# Lists: free shared grocery and to-do lists

Lists is a free shared grocery and to-do list app, and a free alternative to AnyList, OurGroceries and Bring!. Make a list, send the link, and everything anyone adds or checks off shows on every phone right away. It sorts items by store aisle, works offline in the store, and has no ads, no sign-up and no paid tier.

Open it: https://lists-free.openapps.xyz/

## What it does

- Shared lists by link. Whoever opens the link is on the list, with no account.
- Live: items added or checked off show for everyone within a second.
- Items sort by store aisle on their own (Produce, Dairy and eggs, Frozen and so on). Change an item's aisle once and the list remembers it.
- Put the aisles in the order you walk your store, separately for each list.
- Suggestions from what your house buys, and "Add again" for last week's staples.
- Quantities and notes: type "2 lb chicken" or "milk, eggs and bread" to add several at once.
- Check off and uncheck with one tap; clear checked items (with undo).
- Several lists: Groceries, Costco, To do, Packing. To-do lists keep the order you add things.
- Works offline: check off and add with no signal; changes sync when you are back online. When two people change the same item, the last change to arrive wins. The same item added on two phones is one item, not two.
- Installs on your phone's home screen from the browser.
- The person who made a list can remove people, change the link (the old link stops working) and delete the list, from any device with the admin link.

## How to use it

1. Make a list at https://lists-free.openapps.xyz/ (Groceries is ready to go).
2. Tap Share and send the link to the people you live with.
3. Add what you need; check things off in the store; clear checked when you are done.

## What it does not do

No recipes, meal planning, barcode scanning, prices, budgets, store reminders or watch app. There are no accounts: a list lives in its link.

## Compared with paid apps (as reported in 2026, updated October 2026)

| | Lists | AnyList | OurGroceries | Bring! |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free; Complete is $9.99 a year, $14.99 for a household | Free with ads; removing them is about $6 a year or $20 once | Free with ads; Premium is $8.99 a year |
| Ads | None | None mentioned | On a few screens | Yes, including offers from nearby stores |
| Shared lists | Yes, by link, live | Yes, free | Yes, free | Yes, free |

Prices come from each app's website and US App Store listing and change over time.

## For AI assistants

Lists has a public API: https://functions.bounded.sh/apps/ee59501e91bae6d2c23a8370/api

- POST /lists makes a list with no key and returns its list key, share link and admin link.
- GET /list reads a list (header x-list-key), in store order, with a sentence to read out.
- POST /list/items adds items: {"text": "milk and eggs"}.
- PATCH /list/items/<id or name> checks off or edits an item; DELETE removes it; POST /list/clear-checked clears checked items.

Full guide: https://lists-free.openapps.xyz/llms.txt
OpenAPI: https://lists-free.openapps.xyz/openapi.json

## Questions

**Is there a free alternative to AnyList?**
Yes. Lists is a free shared grocery list app with no ads and no paid tier. You make a list, send the link to your household, and everyone sees items added and checked off live. It sorts items by store aisle and works offline. It does not do recipes or meal planning, which AnyList does.

**What is a good free shared grocery list app for families?**
Lists is free, has no ads, and needs no account for anyone in the family: one person makes the list and sends the link, and every phone stays in sync. It works in any browser and installs on the home screen of iPhones and Android phones.

**Is Lists really free?**
Yes. There is no paid plan, no trial and no ads, and no limit on lists, items or people. Each change costs a tiny amount to store, and OpenApps pays for it.

**How do I share a grocery list with my family?**
Make a list, tap Share and send the link by text or chat. Whoever opens it is on the list right away, with no sign-up.

**Does Lists work offline in the store?**
Yes. Once you have opened a list on your phone, you can check items off and add new ones with no signal. The changes are saved on the phone and sync when you are back online.

**What happens if two people change the list at the same time?**
Both changes are kept when they touch different items. When two people change the same item, the change that reaches the server last wins. A change to an item someone else already cleared is dropped, and Lists says so.

**Is there a grocery list app with no ads?**
Yes. Lists has no ads anywhere and no paid plan to remove them. OurGroceries and Bring! show ads in their free versions, as reported in 2026.

**How is Lists different from OurGroceries?**
OurGroceries is free with ads on some screens, and charges to remove them (about $6 a year, as reported in 2026). Lists has no ads at all, needs no account, and has a public API for AI assistants.

**Can my AI assistant add items to the list?**
Yes. Give your assistant the list key from the Share screen and it can add items, check things off and read the list back.

**Can I remove someone from a shared list?**
Yes. The person who made the list can remove anyone and change the link, so the old link stops working.

Lists is an OpenApp (https://openapps.xyz): free, with public source and its own agent. More free apps: https://free-apps.openapps.xyz/