By Benoît Descary · July 8, 2026 · Guide

AnyList Alternative

AnyList is one of the most popular grocery list apps: shared family lists, automatic aisle sorting, saved recipes. Its real limit is elsewhere: the app never decides what is for dinner, and it is always you who fills the list, item by item. If you are looking for an AnyList alternative where the grocery list builds itself from your weekly menu, this guide compares the best options: starting with Olivi.

What AnyList is, and what it leaves you to do by hand

AnyList (anylist.com) is a very well-designed grocery list app: shared lists that sync in real time across a couple or a family, items sorted by aisle automatically, recipes captured from the web, and a meal calendar in the paid version.

Its limits show up before the list: the core work stays manual, you think up the menu, you figure out the ingredients, you type them in one by one. AnyList is an excellent notebook; it does not do the meal-planning work that comes before the list.

The alternative to AnyList

1. Olivi: the meal planner where the grocery list is no longer a chore to write out: it is generated automatically from your weekly plan.

The idea flips AnyList’s logic on its head: you start by choosing your meals in the weekly plan, your own recipes, recipes from the catalogue, or creations from Olive, the AI assistant, tailored to your profile (allergies, diet, budget). Olivi then works out the full grocery list: ingredients consolidated across recipes, quantities calculated from your servings, items sorted by aisle.

Everything you love about AnyList is still here: the list is shared in real time with the family (everyone checks off items, everyone sees the update), you can add items by hand, and the shopping mode is built for one-handed shopping in the store.

And Olivi adds what AnyList doesn’t: a weekly menu composed by an AI that fills the list for you, plus the nutrition facts per serving for every recipe, calculated from an official nutrient database.

On the web, on mobile and on iPhone

Like AnyList, Olivi follows you everywhere: one account, three synced surfaces:

Web app (olivi.ca): nothing to install, for planning comfortably on a computer.
Mobile web version: the same app, optimized for your phone, your list in your pocket at the store.
iPhone and iPad app: the full native experience (cooking mode with voice read-aloud, offline access), currently in beta.

Other options (nos. 2 to 4)

If your need goes beyond the grocery list, a few other services are worth a look:

2. SOSCuisine (soscuisine.com): weekly menus built by dietitians, with a matching grocery list. More structured, less flexible.
3. Ricardo (ricardocuisine.com): a go-to for recipes to build your menus before drawing up your list.
4. Recettes du Québec (recettes.qc.ca): free community recipe inspiration to vary your weekly meals.

AnyList vs Olivi at a glance

Building the list: manual in AnyList (item by item); automatic in Olivi, worked out from your weekly plan with consolidated quantities.
Weekly menu: none in AnyList; in Olivi, the plan fills the list, not the other way around.
Sharing: both offer a real-time shared list; Olivi adds a one-handed shopping mode for the store.
Recipes: AnyList archives them; Olivi imports them (URL, PDF, photo, handwritten), generates them with AI, and shows their nutrition facts.
Planning: manual, paid calendar in AnyList; plans generated by Olive based on your profile in Olivi.

Frequently asked questions

How is Olivi different from AnyList?

AnyList is a place to write and share a grocery list; Olivi builds the list for you. You plan your meals and Olivi generates the grocery list automatically: consolidated quantities, aisle sorting: while still letting you share it and add items by hand.

What is the best AnyList alternative for meal planning?

Olivi: the grocery list is generated automatically from your weekly plan (consolidated quantities, aisle sorting) and shared in real time with the family: something AnyList doesn’t do.

Can I share my list with my family like in AnyList?

Yes. Olivi’s list is shared in real time: everyone sees checked-off items instantly, handy when two of you shop together or you send someone to the store.

Do I still have to type items in by hand?

Only if you want to: most of the list is generated automatically from your planned meals, and you freely add extras (milk, paper towels…) like in any list.

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