FridgeChef
Snap a photo of your fridge, get AI recipes and a shopping list for missing ingredients.
proceed
I
Scorecard
The headline numbers. Overall viability score, pipeline stage, and whether this idea passed or failed each gate criterion.
Overall Score
62of 100
park
Criteria Breakdown
Problem Severity
11/15
Buyer & Budget Clarity
7/15
Existing Spend (Workaround Gravity)
9/15
Competitive Landscape
8/12
Search Demand
9/12
Distribution Feasibility
8/12
TTFV (Time to First Value)
7/10
Timing & Momentum
3/9
Total
62 / 100
01 — What We're Validating
What We're Validating
02 — Gate Evaluation
Gate Evaluation
✓
Buyers already paying for something similar?PASS
Yes — Cooklist ($5.99-9.99/mo), Ollie ($10/mo), Mealime ($2.99/mo), Samsung Food ($6.99/mo), Plan to Eat ($5.95/mo) all have paid users.
✓
Purchase-intent signals visible?PASS
CPC up to $54.47 on meal plan terms. Comparison articles, 'alternatives' pages, and pricing pages exist for competitors. However, 0 ads detected in SERPs — organic-only market.
✓
Clear entry use-case?PASS
Yes — narrow wedge: 'Snap your fridge, get dinner' — single fridge photo → recipe suggestions → shopping list. Specific, testable.
✓
Clear monetization step?PASS
Yes — $9.99/mo premium with free tier (3 scans/week). Anchored against meal kit services ($60-80/wk) and competitor pricing ($3-10/mo). Market comparable: Ollie AI charges $10/mo for similar feature set.
II
Understanding the Job
Before looking at competitors or keywords, we decompose the underlying job your customers are trying to get done.
03 — Task Decomposition
Task Decomposition
Primary Goal: Feed my household healthy meals without wasting money, time, or food — eliminating the daily 'what's for dinner?' decision fatigue
1
Inventory What I Have
Know what ingredients are currently available in the fridge, pantry, and freezer before deciding what to cook. Currently done via manual inspection or memory — no systematic tracking.
Open fridge and visually scan contents → Check pantry and freezer for staples → Remember what was bought recently vs. what's expiring → Mentally categorize: proteins, vegetables, starches, sauces
2
Decide What to Cook
Match available ingredients to viable recipes that the household will eat. The hardest step — currently involves browsing recipe apps, Googling ingredient combos, or defaulting to the same 5 meals. SuperCook and Cooklist address this but require manual ingredient entry.
Search for recipes matching available ingredients → Filter by dietary restrictions, preferences, and cook time → Evaluate whether enough ingredients are on hand → Get household buy-in on the selected meal
3
Identify and Acquire Missing Ingredients
Determine what's needed but not available, then procure it. Currently involves writing a manual shopping list and either going to the store or ordering delivery. Cooklist, Mealime, and Ollie automate the list generation; some integrate with Instacart/Walmart.
Compare recipe ingredients against what's on hand → Build a shopping list of gaps only → Decide: go to store, order delivery, or substitute → Place order or make a store trip
4
Execute the Meal Prep
Cook the meal following the recipe. Most recipe apps handle this well (step-by-step instructions, timers). Not the primary friction point — the upstream decisions are.
Follow recipe instructions → Manage timing for multi-component meals → Handle substitutions for missing ingredients in real-time
5
Minimize Waste Over Time
Use up perishables before they expire, avoid overbuying, and track what consistently goes unused. Currently unaddressed by most apps — CozZo does expiry tracking but lacks the recipe integration.
Track expiry dates on perishables → Prioritize recipes that use soon-to-expire items → Adjust future grocery purchases based on waste patterns
04 — Friction Points & Critical Sequence
Friction Points & Critical Sequence
Manual ingredient entry is tedious and error-prone
Forced by: SuperCook, Cooklist, and most ingredient-based recipe apps require users to manually type or check-box every item in their fridge. This takes 5-10 minutes and is rarely complete.
Impact: Users skip items, get incomplete recipe matches, and abandon the process. SuperCook has 21K iOS ratings but no photo scan — proving the job exists but the tax job of manual entry limits engagement. [Source: competition-analysis.md]
Recipe discovery and shopping list are separate workflows
Forced by: Most apps either suggest recipes (SuperCook, DishGen) OR manage shopping lists (Paprika, Plan to Eat) — not both in one flow. Users must context-switch between apps.
Impact: The critical sequence breaks at the handoff: user finds a recipe in one app, then manually copies missing ingredients to a shopping app or notes. Mealime and Ollie partially solve this but start from recipes, not fridge contents. [Source: competition-analysis.md]
No awareness of what's expiring soon
Forced by: Current recipe apps match ingredients but don't prioritize by freshness or expiry. The fridge photo captures a snapshot but doesn't track time.
Impact: Food still expires because recipes don't prioritize perishables. The 'reduce waste' promise only works if the system knows WHEN items expire, not just WHAT exists. CozZo does expiry tracking but lacks recipe integration. [Source: competition-analysis.md]
Household preferences require constant re-input
Forced by: Each recipe search session starts from scratch. Apps don't remember that the kids won't eat mushrooms or that Tuesday is a 30-minute-max cooking night.
Impact: Decision fatigue returns despite the tool, because the filtering work repeats. Users default to their 'safe' rotation of 5 meals. [INFERRED from workaround patterns]
Gap between 'recipe suggestion' and 'dinner on the table' includes grocery acquisition
Forced by: Even after finding a recipe, if 2-3 ingredients are missing, the user faces a store trip or delivery order — a 30-60 minute delay at minimum. Many abandon at this point.
