Tamari 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?
Tamari
Fully-featured self-hosted recipe manager
VS
Vanilla Cookbook
Recipe manager designed with complexity under the hood, keeping the
| Feature | Tamari | Vanilla Cookbook |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Recipe Managers | Recipe Managers |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 135 | ★ 153 |
| First released | 2021 | 2026 |
| Replaces | 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
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 Tamari or Vanilla Cookbook better?
Neither is universally better. Vanilla Cookbook has the larger community, while Tamari is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Tamari and Vanilla Cookbook free and open-source?
Yes. Tamari is licensed under MIT and Vanilla Cookbook under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Tamari and Vanilla Cookbook with Docker?
Tamari: yes. Vanilla Cookbook: yes.