Quick answer: OptiAI® is a family meal planner that keeps recipes, the weekly plan, the shopping list and the pantry in one household, on the same calendar as your schedule. It runs on iPhone, Android and the web, and Full Access is free forever.
Updated October 2026. We make OptiAI, so please check other products' current pages before you decide.
What a family meal planner needs to do
- Show the plan next to the week's actual schedule.
- Turn the plan into a shopping list without retyping.
- Keep recipes in one place, including ones you found online or photographed.
- Let more than one adult plan and shop.
How OptiAI handles it
The meal planner, recipes, shopping list and pantry sit beside the family calendar, so you can see that Thursday is a busy evening before you plan something elaborate. You can bring in recipes from a link or a photo through the import screen, and Ask Opti can add meals or items from a message.
Everything is shared across the household, and you choose who sees what through Data Sharing.
A simple weekly routine
- Pick a fixed planning moment, such as Sunday evening.
- Check the calendar first and mark the nights that need an easy dinner.
- Add meals, let the shopping list fill from them, and check the pantry.
- Where available, build an Instacart cart link or shop in person.
Honest limits
OptiAI is a general family organizer, not a dedicated nutrition or diet tool. It provides organisation tools, not medical or dietary advice. For ideas on choosing a planner, see our meal planner guide.
Keeping the plan realistic
The plans that survive are the modest ones. Choose a few reliable dinners, repeat them, and leave one night flexible for leftovers or takeaway. Put the busy evenings in the calendar first so the plan reflects what the week actually looks like, and let the shopping list follow the plan rather than the other way round.
Include children in picking one meal a week; it often reduces dinner-time resistance without extra effort.
Meal planning with kids and different diets
Households often cater for different tastes and needs. Keep recipes in one shared place so everyone can see what is planned, and add notes about preferences or allergies in your own words. OptiAI keeps the organisation simple but leaves the dietary decisions to you and, where relevant, your doctor or dietitian.
Get the app: App Store · Google Play · or use it on the web.