Mela Alternative: A Free Recipe Saver That Works Everywhere
Mela is a beautifully designed recipe manager, and people who live inside the Apple ecosystem love it. Its main limitation is exactly that ecosystem: it is built for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and syncs through iCloud. If you use Windows, Android, or you just want to save recipes right in your browser, you end up looking for an alternative.
Here is how Mela compares to a free, browser-based option.
Mela vs Gratly at a glance
| Mela | Gratly | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, Mac) | Any computer running Chrome |
| Price | One-time unlock | Free to start |
| How you save | In-app | One click on any page |
| Clean recipe view | Yes | Yes |
| Cook mode | Yes | Yes (screen stays on) |
| Timers from the steps | Yes | Auto-detected, tap to start |
| Serving scaling | Yes | Yes |
Where Mela wins
Mela has a polished, native Apple experience and a one-time price with no subscription. If all your devices are Apple and you want a dedicated app, Mela is lovely.
Where Gratly wins
Gratly is not tied to any ecosystem. It is a browser extension for Chrome, Edge and Brave, so it works on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Chromebooks, anywhere you run one of them. It is free to start, and instead of opening an app to import, you clean and save a recipe in one click right on the page you are reading. You get the same clean recipe, a cook mode that keeps your screen on, and timers pulled from the steps.
Who should pick which
- Pick Mela if you are all-in on Apple devices and want a native app you buy once.
- Pick Gratly if you want a free, cross-platform option that works in your browser without buying or opening anything first.
FAQ
Is Mela on Windows or Android? Mela is built for Apple devices. For Windows, Android, or Chromebook, a browser-based tool like Gratly is the better fit.
Is Gratly free? Saving and cleaning recipes is free, and so are this week's meal plan and shopping lists. Planning further ahead and most AI features are on paid plans.
Try the cross-platform option
Add Gratly to Chrome for free and save clean recipes on any computer, no ecosystem required. Compare more options: Paprika alternative.
Still deciding? See the best free recipe organizer apps for a side-by-side of every option with a real free tier.