Tamari vs What To Cook?
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
What To Cook?
Get a recipe to cook today, based on the ingredients you have at home
| Feature | Tamari | What To Cook? |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Recipe Managers | Recipe Managers |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 135 | ★ 67 |
| First released | 2021 | 2025 |
| 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 What To Cook? if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Java
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Tamari or What To Cook? better?
Tamari is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider What To Cook? if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Tamari and What To Cook? free and open-source?
Yes. Tamari is licensed under MIT and What To Cook? under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Tamari and What To Cook? with Docker?
Tamari: yes. What To Cook?: yes.