Out of Milk alternatives: shared lists that still sync

Out of Milk is still free, still being updated, and it will export your list as a CSV, which makes leaving easy. The reasons people go are the ads through the shopping flow and the shared-list sync complaints. AnyList and OurGroceries are the closest like-for-like swaps.

Is Out of Milk still being updated?

Yes. iOS 5.9.5 shipped on 15 September 2026, so the app is not abandoned. There is no shutdown notice to find.

What changed over the years is ownership. InMarket bought Out of Milk in 2021 and terminated every account outside the United States and Canada that year, which is why a share of the people searching for an alternative are not unhappy users. They were cut off and never came back.

Is Out of Milk still free?

Yes, free with ads, as of September 2026. You can keep and share lists without paying, which is why so many people have had it for years.

There is a premium tier, and the honest answer about it is awkward. Its App Store listing shows purchases at $9.99 and $12.99 without stating what period either covers. Monthly, yearly and one-time are all consistent with what is published, so this page will not pick one. Read the purchase screen instead.

The grievances that send people looking are not about price anyway. Reviews describe ads running through the shopping flow, and shared-list sync problems that surface again and again. Those are reports rather than confirmed behaviour, but the pattern holds.

Out of Milk alternatives compared

Prices below are as of September 2026.

If you want a plain list two people can open, the middle rows are the smaller change. The first only matters if your duplicates come from not knowing what is home.

Start with the free cooking loop: the catalog, inventory with expiry, can-make matching and 2 custom lists. Coming from Out of Milk, you can claim three free Pro months in Settings. Claim the switch offer

The closest like-for-like swaps: AnyList and OurGroceries

AnyList is the tidiest swap if you like lists and want little to change. Its free tier covers the basics, and Complete at $9.99 a year for one person or $14.99 for a household adds the web and Mac apps, recipe import and a meal calendar. It shows no pantry and no expiry dates, so it solves the sync complaint rather than the duplicates one.

OurGroceries is the simplest swap if free and familiar is the whole requirement: free with ads, ad removal reported at $0.99 a month, $5.99 a year or $19.99 once, and no new system to learn.

Count your lists before choosing. Well Stockd Free caps at 2 custom lists, so if you keep one per store you will need Pro for unlimited lists, and the other two suit you better there.

Why a shared list still produces duplicate shopping

A shared list syncs the words and leaves both shoppers blind to the cupboard. You see milk written down. You cannot see whether your partner grabbed it twenty minutes ago, or whether two cartons are hiding behind the leftovers. So you buy it again, and one turns.

Sync problems make that worse, but fixing sync does not fix the underlying thing: a list holds what somebody remembered to type, not what is in the house. The fix is one shared view of the food itself, the argument behind tracking what is in your fridge and keeping a pantry neither person guesses at. When both shoppers see quantities and expiry dates, fewer duplicates go in the cart and less food gets thrown out.

Create one Pro shared kitchen, invite your household, and cook from the same list and the same cupboard. Out of Milk users get three free Pro months through the founding window. Claim the switch offer

How to export your Out of Milk list

Out of Milk documents a real CSV export, which puts it ahead of most apps here. On Android you export from inside the app, and on the web you get both directions. Do that first whatever you decide, because a CSV on your own machine costs nothing and leaves the decision reversible.

Getting that file into Well Stockd is the part we will not oversell: there is no importer, so rebuilding here is manual and takes about twenty minutes. Start with staples, keep product names short so both shoppers search the same words, then add expiry dates for the fridge. Leave the old list alone until both people have used the new one in a real shop.

FAQ

Is the Out of Milk app still free?

Yes. Out of Milk is free with ads as of September 2026, and it is still being updated: iOS 5.9.5 shipped on 15 September 2026. A premium tier exists alongside the free one.

How much does the Out of Milk app cost?

Nothing, if you can live with ads. Its App Store listing shows premium purchases at $9.99 and $12.99 without stating what billing period either covers, so check inside the app.

Can you export your Out of Milk list?

Yes. Out of Milk documents a CSV export, available in the app on Android and in both directions, import and export, on the web. Pull the CSV before you delete anything.

Why is my Out of Milk shared list not syncing?

Shared-list sync problems come up repeatedly in its store reviews. Check your connection, reinstall, and re-share the list from scratch, then move to an app with working household sync if it keeps failing.

What is the best free shared grocery list app?

It depends on what you share. AnyList and OurGroceries are the closest like-for-like swaps, while Well Stockd adds inventory and can-make matching free but caps you at 2 custom lists.