I’ve been reading about (and hearing about) a ton of Grocery applications for the iPhone and iPod touch, and none has stood out for me until I saw Grocery IQ ($0.99). Grocery IQ is a simple yet extremely powerful grocery shopping list that is elegant and professionally done (the company behind it is Coupons.com). Easily add items to the list by clicking the “+” sign. Start typing your product name and watch as Grocery IQ checks what you’re writing against its database — if it’s in the system, you can click and have it added. If it’s not in the system, you can click “Done” and it will be added for you.
Once the item is on your list, click on it and you’ll see what kind of store you can buy it at (e.g. the Grocery Store, of course, though you can add other stores — which become separate lists — as well) and the aisle you’ll likely find it in. There are also user inputs for quantity, unit price, description, and notes. If you find yourself buying the particular product regularly, you can add it to your favorites so that you can reuse the item on a new shopping list.
Access your Favorites on the bottom of the screen, and click on them to add them to the current shopping list. When the item is bought, click on it and then Check Out so it gets removed from your list. (You can also swipe and delete if you choose.)
Each screen features a detailed Help menu that lets you learn a little more about the features available to you, so working with this is a breeze.
I’m going to have to say that Grocery IQ is going to give Groceries a run for its money. In fact, it’s $4 cheaper and seems to be laden with features including a database of over 130,000 items and a graphical user interface that can’t be beat. I don’t think you can go wrong with the Grocery IQ application; it is truly the best in its class. If you don’t want to write down what you need to buy and want help with what you do feel that you need to purchase, the Grocery IQ application is excellent, and with an extremely detailed database, this application is definitely the answer to your prayers.
