The Gourmet Host vs Plan to Eat: Which Mobile App Fits Your Kitchen?

Table of Contents

Plan to Eat has been the default meal planning app for home cooks since 2017 — clip recipes from the web, drag them onto a calendar, auto-generate a grocery list.

The Gourmet Host Mobile App does all of that: recipes from leading publishers and the open web, meal planning, and shareable grocery lists.

The Gourmet Host also handles guest invitations with RSVP and dietary tracking, task delegation, and cost splitting — so the same app that organizes Tuesday’s weeknight dinner runs Saturday’s dinner party without switching tools.

Quick Verdict

Recipe management — both save, organize, and search recipes; Plan to Eat uses a browser clipper, The Gourmet Host features 500+ premium recipes from Food & Wine, EatingWell, Serious Eats, Real Simple, and other leading publishers plus internet-wide search
Meal planning — both have weekly calendar views; Plan to Eat uses drag-and-drop, The Gourmet Host builds course-based menus tied to specific events
Grocery lists — both auto-generate from plans; Plan to Eat’s list is personal and store-aisle organized, The Gourmet Host’s is grouped by meal and recipe
Task lists — Plan to Eat has no task delegation; The Gourmet Host lets you assign and track tasks across co-hosts and guests (buy ingredients, bring wine, set the playlist)
Guest management — Plan to Eat has none; The Gourmet Host includes invitations, RSVP tracking, and automatic dietary restriction collection
Cost splitting — Plan to Eat has none; The Gourmet Host tracks per-event expenses and splits costs across guests
Pricing — Plan to Eat is $5.95/mo or $49.99/yr ($54.99 from the App Store) with no free tier; The Gourmet Host is $4.99/mo or $29.99/yr with a free tier and 7-day trial
Bottom line — Plan to Eat handles the cooking workflow. The Gourmet Host handles the cooking and the hosting workflow — recipes, grocery lists, invitations, dietary tracking, and cost splitting in one place.

Features: Recipes, Meal Planning, Grocery Lists, and Hosting

Both apps handle the daily cooking workflow: recipe storage, meal planning, and grocery lists. Plan to Eat focuses exclusively on that workflow and has refined it over 15 years.

The Gourmet Host covers the same ground — features 500+ premium recipes from Food & Wine, EatingWell, Serious Eats, Real Simple, and other leading publishers plus the open web, meal planning by course, and auto-generated grocery lists — and layers in guest invitations via app, email, and SMS, RSVP tracking with dietary preference collection, task delegation across co-hosts and guests, and per-event cost splitting.

Plan to Eat:

Browser extension and in-app share import recipes from most food blogs and recipe sites
Recipes stored in a searchable book organized by tags, courses, and custom categories
Drag-and-drop meal planning calendar with prep reminders and freezer meal tracking
Grocery list auto-generates from your meal plan and organizes items by store aisle
Custom store categories let you match the list layout to your local grocery store
Staple items list for recurring purchases that don’t come from recipes
Separate lists for different stores (e.g., meat at one shop, produce at another)
Account sharing via shared login — no separate family plan or per-seat pricing
Nutritional data and macro tracking available on all saved recipes
No guest invitations, RSVP tracking, dietary restriction collection, or cost splitting

The Gourmet Host:

Features 500+ premium recipes from Food & Wine, EatingWell, Serious Eats, Real Simple, and other leading publishers on day one
Native recipe search powered by Google spans the internet beyond the built-in library
Create recipes from scratch, duplicate and customize existing ones, save into organized collections
Menu planning organized by course (appetizer, main, side, dessert) within specific events
Grocery list auto-generates from menus tied to a meal or added directly from a recipe
Task assignments where co-hosts and guests can collaboratively view and check off items in real time
Guest invitations with RSVP tracking and integrated dietary restriction collection
Per-event cost splitting tied to your guest list — no spreadsheets or separate apps
Guests without the app can view the menu and RSVP through a web link

Feature comparison table — pricing verified as of April 2026.

