MásGusto

About MásGusto

I switched to MásGusto after RecipeBox started pushing their “Pro” version hard, locking basic features like saving more than ten recipes behind a paywall. I saw MásGusto had a crazy high rating and was totally free, so I figured I’d give it a shot. My first test was a Wednesday after work. I was tired, the fridge was empty, and I just couldn’t face another decision. I opened the app and it immediately asked me what I was in the mood for—quick, healthy, cheap, or something new. Picking “cheap and quick” actually gave me recipes I had most of the stuff for already. It didn’t just dump a fancy chef’s recipe on me; it felt practical from the first click.

Features & Highlights

The smart grocery list is the main reason I haven’t deleted this app. You pick your recipes for the week, hit a button, and it makes one list. But it’s not just a list—it groups everything by category like “Produce” or “Canned Goods.” Last Saturday at the grocery store, I realized I wasn’t running back to aisle 3 for that one forgotten onion. It saved me a solid 10 minutes of frustration. I also love the “Cook Mode” that keeps your screen on. I made a stir-fry last week and didn’t have to keep tapping my phone with greasy fingers to see the next step. The recipe suggestions feel weirdly accurate after you use it for a few weeks. It started noticing I always pick pasta on Mondays and suggested a new garlic shrimp linguine that was a hit.

User Experience

It’s clean and simple on my iPhone 15 Pro. The pictures look like food people actually cooked in their kitchens, not like a magazine shoot, which makes me believe I can make it. Browsing is fast, no lag. My one gripe is with the search. If I type “chicken tacos,” it shows me recipes with “chicken” and “tacos,” but also weirdly suggests a chicken salad that uses taco seasoning. It’s not bad, just not exactly what I wanted. Scrolling through the main feed can sometimes feel a bit same-y, but hitting the “Surprise Me” button has led to some fun dinners.

Pricing

This is where MásGusto really won me over. It’s free. No “premium trial,” no locked recipe collections, no subscription nagging. I’ve been using it for over a month, waiting for the other shoe to drop, and it hasn’t. There are small banner ads at the bottom of some screens, but they’ve never interrupted me mid-recipe. For a budget person like me, getting this much utility without even a hint of a paywall feels almost too good to be true. It does everything my old paid app wanted money for.

Updates & Support

I had an issue where a recipe’s timer kept going off even after I dismissed it. Annoying when you’re trying to relax after dinner. I used the help chat in the app. The first automated reply was generic, asking me to restart my phone. I replied that I already did, and then… radio silence for two days. Finally, I got a real person who said they’d “look into it.” That was three weeks ago. The app itself hasn’t crashed, and an update last week added a bunch of slow-cooker recipes which was cool, but that support experience left a sour taste. I don’t feel like there’s a strong team behind the curtain if I really need help.

Security & Privacy

I got it from the official App Store. The privacy policy is linked in the settings. It says it collects data on what recipes I view and save to “improve recommendations.” That’s pretty standard, and I’m okay with it because it makes the app better for me. It doesn’t ask for weird permissions like my contacts or location. I feel it’s as safe as any other free app that needs to know a bit about how I use it to function properly.