MacGourmet Mobile

Mac Gourmet was once the best recipe app out there and even using the old app runs circles around the other recipe apps available. I miss the syncing features between my computer, phone, iPad. Please someone resuscitate this wonderfully crafted app!

I have been emailing and asking for assistance for years and they constantly say “we are working on it” or “we are waiting on Apple”. I can’t even get any of my recipes on my phone. This used to be a great desktop program but if you can’t have on or sync with your phone, it’s useless. Wish I could give zero stars!!

I know, right? Cruelly bold claim to make, but hear me out. Beyond the incomplete dark mode and borked Dropbox implementations, it’s pretty bad, but it goes beyond. But first, here’s a neat little trick: If you connect your mobile device to the iPhone, and open it in the Finder, you can go to the Files tab, scroll down to the MacGourmet Mobile app, and see what files are in there. You could then copy the file MacGourmet4Database.mgdatabase into the app there to get perfect synchronization between MacGourmet Mac and MacGourmet mobile. ONCE. The first time after copying over that file, you’ll see everything in MG Mobile that you have on MG Mac. But if you quit MG Mobile and restart it, the database reverts to what it was. Anything you’d put in will be gone. Hope you remembered to hold option down when you moved that mgdatabase file… Oh sure, you could copy the file manually every time you wanted to use it. But every time you ran it, you’d have to copy it again later.

Max Gourmet was once a great product. The company abandoned Mariner Sync in favor of Dropbox and this app. IT DOES NOT SYNC. It only generates a perpetual “creating index of files” message. Tech support stopped answering questions or responding. Looking for a new MacOS / iOS recipe manager that actually syncs. Sad. This was once a great, solid product.

You can still by the desktop counterpart to this app, MacGourmet Deluxe, for $25–50, but it won’t sync with this app! The old version, Gourmet, will also run on iOS 16 and new hardware but it won’t sync with anything because Mariner abandoned Mariner Sync. Dropbox sync doesn’t work at all. Mariner provides meager tech support which is primarily frequent, and tiresome apologies for the difficult place the company finds itself. I give one star ONLY so I can post a review. Other users: what software have you moved to?

You took Mac Gourmet and abandoned it. Now you’ve come out with Gourmet Mobile. Just a piece of junk! Are you running your business from your Mom’s basement? So sad. So very sad.

This used to be a great app, but seems to be completely abandoned. I haven’t been able to sync mobile and computer app for a long time, and no response from their support team. I have finally given up and switched to Paprika, which is looking great!

Will not sync to Dropbox so utterly useless. Company has not upgraded the Mac version in many years except for a switch back to DB. The previous version of this app (Gourmet) at least works with my old recipes but can’t sync to add new ones. Mariner Software should be ashamed of their products.

Each time I start, it’s database reverts to the original generic one, so I have to tell it to redownload from Dropbox. ,then it works until the next time I quit it. It seldom get the latest updates to recipes or notes I’ve made on my Mac version. This developer seems to have very little interest in this app.

I remember the desktop version of this from a LONG time ago and just reinstalled it on my new MBP M1. Apparently not much updating going on. The web import is broken, it doesn’t recognize light/dark UI and this mobile version is just as outdated. If you have your phone set to dark UI, the app is almost unusable. Wish they would update..