The best way to share a grocery list on iPhone

We make Sova, so read this with that in mind. Every option below works, and the best one depends on who you shop with. Facts about other apps come from their own help pages and websites as of September 2026.

What a shared grocery list has to do

Anyone can add to it the moment they notice the milk is gone. In the shop, whoever is there ticks things off, and everyone else sees it, so nobody buys a second bag of rice. And it has to work for the person you shop with, not just for you. That last point decides most choices: which phones and accounts does your household already have?

Apple Reminders

Best for: households where everyone uses iCloud.

It is already on your iPhone and it is free. Since iOS 17, a list can be set to the Groceries type, and Reminders sorts items into sections like Produce or Frozen Foods as you add them. You share a list from Reminders, invite people through Messages or Mail, and they can add, edit and tick items; you can assign items and choose to be notified when someone adds or completes one. Apple's guide says everyone you collaborate with must be signed in to their Apple Account with Reminders turned on in iCloud.

Keep in mind: the list lives in Reminders, apart from your calendar and other plans.

Google Keep

Best for: households that mix iPhone and Android.

Keep turns a note into a checklist, and Google's help page shows how to share it from the iPhone app by adding collaborators by name, email address or Google Group. Collaborators can edit the list, and Keep runs on iPhone, Android and the web. Families set up in Google can share a note with the whole family group at once.

Keep in mind: it is a shared note, simple and quick, rather than a planner.

AnyList

Best for: people whose lists are mostly groceries, recipes and meal plans.

AnyList is a dedicated shopping-list app for iOS and Android. Its feature page says creating and sharing lists is free, and so are autocomplete and automatic categories for common grocery items. You share a list by entering the other person's email address, and changes show up for everyone. AnyList Complete ($9.99 a year for one person, $14.99 for a household) adds things like item photos, stores and filters, prices, Apple Watch, folders and a Mac app.

Keep in mind: it is a grocery and recipe tool first; your other plans live elsewhere.

A WhatsApp thread

Best for: the one-off "can you grab milk on the way home?"

Everyone already has it, and a quick ask needs nothing else. But a list pasted into a chat is a snapshot. To cross something off, someone sends another message, and the latest version is somewhere up the thread. That is fine for three items and painful for a weekly shop. We wrote more about this in how to share a list without a WhatsApp thread.

Sova

Best for: iPhone households that want groceries beside the rest of their shared plans.

In Sova, the grocery list is a shared group, next to your personal notes, your calendars and any other group you share. Invite someone with a link or QR code; they join with Sign in with Apple, no password. Whoever is in the shop ticks items off in Sova or right from the Home Screen widget, and everyone sees it. If the current list is sitting in a chat or in Notes, paste it and Sova splits it into separate items. Free includes two shared lists with up to 10 people and 100 items each, and there are no ads.

For the person who doesn't have Sova yet, you can share a copy of the list as a link: it opens as a readable list in any browser, on any phone.

Keep in mind: Sova is iPhone-only, and it doesn't sort items by aisle. If one of you is on Android, Google Keep or AnyList will serve you better.

Quick pick

Set up a shared grocery list in Sova

1. Create a groupCall it Groceries, or Home if you want chores in the same place.
2. Add what you needType items, paste a list from a chat or Notes, or ask Siri to add to Sova.
3. Invite with a link or QROpen Invite people, then Show QR code or Copy link, and send it however you like.
4. Add the widgetPut the large Sova widget on your Home Screen. It can show a tab for the Groceries group, so the list is one glance away in the shop.

Sources, as of September 2026: Apple Support on grocery lists in Reminders and sharing lists, Google Keep Help on sharing notes, AnyList features. More guides on the blog.