Customer Reviews (500)

Anzberg • 2024-12-14T07:21:22-07:00

Getting to the preparation has become harder and harder. I get there will be ads, and I’m okay with that, but it prevents me from seeing the preparation

Mets_SA • 2024-12-12T16:26:31-07:00

With Yummly going away this is a great replacement. All the features of Yummly and even more for a nominal fee.

heyrey7 • 2024-12-01T16:01:44-07:00

The app is not allowing me to successfully complete my account deletion. It stays on the loading screen endlessly after I select “Delete Account.” I encourage you to submit a complaint to the Consumer Privacy Protection Bureau, as I did, if you’re also experiencing your “right to deletion” being impeded.

Summary of Key Insights

BigOven Recipes & Meal Planner is a popular app with a large recipe database and a variety of features aimed at simplifying cooking, meal planning, and grocery shopping. While many users appreciate its extensive recipe collection and organizational tools, the app suffers from significant usability issues, particularly related to intrusive advertising, glitches, and limitations on free features. Sentiment is mixed, with a significant number of negative reviews highlighting frustrations with ads, bugs, and the cost of premium features. The app's strengths lie in its recipe variety and useful features like meal planning and grocery lists, but these are often overshadowed by performance and monetization issues.

Overall Rating: Based on the star distribution, the app has an average rating that leans positive but is heavily impacted by negative reviews.

Score Distribution:

  • 5-star: 55.4%
  • 4-star: 10.6%
  • 3-star: 7.6%
  • 2-star: 7.6%
  • 1-star: 18.8%

This distribution reveals a polarized user experience. While a majority rate the app highly, a substantial minority are very dissatisfied.

Key Strengths:

  • Extensive recipe database
  • Meal planning features
  • Grocery list functionality
  • Ability to import recipes from websites
  • "Use Up Leftovers" feature

Key Weaknesses:

  • Intrusive and excessive advertising
  • Frequent glitches and crashes
  • Limitations on free features (e.g., recipe saving, recipe scans)
  • Poor recipe import functionality
  • Unresponsive customer support
  • Usability issues (e.g., keyboard disappearing, difficulty editing recipes)

Data & Methodology Overview

  • Data Sample Size: 500 reviews
  • Time Frame: Reviews appear to span several years, with many referencing recent updates, features, or issues suggesting ongoing engagement.
  • Analysis Methods: The analysis was performed through qualitative review of the provided text, identifying recurring themes, sentiment, feature requests, and pain points. No automated sentiment analysis tools were used. Keyword extraction was done manually by identifying frequently used words and phrases related to specific issues and features.

Key User Pain Points

  • Intrusive and Excessive Advertising: Many users complain about the overwhelming number of ads, including pop-ups and videos, which significantly disrupt the user experience and make it difficult to view recipes or instructions. Some users claim the ads make the app almost unusable.
  • Glitches and Crashes: A significant number of reviews mention frequent crashes, freezing, and general instability, particularly after updates. This leads to frustration and loss of data.
  • Limited Free Features: Users are unhappy about the restrictions placed on free features, such as the number of recipes they can save, the limited "Use Up Leftovers" functionality (only 3 ingredients), and the cost of recipe scans. This perceived "nickel and diming" discourages users from adopting the app.
  • Poor Recipe Import Functionality: Many users report difficulty importing recipes from websites, with the "Recipe Clipper" often failing to extract the correct information or not working at all. This is a major source of frustration for users trying to consolidate their recipes in one place.
  • Unresponsive Customer Support: Several reviews mention a lack of response from customer support regarding technical issues or billing problems, leading to dissatisfaction and a feeling of being ignored.
  • Usability Issues: Several users report difficulties with the app's interface, including the keyboard disappearing while typing, difficulty editing recipes, and unintuitive navigation. This makes the app difficult to use, especially on mobile devices.
  • Syncing Issues: Some users report problems with syncing between the app and the website, or between multiple devices. This can lead to lost data and inconsistencies.
  • Loss of Saved Recipes: A number of users have reported losing their saved recipes after updates. This is a critical issue that erodes trust in the app.
  • Difficulty Deleting Recipes: Some users are reporting that they are unable to delete recipes that they have added.
  • Print Functionality Issues: Users are encountering problems printing recipes directly from the app, often resulting in ads being printed instead of the recipe itself.

Frequently Requested Features

  • Offline Access: Users who live in areas with poor internet connection or who want to use the app while traveling are requesting the ability to access their saved recipes offline.
  • Improved Recipe Import: Users want a more reliable and accurate recipe import tool, with support for more websites and better error handling.
  • One-Time Purchase Option: Many users would prefer a one-time purchase option for the Pro version instead of a recurring subscription.
  • More Customizable Grocery List: Users want to be able to customize the categories in the grocery list and save commonly purchased items.
  • Enhanced Meal Planning Calendar: Users want a more visually appealing and user-friendly meal planning calendar.
  • Video Tutorials: Some users are requesting video tutorials to help them learn how to use the app's features.
  • Ability to Link Recipes: Users want to be able to link recipes together, for example, linking a main dish recipe to a side dish recipe.

