting tricks, and Pepperplate tried to blame my storage on my device. I have over 200 GB of space, so that is not the issue. They then said they see the problem, and will fix it. NOPE, nothing has been done, and they haven’t reached out, but the SURE take the monthly premium from my account. This is robbery , as far as I’m concerned.
Used for several years already
It used to be good until they decided to charge for it. It combines items on the shopping list but won’t let me un-combine them if I choose to. An example…I added pear and pear nectar to the shopping list. It combined them as pears.
Apple Notes is free
There is a subscription fee for this app. Not sure why, because I only keep my own recipes there. I just simply switched to Apple Notes. Done, you’re welcome.
Not worth the phone storage
This used to be a good app... had this for years but then they stopped updating it. Now they're charging $2.99/mo to use it. What a rip off. Moving on to something else even though my recipes are being held hostage for ransom essentially.
Way too expensive for nothing in return
$2.99/month to access my own recipes while they don’t even do any upkeep is highway robbery. Don’t be fooled, there are plenty of cheaper and even free options as good as or better than Pepperplate ever was.
Really good once, not worth $2.99 a month!!!
Have had this app for years-loved it. I was sad when they started charging for it. $2.99 a month is a lot to charge for an app that’s not being updated or fixing the bugs. There are lots of other recipe apps that do the same or more then this one. Don’t waste your money on this one. Go for paprika 3, cook book or recipe keeper!
Synchronizing
My app is constantly saying it’s synchronizing but hasn’t since 2022. The shopping list is only showing up on the device it was entered on. The help menu option isn’t very helpful.
Shameful Ripoff
Been using for years and actually liked the app and was irritated that I had to start paying a monthly service all of a sudden.
So I decided to keep app thinking maybe now it can be upgraded right? If I'm paying MONTHLY there should surely be improvements!!! NOPE not a dang thing. Not only no upgrades but not a single upgrade since. If I could give it negative stars I would.
So I decided to keep app thinking maybe now it can be upgraded right? If I'm paying MONTHLY there should surely be improvements!!! NOPE not a dang thing. Not only no upgrades but not a single upgrade since. If I could give it negative stars I would.
Update in this century please
I had contacted Pepperplate and they said stay tuned an update would be coming soon. That was a year ago. I’m not sure what soon means to them. It was once great but I stopped using it. Unless an update happens it will go the way of many other once great apps now just taking up space....delete.
Options
Please help. I’m trying to sign in. I’ve forgotten my password. Cannot login and I’m not given the option to change my password.
Lost all recipes!
They changed to a paid subscription. It’s glitchy and they haven’t made changes in forever. So now I can’t even access it to get my own recipes off of the app. So they’re holding my recipes hostage, sad.
App constantly crashes
It used to be good. It no longer is. I’m trying to copy my recipes into another app, but I can’t because PepperPlate just keeps crashing. Horrible, horrible App.
So now you charging by the month?
I paid for this app and liked its convenience but now you’re charging a monthly fee? Ridiculous.
Shady Move
Had been using the app for years, had all my recipes on it. When I went to open it again, they wanted me to pay to access MY recipes. So I lost access to everything. This app is not worth your time.
Can’t view my recipes
I’ve placed a lot of my personal recipes on this platform. Now, I can’t print them out without paying a subscription. 😤
Paying for Nothing
I’ve used this App for YEARS. Years!! There has never been an update or enhancement. But it was free and worked ok, so whatever. Definitely could have used enhancements but again, free. Now all of a sudden it’s $2.99 a MONTH and not one single improvement or enhancement. I gave them the benefit of the doubt and have been paying, expecting surely an update would come, but no, I’m literally using the same app that used to be free but now it’s $36 a year.
To add insult to injury it has lately been glitching! The menu and “+” buttons on the main screen won’t work if I come back to that screen after being in the shopping list or planner. I have to hard stop the app and come back in to navigate.
What a piece of crap. I have YEARS of data in this app. I have used it quite literally every single day. I started paying when they switched to a paid version. I’ve given them the benefit of the doubt but this app has passed its prime and without support/enhancements I’ve got to abandon it.
