SomeYum and Yummly both help you find recipes, but they take fundamentally different approaches. Yummly is like a recipe search engine—a massive database you can search and filter. SomeYum is like Tinder for food—a swipe-based discovery tool where AI learns your taste. This comparison will help you figure out which approach fits your cooking style.
Disclosure: We built SomeYum, so we're obviously biased. We'll try to be honest about where Yummly beats us.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | SomeYum | Yummly |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery Method | Swipe (Tinder-style) | Search & filter |
| Recipe Database | 10,000+ curated | 2M+ aggregated |
| AI Personalization | Learns from swipes (~10) | Learns from saves/searches |
| Price | Free | Free + Pro ($4.99/mo) |
| Account Required | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web + iOS | Web + iOS + Android |
| Grocery Lists | No | Yes |
| Meal Planning | Save favorites | Weekly planner |
| Ads | None | Yes (free tier) |
Where SomeYum Wins
1. Speed of Discovery
SomeYum's swipe interface means you can browse 20 recipes in the time it takes to type a search query on Yummly. There's no typing, no filtering, no scrolling through pages of results. Just swipe right or left. For people whose problem is "I don't know what I want," this visual browsing is dramatically faster than search-based discovery.
2. Zero Friction Start
SomeYum requires no account, no email, no password. Open it and start swiping. Yummly requires you to create an account, set preferences, and configure your profile before you see your first recipe. For someone who just wants to find dinner, SomeYum removes every barrier.
3. AI Learning Speed
SomeYum's Bayesian inference algorithm builds a taste profile after about 10 swipes. Every swipe is data. Yummly's personalization relies on explicit preferences (dietary restrictions you set) plus implicit signals (what you search for and save), which takes longer to accumulate meaningful data.
4. No Ads, No Upsells
SomeYum is completely free with no ads. Yummly's free tier includes ads, and some features require Yummly Pro ($4.99/month).
Where Yummly Wins
1. Recipe Database Size
This isn't close. Yummly aggregates recipes from thousands of food blogs and has 2M+ recipes. SomeYum has 10,000+ curated recipes. If you're looking for a very specific recipe (like "Thai green curry with tofu and bamboo shoots"), Yummly is more likely to have it. SomeYum is better for discovery, not specific searches.
2. Grocery Lists and Meal Planning
Yummly has built-in grocery list generation and a weekly meal planner. SomeYum focuses on discovery and saving favorites—it doesn't generate shopping lists. If you want an all-in-one plan-shop-cook workflow, Yummly is more complete.
3. Platform Coverage
Yummly is available on iOS, Android, and web. SomeYum currently supports web and iOS. If you're on Android, Yummly is the clear choice (though SomeYum's web app works on any device).
4. Nutritional Information
Yummly provides detailed nutritional breakdowns for most recipes. SomeYum focuses on the recipe itself without detailed macro tracking. If nutrition data is important to you, Yummly is better here.
Who Should Use Which?
Choose SomeYum if:
- Your biggest problem is deciding what to cook tonight
- You prefer visual browsing over searching
- You don't want to create an account or pay for a subscription
- You enjoy the "Tinder experience"—quick, visual, and fun
- You want AI that learns fast without manual configuration
Choose Yummly if:
- You search for specific recipes by name or ingredient
- You want integrated grocery lists and meal planning
- You need detailed nutritional information
- You're on Android and want a native app
- You want access to the largest possible recipe database
Use Both:
Many people find the best approach is using SomeYum for daily recipe discovery (quick, fun, visual) and Yummly when they need to search for something specific or generate a grocery list. The apps solve different problems.
The Bottom Line
Yummly is a powerful recipe search engine. SomeYum is a recipe discovery tool. If you know what you want, search for it on Yummly. If you don't know what you want (which is most of us, most nights), SomeYum gets you to an answer faster.
The best recipe app is the one that actually gets you cooking. Try both and see which one sticks.
Try SomeYum Free
No account, no ads, no subscription. Open the app and start swiping recipes in seconds.