AnyList

Overview

AnyList brings shared shopping lists, recipe organization, and meal planning into one service. It suits households coordinating groceries and meals, especially across phones and computers. Its strongest case is the connection between planned recipes and shopping; the free plan is more compelling for list-making than for recipe use.

For a wider category view, see our Shopping List Apps guide.

Key features

Lists for groceries and everyday tasks

Autocomplete and automatic grocery categorization help keep shopping lists tidy, while instant updates make shared lists useful when people are shopping or adding items at different times. Custom lists also cover tasks, packing, and other needs, making AnyList more versatile than a grocery-only tool. Barcode scanning is supported, and Siri or Alexa can add items by voice.

Online shopping connects with services including Instacart, Walmart, Kroger, Safeway, Albertsons, Amazon Fresh, and H-E-B. That breadth is useful for households already using those services, though it does not make AnyList a substitute for a retailer's own shopping experience.

Recipes and meal planning

Recipes can be grouped into collections, searched by name or ingredient, and turned into shopping-list items. The calendar supports recipes and notes, and can generate a grocery list for selected dates. Together, these tools suit people who plan meals ahead; someone who only needs a shared checklist may not get enough from the paid cooking features to justify upgrading.

Recipe imports work with popular recipe sites and blogs, but the free plan allows only five. Complete removes that cap. Lists and recipes sync across signed-in devices, and account data is backed up in the cloud. AnyList says it uses SSL encryption and reasonable safeguards, while cautioning that security cannot be guaranteed. The company says it responds to every email; Complete subscribers receive priority in the support queue.

Pricing

The Free plan costs nothing and includes core list creation and sharing, with up to five imported web recipes. It is a sensible starting point for shared grocery lists, but the import ceiling and lack of meal planning make it a limited choice for recipe-led cooking.

AnyList Complete — Individual costs $9.99 a year, billed $9.99 / year. It adds unlimited web recipe imports, Mac and web apps, meal planning, and premium features. This is the better fit for one person who wants the full recipe-to-shopping workflow across devices.

AnyList Complete — Household costs $14.99 a year, billed $14.99 / year. It includes the same listed Complete features as the individual plan, with a household subscription. Choose it when the subscription needs to serve a household rather than one individual; the free plan remains the cheaper fit for people focused on core list sharing.

Platforms

AnyList supports Android, iOS, macOS, web, and an extension. The wider device mix helps households that divide list and meal-planning tasks between mobile and desktop.

Who it's for

AnyList is best for people who want shared, instantly updated lists and also plan meals from recipes. It is less suited to someone who needs only a basic shopping checklist, or who wants to import many recipes without paying for Complete.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Shared lists update instantly, which helps household members coordinate without passing a list around.
• Pro: Recipes, calendar planning, and grocery-list generation connect meal decisions to shopping.
• Pro: Custom lists, voice entry, barcode scanning, and retailer links extend its usefulness beyond a simple grocery list.
• Con: Free imports stop at five recipes, a meaningful constraint for anyone building a larger recipe collection.
• Con: Meal planning and Mac and web apps are Complete features, so the free tier does not provide the full cross-device planning experience.

Alternatives

Choose OurGroceries if you want all features and list sharing on its free plan and can tolerate ads in a few screens; removing ads costs $1 a month. Bring! is worth considering if free shared shopping lists, recipes, and special offers are enough and you need Android, iOS, or web support.

KitchenOwl fits readers seeking a free, open-source option with self-hosting and broad desktop and mobile platform support. Groly is another free self-hosted choice, with Docker support and access controlled by administrator invitations rather than open registration.

BuyBye may suit a smaller household content with up to five shopping lists, two people per list, a five-recipe box, and current-week meal planning on its free plan. Listonic, Out of Milk, and Grocery Buddy are other options to compare for shopping-list needs.

Verdict

Choose AnyList if shared lists are only part of the job and you want recipes and meal plans to feed directly into grocery shopping. Its main trade-off is that the free plan caps imports at five and reserves meal planning for Complete; readers who only need list sharing can avoid that paid step.