To add insult to injury it has lately been glitching! The menu and “+” buttons on the main screen won’t work if I come back to that screen after being in the shopping list or planner. I have to hard stop the app and come back in to navigate.
What a piece of crap. I have YEARS of data in this app. I have used it quite literally every single day. I started paying when they switched to a paid version. I’ve given them the benefit of the doubt but this app has passed its prime and without support/enhancements I’ve got to abandon it.
Now not free?
This was my all time app to save and share my recipes with family now that I got an iPhone I am charged a few to use.
Poor quality features
Like everyone else, I am frustrated that they went from free to crazy expensive. I was willing to give them a chance, but the product doesn’t really work. And I have emailed the, repeatedly but they either can’t or won’t fix their bugs.
Examples:
1. their search feature doesn’t work. I can’t search for a word in a recipe title nor an ingredient nor a keyword and have it bring up a complete list of recipes (though it seems to bring up 2 or 3). That seems like a basic necessity, but it hasn’t been fixed.
2. Data doesn’t sync between devices. If I plan a weekly menu in the app, it won’t show up on the computer, which allows you to plan a different weekly app. Makes it increchallenging to share across platforms and family members.
For the price, it is definitely a no go.
Examples:
1. their search feature doesn’t work. I can’t search for a word in a recipe title nor an ingredient nor a keyword and have it bring up a complete list of recipes (though it seems to bring up 2 or 3). That seems like a basic necessity, but it hasn’t been fixed.
2. Data doesn’t sync between devices. If I plan a weekly menu in the app, it won’t show up on the computer, which allows you to plan a different weekly app. Makes it increchallenging to share across platforms and family members.
For the price, it is definitely a no go.
AVOID - consider Recipe Keeper
Like many others, really enjoyed (for quite some time) then BAM! Co$t -ANNUALLY!?! And for what? Absolutely no improvements. POOR POOR business model given all the options out there. It’s worth time (& it.takes.time.) to manually move your recipes over (helps of course if u captured the URL’s along the way - and they’re still working) to DUMP this app. So freeing!
Goodbye Pepperplate, Hello CookBook
I’ve been a Pepperplate user for about 10 years. It was good at the time but I don’t think they’ve added any new features in the meantime, except a $2 per month subscription, which they said would help them develop new features. Boy did they have me going there for a while. There are so many better options, which ironically have lower price tags. Don’t bother with this app!
Abandoned
Doesn’t even open anymore, it seems the developers just abandoned this after their attempt at imposing a subscription
Nope
App hung. Web site was difficult to use and ineffective.
Look out!
I had the app a long time for free and loaded many recipes. It was FREE…no trial! Then out of the blue, they sent me an email saying my trial period was up. I never was informed it was a trial period to begin with and I had it for years! They then held my recipes. I had to go in like I was subscribing and there was a link to export my recipes (not in the format I prefer, nor are there any pictures) It was totally shady and I do not deal with shady people or companies! I deleted the app and I wouldn’t suggest them to anyone! Beware!
Another obnoxious subscription model
No
No thanks
App removed after cannot update and saved recipes are gone.
Paying $2.99 a month
For an app that no longer allows you to print or email.
Goodbye
This was my favorite recipe app. I was fine paying for the subscription at first due to convenience and in hopes they would further improve their app, but after months of waiting, nothing. All I really wanted was a search function to search for recipes. Goodbye, switching to Paprika.
Horrible app
Without warning they decided to charge for this stupid app??
Way to go!!!
Way to go!!!
Pushing subscription
I been using this up around 8 years and it was free. Now they decided to charge monthly subscription of $2.99 for it and they kept your recipes hostage. Disappointing!!! There so much better and free apps there! Deleting it!
Used to love this app
Used this app all the time and have all my recipes on it. It was a free app for a long time and then they decided to start charging a monthly subscription fee so will move to another app. Would have considered paying a one time fee to use but a monthly subscription for a lifetime seems extremely excessive and greedy. Functionality of the app was great, but cost to keep and use is too much. Will look for something more cost effective.
Be careful
I personally don’t mind paying app if I really like it, but I don’t like people forcing me to subscribe. All my recipes are in hostage. I am switching out. I will subscribe for a month copy all my own recipes I recorded then cancel my subscription.
