Best free grocery list app: plans and AI access compared
LystBot is our product, so weigh our picks with that in mind. For a free shared list with a known upgrade price, we'd pick AnyList. OurGroceries is the best free grocery list app for households that don't mind ads, and LystBot suits people who want an AI assistant on their list while its launch keeps everything free.
We read the plan, pricing and help pages of all three apps on October 18, 2026. This comparison uses the published plans. It doesn't include hands-on test results or a ranking by sync speed.
| App | Free | Paid or later |
|---|---|---|
| AnyList | List creation and sharing, five web recipe imports | Complete: web app, meal planning calendar, recipe scaling, unlimited imports |
| OurGroceries | Grocery lists with ads | Upgrade removes ads on every device on the account |
| LystBot | During launch: unlimited lists, shared lists, AI connections, up to 300 items per list | Pro and Family plans announced, no prices yet |
AnyList: free sharing, paid meal planning
AnyList lets a household create and share lists without paying. Money comes in when you want to plan meals: AnyList Complete adds the web app, a meal planning calendar and recipe scaling for $9.99 a year for one person or $14.99 a year for a household. Recipe imports have a cap too. The free plan allows five web imports, and Complete has no limit.
A household that plans dinners on paper and only needs a checklist in the shop gets everything it needs from the free plan. Opening the list in a browser at work, though, is a Complete feature. We like that AnyList puts its upgrade price on the page, so you know what growing into it would cost.
OurGroceries: free, with ads
OurGroceries is free and paid for by ads, according to its FAQ. The whole household shares lists by signing in to one account, as the user guide explains, and an upgrade removes the ads on every device on that account.
The FAQ gives no fixed upgrade price, so we can't quote one; the app shows the current offer. If ads don't bother you, OurGroceries gives a household shared lists for nothing, and one upgrade covers everyone at once if they start to grate.
LystBot: everything free during launch
LystBot's launch offer makes every feature free while the app launches: unlimited lists, shared lists and the AI connections, with up to 300 items per list. You don't enter a credit card, and there's no trial period. Pro and Family plans will follow. The page gives neither their prices nor what a later free plan will include.
That's the trade. You get the full app today and accept that the terms will change after launch. If you want to try it with someone, the sharing guide shows how to get a second person onto a list.
A free grocery app with AI: what LystBot connects to
LystBot's agent reference lists three ways in: a REST API, a CLI and a local MCP server. The AI connection overview explains what each route is for. Like the rest of the app, the connections are free during launch, and we don't know yet which plan will include them afterwards.
Questions about free grocery list apps
Is LystBot free forever?
We can't say. The published offer is free access during launch, with Pro and Family plans to follow and no prices for them yet.
Does AnyList's free plan include meal planning?
No. The meal planning calendar and recipe scaling belong to Complete. The free plan covers the lists themselves and five web recipe imports.
Does the OurGroceries upgrade cover my partner's phone?
Yes, if your partner signs in to the same OurGroceries account. The ad-free upgrade applies to every device on that account.
Which is the best free grocery list app for you?
- Households that plan meals elsewhere: AnyList, because free sharing covers the checklist and the upgrade price is public.
- Households that don't mind ads: OurGroceries, because one account shares the household lists and one upgrade clears the ads on all devices.
- Households that want AI access or many lists: LystBot, because the launch offer gives you unlimited lists and the AI connections at no cost.
Our AnyList vs OurGroceries vs LystBot comparison goes past the free plans into features. If the harder part is the people rather than the app, our guide to a family shopping routine is about organizing who shops and when.
If a free shopping list app that works with your AI assistant sounds right, start a free shared grocery list in LystBot.