Mealie vs Tamari
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted recipe managers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Mealie
Self-hosted recipe manager and meal planner
VS
Tamari
Fully-featured self-hosted recipe manager
| Feature | Mealie | Tamari |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Recipe Managers | Recipe Managers |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 12,932 | ★ 135 |
| First released | 2020 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Paprika, Plan to Eat | Paprika, Mealie |
Why pick each one
Choose Tamari if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is Mealie or Tamari better?
Neither is universally better. Mealie has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Mealie and Tamari free and open-source?
Yes. Mealie is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Tamari under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mealie and Tamari with Docker?
Mealie: yes. Tamari: yes.