Was a great free app, but not worth paying for.
This was my go to app for all my recipes, which are now hostage due to your charging either a monthly or yearly fee. NOPE!! Luckily I still keep all my paper copies. Will look at Paprika which seem to be a favorite from the people leaving you. I would guess if you want back a a free version and offer special features on a paid version you would jump up to a 5 star rating.
No longer my favorite app
I’ve had this recipe app for a couple of years and loved it! No longer! It was free when I started using it but now I have to pay for it. Not a smooth move, Pepperplate! I’ll be deleting this app and finding another.
Same complaints as everyone else
A great app that I used regularly, and I can even understand their need to have a fee to cover costs. But $36 is ridiculous when there are tons of free options out there. I have them the benefit of the doubt the first year and there wasn’t a SINGLE change to the app. Nothing. So instead I spent 10 hours manually transferring my recipes over to another server. Ridiculous that they took a great product and instead of being reasonable and charging for more recipe space or the planner function or even a reasonable yearly fee, they ruined it by being greedy
Cannot remember Password.
Need help to login.
Argh!!
After using this app for years (for free!) the developer decides that they want to charge a subscription fee of $2.99 PER MONTH! It is not as if the app is finding the best recipes for you or making suggestions of meals, it is simply a storage of the recipes you enter into it. This is outrageous! I would have been happy to pay an annual fee of $2.99 but certainly not monthly. Luckily, my iPad was not on WiFi and I am able to access all my recipes and transfer them onto another app. Argh!
What Changed!!!
I used to love this app. It worked perfectly. Now when I open my recipe, the picture disappears and I gave to reload it if I want to see it. This happens even though I have gone to the online site and synchronized. Probably going to cancel my subscription. I don’t mind paying for it IF IT WORKS!!!!
UGH. Lost a customer
Yep... same as everyone else. Now its a must pay app. Can’t even access recipes. Refuse to pay for this. Will be leaving and going elsewhere. Used to use this app a lot. Sad!
Do not subscribe!!
I have been using and loved for 8 years. With NO warning I now have to pay to even access my recipes on the app. So Christmas Day I signed up because all my holiday recipes are needed. Just now exporting my recipes and trying to cancel. THEY MAKE it close to IMPOSSIBLE to unsubscribe. I’m waiting to hear back because nowhere, website or app can I cancel my subscription that I never wanted in the first place!! Ugh
Was free, not anymore
I DO NOT LIKE COMPANIES THAT DO THIS!
Do I understand that they need to charge money to keep the business going? Yes.
Do I understand that they replace what was once a free application with a now you have to pay for it to even use get access to your documents? Absolutely not! (And yes, I have gone to the website and downloaded my saved recipes.)
There could have been several different ways that they could of handled this. Keep the free app available for a short time and offer the paid subscription as another separate application. After the short amount of time the free app would no longer get updates and it would of been put to end of life, removing the app from the App Store and leaving the paid application available. People that already downloaded the free app would continue to be able to use it but after a certain number of iOS updates it would stop working due to incompatibles. The recipes for the free app could also be saved locally on the device instead of having to go through a web service.
-or-
Keep the subscription service as an available purchase in the app but limit the number of recipes that someone can enter for free.
Do I understand that they need to charge money to keep the business going? Yes.
Do I understand that they replace what was once a free application with a now you have to pay for it to even use get access to your documents? Absolutely not! (And yes, I have gone to the website and downloaded my saved recipes.)
There could have been several different ways that they could of handled this. Keep the free app available for a short time and offer the paid subscription as another separate application. After the short amount of time the free app would no longer get updates and it would of been put to end of life, removing the app from the App Store and leaving the paid application available. People that already downloaded the free app would continue to be able to use it but after a certain number of iOS updates it would stop working due to incompatibles. The recipes for the free app could also be saved locally on the device instead of having to go through a web service.
-or-
Keep the subscription service as an available purchase in the app but limit the number of recipes that someone can enter for free.
Too much money for 0 upgrades
I’ve used Pepperplate for years and love it. I would gladly pay a one time fee to keep this app but $2.99 a month for a glorified recipe box is ridiculous.
Recipe thieves!
