Side by side

Lista vs Smart Grocery

Both stand on shopping list apps. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

Lista

Paid iPhoneMac

Lista combines shared grocery lists with recurring items, templates, and AI-assisted planning. Its subscription requirement and current Apple-focused availability are important considerations.

Visit Lista

Smart Grocery combines list, recipe, inventory, and store features within Apple’s ecosystem. The free version covers core access, while Premium adds listed inventory automation and is sold through monthly, yearly, or one-time purchases.

Visit Smart Grocery

The facts

	Lista	Smart Grocery
Free plan	No	Yes
Open source	Not published	Not published
Runs on	iPhone, Mac	iPhone, Mac
Lowest paid plan	See the plans	See the plans
Plans published	2	3
Maker	Not published	Not published
Website	lista-shopping.com	smartgrocery.app
On shopping list apps	#31 of 31	#27 of 31

Lista: what it does well

Real-time shared lists
Groups for different shoppers
Recurring items
AI meal planning
Photo-based reusable templates

What to know first

No free plan
Active subscription required
Google Play is coming soon
AI estimates may be inaccurate

Smart Grocery: what it does well

Shared lists through Reminders and iCloud
Recipe ingredients can populate shopping lists
Store selection can use geofences
Barcode scanning and recipe import
Free plan available

What to know first

Automatic expiration and replenishment are Premium
In-app purchases are required for Premium features
Apple has not verified the no-data-collection disclosure
Supports iOS and macOS only

Alternatives to Lista Alternatives to Smart Grocery The whole list