When Was This Opened? is a food safety reference utility for home cooks, providing shelf-life guidance based on official FDA and USDA data on iOS.
Product velocity
Unknown
Daily rank 🇺🇸
#47
▼16Food & Drink · paid
Sentiment
5.0
1 reviews
Nemesis
Cookpad Recipes
The App DNA
What makes this app unique?
The app removes the cognitive friction of searching government databases for expiration guidance, serving users who prioritize food waste reduction over social recipe discovery.
For Home cooks and individuals focused on refrigerator inventory management and reducing food waste through evidence-based safety guidelines.
Key features
Provides shelf-life recommendations for dairy, meats, and produce based on official FDA and USDA guidelines.
Performs all calculations locally to ensure user privacy without data transmission.
Links directly to government food safety sources for user verification.
How much does it cost?
The $0.99 upfront cost positions the app as a premium utility, avoiding the ad-supported model common in the broader recipe category.
Velocity
Steady developmentShow more...
Who built it?
Christopher Romani
5 apps tracked · Food & Drink
User Sentiment
What do users think recently?
How are ratings & reviews evolving?
Not enough recent reviews to extract reliable themes yet.
Read the full review analysisCompetition
Competitive landscape for When Was This Opened?
How's the Food & Drink market?
When Was This Opened? holds a niche position in the Food & Drink category, currently ranked #47 in the US Paid sub-category. The $0.99 price point differentiates it from free, ad-supported recipe apps, though the single-rating count signals limited market penetration.
The rivals identified
By Cookpad Inc.
Cookpad dominates the food category by providing a massive, community-driven recipe ecosystem that captures users looking for guidance on what to do with their ingredients.
- Leverages a massive global community for user-generated content that this app lacks entirely
- Integrates advanced AI recipe assistants to provide personalized cooking help beyond simple safety guidelines
- Offers a robust social platform that encourages daily engagement through recipe sharing and community interaction
Unlock the head-to-head verdict: where this rival wins, and where it loses.
Access the full report for freeThe Analyst's Read
Key takeaways for When Was This Opened?
Where is it heading?
The food utility market is consolidating around integrated platforms that combine safety guidance with recipe discovery and inventory tracking. When Was This Opened? remains exposed due to its static feature set, and it must evolve into a broader kitchen management tool to survive against generalist rivals.
- The app has remained in a maintenance-only state since launch, which limits its ability to compete with feature-rich recipe platforms.
- The lack of recent updates suggests a static product lifecycle, which risks losing relevance as competitors integrate safety data into broader ecosystems.
The SWOT
- Local-first data processing ensures user privacy
- Government-backed source links provide trust
- Add pantry-tracking to increase daily utility
Next best moves
Ship pantry-tracking feature because it is the top missing utility for inventory management → increase daily active usage
The counter-intuitive read
Users report: The $0.99 price point is an advantage, not a barrier…
Read the full takeFeature gaps
Community recipe sharing (available in Cookpad Recipes but absent here) +1
Since the last report: The app's strategic outlook shifted from a neutral maintenance observation to a critical warning regarding its long-term retention risks. While the feature set remains static, the analytical framework now prioritizes the necessity of pantry-tracking integration to counter the threat of generalist recipe platforms.
Bottom line
When Was This Opened? serves a clear niche, but the lack of a retention loop limits its growth potential. Investing in pantry-tracking would transform the app from a static reference tool into a daily-use kitchen management hub, unlocking higher user lifetime value.
Unlock 2 critical frictions, 1 market threat and the analyst’s take.
Access the full report for freeFAQ
Is When Was This Opened? worth paying for?
How does this compare to Cookpad Recipes?
Does this app collect my personal data?
What are free alternatives to this app?
Sources
- [1] App Store, source
Report last updated