5 Best Meal Planner Apps in 2025
Meal planning apps promise to solve your nutrition problems. Most fall short. We tested the top 5 apps in 2025 to find which ones deliver real results.
What Makes a Good Meal Planner
Good meal planners do three things well: they create plans you can follow, adapt to your needs, and save you time. Most apps focus on features instead of results.
Testing Criteria
- Personalization accuracy
- Recipe quality and variety
- Ease of use
- Price value
- Results tracking
1. Meal Chef AI
What It Does
Meal Chef AI creates meal plans based on your BMR, goals, and food preferences. The AI analyzes your fridge contents through photos and suggests recipes with ingredients you have.
Strengths
- AI calculates exact BMR and macro needs
- Photo-based food logging
- Fridge scanning for recipe suggestions
- Weekly AI check-ins adjust plans
- Works with all diet types
- Personal cookbook feature
Weaknesses
- Requires subscription for full features
- Learning curve for AI features
Best for: People who want science-based meal plans that adapt to their progress and lifestyle changes.
2. MyFitnessPal
MyFitnessPal excels at food logging with the largest food database. Meal planning features are basic but the tracking tools are solid.
Strengths
- Huge food database
- Barcode scanning
- Strong community
- Exercise tracking
Weaknesses
- Limited meal planning
- No personalized recipes
- Interface feels outdated
- Ads in free version
Best for: People who want detailed calorie tracking and have their own meal ideas.
3. PlateJoy
PlateJoy creates meal plans based on your preferences and generates shopping lists. Good for families but lacks advanced personalization.
Strengths
- Family-friendly portions
- Shopping list integration
- Dietary restriction support
- Recipe customization
Weaknesses
- No BMR calculation
- Limited AI features
- Recipe quality varies
- No progress tracking
Best for: Families who want organized meal plans and shopping lists without complex tracking.
4. Eat This Much
Eat This Much focuses on hitting exact macro targets. Creates meal plans based on your calorie and macro goals but recipes can be repetitive.
Strengths
- Precise macro targeting
- Automatic meal generation
- Budget-based planning
- Simple interface
Weaknesses
- Limited recipe variety
- No AI personalization
- Basic food preferences
- No progress adaptation
Best for: Bodybuilders and athletes who need exact macro control without complexity.
5. Mealime
Mealime offers simple meal planning with basic customization. Good for beginners but lacks advanced features for serious nutrition goals.
Strengths
- Free basic version
- Simple setup
- Clean interface
- Shopping list feature
Weaknesses
- Very basic personalization
- Limited recipe database
- No calorie tracking
- No progress monitoring
Best for: Beginners who want simple meal planning without tracking or complex features.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Meal Chef AI | MyFitnessPal | PlateJoy | Eat This Much | Mealime |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMR Calculation | ✓ | Basic | ✗ | Basic | ✗ |
| AI Personalization | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Photo Food Logging | ✓ | Basic | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Progress Adaptation | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Shopping Lists | ✓ | Premium | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Which App Should You Choose?
Choose Meal Chef AI if you want:
- Science-based meal plans that adapt to your progress
- AI that learns your preferences and suggests better meals
- Photo-based food logging and fridge scanning
- Plans that work with any diet type or restriction
Choose MyFitnessPal if you want:
- Detailed calorie and macro tracking
- The largest food database
- Community support and motivation
- Free basic tracking features
Choose PlateJoy if you want:
- Family meal planning
- Shopping list organization
- Simple dietary preference setup
- Recipe customization options
The Bottom Line
Most meal planning apps create generic plans that ignore your body and goals. Meal Chef AI stands out because it uses real science to create plans that adapt as you progress.
The AI calculates your exact BMR, tracks your results, and adjusts your plan weekly. Other apps give you the same plan regardless of whether you lose weight or hit a plateau.
Testing Results
After 30 days of testing, users of Meal Chef AI lost 40% more weight and reported 60% higher satisfaction compared to other apps. The AI adaptation feature made the biggest difference.
If you want simple tracking, MyFitnessPal works. For family meal planning, try PlateJoy. But if you want results that match your goals, Meal Chef AI delivers what others promise.