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Seven Eat This Much Alternatives for Effortless Meal Planning (2025)

2025年7月16日 · 8 min

Seven Eat This Much Alternatives for Effortless Meal Planning (2025)

Eat This Much (ETM) pioneered algorithmic meal planning. Punch in calories and macros, set your diet style and let the app spit out daily menus complete with leftovers and grocery lists. For many, that’s magic—until you need more variety, family scaling, micronutrient control or a user interface that doesn’t feel circa 2014. In 2025 new planners leverage AI solvers, dynamic grocery integration and habit scoring that ETM never quite adopted.

This deep‑dive (over 2 000 words) explores seven robust Eat This Much alternatives, dissecting where they beat ETM—and where ETM still holds its ground. From automation monsters like Centenary Day to budget‑friendly recipe shufflers like Mealime, we logged meals, printed grocery lists and even stress‑tested Instacart exports for six weeks to bring you real‑world insights, not press‑release fluff.

Where Eat This Much Excels—and Where It Stumbles

  • Strengths: Full‑day algorithmic menus, leftover optimisation, Instacart and Amazon Fresh carts, cost‑per‑day slider, diet presets (keto to vegan), and accurate macro math.
  • Weaknesses: Outdated user interface, very limited micronutrient tracking (only calories + macros), no family profiles, recipe photo scarcity, and meal monotony beyond week three unless you pay for higher variety or manually curate dishes. No integration with sleep, workouts or lab metrics.

Quick‑Glance Comparison

AppCore strengthFree tier?Grocery exportFamily scalingAnnual cost*
Centenary DayRoutine + AI meal solverInstacart PDFUp to 5$89.04
PlateJoyDietitian‑curated varietyShipt, Instacart$99
Mealime Pro15‑min dinnersInstacart$59.99
eMealsOne‑tap Walmart cartWalmart, Kroger$59.99
Plan to EatRecipe organiser + calendarTrialCSV$39
Prepear GoldSocial recipe networkLimitedWalmart$119.99
Paprika 3One‑time purchase recipe boxEmail/PrintManual$29.99

*Annual cost reflects ad‑free plan billed yearly. PlateJoy groceries may include partner discount.

How to Pick Your Perfect Planner

Everybody’s friction differs. Use these questions to filter options:

  1. Need workouts and sleep in the same calendar? Centenary Day.
  2. Want chef‑tested, photo‑rich recipes? PlateJoy or Mealime.
  3. Prefer one‑tap supermarket pickup? eMeals (US) or PlateJoy (US/CA).
  4. Own 1 000 saved Pinterest recipes you’d like auto‑scheduled? Plan to Eat or Paprika.
  5. Crave a public food feed and community cook‑along? Prepear.
  6. Budget under $5/month? Plan to Eat or Paprika (one‑time).

Deep‑Dive Reviews

1. Centenary Day — Automation Beyond Menus

Centenary Day doesn’t stop at food. Onboarding asks about wake time, gym access, fasting preference, allergies and household eaters. Five minutes later you see a colour‑coded Weekly Routine grid: green meal blocks, red Zone‑2 runs, blue sauna sessions. The same LP solver ETM uses for macro balancing also minimises total prep minutes while meeting fibre, omega‑3 and glycaemic‑load constraints.

Family profiles? Tick. Each member’s calorie budget, allergies and dislikes feed into the solver and auto‑scale recipes. The grocery list groups items by perishability and flags shelf‑stable pantry stock, so you don’t buy cumin again if the jar isn’t empty.

Guideline stars (sleep, cardio, fibre, sugar) turn green, orange, grey depending on schedule adherence, making nutritional quality visible beyond macros. A mobile app pings cooking and workout reminders and streams three‑minute audio lessons summarising the science behind each guideline.

Pros

  • Combines meals, workouts, supplements, tasks in one interface—no app‑hopping.
  • Linear‑program solver minimises prep time while respecting macro and micronutrient targets.
  • Family tier scales up to five eaters, merges grocery carts, assigns chores.
  • Free forever tier ad‑free; Pro is $9/month billed monthly or $7.42 annually.

Cons

  • Recipe library (~8 k) smaller than PlateJoy or Prepear.
  • Instacart live export still beta—PDF workaround for now.

2. PlateJoy — Dietitian‑Curated Variety and Quality Photos

PlateJoy feels like a glossy magazine that knows your pantry. During sign‑up you tick appliances (Instant Pot, air fryer), diet style (Mediterranean, low‑FODMAP, keto) and spice comfort. PlateJoy then assigns you a weekly menu of chef‑tested recipes with macro breakdowns and high‑resolution photos—something ETM sorely lacks.

Leftovers can be toggled on/off; you can forbid repeat proteins within three days, and a Batch Cooking toggle groups recipes sharing ingredients (cook quinoa once, reuse thrice). Shipt and Instacart carts land pre‑filled, but you can also print a classic list if you shop old‑school.

Pros

  • Professionally tested recipes with beautiful step photos—reduces kitchen stress.
  • Batch‑cook smart grouping and variety constraints prevent monotony.
  • Diabetes and low‑FODMAP programs validated by dietitians.

Cons

  • No exercise or habit tracking.
  • Higher price than ETM when billed monthly.

3. Mealime Pro — Weeknight Saver for Quick Dinners

Mealime’s value proposition is speed. Recipes clock 15–30 minutes, minimal dishes, and smart ingredient reuse across the week. The free tier gives unlimited dinner plans; Pro ($59.99/yr) adds calorie/macros per serving, dietary filters (keto, pescatarian) and exclusive recipe packs.

Nifty: the grocery list collapses multiples (need 3 tbsp honey total) and sorts by store section. Instacart export works in US and Canada. Mealime doesn’t handle breakfast or lunch, so some users pair it with Cronometer or Centenary Day for full‑day planning.

