Meals Hub works, but it's not for every Mealime user

If you already opened Meals Hub and are wondering whether to bother, you are not the only one. Plenty of Mealime users try it, poke around for a few minutes, and go looking for something else the same week, even though nothing is technically stopping them from using it.

Do I need to shop at an Albertsons store to use Meals Hub?

No. Mealime’s closing page says directly: “Meals Hub can still work for you. You can still browse recipes, create meal plans, and generate shopping lists from Meals Hub, even if you’re unable to shop at an Albertsons Cos. store.” We checked this on September 22, 2026, and it still says the same thing.

So availability is not the real reason people skip it. Meals Hub lives inside Albertsons Companies store apps (Safeway, Vons and Jewel-Osco are among them), and you can use those features without ever placing an order there.

So why are people looking past it anyway?

Because using it is not the same as wanting to. Meals Hub carries Mealime’s own recipes and Mealime says it is free, including everything that used to sit behind Mealime Pro. What it does not carry over is the app itself: it is not a standalone meal planner, it is a feature inside a grocery retailer’s app, and Mealime says you will find it by tapping “More,” then “Meals Hub,” rather than opening straight to it.

That framing is the sticking point for a lot of former Mealime users, based on what they say on Reddit. The complaints are not about the recipes. They are about starting over inside an app built for a different job: setting dietary preferences up again, a smaller set of serving sizes, and no dedicated calendar view in some places, according to Plan to Eat’s review of Meals Hub (a competitor’s take, so worth trying yourself). If the reason you used Mealime was that it felt like your own app rather than a store’s, that feeling does not travel to Meals Hub.

What are Mealime users choosing instead?

Mostly one of three things. People who want recipes handed to them and a grocery list built automatically, without a store attached, are looking at apps like WeeknightBite. People who already have their own recipe collection are moving to Paprika or Plan to Eat, which are built around organizing recipes you bring yourself rather than supplying them. And some are staying with Meals Hub anyway, because they already shop at one of those stores and free is free.

We compare all of them, including Meals Hub, side by side with sources and dates, in Mealime alternatives compared: 12 apps for busy families. If you have not saved your Mealime recipes yet, do that first regardless of where you land: our guide to the shutdown and how to export what you actually cook both cover it, and Mealime’s share links stop working once its servers close on October 21.

Frequently asked questions

Is Meals Hub really free?

Yes, according to Mealime’s closing page, including the recipes that used to require Mealime Pro. It also says new recipe content and themes are added regularly.

Do my Mealime settings carry over to Meals Hub automatically?

No. Mealime’s FAQ says certain preferences and settings need to be set up again directly inside Meals Hub after you sign in to an Albertsons Companies store app.

Is Meals Hub a separate app I need to download?

No. It is a feature inside the Albertsons Companies store apps (Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco and others), reached by tapping “More” and then “Meals Hub.” There is also a web version through Albertsons store websites.

If I skip Meals Hub, where should I go instead?

It depends on what you want. Mealime alternatives compared: 12 apps for busy families walks through recipe-included apps like WeeknightBite against bring-your-own-recipes apps like Paprika and Plan to Eat, with the same sourcing we use here.