Strengths and Positive Aspects

  • Extensive Recipe Database: Users appreciate the vast collection of recipes available in the app, covering a wide range of cuisines and dietary needs.
  • Meal Planning Features: The meal planning tools are popular among users who want to organize their meals for the week or month.
  • Grocery List Functionality: The grocery list feature is praised for its ability to consolidate ingredients from multiple recipes and help users shop more efficiently.
  • Ability to Import Recipes from Websites: The ability to import recipes from websites is a valuable feature for users who want to centralize their recipe collection.
  • "Use Up Leftovers" Feature: The "Use Up Leftovers" tool is appreciated for helping users reduce food waste and find creative ways to use ingredients they already have.
  • Community Aspect: Users appreciate the ability to read reviews and comments from other cooks, which can help them decide whether to try a particular recipe.
  • Easy to Use: Some users find the app easy to use and navigate, particularly for basic tasks like searching for recipes and adding them to their favorites.
  • Cross-Platform Functionality: Users appreciate the ability to access their recipes and meal plans on multiple devices.
  • Good for Beginners: Some beginner cooks find the app helpful and easy to use.

Prioritized Action Recommendations

High Priority:

  1. Reduce Intrusive Advertising: Implement less disruptive ad formats and reduce the frequency of ads, especially within recipes. Consider offering a lower-priced ad-free option in addition to the Pro subscription.
  2. Fix Glitches and Crashes: Prioritize bug fixes and performance improvements to address the frequent crashes and freezing issues. Invest in thorough testing before releasing new updates.
  3. Improve Recipe Import Functionality: Invest in improving the accuracy and reliability of the Recipe Clipper tool. Expand support for more websites and provide better error handling.
  4. Address Customer Support Issues: Improve customer support response times and provide more helpful and personalized assistance. Implement a better system for tracking and resolving user issues.

Medium Priority:

  1. Offer One-Time Purchase Option: Consider offering a one-time purchase option for the Pro version to attract users who are hesitant to commit to a recurring subscription.
  2. Enhance Meal Planning Calendar: Improve the usability and visual appeal of the meal planning calendar. Consider restoring the drag-and-drop functionality from the previous version.
  3. Allow Recipe Deletion: Add the functionality to allow users to delete recipes that they have added.
  4. Improve Print Functionality: Fix the issues with printing recipes, ensuring that the recipe is printed without ads.

Low Priority:

  1. Add Video Tutorials: Create video tutorials to help users learn how to use the app's features.
  2. Add Ability to Link Recipes: Implement the ability to link recipes together.

Opportunities for Startup Ideas

  • AI-Powered Recipe Recommendation Engine: Develop an AI-powered recommendation engine that suggests recipes based on user preferences, dietary restrictions, and available ingredients.
  • Interactive Cooking Mode: Create an interactive cooking mode that guides users through each step of a recipe with voice instructions and visual aids.
  • Smart Grocery List Integration: Integrate the grocery list with online grocery delivery services to allow users to order ingredients directly from the app.
  • Recipe Scanning Hardware/Software Bundle: Create a dedicated scanning device or software with improved OCR accuracy to streamline the process of digitizing handwritten recipes.
  • Personalized Nutrition Tracking: Expand the app's nutritional information to provide personalized insights and recommendations based on user health goals.

Trends and Observations

  • Negative Sentiment Increase After Updates: A recurring pattern is that negative reviews often spike after app updates, suggesting that new versions introduce bugs or break existing functionality.
  • Monetization Concerns: Users are increasingly sensitive to the app's monetization strategies, particularly the limitations on free features and the intrusive advertising.
  • Importance of Core Functionality: Users highly value the core functionality of the app, such as recipe saving, meal planning, and grocery list management. Issues that affect these features have a significant negative impact on user satisfaction.
  • Cross-Platform Expectations: Users expect a seamless experience across different devices and platforms. Syncing issues and inconsistencies between the app and the website are major pain points.

Conclusion

BigOven Recipes & Meal Planner has the potential to be a top-tier cooking app, but it is currently being held back by significant usability issues and monetization concerns. By prioritizing bug fixes, reducing intrusive advertising, and addressing user feedback, the developers can improve user satisfaction and attract more subscribers. A focus on core functionality, seamless cross-platform experience, and responsive customer support is crucial for the app's long-term success.

Overall Recommendation: Address the high-priority issues immediately to improve user experience and retention. Re-evaluate monetization strategies to find a balance between revenue generation and user satisfaction.

Original App Link

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bigoven-recipes-meal-planner/id294363037?uo=2