# Basic Shopping List vs Make a List!

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Basic Shopping List at none against Make a List!'s 1. Basic Shopping List also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (100% vs 66%). Make a List!'s advantage is update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 18 months) and ratings volume (1.7K vs 6). On price, rating and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Make a List! sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Basic Shopping List asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Basic Shopping List against 4.6 for Make a List!. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Make a List! has 1.7K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Basic Shopping List's written reviews are positive against 66% of Make a List!'s.

Basic Shopping List ships an update every 18 months, Make a List! every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 4, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Basic Shopping List | Make a List! |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/basic-shopping-list/id967461165/reviews) | **[4.6 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/make-a-list/id1173321635/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 6 | **1.7K** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 66.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 18 months | **Every 4 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 10 MB | 25 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.1** | 16.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Bruno Ferreira](https://appshunter.io/developer/522989176) | [Filippo Maguolo](https://appshunter.io/developer/1154554717) |

## What reviewers say

### Basic Shopping List

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/basic-shopping-list/id967461165)

Easily create and manage your shopping lists. Quickly add common items with auto-complete and share your lists via SMS or email. Keep track of items already in your cart with a separate list.

**Highlights:** Create and manage shopping lists, Share lists via SMS or email, Auto-complete for common items, Track items in shopping cart, Reorder items, Delete individual items

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Make a List!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/make-a-list/id1173321635)

Create and share unlimited lists with friends and family. Automatically syncs across all your iOS devices and Mac. Supports audio notes, pictures, and due dates for enhanced organization.

**Highlights:** Unlimited list creation, List sharing, Push notifications, Audio and picture attachments, Due dates, Cross-device synchronization

**Features:** Apple Watch app, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Accessible for visually impaired users
- 👍 Customizable settings
- 👍 Useful for decorating lists
- 👍 Provides pictures for list items
- 👍 Easy to use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy, with items randomly disappearing from lists
- 🐛 Unreliable list sharing
- 🐛 Difficult to reorder lists
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🔋 Excessive ads in free version

**Reported bugs**

- Items randomly disappearing from lists
- Duplicate lists being created
- Inability to view new list entries
- Reordering lists not working as expected
- Syncing issues between devices

**Requested features**

- Add alarm functionality
- Allow sub-tasks within lists
- Improve list sorting and reordering
- Provide a way to delete entire lists
- Remember previously added items to avoid retyping


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Basic Shopping List free?

Basic Shopping List is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Make a List! free?

Make a List! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Basic Shopping List or Make a List!?

Make a List! is rated higher. Basic Shopping List averages 4.5 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Make a List! averages 4.6 from 1.7K ratings.

### Do Basic Shopping List or Make a List! have ads?

Make a List! shows ads; Basic Shopping List does not.

### Which is updated more often, Basic Shopping List or Make a List!?

Basic Shopping List ships an update every 18 months, and Make a List! every 4 weeks. Most recently, Basic Shopping List was updated on June 4, 2026 and Make a List! on September 23, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*