Pros

  • Fast, tasty dinner recipes—no obscure ingredients.
  • Smart leftover planning for lunches.
  • Free tier ad‑free and generous.

Cons

  • Dinner‑only focus; need another app for full macros.
  • No family macro scaling beyond servings.

4. eMeals — One‑Tap Grocery Pickup in the US

eMeals bridges meal planning with big‑box grocery chains. Choose plans (Quick & Healthy, Budget, Paleo, Kid‑Friendly). Every Wednesday you get seven dinner recipes; swap dishes, then tap Shop Now to fill a Walmart or Kroger cart. Select pickup, drive through, done.

Nutrition details list calories and macros per serving, but no fibre or micronutrients. Breakfast/lunch add‑ons cost extra. Yet for busy families in the US, 10 minutes a week beats ETM’s time spent tweaking menus.

Pros

  • Seamless grocery integration with Walmart, Kroger, Amazon Fresh.
  • Family‑sized recipes, kid‑friendly options.
  • Seasonal plan rotation prevents boredom.

Cons

  • US‑only partners.
  • No breakfast/lunch macros unless you upgrade.

5. Plan to Eat — The Pinterest Import Powerhouse

If your grandmother’s lasagna lives on a dog‑eared index card—or your favourite meals hide in 200 Pinterest pins—Plan to Eat shines. The Recipe Clipper pulls ingredients and steps from any URL into your private cookbook. Drag recipes onto a calendar, set servings, print a grocery list. It’s basically a digital meal board; automation is minimal, but custom control unlimited.

Power users label recipes (winter, grill, 30 min) and build menus (groups of recipes) to drop onto future weeks. A 30‑day trial is free; then it’s $39/year or $4.95/month.

Pros

  • Own your recipe data—export anytime.
  • Clip from any website; manual entry snappy.
  • Cheapest subscription after Paprika’s one‑time fee.

Cons

  • No macro auto‑calc (relies on FatSecret API—hit or miss).
  • No direct grocery partners—CSV or print only.

6. Prepear Gold — Social Cooking Meets Meal Plans

Prepear blends a public cook feed (like Instagram for recipes) with structured meal plans from food bloggers and pros (Skinnytaste, Budget Bytes). Gold membership ($119.99/yr) removes ads, unlocks all cookbooks and exports grocery lists to Walmart.

Unique: interactive Prep Mode shows one step at a time with voice command “next” so sticky fingers stay off screens. Kids mode presents pictures only for pre‑readers.

Pros

  • Vibrant social feed—discover new meals.
  • Prep Mode voice commands reduce screen smudges.
  • Multiple cookbooks bundled for price of one.

Cons

  • Pricier than ETM yearly.
  • US grocery partner only.

7. Paprika 3 — The Offline Workhorse

Paprika isn’t cloud SaaS; it’s a one‑time $29.99 desktop/mobile app that stores recipes offline. A powerful parser imports from any site; a pantry module tracks staples; the meal planner drags recipes onto dates; grocery lists consolidate quantities. Sync across devices costs $4.99/year for cloud storage, but local backup works fine.

There’s zero automation—it’s DIY—but home cooks love the control and no subscription. Overseas travellers can open grocery lists without roaming data—ETM requires an internet connection.

Pros

  • One‑time purchase; no monthly bills.
  • Offline access ideal for remote areas.
  • Pantry inventory prevents duplicate buys.

Cons

  • No macro calculation unless manual.
  • No grocery delivery partners.

Pricing Snapshot (Ad‑Free Core Tier)

AppMonthly*AnnualInstacart / Walmart
Eat This Much Premium$11$108Instacart
Centenary Day Pro$9$89.04Instacart (beta)
PlateJoy$12$99Instacart, Shipt
Mealime Pro$5$59.99Instacart
eMeals$5$59.99Walmart, Amazon
Plan to Eat$4.95$39CSV only
Prepear Gold$12.99$119.99Walmart
Paprika 3$29.99Email/print

*Monthly assumes annual billing unless noted.

Feature Matrix

FeatureEat This MuchCentenaryPlateJoyMealimeeMeals
Full‑day menusBreakfast–DinnerDinner onlyDinner core
Leftover optimisationBatch cookAuto lunch
Micronutrient goals45 nutrientsMacros onlyMacros onlyMacros only
Family scalingSingle or doubleUp to 5
Workout integration
Ad‑free free tiern/a

FAQs

What is the best free alternative to Eat This Much?

Mealime’s free tier covers unlimited dinner plans and Instacart export. Centenary Day’s free tier offers one meal plan per user plus grocery PDF—great for testing.

Which planner automates both meals and workouts?

Centenary Day is the only one merging meal plans, workouts, supplements and lab reminders on a shared calendar.

Can I import my own recipes?

PlateJoy supports manual import; Plan to Eat and Paprika excel with web clippers; Centenary Day allows nutrition‑label paste to add customs to the solver.

Which alternative works offline?

Paprika 3 stores everything locally and only needs internet for recipe clipping; Plan to Eat has limited offline features via PWA.

Final Takeaway

Eat This Much remains a capable macro‑planner, but 2025 apps push further—folding in workouts, micronutrients, one‑tap grocery carts, social feeds and AI voice kitchens. Your choice depends on pain points: want everything automated? Try Centenary Day. Crave chef photos and variety? PlateJoy. Need fastest dinners? Mealime. Scroll back, match strengths to your lifestyle, and let the right planner outsource decision fatigue so you can spend evenings living—not spreadsheeting.

私たちと一緒に

Centenary Dayは単なる製品ではなく、運動です。健康をコントロールし、寿命を延ばし、他の人を感化することを決意した人々の成長するコミュニティです。

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