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Should I self-host AnyList?
AnyList costs $10 a YEAR. Ten dollars. KitchenOwl and Mealie are lovely, but valuing your setup evening at literally any hourly rate puts break-even past 2030. The purest example of the cheap-subscription pattern on the whole scoreboard.
The math (nothing hidden, including your time)
| AnyList (Complete (individual)) | $0.83/mo |
| VPS share + storage | −$0.30/mo |
| Your maintenance: 10 min/mo at $20/h | −$3.33/mo |
| Net saving | $-2.80/mo |
| Setup: 15 min measured (one-time) | $5.00 |
| Break-even | never |
| Markup Index (price ÷ real self-host cost) | 0.2× |
Price: source, checked 2026-08-07. Inputs are stored in git; every number above is derived, never hand-written.
What you lose
- Nothing — this is the cheapest verdict we track; buy the subscription and cook something
What you're paying AnyList for
- shared grocery lists
- recipes
- meal planning
Ranked alternatives
A shared grocery list your household's phones open from their own app stores, pointed at a server you run.
Your recipe box, meal plans and shopping lists on one container you own, with a Paprika importer and a clipper that reads most recipe sites.
Hardware
Runs comfortably on Raspberry Pi.
Verification
Protocol v1 · verified by zernonia on 2026-08-10 · setup measured at 15 min · AI assistant: claude-code (allowed & stated)
Full timed log
# AnyList — verdict log - **Date:** 2026-08-10 - **Verdict:** NOT REALLY — keep paying - **Protocol:** v1 (2GB reference env, Docker preinstalled, AI assistant: claude-code) ## Why no compose file - This verdict is decided by economics/capability, not setup effort — the rubric doesn't require a timed install to conclude the subscription should stay (or that the replacement's cost lives elsewhere, e.g. GPUs, egress, or an installer script). ## The call AnyList costs $10 a YEAR. Ten dollars. KitchenOwl and Mealie are lovely, but valuing your setup evening at literally any hourly rate puts break-even past 2030. The purest example of the cheap-subscription pattern on the whole scoreboard.
Verdict history
- 2026-08-10: unscored → NOT_REALLY — Initial verdict: AnyList costs $10 a YEAR.