It used to be free, then they started charging $3/mo. I couldn’t get access to any of my recipes until paying the ransom. If you’re going to start charging, at least let me get all my recipes and make a decision whether or not to continue to use the app and pay!
Export your recipes without paying for a subscription
Update 4: So Pepperplate updates the now-subscription app with “bug fixes” following months of complaints, and that resets the rating from 1.4 stars to 5 stars because all the previous ratings are now effectively ignored. How bogus. Apple should not allow this to happen.
Update 3: Don’t pay a month’s subscription just to get your recipes! Logon to your account through the Pepperplate website (not the app) and click on “export recipes.” This will save all your recipes in a zip file on your computer or tablet. There are apps that will import your recipes, such as Paprika.
Update 2: If you were caught off guard and can’t get your recipes out of the app, see the update below.
Update: For those of you unable to get your recipes from the app, try accessing them via Pepperplate’s website. At the bottom of the page, it should say “export” or something similar. Use this to export your recipes in a zip file and save them. Then find a new recipe app (I use Paprika) which will allow you to import your recipes from the zip file.
This app was always so-so at best. It would rarely import recipes from most sites, so users had to manually import recipes, which was both time consuming and annoying. The app hasn’t been updated for 4 years. Then in late January 2020, they sent users an email saying they were switching from free to a paid subscription of $3 a month. A one time fee is one thing. Paying monthly forever is another. Easy math tells you it only takes 3 years to be out $100. And all the app did was store recipes the users put into it. That’s it. I exported my recipes from Pepperplate into a zip file from their website. Then I paid a $5 one time fee to buy the Paprika app. The Paprika app allows you to easily import the recipes from the Pepperplate zip file. Paprika also quickly and easily imports recipes from websites, something Pepperplate always struggled with. Paprika is working great so far. My only complaint with Paprika is the import took out the numbering of steps in the recipe directions, but it left in the carriage returns between steps, so that’s not a deal breaker for me. I suspect Pepperplate is not going to get enough subscribers to remain in existence. Thus, all users need to download their Pepperplate recipes in a zip file and save them before the app goes (deservedly) belly-up.
Update 3: Don’t pay a month’s subscription just to get your recipes! Logon to your account through the Pepperplate website (not the app) and click on “export recipes.” This will save all your recipes in a zip file on your computer or tablet. There are apps that will import your recipes, such as Paprika.
Update 2: If you were caught off guard and can’t get your recipes out of the app, see the update below.
Update: For those of you unable to get your recipes from the app, try accessing them via Pepperplate’s website. At the bottom of the page, it should say “export” or something similar. Use this to export your recipes in a zip file and save them. Then find a new recipe app (I use Paprika) which will allow you to import your recipes from the zip file.
This app was always so-so at best. It would rarely import recipes from most sites, so users had to manually import recipes, which was both time consuming and annoying. The app hasn’t been updated for 4 years. Then in late January 2020, they sent users an email saying they were switching from free to a paid subscription of $3 a month. A one time fee is one thing. Paying monthly forever is another. Easy math tells you it only takes 3 years to be out $100. And all the app did was store recipes the users put into it. That’s it. I exported my recipes from Pepperplate into a zip file from their website. Then I paid a $5 one time fee to buy the Paprika app. The Paprika app allows you to easily import the recipes from the Pepperplate zip file. Paprika also quickly and easily imports recipes from websites, something Pepperplate always struggled with. Paprika is working great so far. My only complaint with Paprika is the import took out the numbering of steps in the recipe directions, but it left in the carriage returns between steps, so that’s not a deal breaker for me. I suspect Pepperplate is not going to get enough subscribers to remain in existence. Thus, all users need to download their Pepperplate recipes in a zip file and save them before the app goes (deservedly) belly-up.
No tech support
I’ve been a loyal user for years. I accepted the subscription requirement with the expectation there would be tech support. There has been minimal improvements and the interface is the same. For $$$, I have high expectations. Too bad pepperpkate couldn’t meet them. I switched to paprika and I lovvvvvve the service. Do yourself a favor and switch.
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Sentiment summary
42%
Positive (4-5★)
14%
Neutral (3★)
44%
Negative (1-2★)