Families look for an eMeals alternative for a few common reasons: they don't want to put a card down for a trial, they don't want to prepay $59.99 for a year, or one set menu per plan doesn't work for the people at their table. Here are the options worth knowing in 2026, free and paid.
*Disclosure: we make DinnerDrop, the first option below. Prices are from each company's site in October 2026 and can change.*
Quick comparison
| Price | Card to start | Who picks the dinners | Grocery handoff | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **eMeals** | $59.99/yr or $37.50/quarter | Yes | eMeals' plan menu (7 a week) | Walmart, Kroger, Instacart and more |
| **DinnerDrop** | Free; Family $4.99/mo or $39/yr | No | Built for your family; everyone can vote by text | Instacart (any store on it), Kroger cart |
| **Plan to Eat** | $5.95/mo or $49/yr | Free trial | You | List only |
| **Paprika** | One-time purchase per platform | No | You | List only |
| **Samsung Food** | Free; Food+ $6.99/mo | No | You, or its suggestions | Varies by partner |
| **Meal kits** | Per serving, usually much more | Yes | Kit menu | Delivered box |
1. DinnerDrop: free, built around your family
DinnerDrop plans five weeknight dinners around your family's size, budget, cook time, allergies and each person's dislikes. You can set a weekly mix (say, 2 chicken, 1 beef, 1 fish). It builds one combined grocery list and opens it in your Instacart cart in one tap, at any store on Instacart.
What's different from eMeals: it's free with no card; the optional Family plan is $4.99 month to month; everyone in the house can vote on the week's dinners by text; a fridge photo turns into dinners you can make tonight; and it compares your list's cost across stores.
Trade-offs: a smaller library (1,100+ recipes, growing every night), no Walmart yet, and no native Android app yet.
Switching from eMeals? Type the dinners your family loved at dinnerdrop.app/emeals. DinnerDrop writes its own version of each one, sized for your family. Code EMEALS adds 3 months of Family free.
2. Plan to Eat: for recipe collectors
Best if you already have recipes you love on blogs and want to drag them onto a calendar yourself. It imports from almost any recipe site and builds a list. No AI planning and no cart handoff.
3. Paprika: pay once
A recipe manager with a planner and grocery list, bought once per platform. Great for organized cooks who don't want a subscription. You do all the planning.
4. Samsung Food: free recipe saving
Free recipe saving and planning, with a paid Food+ tier for personalized plans. Shopping partners vary by region.
5. Meal kits
HelloFresh, Home Chef and others remove the planning and the shopping, but cost much more per serving than groceries. A good fit for a busy season, not usually for feeding a family of five every week.
How to choose
- Want it free, and built for your family's tastes? DinnerDrop.
- Have your own recipe collection? Plan to Eat or Paprika.
- Shop at Walmart and like a big catalog? eMeals may still be your best fit. Read our eMeals review.
See the full DinnerDrop vs eMeals comparison.
*eMeals is a trademark of eMeals, Inc. DinnerDrop is not affiliated with or endorsed by eMeals.*
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