OpenEats vs Vanilla Cookbook
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?
OpenEats
Self-hosted recipe management web application
VS
Vanilla Cookbook
Recipe manager designed with complexity under the hood, keeping the
| Feature | OpenEats | Vanilla Cookbook |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Recipe Managers | Recipe Managers |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Dockerfile | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 698 | ★ 153 |
| First released | 2017 | 2026 |
| Replaces | Paprika, Yummly | — |
Why pick each one
Choose Vanilla Cookbook if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in JavaScript
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenEats or Vanilla Cookbook better?
Neither is universally better. OpenEats has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are OpenEats and Vanilla Cookbook free and open-source?
Yes. OpenEats is licensed under MIT and Vanilla Cookbook under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenEats and Vanilla Cookbook with Docker?
OpenEats: yes. Vanilla Cookbook: yes.