When comparing Basil vs Paprika, the Slant community recommends Basil for most people. In the question“What are the best recipe manager apps for iOS?” Basil is ranked 1st while Paprika is ranked 2nd. The most important reason people chose Basil is:
Basil uses a highlighting system that allows selecting each element of the recipe instead of having to type it in.
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Pros
Pro Manual recipe clipping doesn't require typing
Basil uses a highlighting system that allows selecting each element of the recipe instead of having to type it in.
Pro Good web clipper
Recipes found on the web can be added to Basil by simply navigating to the recipe using the built-in web browser and clicking the plus icon. It will automatically import recipes from a variety of sources including epicurious.com, seriouseats.com and chow.com.
Pro Flexible organizational methods
Recipes added to Basil get automatically tagged. Tags include ingredients as well as meal and cuisine types. It allows quickly finding what recipes can be made from available ingredients.
Pro Tools that help prepare meals
The app includes timers that can be activated from the directions section.
Pro Easy to use grocery list creator
Grocery list creator is easy to use and it does small helpful things such as combine all quantities of ingredients and offers substitution suggestions.
Pro Simple interface
The interface is very clean, clear, easy to understand and pleasant to use.
Pro Can import recipes from a wide variety of online sources
Covers most of the major websites, including Food & Wine, Food Network and The Girl Who Ate Everything and even a good amount of "unsupported" websites will work.
Pro Simple, clean interface
A lot of time has been spent on making the interface feel as intuitive as possible. Navigation is easy, it's possible to highlight items with taps to track what steps have been taken or tap to cross-out ingredients that have been added as well as adjust the recipe easily without overwriting the original and make notes of changes and preferences.
Pro Syncs across devices
Paprika can be used across any of the supported devices - iOS, Android, OSX, web. If a recipe is imported in one device it will show up on all other devices as well.
Pro Can generate a grocery list
Depending on meal plans, Paprika can create a grocery list with all required ingredients. In the grocery list it's possible to view ingredients grouped based on recipes or all together. It can even keep a list of items already available and skip those when creating a grocery list.
Pro Manually importing recipes doesn't require typing
To manually transfer a recipe from a website, highlight a part of the recipe and then click the appropriate button - name, ingredient, direction, etc.
Pro Has tools that help in the cooking process
Paprika includes timers, converters and a tool for scaling ingredients. It makes the process of cooking easier to manage.
Pro Notes section allows you to add your own personal comments
Pro Can switch back and forth between recipes
Using the Pin tool allows you to quickly switch between recipes in progress without losing your place. Crossed-out ingredients stay crossed out, the step you're on remains highlighted.
Pro Customizable categories and sub-categories
It comes stocked with a handful of basic categories, but you can add your own, including sub-categories and order them any way you want.
Pro Easy import from previous recipe manager
Paprika readily accepts importing from the older application and syncing from Mac to iPad is amazing. 200+ recipes in seconds!
Pro Has tools for planning out meals weeks in advance
Paprika has a simple to use meal planner that allows adding recipes along with notes to a calendar. This information can later be used to automatically create a grocery list. Meal plans last forever. Want to know what you served for Christmas 3 years ago? It's there.
Cons
Con No longer maintained
No bug fixed, waste of time
Con iPad only
There's no iPhone version.
Con No meal planner
There are no tools for planning out meals in advance.
Con Web clipper requires using the built-in browser
To import a recipe, Basil's built-in browser has to be used to navigate to the recipe. There's no way to "share" to Basil.
Con Update for Paprika 3 requires payment
The update to Paprika 3 requires a $5 payment even when you've bought the app a long time ago.
Con No OCR support
No way to scan in or take a photo of a written or printed recipe.
Con No way to create a shared collection of recipes
There's no way for you to collaborate on family recipes with your wife, parents, or sisters. Right now it seems only Umami supports this functionality.
Con Has to be bought separately for each device
Each device requires a separate purchase of the app. (IOS is now a universal app, Windows is a separate purchase)
Con Doesn't allow adding pictures for each cooking steps
Only a title picture is allowed.
Con Not worth what you pay for
Paprika is an extortionist recipe organizer that charges for apps separately, doesn't let you bookmark from your browser, and doesn't let you search by ingredient.
Con Lacks own recipe database
Paprika can only import recipes from third-party sources. There's no built-in recipe database to browse or search through.