Pluck vs Pestle: AI Recipe App with Full Video Extraction
Pestle is a well-made Apple app that saves recipes from Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube, scans recipe photos, plans meals and shares with your household. It reads the post's caption with on-device machine learning. Pluck reads the video itself as well, so spoken and on-screen recipes come through, and it runs on Android too.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Pluck | Pestle |
|---|---|---|
| Web recipe extraction | AI (reads the page) | Apple Intelligence parsing |
| Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube | Yes (all four) | Yes (all four) |
| Video extraction method | Frames, on-screen text, audio and caption | Caption only |
| Photo carousels as one recipe | Yes (Instagram, TikTok) | Not stated |
| Photo / image extraction | AI vision (incl. handwriting) | Yes (recipe scanner) |
| AI cooking assistant | Yes, in cook mode (paid plans) | No (Siri queries) |
| Cook mode | Yes (step timers, ingredients per step) | Yes (guided, with timers) |
| Meal planning | Yes (weekly; free: current week) | Yes (14-day planner) |
| Grocery list | Yes (merged, sorted by aisle) | Yes |
| Household sharing | No (personal plan and list) | Yes (households, SharePlay) |
| Import from other apps | Paprika, Mela, Crouton, CopyMeThat, JSON-LD | Paprika, Mela, Crouton |
| Offline access | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | iOS, Android | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Watch, Vision (no Android) |
| Price | Free; paid plans from $2.99/mo | Free tier; Pro $2.99/mo, $24.99/yr or lifetime |
Where Pestle falls short
Reads the caption, not the video
Pestle extracts recipes from a post's caption with on-device machine learning. When a TikTok creator speaks the recipe or shows the quantities on screen and the caption is thin, Pestle has nothing to work with. Pluck watches the frames and listens to the audio as well.
Apple devices only
Pestle runs across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Vision Pro, but not Android. If you or someone you cook with uses an Android phone, Pluck works on both.
No AI assistant while you cook
Pestle's guided cook mode and Siri support are good, but there's no assistant that knows your recipe and can answer a substitution or scaling question at the step you're on.
What Pluck does differently
Reads what's said and shown
Pluck watches the video frames, reads on-screen text, listens to the narration and reads the caption together. Recipes that are spoken aloud or flashed on screen are captured, not just the ones typed into the caption.
Carousels and handwriting
Instagram and TikTok photo carousels become one recipe, and Pluck's AI vision reads handwritten recipe cards as well as printed pages.
AI cooking assistant in cook mode
Both apps have a cook mode with timers. In Pluck you can also tap "Ask about this step" for substitutions, scaling or technique, and apply the change to your saved recipe.
Frequently asked questions
Can Pluck extract recipes from TikTok videos like Pestle?
Yes. Both apps save from TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Pestle reads the caption; Pluck reads the caption and also watches the video and listens to the audio, so recipes that are only spoken or shown on screen come through.
Does Pluck work on Android? Pestle is Apple-only.
Yes. Pluck works on iOS and Android phones. Pestle covers more Apple devices (Mac, Watch, Vision Pro); Pluck has no desktop app.
Does Pluck have meal planning and a cook mode like Pestle?
Yes. Pluck has a weekly meal plan, an aisle-sorted grocery list built from the plan or any recipe, and a cook mode with step timers. Pestle has household sharing, which Pluck's personal meal plan and grocery list don't have yet. Pluck adds the AI cooking assistant and "What can I cook?" ingredient search over your recipe box.
How do the prices compare?
They start at the same place. Pestle Pro is $2.99/month or $24.99/year, with a lifetime option. Pluck's Light plan is $2.99/month or $23.99/year and includes the AI cooking assistant. Both have a free tier.
Read our in-depth Pluck vs Pestle comparison.
Related reading: Best Recipe Apps 2026, How recipe apps compare, Pluck vs Deglaze, Pluck vs Paprika, and Pluck vs Mela.
Ready for AI that reads the whole video?
Available on iOS and Android. Download Pluck free today.
Want a feature Pestle has that we don't? Let us know. Seriously, we read every suggestion.
Try our free web recipe extractor - no app needed.