Ollie Meal Planner Is Closing: 7 Best Alternatives
Ollie, the meal planning app that grew into a family assistant, is shutting down, and its last day is November 6, 2026. The farewell letter says subscriptions to “Ollie or Ollie for Meals” will be canceled and refunded, so plan on the meal app ending too.
The quick answer: Carly is the best replacement if you want dinner planned around your real week. It texts you the meals and the grocery list on your schedule, and it sees the calendar, so Thursday’s late practice gets a 20-minute dinner. For a dedicated recipe app, eMeals has the best grocery store handoff, and Plan to Eat is best for your own recipes.
Ollie meal planner alternatives compared
| Tool | How the plan gets made | Grocery list | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carly | Text it, or set a weekly rule | Texted to you by aisle | Planning around your calendar |
| Ohai.ai | Ask the assistant | Yes | A household app with meals built in |
| Cozi Max | AI Meal Planner | Shared shopping lists | Families already on Cozi |
| eMeals | Weekly plans by diet | Sent to Walmart, Amazon, Kroger or Instacart | Handing the list to a store |
| Plan to Eat | You drag in saved recipes | Automatic | Your own recipe collection |
| Eat This Much | Generated to a calorie target | Yes | Nutrition goals |
| ChatGPT | Ask each time | Copy and paste | Free ideas |
1. Carly
Ollie’s best trick was showing up with dinner ideas before you asked. Carly does that with one rule:
Every Sunday at 5, text me five dinners that fit this week’s calendar, then the grocery list by aisle. Claire doesn’t eat nuts, and Josh won’t touch mushrooms. Keep Tuesday and Thursday under 30 minutes.
That becomes a workflow that runs every Sunday, the same way, with no app to open. Reply “swap Wednesday for tacos” and the list updates. The list is ready to paste into Instacart or Walmart.
Where Carly goes past a meal app is everything around dinner. It reads your calendars, so it knows about the late game. It remembers allergies and favorites. And it does the rest of the job Ollie’s assistant did: email sorting, school emails, reminders and advanced calendar work across all of your Gmail and Outlook accounts, plus thousands of apps.
Paste your Ollie export in first, so Carly starts out knowing what your family likes.
Best for: Families who want dinner and the rest of the week handled in one text thread.
Pricing: Free Zapier-style workflows; AI agents from $35/month
2. Ohai.ai
A household assistant with meal planning and grocery lists alongside calendars and tasks. The free version includes meal planning.
Best for: Families who want meals inside a shared household app.
Pricing: Free version; Premium from $9.99/month
3. Cozi Max
Cozi’s top plan adds an AI Meal Planner and AI Recipe Creator next to the shared family calendar and shopping lists.
Best for: Families who already run on Cozi.
Pricing: Cozi is free; Max is $79.99/year
4. eMeals
Weekly meal plans you can send to grocers like Walmart, Amazon, Kroger and Instacart. It’s the closest match to Ollie’s grocery handoff.
Best for: Families whose main need is a plan that turns into an order.
Pricing: 14-day free trial; as low as $4.99/month on a 12-month subscription
5. Plan to Eat
Save recipes from anywhere, drag them onto a calendar, and it builds the shopping list.
Best for: Cooks with their own recipes. It organizes your plan rather than deciding for you.
Pricing: Free trial; $5.95/month or $49/year
6. Eat This Much
Generates daily meal plans to a calorie and diet target.
Best for: Anyone planning around nutrition goals more than family tastes.
Pricing: Free tier; Premium $5/month on an annual plan
7. ChatGPT
Ask for a week of dinners and a list. It’s free and flexible, but you have to ask every week, and it doesn’t know your calendar unless you connect it. Carly plugs into ChatGPT if you want it to.
Best for: Occasional ideas.
Pricing: Free plan
How to pick an Ollie meal planner alternative
If what you loved was never having to think about dinner, go with Carly. It’s the only pick here that plans around your real calendar and texts you first. If you want the list sent straight to a store, take eMeals. If you have a binder of recipes, take Plan to Eat. For more AI options, see the best AI meal planners.
FAQ
Is the Ollie meal planner shutting down? Ollie’s last day is November 6, 2026, and the farewell letter covers billing and refunds for Ollie for Meals subscriptions. Plan on the meal app ending too.
Will I get a refund for Ollie for Meals? The letter says billing will be canceled and you’ll receive a refund for any partial or unused months.
What’s the best app like Ollie for meal planning? Carly if you want plans built around your family’s calendar and sent by text. eMeals if you want a recipe app that sends lists to stores.
Can I save my Ollie recipes and preferences? Ollie says it will text you an export of your data. Save it, then paste it into your new assistant. The export guide has the steps.
More: Best AI meal planners · Ollie AI alternatives · Best family organizer apps · Best AI household manager apps
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