Frequently Asked Questions

General

What is Platewell?

Platewell is an AI powered recipe keeper for your whole household. Existing recipes can be quickly imported from images, URLs or files and organized into collections and tags. Instantly find what you're looking for with search. Plan meals together and share everything with your family.

Who is it for?

Families who want one shared, always-up-to-date recipe library instead of scattered notes, screenshots, and bookmarks.

Do I need an internet connection to use it?

No. Browsing, searching, editing, and meal planning all work fully offline. Any changes are synchronized when you are connected to the internet.

How is Platewell different from a Notes app, Pinterest, or a recipe box?

Your recipes become real, structured data — searchable by ingredient or tag, organized into collections, synced instantly across everyone's devices, and editable by the whole household without conflicts.

Pricing & plans

How much does Platewell cost?

Free to use for up to 12 recipes, no credit card required. Beyond that, one annual "Household" subscription covers everyone in your household on all your devices.

Is there a time limit on the free trial?

There's no time-limited trial — the free tier can be used as if you have a paid subscription. You are just limited to up to 12 recipes, and subscribe only when you want to add more.

Do you offer monthly billing, or only annual?

Currently the Household plan is billed annually.

Can I cancel anytime? What happens to my recipes if I do?

Yes, you can cancel anytime. You'll keep full access to all your recipes until the end of your current subscription period. After that, your account switches to read-only rather than deleting anything.

Do you offer refunds?

Yes — full refunds within 2 weeks of purchase. Email support@platewell.net.

Household & accounts

Can different household members have different permissions (e.g., kids can view but not edit)?

Yes. Owners and editors can add and change recipes; viewers can browse and favourite but not edit.

Does everyone need their own login, or is it one shared account?

Each person signs in with their own account, so favourites stay personal.

What happens if the person who set up the subscription leaves the household?

The household and its subscription stay intact — the remaining members keep full access. Billing can be transferred to another member.

Features

How does importing recipes work — from photos, PDFs, documents, or websites?

Import from photos, PDFs, Word files, text files, or URLs, and Platewell parses the ingredients and instructions automatically. It also checks for duplicates so you don't end up with the same recipe twice.

Will it correctly import my existing recipes, or will I have to retype everything?

In almost all cases, no retyping needed — just point Platewell at your photo, file, or link and it extracts the recipe for you. You can always tweak the result afterward.

Can I share a single recipe with someone who isn't on Platewell?

Yes. A share link hands over a full copy of the recipe (or a whole collection), and anyone can open it — no Platewell account required. The receiver can optionally import the recipes into their Platewell account.

Can I undo a change or recover a deleted or edited recipe?

Yes — full revision history lets you see past versions and restore any of them.

Data, privacy & trust

Who owns the recipes I add — can I export everything if I ever leave?

Your recipes are yours. Share links let you export a full copy of any recipe or collection whenever you like.

Is my data private, or can other users see my recipes?

Private. Only the members of your household — the people you've explicitly shared with — can see your recipes.

How is my data backed up, and what happens if I lose my phone?

Everything syncs to your account as you go, so a new device picks up right where the old one left off — nothing lives only on one phone.

Is my payment information secure?

Yes. Payments are handled by a secure, PCI-compliant payment processor — Platewell never sees or stores your card details.

Do you sell or share my data with third parties?

No — it's your data, and we don't share it with third parties. When you import a recipe, that content is sent to OpenAI to extract the recipe text. Your data is never used to train LLMs.

Support

What if I need help — is there customer support?

Yes — email support@platewell.net and we'll help you out.