An AnyList alternative where the meal plan writes the shopping list
AnyList vs The Margin for recipes, the meal plan and a shared grocery list: what is free, offline use and price, from AnyList's own pages. Checked Nov 8, 2026.
If you want a shared grocery list and a meal plan for the least money, choose AnyList: lists are free, and its Complete plan was $14.99 a year for a household on November 8, 2026. The Margin suits a family that wants the meal plan to fill the list as it plans, and wants the shopping list next to the calendar, chores and the household's money, all working with no signal. Its weekly meal plan is on the Family plan; recipes and the shopping list are on every plan.
I make The Margin, so read this as one maker's comparison. Everything about AnyList here comes from its features page, its Complete page, its apps page and its App Store listing, read on November 8, 2026.
AnyList vs The Margin at a glance#
| AnyList | The Margin | |
|---|---|---|
| Shared lists | Free | Free: one list, up to 30 open items; no limit on paid plans |
| Recipe's ingredients to the list | Free | Free, scaled to the servings, minus what your pantry covers |
| Meal planning calendar | Complete | Family plan: breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack across the week |
| The plan to the list | "Generate a grocery list from your meal plan", Complete | Automatic as you plan, combined across meals; Family plan |
| Recipe imports from the web | 5 on free; more on Complete | From a link on every plan, within the recipe box (25 on Free, 500 on Family) |
| Web app | Complete | Every plan |
| Phones | iPhone, iPad, Android, Apple Watch (Complete), Alexa | A web app that installs on any phone; iPhone and Android apps are in testing |
| Offline | Not stated on the pages above | The list, recipes and plan work with no signal |
| Beyond food | Not its job | Calendar, chores, allowances, money and a wall display |
| Price | Complete $9.99 a year for one, $14.99 a year for a household | Family $25 a month or $20 a month paid yearly, up to six people |
Where AnyList is the better pick#
- Price. $14.99 a year for a household against $240 a year for The Margin's Family plan paid yearly. If food is the whole job, AnyList costs far less.
- Store apps and voice. AnyList is in the App Store and on Android today, with an Apple Watch app and an Alexa skill. The Margin's store apps are still with testers.
- It does one thing. AnyList is lists, recipes and meals and nothing else, which some families prefer.
Where The Margin is different#
The plan writes the list while you plan. With the setting on, a meal you put on this week or next adds what it needs to the shared list within seconds. If lemons are already there for another dinner, it adds only the difference. Take the meal off and its lines come off too, unless someone already checked them in the store (recipes and the meal plan).
The pantry counts. Tell it what is in the house and a recipe adds only what you still need, and Ideas can rank what you can cook tonight from what you have.
The list knows who is at the store. Items sort by aisle, everyone sees when somebody has started a run, and a finished run can become a split expense for the household (the shopping list).
It is part of the rest of the house. The same app holds the family calendar, chores and allowances, so the week's dinners sit next to soccer practice and whose turn it is to take out the trash (family workspaces).
Moving from AnyList#
- Import recipes that came from a website again from their links. The Margin reads the ingredients and steps and shows you a review screen first.
- Recipes you typed yourself can come in as a Markdown file, up to 50 at a time.
- Add your regular items to the shopping list once; the aisles sort themselves.
Questions
What is the best meal planning app that builds the shopping list for you?
Several do it. AnyList Complete generates a grocery list from your meal plan for $14.99 a year for a household (November 8, 2026). The Margin's Family plan does it as you plan: put a meal on this week or next and its ingredients land on the shared list, combined across meals and scaled to the servings you planned. The Family plan also brings chores, allowances and the household's calendar.
Is AnyList free?
Making and sharing lists is free, and so is adding one recipe's ingredients to a list. On November 8, 2026 the meal planning calendar, generating a list from the meal plan, the web app and unlimited recipe imports were part of AnyList Complete.
Can I add a recipe's ingredients to my shopping list for free in The Margin?
Yes. A recipe page has Add to the shopping list on every plan, Free included. It scales to the servings on screen and leaves out what your pantry already covers. On Free the list holds up to 30 open items at a time.
Does The Margin's shopping list work offline?
Yes. The list, the recipes and the meal plan are on each device, so the list opens in a supermarket basement with no signal and syncs when you are back online. Sending a whole week's meals to the list by hand needs a connection.
Can I bring my recipes over from AnyList?
Recipes that came from a web page are quickest to import again from their link. A recipe you typed yourself can come in as a Markdown file. Every import stops at a review screen before anything is saved.