Grocery lists and pantry

A grocery list app is the least glamorous tool on this site and often the one people use most. The good ones do a few simple things well: everyone in the household adds to the same list, items sort themselves into store sections, and checked-off items disappear so you can see what's left at a glance.

AnyList, OurGroceries, Bring! and Listonic are built around shared lists. Changes show up on every phone within seconds, which stops the two-people-buy-the-same-milk problem. AnyList and Bring! also connect to recipes, so you can add a recipe's ingredients to the list in one step. Google Keep isn't a grocery app at all, but its shared checklists are free and work well for many households.

Pantry tracking is a step further. Out of Milk keeps a list of what you have at home alongside the shopping list. Grocy, which is open-source and self-hosted, tracks stock and best-before dates for people who want a detailed record of the cupboard and freezer. Pantry tracking only works if you keep it up to date, so be honest about how much logging you'll actually do.

Instacart sits at the other end: it's a delivery and pickup service, but its shoppable recipes add a dish's ingredients straight to a cart from a local store. That's convenient when you're short on time, with delivery and service fees on top of the shopping.

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8 AI cooking tools in grocery lists and pantry

AnyList

Shared grocery lists that sort by aisle and sync instantly, plus recipe saving and meal planning in the paid tier.

  • Free plan or free to use
  • Mobile app
  • Imports recipes from websites

OurGroceries

Shared shopping list that syncs between family phones in real time, with recipes you can add to the list.

  • Free plan or free to use
  • Mobile app
  • Builds a shopping list

Bring!

by Bring! Labs

Picture-based shared shopping list with item icons, recipe imports and lists for different stores.

  • Free plan or free to use
  • Mobile app
  • Builds a shopping list

Instacart

Grocery delivery and pickup from local stores, with shoppable recipes that add ingredients to your cart.

  • Mobile app
  • Works in a web browser
  • Builds a shopping list

Listonic

Grocery list app that suggests items as you type, sorts by category and shares lists with others.

  • Free plan or free to use
  • Mobile app
  • Builds a shopping list

Out of Milk

Shopping list app with a pantry list, so you can track what you have and move items to the list when they run out.

  • Free plan or free to use
  • Mobile app
  • Builds a shopping list

Grocy

by Grocy (open source)

Self-hosted, open-source system for tracking groceries, best-before dates and household stock, with shopping lists.

  • Free plan or free to use
  • Works in a web browser
  • Builds a shopping list

Google Keep

by Google

Google's free notes app. Its shared checklists work well as a household grocery list.

  • Free plan or free to use
  • Mobile app
  • Works in a web browser

When comparing list apps, try adding an item by voice, sharing the list with one other person and using it in a store for a week. Small things matter in practice: how fast the app opens, whether it works with a weak signal in the back of a store, and how it handles items you buy every week.

Some apps suggest items or learn the order of your usual store. That's helpful, but keep an eye on the list before you leave; a suggestion is a guess, and it won't know you finished the last of the olive oil.

One habit makes any list app work better: add items the moment you notice they're running low, before you sit down to plan. A list built up through the week is far more complete than one written from memory on the way out the door, and it cuts down on second trips to the store.

Questions about grocery lists and pantry

Which grocery list can my whole household edit?

AnyList, OurGroceries, Bring!, Listonic and Google Keep all share a list between several people, with changes showing on each phone almost straight away.

Can I add a recipe's ingredients to my list in one step?

Yes in several apps. AnyList and Bring! add recipe ingredients to the list, and meal planners and recipe keepers usually send ingredients to a list too.

Is there a free app for tracking what's in my pantry?

Out of Milk has a pantry list alongside the shopping list, and Grocy is free open-source software you host yourself for detailed stock and date tracking.

Do these apps cost anything?

Most have a free version. Some add paid features such as recipe import or extra lists, and delivery services such as Instacart charge fees on orders.

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