The best price-tracking apps

Everybody wants to save money when they shop—but not everybody knows how. Is it better to clip coupons or compare retailers? Wait for the price to drop, or buy now and earn cash-back rewards?

That’s where today’s best price-tracking apps can help. Whether you’re looking for the best coupons, the biggest rewards or the fastest price drop alerts, a good price-tracking tool can help you save money and shop with confidence.

But how do you choose which price-tracking app is best? And how do you use these top price comparison apps to save money?

We asked money-saving expert Andrea Woroch, a nationally recognized personal finance writer who helps busy moms manage their household budgets, which price-tracking apps she recommended. Here are some of her favorites, along with advice on how to use the best price-tracking apps to save money and earn rewards.

CouponCabin: Best for earning cash back

The best price-tracking apps don’t just help you save money as you shop. They also help you earn cash-back rewards on nearly everything you buy.

“CouponCabin helps you track savings while earning cash back,” Woroch explains. “Through the app, you can find coupons for thousands of online retailers and even online grocery or take out orders and travel. Plus, they offer cash-back rewards on many of these purchases.”

Want proof that CouponCabin works? Woroch has the numbers.

“I recently earned $55 and the money was deposited into my PayPal account,” she told us. “Considering that many people shop on their mobile phones, having this app downloaded will ensure you never miss out on a coupon savings or cash back. It’s super easy to use!”

ShopSavvy: Best for in-store price comparisons

Comparing prices when you’re shopping online is one thing—but what about price-tracking when you’re at the grocery store? If you want to make smart purchasing decisions when you’re shopping in-person, Woroch knows the perfect app to add to your smartphone.

“The ShopSavvy app offers instant price comparison when you’re shopping in-store,” says Woroch. “Just snap a picture of the product barcode using the app to reveal a list of stores selling the same item and its current selling price. You can then buy the item through the app or leverage the search results to negotiate a price match at the store you’re shopping at.”

Capital One Shopping: Best for getting money back when prices drop

What if you buy today—and the price goes down tomorrow? With the right app, you don’t have to worry.

“Capital One Shopping offers a Price Protection feature that acts like your personal price adjustment agent,” says Woroch. “The tool tracks prices of recent purchases and notifies you if they detect a sale within the retailer’s price adjustment window, taking the extra step to get money back for the difference in price.”

Capital One Shopping is available as both a mobile app and a browser extension, allowing you to save money whether you’re shopping on your phone or your laptop. You don’t need a Capital One bank account or credit card to take advantage of this top price-tracking app, so why not give it a try and see how much you can save?

Fetch: Best for earning rewards

Woroch had one more recommendation for us — and although this one isn’t a price-tracking app, it still offers plenty of ways for you to save money and earn rewards.

“Fetch isn’t a price or sale tracking tool, but it does ensure you earn rewards every time you shop,” Woroch explains. “For many, using a rewards app after purchase is a very simple way to save for future purchases.”

Fetch is a good option for people who don’t want to track prices but still want to earn rewards. If you shop at the same grocery store every week, for example, you probably aren’t going to drive out of your way to save a little money on a few of your favorite staples. Apps like Fetch allow you to earn points on your everyday purchases, giving you the chance to save money even on the days you can’t compare prices.

“Just snap a picture of your receipts to earn points towards free gift cards to stores like Target, Amazon and even Ulta Beauty,” says Woroch. “Depending on current product and store promos, you could earn a lot more points based on what you purchased or where you shopped, helping you rack up points for free gift cards faster!”

The best price-tracking browser extensions

Not all of the best price-tracking tools are apps. Some of today’s top price-trackers are actually browser extensions that can be quickly and easily installed into Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge and other popular web browsers. Once your price-tracking extension is in place, it will automatically compare prices as you shop—and provide you with coupons, suggestions and alerts that could help you save money.

Here are some of Woroch’s favorite price-tracking browser extensions:

• Karma — “Has a price alert feature when you add items you want to buy to your wish list.”
• Honey — “Offers historically-based pricing data that takes the guesswork out of trying to determine the best time to buy and also allows you to set sale alerts using the Droplist feature.”
• Camelizer — “From CamelCamelCamel, this browser extension tracks prices of products sold on Amazon so you can review price histories before buying to help you make better purchase decisions.”
• Sidekick — “From CouponCabin, this browser extension that searches for, tests and applies coupon codes with the biggest discount to your online cart automatically whenever it detects you’re shopping at a retail site. Sidekick ensures you never miss out on savings and even adds cash back. This takes the frustration out of searching different coupon code sites and stumbling to find a code that actually works. This tool saves you time and money!”