12 shopping apps and sites to score best price

Some get excited about getting online deals. (Getty Images/iStockphoto/AntonioGuillem)

Use these money-saving tools to secure the best deals.

Snagging the lowest price takes perseverance: It not only requires time and energy to uncover the best deals, but also knowing where to look for sales and discounts in the first place. But while deal hunting can be challenging and time-consuming, if you neglect to comparison shop, you may miss out on serious savings. Fortunately, even if you aren’t an experienced bargain shopper, finding the best price is easier than ever thanks to a myriad of tech tools that help you take advantage of price drops and eliminate the guesswork of sniffing out deals and steals. Before you shop, use these 12 apps and sites that take the hassle out of scoring the best deals.

Basket

Comparing grocery prices can be a challenge since food stores typically rotate sales on a weekly basis and some may offer deals that aren’t advertised. If you want to forgo driving from store to store to find the best grocery deals, use the free Basket app to save on your next shopping trip. The app automatically estimates the cost for the food items on your shopping list and helps you find the closest and cheapest options. You can even help other grocery shoppers pinpoint the best bargains by listing the products and the corresponding store discounts you find through the app.

Flipp

Store circulars are a great tool for finding in-store deals, but if you don’t want to store stacks of retail ads, utilize Flipp to eliminate clutter, while still maximizing savings in a few taps on your phone. This free shopping tool aggregates weekly circulars and coupons, allowing you to quickly pinpoint the lowest prices on products at various retailers nearby. The app also offers the option of browsing deals by category, so if you’re not tied to a specific brand or model, you can quickly view the top discounted items in your area.

Walmart Savings Catcher Tool

You may associate Walmart with deeply discounted prices, but neglecting to take the extra step of comparison shopping is a mistake. With the Savings Catcher app, you can simply scan your store receipt within seven days of your purchase and the tool will compare prices at other retailers for the items you bought. If the app discovers a lower-advertised price at a competing retailer, you will receive credit to your account in the form of an e-gift card that can be used to make purchases in-store at Walmart via Walmart Pay, or online at Walmart.com.

Honey

While many online retailers offer coupon codes to entice shoppers to buy from their site, searching for relevant deals can be tedious, especially if the codes you found don’t work. If you would rather skip searching for coupons altogether, consider downloading the Honey browser extension to do the legwork for you. Simply download the free browser extension and it will locate any available coupons for the retailer you’re shopping at and automatically apply relevant discounts to your order before you check out.

Paribus

Retailers constantly fluctuate prices based on consumer and market behavior to maximize profits. That means the deeply discounted price you saw for a microwave when you left for work in the morning could be completely different by the afternoon. And while it’s important to compare prices to get the best deal, sometimes you may miss out on the cheaper price if you buy at the wrong time. That’s where Paribus comes in. This price-tracking tool links to users’ email accounts and requests credit or a refund on behalf of consumers for items such as home decor and clothing that get marked down within the retailer’s price adjustment window, typically seven to 30 days of the initial purchase date.

CamelCamelCamel.com

It’s no secret that online marketplaces change prices throughout the day, week and month to maximize profits, and Amazon is no exception. However, price-monitoring platforms like CamelCamelCamel show you historical prices for thousands of products sold through the retail giant; the site even provides a detailed report of the lowest, highest and average selling price, so you can time your purchase strategically. If the specific item is higher than the average selling price, the site offers a sale alert feature, so you can get notified when the price drops without the hassle of constantly looking for a discount. What’s more, with the Camelizer web browser extension, you can view historical pricing details while browsing Amazon’s product pages.

Coupon Sherpa

If you’ve ever clipped a coupon but misplaced it before you needed it, it’s time to download a mobile coupon-collecting app like Coupon Sherpa. You can locate coupons by store name or category. Plus, the app will also alert you when a deal becomes available at a nearby store. Since some stores, including Walmart and Joann, a fabric and craft retailer, will match or accept competitor coupons, it’s always a good idea to search for deals even if the specific store you’re shopping at doesn’t have an offer.

Shop It To Me

Knowing when and where to shop for discounts on designer clothing is key to saving money. Sites like ShopItToMe.com pinpoint deals without requiring you to lift a finger. On the site, you can set customized sale alerts based on your favorite brands, stores and sizes. Then, you’ll receive daily or weekly emails featuring personalized sale picks based on your preferences, so you never miss out on deals on top brands like Kate Spade, Tory Burch and Ray-Ban from popular retailers, including Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom.

BillFixers.com

When it comes to budgeting, odds are there are unneeded costs you can live without. But even if you’re on a tight budget and you’re looking for ways to trim your spending, you don’t have to compromise on little luxuries. With the service BillFixers, you can secure a lower price for your monthly internet and cable bills. Here’s how it works: BillFixers will contact cable companies and other providers to negotiate better rates on users’ behalf. If they’re able to negotiate a better rate, BillFixers will split the savings for the first year and the rest goes into your wallet. Even better, there’s no subscription service fees or upfront costs for getting a lower bill.

The Zebra

Chances are you shopped around for the best price when you first needed car insurance. Over the years, you probably went on autopilot, assuming your loyalty will be rewarded with continued savings. But unless you’re scrutinizing your bill every month or at renewal time, you may be missing out on savings by neglecting to compare options with other providers. With the online car insurance marketplace The Zebra, you can quickly gather quotes from up to 200 reputable insurance companies.

CoPatient

The average American household spends $4,612 on health care, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2016 Consumer Expenditure Survey. From duplicate billing to incorrect billing for services not rendered, there are several ways you could be overcharged without realizing it. That’s why it’s key to look at your charges in detail or get help from a service like CoPatient, which reviews medical bills and gives users a summary of their findings at no charge. After reviewing medical charges, CoPatient provides an option to negotiate the errors on your behalf to save you money and take a percentage of the savings — a small price for a potentially inaccurate and expensive bill.

ShopSavvy

Driving from store to store to hunt down the best bargain isn’t exactly the best use of your time, but forgoing this important step means you may miss out on a better deal. Luckily, you can compare prices when you’re on the go using the app ShopSavvy. Just snap a picture of the product’s barcode and the app will provide a list of competitor retailers and online sites that sell the same product with the corresponding purchase price. Then, you can decide whether it’s worth heading to the other store or ask a store manager if they will match the competitor’s lower price.

To take advantage of price drops and discounts, use these shopping apps and sites to score the best price:

— Basket.

— Flipp.

— Walmart Savings Catcher Tool.

— Honey.

— Paribus.

— CamelCamelCamel.com.

— Coupon Sherpa.

— Shop It To Me.

— BillFixers.com.

— The Zebra.

— CoPatient.