Feature	The Gourmet Host	Plan to Eat
Recipe import from web	Native search + save from 500+ sources	Browser extension + in-app share
Recipe creation	Yes — from scratch, duplicate, customize	Yes — manual entry
Recipe organization	Collections by course, cuisine, diet, occasion	Tags, courses, custom categories
Meal planning	Calendar view with course-based menus	Drag-and-drop calendar
Grocery list	Auto-generated from menus	Auto-generated from meal plan
Guest invitations / RSVPs	Built-in with dietary tracking	No
Cost splitting	Per-event expense tracking	No
Free tier	Yes — 500+ premium recipes included	No — 14-day trial only
Pricing	$4.99/mo or $29.99/yr	$5.95/mo or $54.99/yr

Pricing

Plan to Eat:

$5.95 per month or $49 per year — works out to $4.08/month on the annual plan
14-day free trial with full feature access, no payment information required
Apple App Store price is $54.99/year due to Apple’s processing fee — subscribing at plantoeat.com saves $5
No free tier after the trial ends — subscription required to access any features
One subscription covers all devices in the household via shared login

The Gourmet Host:

Free tier includes access to 500+ premium recipes with no time limit
$4.99 per month or $29.99 per year with a 7-day free trial
Premium unlocks the full workflow: menu building, shared grocery and task lists, guest invitations via app/email/SMS, RSVP and dietary tracking, and cost splitting
Available on iOS and Android
One subscription covers recipes, meal planning, grocery lists, invitations, dietary tracking, and cost splitting — no need for separate apps as your cooking grows into hosting

Plan to Eat is strong value for a focused meal planning tool at $49/year. The Gourmet Host covers meal planning plus hosting at $29.99/year — and includes a permanent free tier that Plan to Eat does not offer.

The real cost comparison depends on how many apps you use alongside Plan to Eat. If you currently pay for Plan to Eat ($49/year) and also use invitations and cost splitting apps to coordinate guests and split costs, The Gourmet Host replaces all of them at a single $29.99/year subscription.

If you only meal plan and never host, Plan to Eat’s per-store list segmentation and mature recipe clipper are worth the price on their own.

Which App Should You Choose?

Choose Plan to Eat if:

Your primary need is weekly meal planning for your household
You want a proven recipe clipper refined over 15+ years
You prefer customizing grocery categories to match your local store’s layout
You value per-store list segmentation for shopping at multiple locations
You don’t host dinner parties or gatherings regularly

Choose The Gourmet Host if:

You cook during the week and host on weekends
You want recipes, shared grocery and task lists, invitations with dietary tracking, and cost splitting in one app
You need dietary restrictions collected from guests before you finalize the menu
You want a built-in recipe library to start with, not an empty book to fill over months
You’re currently using Plan to Eat plus a group text and invite tool for guest coordination

Plan to Eat is a focused meal planner. The Gourmet Host handles the same daily cooking and grows with you into hosting — recipes, grocery lists, invitations, dietary tracking, and cost splitting in one place.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Plan to Eat cost?

Plan to Eat costs $5.95 per month or $49 per year, with a 14-day free trial that requires no payment information. The Apple App Store version is $54.99 per year due to Apple’s processing fee. There is no free tier beyond the trial period.

Can Plan to Eat import recipes from websites?

Yes — Plan to Eat includes a browser extension and in-app share feature that imports recipes from most food blogs and recipe sites. The importer captures ingredients, instructions, and photos. It works across Chrome, Safari, iOS, and Android.

Does Plan to Eat have a free version?

No — Plan to Eat offers a 14-day free trial with full access to all features but requires a paid subscription after the trial ends. There is no permanently free tier with limited features.

Can I share Plan to Eat with my family?

Plan to Eat allows account sharing by sharing login credentials with household members. All devices sync recipes, meal plans, and grocery lists automatically. There is no separate family plan or per-seat pricing.

Is Plan to Eat good for hosting dinner parties?

Plan to Eat handles recipe storage, meal planning, and grocery lists well, but it has no features for guest invitations, RSVP tracking, or cost splitting. The Gourmet Host covers the same meal planning and grocery list workflow and layers in guest invitations, dietary preference collection, task delegation, and per-event cost splitting without switching apps.

What is the best Plan to Eat alternative?

The best alternative depends on what you need beyond meal planning. For recipe-focused organization, Paprika offers a one-time purchase. For an all-in-one tool that adds hosting and guest management to meal planning, The Gourmet Host covers both daily cooking and entertaining.