Riff.kitchen vs AnyList
AnyList is a shopping list and recipe box for a household: it shares lists, saves recipes from any website, and plans a week on a calendar, from $9.99 a year. Riff.kitchen starts at the other end, from the food already in your kitchen and what is about to expire, and writes the recipe. If you want to keep and share a recipe collection, AnyList. If your food goes off before you cook it, Riff.
Claims about AnyList last checked 2026-09-22. Features and pricing change, so check their site for current details.
Where AnyList is the better choice
Listed first, and honestly. If one of these describes you, use it instead.
- Saving recipes from any website. AnyList imports from a web page; Riff.kitchen cannot import a recipe collection at all, it writes new ones from your ingredients.
- Sharing with a household. Lists, recipes and the meal plan are shared with family members, and Riff has no sharing.
- Price, and it is not close: AnyList Complete is $9.99 a year for one person or $14.99 for a household. Chef’s Pass is $6.99 a month.
- Real native apps on iOS, Android, Mac and Apple Watch, with Siri and Alexa, widgets and location reminders. Riff.kitchen is a website.
- A grocery list built for the shop itself: custom categories, store filters, prices, item photos.
Where Riff.kitchen is the better choice
- Starts from what you already own rather than from recipes you chose.
- Tracks expiry dates and cooks the food closest to going off first. AnyList does not list a pantry or expiry feature.
- Writes a recipe for the exact ingredients you have, instead of matching you to a saved one.
- Add ingredients by photographing a shelf.
- The core is free with no card, including the planner and the shopping list.
Feature comparison
| Criterion | Riff.kitchen | AnyList | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared household lists | No | Yes | Them |
| Import recipes from any website | No | Yes, unlimited on Complete, 5 free | Them |
| Native apps and watch, Siri and Alexa | Website only | Yes | Them |
| Price of the paid tier | $6.99/mo or $49.99/yr | $9.99/yr, $14.99/yr household | Them |
| Pantry inventory | Yes, persistent | Not a listed feature | Riff |
| Expiry tracking | Yes | Not a listed feature | Riff |
| Recipes generated from your ingredients | Yes | No, it stores recipes you add | Riff |
| Add items by photo | Yes | Item photos, not recognition | Riff |
| Weekly meal planning | Yes | Yes, on a calendar | Equal |
| Automatic grocery list | Yes, only what you are missing | Yes, from recipes and meal plans | Equal |
| Free tier | Yes, no card | Yes, with a 5 recipe import limit | Equal |
Common questions
Is Riff.kitchen an AnyList alternative?
Only for part of what AnyList does. If you use it to keep recipes you found elsewhere and to share a list with your household, Riff.kitchen replaces neither: it cannot import recipes and has no sharing. If you use it to decide what to cook and to shop for it, Riff does that from the opposite direction, starting with the food already in your kitchen.
Does AnyList track what is in my pantry or when it expires?
Its features page lists shopping lists, recipes, meal planning and sharing, and does not list a pantry inventory or expiry tracking. Riff.kitchen keeps both, and the planner cooks whatever is closest to going off first.
Which is cheaper?
AnyList, clearly, if you pay for either. AnyList Complete is $9.99 a year, or $14.99 for a household. Chef’s Pass is $6.99 a month or $49.99 a year. Riff.kitchen’s free tier includes recipe generation, the pantry, the planner and the shopping list, so the honest comparison for most people is free against $9.99 a year.
I am moving off Mealime. Should I pick AnyList or Riff.kitchen?
If what you will miss is the recipe collection and the grocery list, AnyList is the closer replacement and it imports from websites, which matters because Mealime has no export. If what you will miss is being told what to cook, Riff.kitchen does that from your own ingredients. Our Mealime guide covers how to save your recipes before October 21.
Try it on tonight’s dinner
Pick something you already have in and see what it does with it. Free, no card needed, nothing to install.
Or type what is actually in your kitchen