Impact: The critical sequence fails at the last mile: great recipe, can't cook it tonight. Ollie ($10/mo) integrates Instacart but is the only competitor fully solving this gap. [Source: competition-analysis.md]
| Friction Point | Forced By | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Manual ingredient entry is tedious and error-prone | SuperCook, Cooklist, and most ingredient-based recipe apps require users to manually type or check-box every item in their fridge. This takes 5-10 minutes and is rarely complete. | Users skip items, get incomplete recipe matches, and abandon the process. SuperCook has 21K iOS ratings but no photo scan — proving the job exists but the tax job of manual entry limits engagement. [Source: competition-analysis.md] |
| Recipe discovery and shopping list are separate workflows | Most apps either suggest recipes (SuperCook, DishGen) OR manage shopping lists (Paprika, Plan to Eat) — not both in one flow. Users must context-switch between apps. | The critical sequence breaks at the handoff: user finds a recipe in one app, then manually copies missing ingredients to a shopping app or notes. Mealime and Ollie partially solve this but start from recipes, not fridge contents. [Source: competition-analysis.md] |
| No awareness of what's expiring soon | Current recipe apps match ingredients but don't prioritize by freshness or expiry. The fridge photo captures a snapshot but doesn't track time. | Food still expires because recipes don't prioritize perishables. The 'reduce waste' promise only works if the system knows WHEN items expire, not just WHAT exists. CozZo does expiry tracking but lacks recipe integration. [Source: competition-analysis.md] |
| Household preferences require constant re-input | Each recipe search session starts from scratch. Apps don't remember that the kids won't eat mushrooms or that Tuesday is a 30-minute-max cooking night. | Decision fatigue returns despite the tool, because the filtering work repeats. Users default to their 'safe' rotation of 5 meals. [INFERRED from workaround patterns] |
| Gap between 'recipe suggestion' and 'dinner on the table' includes grocery acquisition | Even after finding a recipe, if 2-3 ingredients are missing, the user faces a store trip or delivery order — a 30-60 minute delay at minimum. Many abandon at this point. | The critical sequence fails at the last mile: great recipe, can't cook it tonight. Ollie ($10/mo) integrates Instacart but is the only competitor fully solving this gap. [Source: competition-analysis.md] |
⚙
Critical Sequence
Capture fridge contents (photo or manual entry) → AI identifies ingredients accurately → Match to recipes the household will eat → Calculate missing ingredients correctly → Enable seamless procurement of gaps (delivery or substitution) → User cooks the meal successfully
Most fragile: AI identifies ingredients accurately from a fridge photo — Computer vision accuracy on cluttered, poorly-lit fridge interiors is the riskiest technical assumption. If the AI misidentifies items (e.g., confuses yogurt brands, misses items behind others, can't read labels), the entire downstream chain produces wrong recipes and wrong shopping lists. No competitor has proven this works reliably at scale — Fridge AI and Fridge Leftovers AI are early with thin user bases (~160 users). [Source: competition-analysis.md]
Most fragile: AI identifies ingredients accurately from a fridge photo — Computer vision accuracy on cluttered, poorly-lit fridge interiors is the riskiest technical assumption. If the AI misidentifies items (e.g., confuses yogurt brands, misses items behind others, can't read labels), the entire downstream chain produces wrong recipes and wrong shopping lists. No competitor has proven this works reliably at scale — Fridge AI and Fridge Leftovers AI are early with thin user bases (~160 users). [Source: competition-analysis.md]
III
Who's Already Here
Every player in this space: direct competitors, substitutes, and adjacent tools that could pivot into your territory.
05 — Market Intelligence
Market Intelligence
11
Direct competitors
4
Substitutes
5
Adjacencies
Patterns
- Fridge-photo AI recipe apps are a real and growing sub-niche with at least 5 apps launched since 2023, but most are tiny/early-stage (under 1K users) except for Ollie which has 909 ratings and press coverage
- Grocery delivery integration (Instacart, Walmart, Kroger, Amazon Fresh) is emerging as the key moat — Cooklist, Mealime, Ollie, eMeals, and Samsung Food all have it; FridgeChef's 'order the gaps' workflow is not unique differentiation
- Pricing converges at $3–$10/mo for paid tiers with a universal free tier; FridgeChef's proposed $9.99/mo sits at the upper end against Mealime's $2.99/mo and requires strong differentiation
- SuperCook (~990K web visits/mo, 21K iOS ratings) and Mealime (7M+ users, 53K iOS ratings) dominate on scale; new entrants must win on UX speed and AI quality rather than breadth
- No single low-cost app fully executes the 'one fridge photo → dinner tonight → order missing items in one tap' instant use case — this remains the clearest positioning gap
Gaps
- Pricing unverified for: Fridge AI (Duckma), Fridge Leftovers AI, PhotoFridge, DishGen Premium, CozZo
- App Store ratings unknown for: Fridge AI, PhotoFridge, RecipeSnap AI, Samsung Food, eMeals, MyFridgeFood, CozZo, KitchenPal
- Web traffic data unavailable for all competitors except SuperCook snippet (~990K/mo); SimilarWeb actor not rented
- Samsung Food Vision AI platform availability unclear — may be Samsung hardware only on Android
- Status of MyFridgeFood unknown — site appears dated, may be dormant
- DishGen personal Premium/Pro pricing not found — only free and $75/mo business tiers confirmed
supercook.com
NaN /mo
06 — Competitor Details
Competitor Details
Pricing: Free / $5.99–$9.99/mo or $49.99–$59.99/yr
Platform: iOS, Android
Core Task: Pantry inventory + recipe match + grocery list
Demand: 11,032 ratings (4.7★)
Pricing: Free
Platform: Web, iOS, Android
Core Task: Type/voice ingredients → recipe match
Demand: 21,300 ratings (4.8★) iOS ; ~990K web visits/mo
Pricing: $1.99/wk
Platform: iOS, Android
Core Task: Fridge photo → recipe suggestions
Demand: Play Store listing active
Pricing: UNKNOWN
Platform: iOS only
Core Task: Fridge photo → recipe suggestions
Demand: ~160 users (self-reported)
Pricing: UNKNOWN
Platform: UNKNOWN
Core Task: Fridge/food photo → AI recipes
Demand: UNKNOWN
Pricing: Free
Platform: iOS
Core Task: Fridge photo or handwritten recipe → AI recipe + cookbook
Demand: UNKNOWN
Pricing: $10/mo or $7/mo annual
Platform: iOS, Android
Core Task: AI weekly meal plan + grocery list + pantry scan
Demand: 909 ratings (4.8★)
Pricing: Free tier; Premium/Pro UNKNOWN; $75/mo business
Platform: iOS, Android, Web
Core Task: Text-input ingredients → AI custom recipe
Demand: UNKNOWN
Pricing: Free / $6.99/mo or $59.99/yr
Platform: iOS, Android, Web
Core Task: Recipe saving + meal planning + Vision AI food scanner
Demand: UNKNOWN (53,294 Mealime ratings for comparison; Samsung Food ratings UNKNOWN)
Pricing: Free / $2.99/mo Pro
Platform: iOS, Android, Mac
Core Task: Meal plans + grocery list + retailer integration
Demand: 53,294 ratings (4.8★); 7M+ active users
Pricing: $4.99/mo annual or $35/3-mo
Platform: iOS, Android, Web
Core Task: Weekly meal plans + grocery delivery integration
Demand: UNKNOWN
Pricing: Free
Platform: Web
Core Task: Check-box ingredient list → recipe match
Demand: UNKNOWN
Pricing: Free (100 items); $2.99–$39.99 one-time
Platform: iOS, Android
Core Task: Pantry inventory + barcode scan + recipe by ingredients
Demand: Product Hunt listing
Pricing: Free / $20/mo
Platform: Web, iOS, Android
Core Task: Ad-hoc "what can I cook with X?" queries
Demand: Billions of users
Pricing: Free
Platform: All
Core Task: Manual fridge inventory + recipe lookup
Demand: N/A
Pricing: ~$60–80/wk
Platform: Web, iOS, Android
Core Task: Meal kit delivery
Demand: Public company, large user base
Pricing: Free (delivery fees apply)
Platform: iOS, Android, Web
Core Task: Grocery delivery + AI cart assistant
Demand: Major platform
Pricing: $4.99 one-time (iOS)
Platform: iOS, Android, Mac, Windows
Core Task: Recipe organizer + meal planner + grocery list
Demand: UNKNOWN
Pricing: $5.95/mo or $49/yr
Platform: iOS, Android, Web
Core Task: Recipe import + calendar meal plan + shopping list
Demand: UNKNOWN
Pricing: UNKNOWN
Platform: iOS, Android
Core Task: Fridge/pantry inventory + expiry tracking + meal plan
Demand: UNKNOWN
| Competitor | Pricing | Platform | Core Task | Demand Proxy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooklist | Free / $5.99–$9.99/mo or $49.99–$59.99/yr | iOS, Android | Pantry inventory + recipe match + grocery list | 11,032 ratings (4.7★) |
| SuperCook | Free | Web, iOS, Android | Type/voice ingredients → recipe match | 21,300 ratings (4.8★) iOS ; ~990K web visits/mo |
| Fridge AI by Duckma | $1.99/wk | iOS, Android | Fridge photo → recipe suggestions | Play Store listing active |
| Fridge Leftovers AI | UNKNOWN | iOS only | Fridge photo → recipe suggestions | ~160 users (self-reported) |
| PhotoFridge | UNKNOWN | UNKNOWN | Fridge/food photo → AI recipes | UNKNOWN |
| RecipeSnap AI | Free | iOS | Fridge photo or handwritten recipe → AI recipe + cookbook | UNKNOWN |
| Ollie AI | $10/mo or $7/mo annual | iOS, Android | AI weekly meal plan + grocery list + pantry scan | 909 ratings (4.8★) |
| DishGen | Free tier; Premium/Pro UNKNOWN; $75/mo business | iOS, Android, Web | Text-input ingredients → AI custom recipe | UNKNOWN |
| Samsung Food (ex-Whisk) | Free / $6.99/mo or $59.99/yr | iOS, Android, Web | Recipe saving + meal planning + Vision AI food scanner | UNKNOWN (53,294 Mealime ratings for comparison; Samsung Food ratings UNKNOWN) |
| Mealime | Free / $2.99/mo Pro | iOS, Android, Mac | Meal plans + grocery list + retailer integration | 53,294 ratings (4.8★); 7M+ active users |
| eMeals | $4.99/mo annual or $35/3-mo | iOS, Android, Web | Weekly meal plans + grocery delivery integration | UNKNOWN |
| MyFridgeFood | Free | Web | Check-box ingredient list → recipe match | UNKNOWN |
| KitchenPal | Free (100 items); $2.99–$39.99 one-time | iOS, Android | Pantry inventory + barcode scan + recipe by ingredients | Product Hunt listing |
| Google/ChatGPT | Free / $20/mo | Web, iOS, Android | Ad-hoc "what can I cook with X?" queries | Billions of users |
| Spreadsheets / Notes apps | Free | All | Manual fridge inventory + recipe lookup | N/A |
| HelloFresh | ~$60–80/wk | Web, iOS, Android | Meal kit delivery | Public company, large user base |
| Instacart | Free (delivery fees apply) | iOS, Android, Web | Grocery delivery + AI cart assistant | Major platform |
| Paprika Recipe Manager | $4.99 one-time (iOS) | iOS, Android, Mac, Windows | Recipe organizer + meal planner + grocery list | UNKNOWN |
| Plan to Eat | $5.95/mo or $49/yr | iOS, Android, Web | Recipe import + calendar meal plan + shopping list | UNKNOWN |
| CozZo | UNKNOWN | iOS, Android | Fridge/pantry inventory + expiry tracking + meal plan | UNKNOWN |
07 — Content Strategy Matrix
Content Strategy Matrix
Comparison pages and diet-specific vertical content are the least-covered strategies among competitors. SuperCook dominates ingredient-based recipe SEO but has no comparison, diet-specific, or food waste content strategy. Ollie AI is actively building 'best of' listicle content to capture meal planning comparison traffic. The biggest content gap is in food waste reduction — high CPC ($5.57 median) with no competitor producing dedicated content beyond branding.
Ingredient-Based Recipe Content
4/5SuperCookCooklistOllie AISamsung Food
Mealime
Diet-Specific Meal Plans
2/5MealimeOllie AI
SuperCookCooklistSamsung Food
Best-Of / Comparison Listicles
2/5Ollie AISamsung Food
SuperCookMealimeCooklist
Grocery Integration Pages
3/5MealimeCooklistOllie AI
SuperCookSamsung Food
Food Waste Reduction Content
1/5SuperCook
MealimeCooklistOllie AISamsung Food
How-To / Tutorial Guides
3/5SuperCookMealimeOllie AI
CooklistSamsung Food
Competitor Alternative Pages
1/5Ollie AI
SuperCookMealimeCooklistSamsung Food
Family / Budget Meal Planning
2/5MealimeOllie AI
SuperCookCooklistSamsung Food
| Strategy | SuperCook | Mealime | Cooklist | Ollie AI | Samsung Food | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ingredient-Based Recipe Content | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 4/5 |
| Diet-Specific Meal Plans | — | ✓ | — | ✓ | — | 2/5 |
| Best-Of / Comparison Listicles | — | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | 2/5 |
| Grocery Integration Pages | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | 3/5 |
| Food Waste Reduction Content | ✓ | — | — | — | — | 1/5 |
| How-To / Tutorial Guides | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ | — | 3/5 |
| Competitor Alternative Pages | — | — | — | ✓ | — | 1/5 |
| Family / Budget Meal Planning | — | ✓ | — | ✓ | — | 2/5 |
IV
Demand Signals
Real demand data: what keywords people type, what questions they ask, and whether anyone is paying for ads.
08 — Search Landscape
Search Landscape
⚖
SERP Weakness Analysis
50 keywords analyzed — 15 Easy · 14 Medium · 21 Hard
insta cart shopping
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Hard1 weak
insta cart grocery delivery
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Hard0 weak
mediterranean diet meal plan
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Hard1 weak
mediterranean diet food plan
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Medium2 weak
mediterranean diet menu plan
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Easy3 weak
mediterranean diet eating plan
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Medium2 weak
insta cart delivery
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Hard1 weak
meal planner
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Easy4 weak
refrigerator pickles
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Easy4 weak
cucumber pickles refrigerator
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Easy4 weak
fridge pickled cucumbers
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Easy5 weak
diabetic meal plan
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Hard1 weak
best meal plan delivery service
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Medium3 weak
diabetic diet meal plan
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Hard1 weak
diabetic menu plan
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Hard1 weak
shipt driver
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Hard1 weak
drive with shipt
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Medium2 weak
refrigerator pickles recipe
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Easy4 weak
fridge dill pickle recipe
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Easy7 weak
fridge pickle recipe
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Easy5 weak
recipe for refrigerator cucumber pickles
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Easy3 weak
meal planning app
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Easy2 weak
menu planning app
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Easy4 weak
food planning app
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Medium2 weak
eating plan app
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Hard1 weak
meal plan for weight loss
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Medium2 weak
healthy meal plans
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Medium3 weak
meal plan service
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Medium2 weak
healthy eating meal plan
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Hard1 weak
healthy diet meal plan
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Hard1 weak
diabetic food plan
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Hard1 weak
healthy food meal plan
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Hard0 weak
weight loss menu plans
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Medium2 weak
health food plan
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Hard0 weak
publix insta cart
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Medium2 weak
pillsbury pie shell
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Hard1 weak
dash diet meal plan
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Hard1 weak
low carb meal plan
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Easy4 weak
healthy meal plans for weight loss
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Medium2 weak
healthy eating plan for weight loss
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Hard0 weak
low carb eating plan
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Easy2 weak
healthy food plans for weight loss
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Hard1 weak
healthy diet meal plan for weight loss
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Hard1 weak
dash diet menu plans
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Medium2 weak
healthy eating meal plan for weight loss
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Hard1 weak
dash diet eating plan
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Medium2 weak
meal plans for low carb diet
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Easy3 weak
dash diet menu eating plan
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Hard1 weak
1200 calorie meal plan
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Easy4 weak
7 day meal plan for weight loss
Vol: 0
Ads: NONE
Medium3 weak
| Keyword | Volume | Ads | Difficulty | Takeaway |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| insta cart shopping | 0 | NONE | Hard1 weak | |
| insta cart grocery delivery | 0 | NONE | Hard0 weak | |
| mediterranean diet meal plan | 0 | NONE | Hard1 weak | |
| mediterranean diet food plan | 0 | NONE | Medium2 weak | |
| mediterranean diet menu plan | 0 | NONE | Easy3 weak | |
| mediterranean diet eating plan | 0 | NONE | Medium2 weak | |
| insta cart delivery | 0 | NONE | Hard1 weak | |
| meal planner | 0 | NONE | Easy4 weak | |
| refrigerator pickles | 0 | NONE | Easy4 weak | |
| cucumber pickles refrigerator | 0 | NONE | Easy4 weak | |
| fridge pickled cucumbers | 0 | NONE | Easy5 weak | |
| diabetic meal plan | 0 | NONE | Hard1 weak | |
| best meal plan delivery service | 0 | NONE | Medium3 weak | |
| diabetic diet meal plan | 0 | NONE | Hard1 weak | |
| diabetic menu plan | 0 | NONE | Hard1 weak | |
| shipt driver | 0 | NONE | Hard1 weak | |
| drive with shipt | 0 | NONE | Medium2 weak | |
| refrigerator pickles recipe | 0 | NONE | Easy4 weak | |
| fridge dill pickle recipe | 0 | NONE | Easy7 weak | |
| fridge pickle recipe | 0 | NONE | Easy5 weak | |
| recipe for refrigerator cucumber pickles | 0 | NONE | Easy3 weak | |
| meal planning app | 0 | NONE | Easy2 weak | |
| menu planning app | 0 | NONE | Easy4 weak | |
| food planning app | 0 | NONE | Medium2 weak | |
| eating plan app | 0 | NONE | Hard1 weak | |
| meal plan for weight loss | 0 | NONE | Medium2 weak | |
| healthy meal plans | 0 | NONE | Medium3 weak | |
| meal plan service | 0 | NONE | Medium2 weak | |
| healthy eating meal plan | 0 | NONE | Hard1 weak | |
| healthy diet meal plan | 0 | NONE | Hard1 weak | |
| diabetic food plan | 0 | NONE | Hard1 weak | |
| healthy food meal plan | 0 | NONE | Hard0 weak | |
| weight loss menu plans | 0 | NONE | Medium2 weak | |
| health food plan | 0 | NONE | Hard0 weak | |
| publix insta cart | 0 | NONE | Medium2 weak | |
| pillsbury pie shell | 0 | NONE | Hard1 weak | |
| dash diet meal plan | 0 | NONE | Hard1 weak | |
| low carb meal plan | 0 | NONE | Easy4 weak | |
| healthy meal plans for weight loss | 0 | NONE | Medium2 weak | |
| healthy eating plan for weight loss | 0 | NONE | Hard0 weak | |
| low carb eating plan | 0 | NONE | Easy2 weak | |
| healthy food plans for weight loss | 0 | NONE | Hard1 weak | |
| healthy diet meal plan for weight loss | 0 | NONE | Hard1 weak | |
| dash diet menu plans | 0 | NONE | Medium2 weak | |
| healthy eating meal plan for weight loss | 0 | NONE | Hard1 weak | |
| dash diet eating plan | 0 | NONE | Medium2 weak | |
| meal plans for low carb diet | 0 | NONE | Easy3 weak | |
| dash diet menu eating plan | 0 | NONE | Hard1 weak | |
| 1200 calorie meal plan | 0 | NONE | Easy4 weak | |
| 7 day meal plan for weight loss | 0 | NONE | Medium3 weak |
Top Easy Wins
mediterranean diet menu plan
0 vol3 weak
meal planner
0 vol4 weak
refrigerator pickles
0 vol4 weak
cucumber pickles refrigerator
0 vol4 weak
fridge pickled cucumbers
0 vol5 weak
refrigerator pickles recipe
0 vol4 weak
fridge dill pickle recipe
0 vol7 weak
fridge pickle recipe
0 vol5 weak
recipe for refrigerator cucumber pickles
0 vol3 weak
meal planning app
0 vol2 weak
| Keyword | Volume | Weak Spots |
|---|---|---|
| mediterranean diet menu plan | 0 | 3 |
| meal planner | 0 | 4 |
| refrigerator pickles | 0 | 4 |
| cucumber pickles refrigerator | 0 | 4 |
| fridge pickled cucumbers | 0 | 5 |
| refrigerator pickles recipe | 0 | 4 |
| fridge dill pickle recipe | 0 | 7 |
| fridge pickle recipe | 0 | 5 |
| recipe for refrigerator cucumber pickles | 0 | 3 |
| meal planning app | 0 | 2 |
09 — Keyword Clusters
Keyword Clusters
3,406 keywords across 11 clusters. Purchase intent: 27%. Problem intent: 4%.
Other Related Terms
1,156,460 vol · 988 kw
Meal Planning & Prep
981,230 vol · 1304 kw
Grocery & Shopping
248,350 vol · 545 kw
Fridge Scanning & Inventory
107,130 vol · 129 kw
Brand & Competitor Terms
39,240 vol · 10 kw
Ingredient-Based Recipes
38,410 vol · 106 kw
Food Waste Reduction
30,860 vol · 229 kw
Recipe Apps & Tools
15,000 vol · 5 kw
Comparison & Purchase Intent
14,030 vol · 62 kw
Meal Ideas & Inspiration
4,670 vol · 22 kw
AI Cooking & Meal Tech
2,210 vol · 6 kw
10 — High-Value Keywords
High-Value Keywords
complete meal plan
Vol: 90
CPC: $54.47
Comp: 0.50
uncleareasy plant based meal plan
Vol: 70
CPC: $41.67
Comp: 0.75
unclearprecooked meal plans
Vol: 30
CPC: $36.70
Comp: 0.75
unclearfood grocery delivery apps
Vol: 30
CPC: $35.82
Comp: 0.75
purchase intent3 meal plan
Vol: 50
CPC: $32.88
Comp: 0.25
unclearbest grocery delivery app reddit
Vol: 20
CPC: $32.65
Comp: 0.25
purchase intenthealthy meal plan delivery service
Vol: 30
CPC: $31.84
Comp: 0.75
uncleareasy ways to reduce food waste
Vol: 40
CPC: $30.64
Comp: 0.25
problem intentbest online grocery app
Vol: 10
CPC: $30.40
Comp: 0.75
purchase intentbest app for online grocery shopping
Vol: 10
CPC: $30.40
Comp: 0.75
purchase intenteasy meal plans for high cholesterol
Vol: 20
CPC: $29.47
Comp: 0.75
unclearbest grocery ordering app
Vol: 20
CPC: $28.83
Comp: 0.75
purchase intentmethods to reduce food waste
Vol: 10
CPC: $28.21
Comp: 0.25
unclearprepared meal plans for weight loss
Vol: 30
CPC: $27.91
Comp: 0.75
uncleartasty meal plan
Vol: 20
CPC: $27.68
Comp: 0.75
navigationbest meal prep plans
Vol: 140
CPC: $27.37
Comp: 0.75
purchase intentbenefits of food waste
Vol: 20
CPC: $27.35
Comp: 0.25
unclearfood waste benefits
Vol: 20
CPC: $27.35
Comp: 0.25
unclearweekly meal plan delivery
Vol: 30
CPC: $26.77
Comp: 0.75
unclearmeal plan food delivery
Vol: 70
CPC: $25.27
Comp: 0.75
unclear| Keyword | Volume | CPC | Competition | Intent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| complete meal plan | 90 | $54.47 | 0.50 | unclear |
| easy plant based meal plan | 70 | $41.67 | 0.75 | unclear |
| precooked meal plans | 30 | $36.70 | 0.75 | unclear |
| food grocery delivery apps | 30 | $35.82 | 0.75 | purchase intent |
| 3 meal plan | 50 | $32.88 | 0.25 | unclear |
| best grocery delivery app reddit | 20 | $32.65 | 0.25 | purchase intent |
| healthy meal plan delivery service | 30 | $31.84 | 0.75 | unclear |
| easy ways to reduce food waste | 40 | $30.64 | 0.25 | problem intent |
| best online grocery app | 10 | $30.40 | 0.75 | purchase intent |
| best app for online grocery shopping | 10 | $30.40 | 0.75 | purchase intent |
| easy meal plans for high cholesterol | 20 | $29.47 | 0.75 | unclear |
| best grocery ordering app | 20 | $28.83 | 0.75 | purchase intent |
| methods to reduce food waste | 10 | $28.21 | 0.25 | unclear |
| prepared meal plans for weight loss | 30 | $27.91 | 0.75 | unclear |
| tasty meal plan | 20 | $27.68 | 0.75 | navigation |
| best meal prep plans | 140 | $27.37 | 0.75 | purchase intent |
| benefits of food waste | 20 | $27.35 | 0.25 | unclear |
| food waste benefits | 20 | $27.35 | 0.25 | unclear |
| weekly meal plan delivery | 30 | $26.77 | 0.75 | unclear |
| meal plan food delivery | 70 | $25.27 | 0.75 | unclear |
V
What It All Means
Synthesis: which segments to target, what positioning angles work, how to price, and exactly what to do next.
11 — Strategic Verdict
Strategic Verdict
11
Direct Competitors
3,406
Keywords Found
$54.47
Peak CPC
0
Ads in SERPs
15/50
Easy SERP Keywords
62/100
Validation Score
FridgeChef enters a validated but fiercely competitive market. The "what's for dinner?" problem is real — 11 direct competitors with paid users, 3,406 discoverable keywords, and high CPCs ($54.47 peak on meal plan terms) confirm genuine demand. [Source: competition-analysis.md, keyword-signals.json] However, the market is structurally challenging for a B2C newcomer: SuperCook dominates the "recipes from ingredients" job with 21K+ iOS ratings and is FREE, while Mealime owns meal planning at $2.99/mo with 7M+ active users. FridgeChef's $9.99/mo price sits at the premium end of a market where free alternatives satisfy most users' core needs.
The fridge-photo AI wedge is genuine differentiation — no competitor has proven this works reliably — but it's also the riskiest technical assumption. At least 5 apps have launched with fridge-scan features since 2023 (Fridge AI, Fridge Leftovers AI, PhotoFridge, RecipeSnap AI, Ollie), and ALL remain small or early-stage, suggesting the technology hasn't yet delivered a compelling enough experience to break through. [Source: competition-analysis.md] The "order the gaps" grocery delivery integration is not unique — Cooklist, Mealime, Ollie, and eMeals all offer it. The zero ads across 50 SERP analyses suggest this market runs on organic distribution, which is promising for a bootstrapped builder but also means no strong "money flowing in" signal from paid acquisition.
The strongest strategic opportunity is NOT in competing head-to-head on recipe suggestions but in owning the complete waste-reduction workflow: fridge inventory → expiry-aware recipe prioritization → gap procurement → waste tracking over time. No single competitor chains all four steps, and the food waste angle has a dedicated keyword cluster (30,860 vol, $5.57 median CPC) with genuine purchase intent. PlateJoy's discontinuation in July 2025 also creates a timing vacuum for family meal planners seeking alternatives. [Source: keyword-signals.json, competition-analysis.md]
12 — Customer Segments
Customer Segments
Overwhelmed Weeknight Parents
Dual-income parents (30-45) cooking for families 4-5 nights/week. Face the daily 'what's for dinner?' pressure with picky eaters, time constraints, and a fridge full of half-used ingredients. Currently cobble together Mealime/AllRecipes + grocery delivery.
WTP
$5-10/mo
Channel
SEO (meal planning app keywords — Easy tier), App Store, parenting communities
Unit Econ
risky
Grounding
GROUNDED
Evidence
- Ollie AI specifically targets families ($10/mo, Washington Post coverage) [Source: competition-analysis.md]
- Keyword cluster 'Meal Planning & Prep' has 981,230 aggregate volume [Source: keyword-signals.json]
- PlateJoy (family meal planner) discontinued July 2025, creating a vacuum [Source: WebSearch]
- Mealime has 7M+ active users at $2.99/mo — proves family meal planning WTP exists [Source: competition-analysis.md]
Unit economics
CAC: $117
Meal planning cluster median CPC $3.54 / 0.03 assumed conversion rate [Source: keyword-metrics.csv]
AMPU: $7.99
Mealime Pro $2.99, Ollie $10, midpoint ~$7.99 [Source: competition-analysis.md]
Payback: 14.6 months
Point A → Point B
Point A: Standing in front of the fridge at 5:30pm, kids are hungry, I have no plan, and I'm about to order pizza again even though I just spent $200 on groceries
Point B: I snap a photo, pick a recipe the kids will eat, order the two missing things, and dinner is decided in 60 seconds. The guilt of wasted food is gone.
Health-Conscious Meal Preppers
Fitness-oriented adults (25-35) who meal prep on weekends, track macros/calories, and need recipes that align with specific dietary goals (low carb, Mediterranean, DASH). Currently use Eat This Much or spreadsheets.
WTP
$5-15/mo
Channel
SEO (diet-specific meal plan keywords — many Easy tier), fitness communities, Instagram/TikTok
Unit Econ
risky
Grounding
GROUNDED
Evidence
- Keywords: 'low carb meal plan' (Easy), '1200 calorie meal plan' (Easy), 'mediterranean diet meal plan' [Source: serp-weakness-report.md]
- Eat This Much automates calorie/macro-based meal plans [Source: competition-analysis.md]
- Top CPC $54.47 on 'complete meal plan' signals high commercial intent for diet-specific plans [Source: keyword-signals.json]
- Dedicated diet keyword clusters: low carb, Mediterranean, DASH, diabetic — all with beatable SERPs [Source: serp-weakness-report.md]
Unit economics
CAC: $187
Diet meal plan CPC ~$5.60 / 0.03 conversion rate [INFERRED from food waste cluster median CPC]
AMPU: $9.99
Cooklist premium $9.99/mo, FridgeChef proposed $9.99/mo [Source: competition-analysis.md]
Payback: 18.7 months
Point A → Point B
Point A: I spend Sunday afternoon calculating macros and building meal plans in a spreadsheet, then buy ingredients I already have, wasting money and time
Point B: The app scans my fridge, knows my macro targets, and builds a prep plan that uses what I have first — my Sunday prep takes 30 minutes instead of 3 hours
Eco-Conscious Waste Reducers
Environmentally motivated consumers (25-40) who specifically want to reduce food waste. Motivated by sustainability values and the $1,500/yr waste stat. May accept a simpler product if it demonstrably reduces waste.
WTP
$3-10/mo
Channel
SEO (food waste keywords), sustainability blogs, eco-conscious influencers
Unit Econ
risky
Grounding
GROUNDED
Evidence
- Keyword cluster 'Food Waste Reduction' has 30,860 aggregate volume, $5.57 median CPC — highest CPC of all clusters [Source: keyword-signals.json]
- SuperCook positions as 'Zero Waste Recipe Generator' [Source: competition-analysis.md]
- CozZo focuses on fridge inventory + expiry tracking [Source: competition-analysis.md]
- Keywords: 'reduce food waste', 'how to reduce food waste at home', 'food waste solution' [Source: keyword-metrics.csv]
Unit economics
CAC: $186
Food waste cluster median CPC $5.57 / 0.03 conversion rate [Source: keyword-metrics.csv]
AMPU: $6.99
Samsung Food $6.99/mo — closest sustainability-positioned competitor [Source: competition-analysis.md]
Payback: 26.6 months
Point A → Point B
Point A: I throw away a bag of wilted greens every week and feel terrible about it — I know I'm wasting $100+/month but I don't know what to cook before things go bad
Point B: The app alerts me when items are expiring, suggests recipes that use them first, and my food waste drops 50%. I can see the savings adding up.
Budget-Conscious Grocery Optimizers
Price-sensitive shoppers (any age) who want to minimize grocery spending by cooking with what they have and only buying what's truly needed. Drawn by the financial savings pitch rather than eco or health angles.
WTP
$3-7/mo
Channel
SEO (grocery list/shopping keywords), deal/coupon communities, TikTok budget cooking
Unit Econ
risky
Grounding
INFERRED
Evidence
- Keyword cluster 'Grocery & Shopping' has 248,350 volume, $5.03 median CPC [Source: keyword-signals.json]
- Cooklist integrates with 75+ grocery stores for price comparison [Source: competition-analysis.md]
- Food inflation trend makes savings messaging more urgent [INFERRED from idea.md 'why now']
Unit economics
CAC: $168
Grocery cluster median CPC $5.03 / 0.03 conversion rate [Source: keyword-metrics.csv]
AMPU: $4.99
Cooklist $5.99/mo, eMeals $4.99/mo — budget tier [Source: competition-analysis.md]
Payback: 33.7 months
Point A → Point B
Point A: I overbuy at the grocery store because I don't know what I already have, then half of it goes bad. My grocery bill is $200/week and it shouldn't be
Point B: I only buy exactly what I need. My grocery spending drops $50/week because I'm cooking what I already have instead of buying duplicates.
B2B: Corporate Cafeterias & Food Service
Corporate kitchens, university dining halls, and small restaurant operators who need to minimize food waste and plan menus based on available inventory. Higher WTP, longer contracts, different distribution.
WTP
$50-200/mo
Channel
Direct sales, food service trade publications, LinkedIn
Unit Econ
marginal
Grounding
HYPOTHESIS
Evidence
- DishGen offers $75/mo business tier [Source: competition-analysis.md]
- Food waste regulations increasingly target commercial food service [INFERRED]
- Value mechanic: B2B ↔ B2C switch (Mechanic #8) — same AI technology, business buyer with budget authority
Unit economics
CAC: $500
[INFERRED — no B2B keyword CPC data available; typical B2B food service CAC]
AMPU: $75
DishGen $75/mo business tier [Source: competition-analysis.md]
Payback: 6.7 months
Point A → Point B
Point A: We track food waste on spreadsheets, order based on guesswork, and throw away $2,000/month in expired inventory
Point B: AI scans our walk-in cooler, suggests daily specials that use expiring stock first, and our waste drops 40% — saving $10K/year
AI Early Adopter / Techie Cooks
Tech-savvy early adopters (25-35) who are excited by AI capabilities and want to try the latest AI-powered tools. Will download and try fridge scanning for the novelty — but may churn after the wow factor fades.
WTP
$5-10/mo (but high churn risk)
Channel
Product Hunt, Hacker News, AI tool directories, TikTok demos
Unit Econ
marginal
Grounding
INFERRED
Evidence
- Keyword cluster 'AI Cooking & Meal Tech' has 2,210 volume [Source: keyword-signals.json]
- Dev.to has multiple posts about 'FridgeChef' concept implementations [Source: WebSearch]
- Multiple indie AI fridge apps launched 2023-2025 (Fridge AI, RecipeSnap AI, PhotoFridge) [Source: competition-analysis.md]
Unit economics
CAC: $65
AI cooking cluster median CPC $1.96 / 0.03 conversion rate [Source: keyword-metrics.csv]
AMPU: $9.99
FridgeChef proposed pricing [Source: idea.md]
Payback: 6.5 months
Point A → Point B
Point A: I love trying new AI tools. I want something that makes cooking feel magical — not another boring recipe database
Point B: I take a photo and AI instantly knows what's in my fridge and suggests creative recipes I'd never think of. It's like having a personal chef in my pocket.
13 — Pivot Directions
Pivot Directions
Food Waste Tracker (Move to Higher-Level Job)
Reposition to Big Job
Instead of competing on recipe suggestions (crowded — SuperCook, Mealime), own the entire 'eliminate household food waste' Big Job. Fridge scanning becomes the inventory layer for a waste-tracking dashboard that shows savings over time, expiry alerts, and waste-reduction scores.
Supporting data
- Food Waste Reduction cluster: 30,860 vol, $5.57 median CPC — highest CPC cluster [Source: keyword-signals.json]
- No competitor combines fridge scan + expiry tracking + waste measurement. CozZo does expiry but no AI; SuperCook does recipes but no waste tracking [Source: competition-analysis.md]
- SuperCook's 'Zero Waste' positioning is marketing only — no actual waste tracking feature [Source: competition-analysis.md]
Diet-Specific Meal Planner (Niche Vertical)
Vertical specialization
Focus exclusively on one dietary niche — e.g., low-carb or diabetic meal planning from fridge contents. Own a vertical instead of competing horizontally. Diet-specific keywords have Easy SERPs and high CPCs.
Supporting data
- Easy keywords: 'low carb meal plan', '1200 calorie meal plan', 'low carb eating plan', 'meal plans for low carb diet' [Source: serp-weakness-report.md]
- Top CPC $54.47 on 'complete meal plan' [Source: keyword-signals.json]
- No fridge-scanning competitor specializes in a single dietary niche [Source: competition-analysis.md]
- Eat This Much is the closest macro-aware competitor but has no fridge scan [Source: competition-analysis.md]
PlateJoy Replacement (Fix Current Solution Problems)
Competitor displacement
Position explicitly as the PlateJoy replacement for family meal planning. PlateJoy discontinued July 2025, leaving users without an alternative. Capture their search traffic and existing demand.
Supporting data
- PlateJoy discontinued July 2025 [Source: WebSearch — Fortune best meal planning apps]
- 'meal planning app' is Easy tier on SERP [Source: serp-weakness-report.md]
- Ollie AI actively publishing 'best meal planning apps' content, already filling the vacuum [Source: WebSearch]
Grocery Spend Optimizer (Previous Job)
Upstream capture
Instead of starting at 'what to cook', start at 'what to buy'. The previous job in the sequence is grocery shopping. Position as the smart grocery list that prevents overbuying by knowing what's already in the fridge.
