The pantry app that fills itself
Add food by photo, barcode or by hand. PantryAI tracks it and turns it into recipes.
Free: 10 photo scans and 10 recipe searches a month. No sign-up.
- PhotoUp to 5 per scan
- BarcodeFree, unlimited
- By handFor anything else
How it works
Three ways in. One pantry.
Photo
Snap the fridge, freezer or cupboard and check what the AI found. Each photo is 1 scan.
Barcode
Scan a product's barcode for its name, brand and picture. Free and unlimited.
By hand
Type a name, brand, quantity and use-by date for anything else.
A pantry inventory app you don't have to type into
Typing every item into a pantry tracker gets old fast. PantryAI starts with a photo instead. Snap the fridge, freezer or cupboard, or the shopping bags before you unpack, and the AI lists what it sees: name, brand, quantity and category.
You check the list, untick or edit anything, and add it. Up to 5 photos go into one scan. Read more about the photo scan in what's in my fridge.
Once the food is in, it's working for you. Every recipe search in the AI recipe generator uses your whole pantry, so the food you already paid for gets cooked before it goes off.
Free barcode scanning
For single items, scan the barcode. PantryAI reads EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A and UPC-E codes.
Product details and pictures come from our mirror of over 4 million Open Food Facts products, so a scanned pack can fill in its own name, brand and picture. Barcode scanning is free, has no monthly limit and doesn't use your photo scans.
- Formats
- EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A, UPC-E
- Product data
- 4 million+ Open Food Facts products
- Monthly limit
- None. Doesn't use photo scans
A food expiration app that estimates dates for you
Nobody wants to type a use-by date for every carrot. When you add food, PantryAI estimates a use-by date from its category, and you can edit any date to match the pack.
Two filters keep it useful: Expiring soon shows food due in 3 days or fewer, and Expired shows what's past its date. Use the Expiring soon list before you shop and you buy less, waste less, and cook what's already there.
PantryAI does not send expiry reminders. No notification tells you the milk is due. You open the app and check the Expiring soon list yourself.
Example
Day of 8
- Spinach · Produce
- Milk · Dairy
- Chicken thighs · Meat
- Salmon fillets · Seafood
- Sourdough loaf · Bakery
Default use-by estimates by food category
Estimated days from adding
- Produce
- 5 days
- Dairy
- 7 days
- Meat
- 3 days
- Seafood
- 2 days
- Frozen
- 180 days
- Dry goods
- 270 days
- Canned
- 730 days
- Bakery
- 4 days
- Drinks
- 90 days
- Condiments
- 180 days
- Snacks
- 90 days
- Other
- 7 days
Estimates only. Always go by the date on the pack, and edit the date in the app to match it.
Staples go into every recipe search
Staples are the basics most kitchens always hold. They're included in every recipe search, so you don't have to scan the salt.
The defaults are salt, pepper, olive oil, butter, eggs, potatoes, rice, pasta, garlic and onions. Turn any of them off if you don't keep them, or back on when you do. Cupboard cooking ideas are in our guide to pantry meals.
Example
In every search: 10 of 10
Fridge, freezer and cupboard inventory in one list
Everything sits in one list, with a green, amber or red pill showing how long each item has left. Search to find one item fast.
Clearing out after a big cook? Select several items at once and delete them together. A tidy list means better recipe searches, because the AI only works with food you actually have.
Real output: a pantry in the app
A real pantry from the app: every item has a days-left pill, and the Expiring Soon and Expired filters sit above the list.
Real output from PantryAI
Compare
Best pantry inventory app? How PantryAI compares
The right pantry tracker depends on what you want from it. If you want a notification before the yoghurt goes off, the other apps below send expiry reminders and PantryAI doesn't. If you want to fill your pantry from a photo and turn it straight into recipes, that's what PantryAI is built for.
Every row comes from that app's own listing, checked on the date below. For a wider look at apps that cut waste, see our round-up of food waste apps.
| App | Add food by | Expiry reminders | Recipes from your pantry | Price model |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PantryAI | Photo, barcode or by hand | No, you check the Expiring soon list | Yes, written by AI | Free tier; Basic and Deluxe monthly |
| NoWaste | Barcode, receipt or photo | Yes | Listing mentions recipes | Free; Pro $6.99 a year or $29.99 lifetime |
| KitchenPal | Barcode, voice or text | Yes | Recipe ideas from ingredients you have | $3.99 a month, $14.99 a year or $29.99 lifetime |
| Pantry Inventory: Food Tracker | Barcode or by hand | Yes | AI recipes from your items | Free with in-app purchases |
Prices and features from each app's App Store listing (KitchenPal: its website), checked 09/10/2026. US prices; they may differ in your country.
What it does and doesn't do
It does
- Adds food by photo, free barcode scan or by hand.
- Estimates use-by dates by category, and lets you edit them.
- Shows Expiring soon and Expired lists.
- Includes your staples in every recipe search.
It doesn't
- Send expiry reminders. You check the Expiring soon list.
- Make shopping lists.
- Share one pantry across a household. Share the list from your phone instead.
Questions people ask
More in the FAQ.
Does it send expiry reminders?
No. PantryAI estimates use-by dates and shows food due in 3 days or fewer in the Expiring soon list, but it doesn't send notifications about it. You check the list yourself.
Is barcode scanning free?
Yes, on every plan. It reads EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A and UPC-E codes, has no monthly limit and doesn't use your photo scans. To see what each plan adds, compare plans.
Can my household share one pantry?
Not yet. There are no shared household accounts. You can send your pantry list to anyone through your phone's share sheet.
Do I need an account?
No. You can use PantryAI without signing up. An optional account backs up and syncs your pantry, recipes, staples and cook log.
What counts as a scan?
Each photo. A scan can hold up to 5 photos, and each one counts as 1 of your monthly photo scans. The free plan includes 10 a month; compare plans. Barcode scans and adding food by hand don't count.
Which phones does it work on?
iPhone, on iOS 15.1 or later, and Android.
Contains data from Open Food Facts, available under the Open Database License.
Scan with your phone