We make Recipe Spellbook, so read this with that in mind. It says plainly where Crouton is the better choice, and every fact about Crouton is dated and linked to where it came from.
Crouton is a polished recipe manager for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Vision Pro. It is free to download, with a one-time Crouton Plus unlock at $24.99 and an optional Discover subscription at $14.99 a year (App Store, October 2026). Recipe Spellbook also runs on Android, Windows and Linux, has no subscription, and one $6.99 Premium purchase covers every device. It reads Crouton's export file, so you can bring your recipes along.
How much do Recipe Spellbook and Crouton cost?
Crouton prices as of October 2026, from the in-app purchases on its US App Store listing.
| Recipe Spellbook | Crouton | |
|---|---|---|
| Free to download | Yes, with no recipe limit | Yes |
| One-time unlock | Premium, $6.99, for every device | Crouton Plus, $24.99 |
| Subscription | None | Optional: Discover, $14.99 a year or $1.99 a month |
| Android, Windows, Linux | Included in the same purchase | Not available |
How do the features compare?
Crouton features as of October 2026, from crouton.app and its App Store listing.
| Feature | Recipe Spellbook | Crouton |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Android, iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows, Linux | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro |
| Sync | Cloud sync in Premium, with an account | iCloud, including your household |
| Save recipes from websites | Paste or share a link, including Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Pinterest | Paste a link |
| From a printed cookbook | Photograph the page, or scan the book's barcode to add it to your shelf | Scan ingredients and steps from the book |
| Import from other apps | Crouton, Paprika and 12 other recipe apps | Not listed on its site |
| Meal planner | Month, week or day | Weekly, and it can build a plan from your recipes |
| Shopping list | Sorted by aisle, pantry items left off, live sharing | Not listed on its site |
| Cooking | Cook mode with voice control, timers and scaling | Timers from the steps, scaling, metric and imperial conversion |
| Nutrition | Yes, with product barcode scanning | Not listed on its site |
| Data collection | No ads, analytics or crash tracking (privacy policy) | Contact info and identifiers linked to you; purchases and usage data not linked to you, per its App Store label |
Where is Crouton better?
- Deep in Apple's world. Apple Watch, Vision Pro, SharePlay and iCloud sync with your household. If everyone at home has an Apple device, it fits right in.
- Plans made for you. Crouton can generate a week's meal plan from the recipes you already have.
- A well-liked app. 4.8 stars from about 2,900 ratings on the US App Store, and recently updated.
- Unit conversion. Metric and imperial conversion is one of its listed features.
Where is Recipe Spellbook better?
- Every platform. Android, Windows and Linux as well as Apple devices, so a mixed household shares one book.
- Less to pay, once. $6.99 once for Premium on every device, against $24.99 for Crouton Plus, and no subscription tier.
- A built-in shopping list. Sorted by aisle, with pantry items left off and live lists you can share, free.
- More ways in. Social video links, photos, PDFs, 14 recipe app formats and an AI converter for anything odd.
- Nothing watching. No ads, analytics or crash tracking, as the privacy policy says.
How do I switch from Crouton?
- Export from Crouton as a
.crumbfile. - Move the file to the device you will import on, for example by AirDrop or iCloud Drive.
- In Recipe Spellbook, tap +, then File, and pick the export. Ingredient sections are kept.
- Review and import. Untick anything you do not want, then tap Import.
Every format the app reads is in the import guide.
FAQ
Is there a Crouton alternative for Android and Windows?
Yes. Recipe Spellbook runs on Android, iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows and Linux. It is free with no recipe limit, and Premium is a one-time $6.99 purchase for every device. Crouton is only on Apple devices.
Can Recipe Spellbook import my Crouton recipes?
Yes. Export from Crouton as a .crumb file, then open it in Recipe Spellbook with + and File. Ingredient sections are kept.
Is Crouton a subscription?
Partly. As of October 2026 the App Store lists a one-time Crouton Plus purchase at $24.99 and an optional Discover subscription at $14.99 a year or $1.99 a month. Recipe Spellbook has no subscription; Premium is one purchase.
Can my household share recipes?
Yes, in both. Crouton syncs with your household through iCloud, so everyone needs an Apple device. Recipe Spellbook Premium shares cookbooks and a meal plan with up to five people on any platform, and live shopping lists can be shared for free.