Work · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Pen & Apron

A Cooking Journal for Home Chefs

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes.

1. 1
   Penjo 3.0 - Pencil Journal▲132

   Daily planner & agenda now with text recognition and search

   2024 · penjoapp.com · its alternatives →

2. 2
   ChefPage▲86

   Publishing platform for food & recipes

   2021 · chef.page · its alternatives →

3. 3
   STONE: The Chef’s Notebook▲109

   Waterproof notebook. Designed by chefs, for chefs.

   2018 · kickstarter.com · its alternatives →

4. 4
   CookLang – Recipe Markup Language▲415

   Cooklang is a markup language for recipes.

   2021 · cooklang.org · its alternatives →

5. 5
   Penbook▲117

   The nicest freehand writing app ✍️

   2018 · apps.microsoft.com · its alternatives →

6. 6
   CookTime – Recipe index▲73

   Hi HN, COVID lockdowns made me and my wife cook a lot more at home, and we had a need to streamline our recipe management woes. These were some of the problems we identified: - Most recipe websites are what I call "mommy blogs", and the principal problem is that the recipe ingredient list and instructions are buried in a SEO-laden essay that we don't care about. We were sharing links to our favorite recipes, but links don't allow you to skip past the unnecessary essay prefacing the recipe. We knew we wanted a way to have recipes uncompromised by unrelated essays. - Popular recipe aggregating…

   2022 · letscooktime.com · its alternatives →

7. 7
   Penjo▲83

   Pencil Agenda for iPad

   2023 · penjoapp.com · its alternatives →

8. 8
   Aprons▲58

   Cooking advice for everyone

   2022 · its alternatives →

9. 9
   myjoodle▲18

   Not just another journal. This one understands you

   2025 · its alternatives →

10. 10
    Journal 2.0 for Desktop▲179

    Bring your projects to life.

    2020 · selfemployed.com · its alternatives →

11. 11
    Pennen▲122

    One quiet handwritten page a day. No feed, no AI.

    Jul 2026 · pennen.app · its alternatives →

12. 12
    Journal.▲139

    A social journal with daily prompts

    2024 · journal.fm · its alternatives →

13. 13
    ChefBook▲99

    Keep all of your recipes at one place

    2021 · play.google.com · its alternatives →

14. 14
    RecipeWriter – An editor to write recipes▲48

    Welcome to the Samsung Food, your go-to app for recipe saving, shopping, and meal planning. Available on Android, iOS, Galaxy & Web.

    2014 · cucumbertown.com · its alternatives →

15. 15
    Culinary Companion▲93

    Cultivate your culinary confidence

    2023 · bynicholash.gumroad.com · its alternatives →

16. 16
    Sous▲71

    Transform recipes into voice-navigated, step-by-step cards

    2022 · chromewebstore.google.com · its alternatives →

17. 17
    Microsoft Journal▲71

    A delightful freeform notetaking experience by Microsoft

    2022 · apps.microsoft.com · its alternatives →

18. 18
    JournalBot▲119

    The journal you'll actually use

    2019 · journalbotapp.com · its alternatives →

19. 19
    Brainflow notes▲71

    Personal journaling and note-taking

    2022 · brainflow.app · its alternatives →

20. 20
    Noodles 2▲118

    Cook better with a home for all your recipes.

    2017 · getnoodl.es · its alternatives →

21. 21
    RecipeWriter▲125

    Author recipes. Simple and Beautiful.

    2014 · app.samsungfood.com · its alternatives →

22. 22
    Journalizr▲112

    Your thoughts. Your words. Our writing.

    2024 · its alternatives →

23. 23
    Plate Notes▲124

    Shelter of your meal diary

    2024 · platenotes.com · its alternatives →

24. 24
    RecipeSnap AI▲120

    Turn fridge photos into recipes with AI

    2025 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →