When comparing Pepperplate vs BigOven, the Slant community recommends Pepperplate for most people. In the question“What are the best recipe manager apps for iOS?” Pepperplate is ranked 4th while BigOven is ranked 6th. The most important reason people chose Pepperplate is:
Recipes can be organized into menus and categories. Menus allow grouping recipes and operating with them together. For example, a whole menu can be added to a shopping list or added to the planner without having to add each recipe separately. Categories are essentially tags. They can be added to recipes and used to search through them in recipe list.
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Pros
Pro Reasonable organizactional methods
Recipes can be organized into menus and categories.
Menus allow grouping recipes and operating with them together. For example, a whole menu can be added to a shopping list or added to the planner without having to add each recipe separately.
Categories are essentially tags. They can be added to recipes and used to search through them in recipe list.
Pro Has an online interface
Allows sharing recipes with others through a link on the website.
Pro Grocery list
Recipes and menus can quickly be added to the grocery list from their appropriate views. Items in the grocery list can be sorted by aisle or recipe.
Pro Good web clipper
While the experience using the clipper on a mobile device might need some work, the clipper itself is reasonably advanced. It directly supports over 30 recipe sites. It imports images, prep time, ingredients and instructions from those sites.
Pro Can be used for meal planning
Recipes and menus can quickly be added to the planner from their appropriate views. Unfortunately, there's no way to add them from the planner itself.
Pro Household grocery list and menu planning sharing
Use a single grocery list and menu plan with multiple accounts.
Pro Can scan in handwritten and printed recipes
Can convert images to text.
Pro Allows ad-free use
With optional membership, lets you get rid of all ads and add unlimited recipes; great free trial model.
Pro Breaks down ingredients into nutritional info
Users can see the nutritional information of any meal based on the contents of the ingredients.
Pro Good grocery list creator
Pro Great organizational options
Great use of Folders -- can set them up for occasions, people you cook for, and more. Also the separate "Favorite" and "Try" list let you keep track of things that you'd like to try apart from those that are truly your favorite.
Pro Can upload your own photos of your typed-in recipes
Pro Offers a big list of recipes to search through and an advanced search
Has over 350.000 recipes to search through and an advanced search that allows setting dietary restrictions, ingredients to be added or excluded and what categories to search through.
Pro Everything syncs with web and other devices
Pro Offers a free trial
Pro Good menu planner
Pro Reasonable site-clipping
Cons
Con Not supported
No support or bug fixes..
Con Changing to a paid service model
As of the new year (2020), Pepperplate will change to a "paid service model". The "subscription" is now $2.99/month or $32.99/year.
Con Doesn't de-duplicate recipes
You can add the same recipe multiple times from the same url but the site won't merge them automatically.
Con Poor mobile web clipping experience
To save a recipe from the web into Pepperplate requires copying the URL, navigating to Pepperplate.com (that has no mobile version), either logging in or clicking view recipes, then navigating to import recipes and pasting the URL in the form field. There's no way to "share" a URL to Pepperplate.
Con Charges for image scanning
BigOven lets users take pictures of handwritten or typed recipes and have them transcribed. The first 3 are free, and then it costs $20.00 per year for up to 25 additional scans.
Con You can't do very much with the FREE option - you pretty much have to pay the $20/year
Con Limited organizational options
Recipes can be saved to "Try", "Favorites" and "Folder" (creating folders requires a subscription). Additionally there are categories for recipes added and made.