Supporting data
- Grocery & Shopping cluster: 248,350 vol, $5.03 median CPC [Source: keyword-signals.json]
- Cooklist integrates with 75+ grocery stores [Source: competition-analysis.md]
- Instacart has AI Cart Assistant for meal inspiration — convergence signal [Source: WebSearch]
B2B Food Service Waste Reduction
Market switch
Apply the same fridge-scanning AI to commercial kitchens: restaurants, corporate cafeterias, university dining. Higher WTP ($50-200/mo), clearer ROI, and regulatory tailwinds on food waste.
Supporting data
- DishGen charges $75/mo for business tier [Source: competition-analysis.md]
- No fridge-scan competitor targets B2B [Source: competition-analysis.md]
- Commercial food waste regulations increasing globally [INFERRED]
Done-For-You Weekly Meal Plan + Auto-Order
Automation upgrade
Go beyond suggestions: automatically generate a full week's meal plan from fridge contents + dietary preferences, then auto-order all missing ingredients for delivery. Transform from 'tool' to 'service' — the robot-vacuum of meal planning.
Supporting data
- Keyword: 'automated meal planning' in Meal Planning cluster [Source: keyword-metrics.csv]
- Ollie does weekly plans + Instacart but requires manual curation [Source: competition-analysis.md]
- HelloFresh charges $60-80/week for full automation (meal kit) — 10x FridgeChef's price [Source: competition-analysis.md]
Social Cooking Challenges
Adjacent use case + viral mechanic
Add a social layer where users share their fridge-to-meal transformations. 'I had these 5 ingredients and made THIS' as shareable content. Weekly challenges like 'make a meal with only 3 ingredients.'
Validation test
Create 10 TikTok-style fridge-to-meal transformation videos. Measure engagement and follower conversion. Need >5% profile click rate to validate viral potential.
Grocery Store Partnership / Affiliate Model
Business model flip
Instead of charging consumers, partner with grocery chains. When users order missing ingredients through the app, take a referral fee from Instacart/Walmart/Kroger. Make the app free, monetize through grocery affiliate revenue.
Validation test
Check Instacart/Amazon Fresh affiliate program terms. Calculate: (avg order value from gap shopping) × (affiliate rate) × (uses per month) vs. $9.99/mo subscription. If affiliate > subscription, flip the model.
Smart Fridge OEM Integration
Platform play
License the AI to smart fridge manufacturers (Samsung, LG, Bosch). The fridge itself has a camera — embed FridgeChef's recipe engine directly into the appliance UI.
Validation test
Build a working demo and reach out to 5 smart fridge product managers. Measure: (a) do they take a meeting, (b) do they express licensing interest, (c) what would they pay per unit?
14 — Messaging & Taglines
Messaging & Taglines
Stop Throwing Away $1,500 in Groceries Every Year
Snap your fridge. Cook what you have. Only buy what's missing.
Target: Eco-Conscious Waste Reducers
Channel: SEO — food waste reduction keywords ($5.57 median CPC)
reduce food waste (seed keyword), how to reduce food waste at home (seed keyword), $1,500/yr food waste stat (idea.md)
What's for Dinner? Your Fridge Already Knows.
AI scans your fridge photo and suggests recipes from what you already have — in 60 seconds.
Target: Overwhelmed Weeknight Parents
Channel: App Store, social media, 'meal planning app' SEO (Easy tier)
what to cook with what i have (seed keyword), meal planning app (Easy SERP), recipes from ingredients (seed keyword)
Your Low-Carb Meal Plan — Built From Your Actual Fridge
Photo your fridge. Get keto/low-carb recipes that use what you have. Skip the grocery run.
Target: Health-Conscious Meal Preppers
Channel: SEO — 'low carb meal plan' (Easy), '1200 calorie meal plan' (Easy)
low carb meal plan (Easy SERP keyword), 1200 calorie meal plan (Easy SERP keyword), meal plans for low carb diet (Easy SERP keyword)
The Meal Planning App That Starts With What You Own
Every other app starts with recipes. We start with your fridge. That's why you actually use what you buy.
Target: Budget-Conscious Grocery Optimizers
Channel: SEO — 'meal planning app' (Easy), comparison/alternative pages
meal planning app (Easy SERP), best meal planning app (seed keyword), recipe by ingredients (seed keyword)
Goodbye, Takeout. Hello, Tuesday Dinner in 60 Seconds.
Open fridge. Snap photo. Pick a recipe. Order the 2 missing things. Done.
Target: AI Early Adopter / Techie Cooks
Channel: Product Hunt, Hacker News, TikTok demo videos
what to cook tonight (seed keyword), app that tells you what to cook (seed keyword), scan fridge for recipes (seed keyword)
Taglines
“Snap your fridge. Get dinner.”
Compressed from wedge use-case: fridge photo → recipe suggestion [Source: idea.md]
For: All segments
“Cook what you have. Buy only what's missing.”
Compressed from core value proposition: inventory-first cooking + gap shopping [Source: idea.md]
For: Budget-Conscious Grocery Optimizers
“Your fridge is full. So why are you ordering pizza?”
Point A pain: defaulting to takeout despite having groceries [Source: idea.md problem statement]
For: Overwhelmed Weeknight Parents
“No more wasted food. No more wasted time.”
Compressed from dual value proposition: reduce food waste + eliminate decision fatigue [Source: idea.md]
For: Eco-Conscious Waste Reducers
“Recipes from YOUR ingredients, not a recipe database.”
Key differentiator: starts from what you own vs. browsing recipes [Source: idea.md differentiation]
For: All segments
“Like HelloFresh, but for food you already bought.”
Pricing anchor: HelloFresh $60-80/wk vs. FridgeChef $9.99/mo [Source: idea.md pricing anchor]
For: Budget-Conscious Grocery Optimizers
Communication Gaps
No competitor communicates actual waste reduction metrics ($ saved, lbs not wasted)
Build a 'waste savings dashboard' and use real metrics in marketing: 'Our users save an average of $X/month in food they would have thrown away.' This is a defensible, data-driven claim no competitor can match without similar tracking.
SuperCook uses 'Zero Waste' in branding but doesn't track or quantify waste reduction [Source: competition-analysis.md]
No content addressing 'food expiring in my fridge' as a pain point with app solutions
Create SEO content targeting 'how to use up food before it expires' and 'food expiry tracker app' — low competition, high emotional resonance. Builds awareness for the waste-reduction positioning.
No competitor combines expiry tracking + recipe suggestions. CozZo tracks expiry but has no recipe engine; recipe apps don't track expiry [Source: competition-analysis.md]
Diet-specific 'cook from your fridge' content doesn't exist
Publish 'Low carb meal plan from fridge staples' and 'Keto recipes from common fridge ingredients' content. Targets Easy keywords while differentiating from generic diet content.
Easy SERP keywords like 'low carb meal plan' and '1200 calorie meal plan' are served by generic diet sites — no one frames it as 'low carb meals from YOUR ingredients' [Source: serp-weakness-report.md]
No competitor publishes 'PlateJoy alternative' content despite its July 2025 shutdown
Create 'Best PlateJoy Alternatives in 2026' content immediately. Time-limited window to capture high-intent traffic from displaced users.
