Meals Hub is free and carries all of Mealime’s recipes, built by the same core team. But it lives inside Albertsons-family grocery apps, needs a store account, and starts you from scratch: no saved recipes, plans, lists or settings come with you.
RecipesFinder is published by the team that makes FoodKeep, a recipe keeper for iPhone and iPad. We mention it where it is relevant and say plainly what it does not do.
What Meals Hub is
Albertsons Companies bought Mealime in 2021. On October 21, 2026 the Mealime app closes and its recipes continue in Meals Hub, a meal-planning section inside Albertsons’ own grocery apps and websites. According to Mealime’s closing announcement, Meals Hub is:
- Free, including the recipes that used to be Mealime Pro.
- Built by the same core team that developed Mealime’s recipes, with new recipes added regularly.
- Inside the store apps of Safeway, Albertsons, Vons, Jewel-Osco, ACME, Shaw’s, Tom Thumb, Randalls, Pavilions, Star Market, United Supermarkets, Haggen and Carrs, and on their websites.
- Usable without a nearby store. You can browse recipes, make meal plans and generate shopping lists even if you can’t shop at one of those stores.
There is no separate Meals Hub app from Albertsons. Apps in the App Store called “MealsHub” are unrelated.
Mealime vs Meals Hub at a glance
| Mealime | Meals Hub | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs until | October 21, 2026 | Ongoing |
| Price | Free; Pro features free for everyone until shutdown | Free |
| Where | Its own app and app.mealime.com | Inside Albertsons-family store apps and websites |
| Account | Mealime account | Albertsons-family store account |
| Recipes | Mealime collection | Mealime collection plus thousands more |
| Meal plans and shopping lists | Yes | Yes |
| Diet preferences | Yes, plus 10 allergy filters | Yes, set in your Meals Hub profile |
| Your saved recipes, plans, lists and settings | Deleted on October 21 | Not transferred; start again |
| Recipes you added yourself | Deleted on October 21 | Not transferred |
How to open Meals Hub
- Install the app of an Albertsons-family store near you (for example Safeway or Albertsons), or the one you already use.
- Create an account or sign in.
- Tap More in the bottom-right corner, then Meals Hub.
- Set your dietary preferences in your Meals Hub profile. Nothing comes over from Mealime, so do this first.
On a computer, Meals Hub is also available through the store websites.
Who Meals Hub suits, and who it doesn’t
It suits you if you cooked Mealime’s recipes as they were, you like being handed a plan, and you don’t mind using a grocery chain’s app.
Think twice if any of these apply:
- You live outside the US. The Safeway app, for example, is in the US and Canadian App Stores but not the UK or Australian ones, so you may not be able to install a store app at all.
- You don’t want a grocery account. Meals Hub only exists inside the store apps.
- Your best recipes weren’t Mealime’s. Recipes you added to Mealime yourself don’t move. The Safeway app’s listing mentions importing your own recipes, but Plan to Eat, a competitor, reported in its Meals Hub review that import didn’t work when it tested it. Try it before you rely on it.
If Meals Hub isn’t for you
Save the Mealime recipes you cook before October 21, then pick an app that matches how you plan. Our comparison of Mealime alternatives covers ten options by price, planning and recipe import. For a ready-made week to test any app with, try our Mealime-style five-dinner plan.
A few good questions
Is Meals Hub free?
Yes. Mealime says Meals Hub is 100% free, including the recipes that were previously part of Mealime Pro.
Do I need to shop at Albertsons to use Meals Hub?
No, but you do need an account with an Albertsons-family store app or website. Mealime says you can browse recipes, create meal plans and generate shopping lists even if you can’t shop at one of their stores.
Will my Mealime favorites and meal plans move to Meals Hub?
No. Mealime’s recipes are in Meals Hub, but your personal data is deleted when Mealime closes, and preferences and settings have to be set up again in Meals Hub.
Is there a Meals Hub app?
Not a separate one from Albertsons. Meals Hub is inside the Albertsons-family store apps: open the app, tap More, then Meals Hub.
Can I use Meals Hub outside the US?
It depends on whether you can install and sign in to an Albertsons-family store app. The Safeway app, for example, is listed in the US and Canadian App Stores but not in the UK or Australia.
RecipesFinder is published by the team behind FoodKeep. Our product recommendations reflect that relationship.
