If you're looking for an AnyList alternative, start with the part of the week you want to make easier. Perhaps the shopping list works, but dinner still lives in somebody's head. Perhaps you want to reuse a good week, organise a recipe collection, or give another person a clearer view of the household shop.
Fameally, Plan to Eat, Paprika and OurGroceries are worth comparing for those different jobs. The useful choice is the one that fits how your household plans, cooks and shops.
This guide is published by Fameally, developed by ENVentures LTD. Competitor details come from official product and support information checked on 19 October 2026. It compares published features, rather than claiming a hands-on test of every app.
Start with what AnyList already does
AnyList already connects more than a basic checklist. Its free iOS and Android app includes creating and sharing lists, recipe organisation and adding recipe ingredients to the shop. Free web recipe importing has a five-recipe limit.
AnyList Complete adds the meal-planning calendar, unlimited web recipe imports, desktop access and other features. If recipes, a calendar and shared shopping are what you need, check that offering before assuming you have to switch.
Write down the change you're hoping for. Is it easier to build the week from familiar dinners? A recipe manager you enjoy cooking from? A free list everyone will actually open? Keep the things that already work on your checklist too, including item details, shared access and the devices you use.
Compare the routine you want
These options overlap. Recipe importing, ingredient lists and planning tools appear in several of them. Look at how the parts fit your week, and check the paid features you need before comparing costs.
| App | Consider it for | Sharing to check | Access to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| AnyList | Shared lists with recipes and optional calendar planning | List sharing is free; check Complete for shared planning | Free core features; Complete subscription |
| Fameally | Familiar meals, reusable weeks and household essentials | Family workspace with email invitations | Paid plans; eligible introductory Family access |
| Plan to Eat | A recipe collection feeding a calendar and grocery list | One account can be used across household devices | Subscription after a free trial |
| Paprika | Recipe management, cooking tools and reusable menus | Check the version and its family-sharing arrangement | Paprika 3 platform purchases; Paprika 4 beta differs |
| OurGroceries | A straightforward list with saved recipe ingredients | Household devices use the same account | Free with advertising; paid ad removal |
Fameally: familiar meals and the household week
Fameally is a useful fit when you want to keep your usual dinners, the weekly plan and the rest of the shop together. Save meals with ingredients and cooking instructions, or import a recipe URL and review it before saving. Put those meals into the week and build the food list from their ingredients.
Picture a week with a late Tuesday, somebody else cooking on Wednesday and leftovers on Thursday. Choose meals that fit those evenings, with enough detail that the other cook knows what's planned. You can start with the chilli and pasta bake your household already eats, then add new recipes when you want them.
Matching ingredients and units can be combined in the shopping list. Check what you already have, adjust quantities and add the extras: breakfast food, cleaning supplies, toiletries and general household items. These have their own shopping sections, and lists can be kept separate or combined for the trip.
Core covers saved meals and ingredient-based lists. Individual adds saved weekly plans, one-tap weekly essentials and aisle sorting. Saving a week gives you a starting point to reuse and adjust, rather than seven dinners to think up again.
Family includes those features and shared meals, plans and lists. The owner can invite up to five people by email. That suits households where the planner, cook and shopper aren't always the same person.
Recorded shopping can also make Due Soon suggestions useful over time. An item needs at least three recorded purchases in separate shopping cycles, with reasonably consistent gaps. Suggestions prompt a check; you decide what to add.
Eligible new users get 60 days of free Family access, without payment details or an automatic charge when it ends. Compare current plans and UK pricing against the routine you want to share.
Plan to Eat: your recipes on a planning calendar
Plan to Eat is worth considering if you already collect recipes and want to arrange them on a calendar. It saves recipes, lets you plan ahead and builds an organised grocery list from planned ingredients. You can add other household shopping items too.
Its published workflow also includes saving plans for reuse. Try it if recipe collecting and calendar planning are the main parts you want to improve, particularly when you plan from a computer as well as your phone.
Plan to Eat offers web, iOS and Android access with a subscription after a free trial. Its household guidance allows family members to use the same account across devices. Check that arrangement and the current subscription terms when comparing it with separately invited household accounts.
Paprika: recipe collecting and cooking tools
Paprika is worth a look when the recipe collection itself needs attention. Its published features include web recipe saving, ingredient scaling, cooking timers, meal planning and reusable menus. Grocery lists can combine similar ingredients and group them by aisle.
That makes it a relevant AnyList alternative for somebody who wants recipes, cooking and planning in one tool. Try a meal you actually cook and check how the instructions, quantities and shopping list work for you.
Check the version before comparing costs or sharing. The current UK iOS download is Paprika 3, whose platform versions are sold separately. Paprika's Paprika 4 beta guidance describes family invitations under a premium subscription option, free during beta. Those are different access arrangements; confirm which release and terms you're choosing.
OurGroceries: a simpler shared shopping list
OurGroceries is an option when the job you want to improve is keeping the shopper's list current. It supports shared lists on iPhone, Android and web, with categories, photos, notes and quantities. It also keeps recipe ingredients you can add to a list, so it isn't limited to typing every item separately.
It's free with advertising, with paid ad removal available. Its FAQ explains that household devices use the same account. Check that everyone is seeing the same list before the first shop.
Try it when a shared shopping list is enough and you're happy with your existing dinner-planning routine. For more options in that category, see our shopping list apps comparison.
Try the same week before moving everything
Use three familiar meals and one real shopping trip to compare your shortlist. There's no need to rebuild a whole recipe collection just to find out whether an app suits you.
- Save the meals. Use a household favourite, a recipe from a website and something simple for a late evening.
- Build the week. Include leftovers or a flexible night. Check how easily a dinner can move.
- Make the list. Include ingredients shared by two meals, plus toothpaste and a specific product detail.
- Bring in the other shopper. Test invitations or account setup, item changes and checking off a purchase on the devices you own.
- Try next week. See which meals, plans or regular items are easy to reuse.
Keep access to your existing recipes while you test. AnyList's recipe-sharing guidance explains sending recipe text, attachments and source links. A file made for one app isn't automatically an import format for another. Check supported formats and review one saved recipe before moving more.
A few common questions
Is there a free AnyList alternative for families?
OurGroceries offers a free shared-list option with advertising. AnyList itself also offers free list sharing. Compare paid planning tools separately if your household needs a calendar and a connected weekly shop.
Can I move my whole AnyList account into Fameally?
This guide doesn't provide a direct AnyList account transfer. Start with your own meals or import recipe URLs you can access, then review the saved ingredients and instructions. Don't assume lists, plans or recipe attachments will transfer automatically.
Which alternative should we try first?
Try Fameally for familiar meals and shared household planning, Plan to Eat for a recipe-led calendar, Paprika for recipe and cooking tools, or OurGroceries for a straightforward shared list. Keep the one that makes your next ordinary week easier.
Sources checked
Official information checked on 19 October 2026. Confirm current features, availability and purchase terms with the provider and your app store.
- AnyList features, Complete and recipe sharing
- Fameally features and plans
- Plan to Eat and household and subscription FAQ
- Paprika features and Paprika 4 beta sharing
- OurGroceries features and FAQ
Keep planning
Try your next week in Fameally.
Save three familiar meals, build the shopping list and see how the routine works for the people who cook and shop.