PlateJoy discontinued but no competitor has captured the displacement traffic [Source: WebSearch]
15 — Pricing Strategy
Pricing Strategy
Freemium (Current Hypothesis)
Free (3 scans/week) / $9.99/mo premium (unlimited)
Usage-gated freemium with premium unlock
$9.99/mo is at the TOP of the market (only Ollie matches at $10/mo). Mealime at $2.99/mo with 7M users proves that lower price + scale works. The free tier at 3 scans/week is generous enough to become a habit but restrictive enough to push daily cooks to premium. Risk: SuperCook is free with no premium upsell — sets a strong 'free is enough' anchor in users' minds.
Comparables
- Mealime: Free / $2.99/mo Pro [Source: competition-analysis.md]
- Samsung Food: Free / $6.99/mo [Source: competition-analysis.md]
- Cooklist: Free / $5.99-$9.99/mo [Source: competition-analysis.md]
- Ollie: $10/mo or $7/mo annual [Source: competition-analysis.md]
High — $9.99/mo at the top of a market where the dominant player (SuperCook) is free. Unit economics are challenging: CAC $65-187 depending on segment vs. $9.99/mo AMPPU = 6-19 month payback. Needs exceptional retention to work.
Lower Price Point for Scale
Free (1 scan/week) / $4.99/mo premium / $39.99/yr annual
Tighter free gate + lower premium price to maximize conversion
At $4.99/mo, FridgeChef sits in the market's sweet spot ($3-6/mo cluster). The annual plan at $39.99 provides an effective rate of $3.33/mo, competitive with Mealime Pro. Tighter free gate (1 scan/week) creates more conversion pressure. Lower price reduces payback period and increases addressable market.
Comparables
- Mealime Pro: $2.99/mo [Source: competition-analysis.md]
- eMeals: $4.99/mo annual [Source: competition-analysis.md]
- Plan to Eat: $5.95/mo [Source: competition-analysis.md]
Medium — better unit economics but still fighting SuperCook's free model. Needs 2x the subscribers vs. $9.99 plan to match revenue.
Premium AI Tier (Higher-Value Automation)
Free basic / $9.99/mo Pro / $24.99/mo Chef (auto-plan + auto-order)
Three-tier with automation premium
The $24.99/mo 'Chef' tier does everything automatically: weekly scan, auto-plan meals, auto-order missing ingredients for delivery. Positioned as '1/10th the cost of HelloFresh, using food you already own.' This tier has the best unit economics and captures the highest-WTP segment. The Pro tier at $9.99 remains for users who want control.
Comparables
- HelloFresh: $60-80/week (full automation via meal kit) [Source: competition-analysis.md]
- Ollie: $10/mo (manual plan + grocery integration) [Source: competition-analysis.md]
- DishGen Business: $75/mo [Source: competition-analysis.md]
Medium — $24.99/mo is unproven in meal planning apps (no competitor charges this). Requires flawless automation to justify. However, the HelloFresh pricing anchor ($300/mo+) makes $25/mo feel like a steal for similar convenience.
16 — Prioritized Next Steps
Prioritized Next Steps
1
Build and test fridge photo recognition accuracy with 50 real users. Use GPT-4V or Claude Vision to identify ingredients from fridge photos. This is the #1 riskiest assumption — if accuracy is below 80%, the entire premise fails.
Every downstream feature depends on accurate ingredient identification. No competitor has proven this works reliably (Fridge Leftovers AI has only ~160 users). Test before building anything else.
>80% ingredient identification accuracy in >70% of photos validates the technical wedge. Below that threshold → consider pivoting to manual entry with AI assistance (like Cooklist's approach).
scan fridge for recipes, ai fridge scanner2
Create a 'PlateJoy Alternative' landing page targeting displaced users. PlateJoy discontinued July 2025 — capture their search traffic with a comparison page optimized for '[platejoy alternative 2026]'.
Time-limited window. Ollie AI is already publishing 'best meal planning apps' content to fill this vacuum. First-mover advantage for the displacement traffic. Low effort, high-intent visitors.
Capture 500+ visitors/month from displacement queries. Measure email signup rate — need >8% to confirm high purchase intent from this segment.
platejoy alternative, best meal planning app3
Publish 'Low Carb Meal Plan From Your Fridge' SEO content targeting Easy SERP keywords. Combine diet-specific content with the fridge-inventory angle that no competitor covers.
These keywords are Easy tier (4+ weak spots in top 10) with high CPC ($54.47 peak on complete meal plan). Diet-specific content from a fridge-inventory angle is a gap no competitor fills. Builds organic traffic while product is in development.
Rank in top 10 within 3 months for 3+ Easy keywords. Drive 1,000+ monthly visitors to validate demand for diet-specific fridge scanning.
low carb meal plan (Easy), 1200 calorie meal plan (Easy), meal plans for low carb diet (Easy)4
Launch a landing page smoke test at $4.99/mo (lower price point) with the waste-reduction positioning. Drive traffic from food waste keywords ($5.57 median CPC) to test conversion at a more competitive price point.
Score of 62/100 (PARK) is partly driven by pricing risk at $9.99/mo. Testing at $4.99/mo against the waste-reduction segment ($5.57 CPC = highest purchase intent) resolves two uncertainties at once: price sensitivity and segment appetite.
>3% email signup rate from 500 visitors validates the waste-reduction positioning at $4.99/mo. Compare against $9.99/mo variant to determine optimal price.
reduce food waste, food waste app, how to reduce food waste at home5
Interview 20 Mealime/SuperCook users to understand why they DON'T scan their fridge. Is it because the feature doesn't exist, or because they don't want it? Critical for validating that the wedge is pull (demand) not push (solution looking for a problem).
The 'AI fridge scanner' keyword cluster has only 2,210 volume — tiny compared to 'meal planning app'. This could mean (a) the market doesn't know it's possible yet, or (b) they don't want it. User interviews resolve this ambiguity before building.
>60% of interviewees express strong interest in fridge scanning → confirms pull demand. <40% → pivot to a different wedge (e.g., waste tracking, diet-specific planning).
meal planning app, recipes from ingredients, supercook alternative6
Investigate Instacart/Amazon Fresh affiliate programs as an alternative monetization model. If grocery affiliate revenue exceeds $9.99/mo per user, the app could be free — eliminating the biggest competitive risk.
B2C subscription economics are risky (CAC $65-187, AMPPU $4.99-9.99, payback 6-19 months). If each 'gap order' generates $20-50 in grocery sales at 5-10% affiliate rate, that's $1-5 per use × 12 uses/month = $12-60/month in affiliate revenue — potentially exceeding subscription.
Confirm affiliate program terms and calculate: (avg gap order size) × (affiliate rate) × (monthly uses). If > $9.99/mo → pivot to free app with affiliate monetization.
grocery delivery app, smart shopping list7
Build a minimal 'fridge to recipe' prototype (Instagram/WhatsApp bot) to test engagement without building a full app. Users send a fridge photo via DM → AI responds with 3 recipes + missing ingredients list.
Full app development is premature given PARK score. A messaging bot tests the core value proposition (photo → recipes) with zero infrastructure cost. Validates TTFV, accuracy, and repeat usage in days, not months.
50 beta users, >40% send 2+ photos in first week, >25% still active at week 4. This validates both accuracy and habit formation without building an app.
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