Frequently Asked Questions

What is CookbookSocial?

CookbookSocial is a social recipe platform. You can create and save your own recipes, import them from videos and websites using AI, translate them, find them with smart search, and share them in the community feed.

Is it free to use?

Yes. The free plan includes up to 100 saved recipes (expandable), the community feed, smart search, and viewing translations that already exist. On the free plan, AI imports and translations work on a pay-per-use basis (credits).

Where can I import recipes from?

The AI can extract recipes from YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), and regular recipe websites. Just paste a link and the system pulls out the ingredients and cooking steps.

Why might a recipe import fail?

An import can fail for several reasons, and the app always shows a clear explanation in the notification:

• No recipe found at the link — the post has no ingredients or steps (for example, it is just a photo of the dish without a description).
• Not a culinary recipe — the content did not pass the safety/quality check.
• The post is private or unavailable — a private account, a deleted post, or a page only for signed-in users.
• The link is not supported — the source is not in the supported list.
• The service is temporarily busy — try again a bit later.

A special case: the text is in the post, but it cannot be extracted. Some platforms publicly expose only a shortened start of the caption and load the full text only after you sign in. So you see the whole recipe, but the import only gets the beginning (for example, without the steps). This is a platform limitation, not an app bug — copy the text manually or import it from another source.

Content safety: why might a recipe be blocked?

Every recipe — whether AI-imported or created manually — passes an automatic safety check. It confirms the content is a real, edible food or drink recipe with plausible ingredients and steps, and blocks non-food or dangerous content (cosmetics, cleaners, medicines, supplements, drugs, weapons, harmful chemicals) as well as gibberish or incomplete entries. Normal cooking — including culinary alcohol, fermentation and everyday kitchen ingredients — is always allowed.

What are credits and pay-per-use?

Each AI import or translation spends credits. On the free plan you buy credits as needed. Import credits and translation credits are separate.

What paid plans are there?

Premium (Cookbook AI) — unlimited recipes, 100 AI imports and 300 translations per month, with credits already included.

Premium (with your own API key) — unlimited imports and translations, but you need your own OpenAI API key.

Your first subscription gets a −50% discount, then it is full price. Current amounts are on the Pricing page.

What is the plan with your own API key?

You connect your own OpenAI key, and then AI operations are not limited by our monthly caps — you pay OpenAI directly for usage. The key is stored encrypted.

How does recipe translation work?

Viewing a translation that already exists is free. Creating a new translation (the "Translate" button) is a paid AI operation and spends translation credits. The interface is available in 10 languages.

What is smart search?

Smart search understands the meaning of your query, not just the exact words, so it finds recipes by meaning and by related ingredients or dishes.

How many recipes can I save?

On the free plan, up to 100 (the limit can be expanded with a separate add-on). On Premium — unlimited.

Can I save other people's recipes?

Yes. You can copy a public recipe into your own collection, with a link back to the original author.

What languages is the app available in?

Ten: English, Ukrainian, Chinese, Portuguese, Italian, German, Spanish, French, Polish, and Japanese.

Metric or imperial units?

Both. Settings have a switch (grams/liters or ounces/cups); the default is chosen based on your region.

How do I register and sign in?

You can use email + password (with email verification) or Google. You can change or reset your password at any time.

How do I delete my account?

In Settings. Deletion is deferred: you can restore the account within 14 days simply by signing in again.

Push notifications

You can turn push notifications on or off in Settings.

Do you show ads?

CookbookSocial may show clearly labeled sponsored placements in the feed or desktop side rails. They are selected by page context, recipe category, and interface language, not by cross-site tracking or behavioral ad profiles.

How are payments handled, and is it safe?

Payments are processed through secure payment services. All purchases are for digital app features only — no physical goods are sold.