I am pretty sure that for most people, it’s probably challenging to save money. Not because they don’t want to, but because they simply don’t know how to save. However, if you are reading this post, I am sure you are looking for ways to save money. And who doesn’t love getting a good deal? So let’s take a look at these money-saving apps that will help you save lots of money!

Money-Saving Apps for General Finances

1. Mint

Mint is a free budgeting app that connects all your accounts (from cash and credit to loans and investments) in one digital space. Once all your accounts are linked, Mint gives you an overview of your financial position at a glance. You can then create a budget, and the app will keep track of your spending and notify you if your subscriptions’ cost increases and when bills are due.

Over time, you can analyze your money habits and identify areas to cut back on spending.

2. YNAB

You Need A Budget (YNAB) is a budgeting app that uses the zero-based budgeting system. This system forces you to assign every dollar that comes into your bank account a job and thus be more intentional about where your money goes. YNAB allows you to track your spending and fosters behaviour change by helping you deal with the cause of financial distress.

YNAB costs US$11.99 billed monthly or US$7 per month if you pay a one-time annual payment of US$84.

Money-Saving Apps for General Shopping

3. Honey

Honey is a free browser extension that saves you money by searching for the best deals on the internet on your favourite shopping sites. It looks for any valid coupons codes and automatically applies them to your order at checkout.

Honey is not a mobile app, and therefore, you can only use it on your desktop or laptop. It is compatible with various web browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, and Opera. Some popular sites to use Honey include Amazon, Nike, Sephora, Expedia, Bloomingdales, Expedia, J. Crew, etc.

4. Rakuten

Rakuten (formerly known as Ebates) is a cash back website that allows you to earn money for making purchases through their website or by using their browser extension. Retailers pay Rakuten a commission when members buy through their site, passing this down to users.

You can receive anywhere from 1% to 40% cash back on purchases made through Rakuten. Over 2,500 retailers registered with Rakuten, including Sephora, Amazon, Hudson’s Bay, The Body Shop, Lululemon, Nordstrom, Walmart, Target, etc.

5. RetailMeNot

RetailMeNot is one of the largest online coupon and deal marketplaces in the world. Through its website, you can find offers from thousands of retailers across the globe. It boasts over 35 categories that you can find coupons. Such buckets include food deals (Papa John’s, McDonald’s, etc.), fashion coupons (Kohl’s, Macy’s, Amazon, etc.), beauty product offers (Sephora, Bath & Body Works, etc.), travel (Expedia, Hotels.com, etc.), etc.

RetailMeNot is available as a browser extension or mobile phone app.

6. Capital One Shopping

Capital One Shopping (formerly Wikibuy) is a free browser extension that helps you find valid and relevant coupons for your online purchases. Further, when shopping at select retailers sites, Capital One Shopping searches the internet to see lower prices available elsewhere. It also provides a cash back option that you can redeem through store credits.

Capital One Shopping also offers a watchlist feature that alerts you when prices of items on your list drop.

7. Shopkick

Shopkick is an app for mobile phones and tablets that offers you reward points (referred to as ‘kicks’) that you can claim for gift cards to major retailers. The app allows you to earn kicks without purchasing by scanning items in participating stores, with no obligation to buy them. Buying an item, however, gets you even more kicks. 

You have to earn a certain minimum number of kicks to redeem your gift card(s). Various retailers in the Shopkick gift card program include Starbucks, Best Buy, Nike, Old Navy, Sephora, Walmart, Game Stop, etc.

8. Cashback Monitor

Cashback Monitor is a site that allows you to compare the cash and travel rewards from over forty shopping portals simultaneously. You can compare shopping rewards such as cash back, travel miles, and credit card points from various online retailers.

It can help you find the airline and hotel loyalty programs that earn you the most travel mile. You can also look up how many points you can get by using different credit cards. With Cashback Monitor and depending on the shopping portal and credit card you use, it is possible to amass rewards on all your purchases.

Apps to Save Money on Local Activities

9. Groupon

Groupon is a website and mobile app connecting members with vendors offering activities, travel, goods, and services. It provides daily discount coupons via email and various social media feeds. Groupon is mainly geared toward serving a local market, but members can also earn discounts across the globe.

Groupon is similar to a physical coupon book, and it offers discounts ranging anywhere from 5% to 90%. The deals on Groupon tend to be time-limited and expire within 24 to 72 hours. However, once you have purchased a coupon, it is valid anywhere from 6 to 12 months, and there is no rush to redeem it.

Money-Saving Apps for Groceries

10. Flipp

Flipp is a free app that aggregates all the weekly flyers around your area. All you need to do is enter your ZIP or Postal code, and the app will find all your local stores. You can also let the app determine your location for the same search result.

Flipp allows you to browse thousands of flyers digitally and find the best buys. Not only does it help you save money, but also the time it would take you to browse through individual store flyers.

11. Ibotta

Ibotta is a free coupon and cash back app that allows you to save money and redeem cash back on certain purchases made in-store or online. The app offers “rebates” to help you save money on groceries, clothes, toiletries – pretty much almost anything imaginable. 

Ibotta works in a few simple steps:

• Download the app.
• Find a cashback offer while you shop.
• Redeem points by submitting receipts or by linking loyalty cards.

You can redeem your cashback through a store gift card or actual cash through PayPal or Venmo.

12. SavingStar

SavingStar is a shopping website and app that allows members to receive cash back on eligible grocery store purchases. You can save money by scanning your receipts, linking your store cards, or making in-app purchases with online vendors. Cashback rewards accrue in your account, and once you reach a minimum threshold of $5, you can cash out a payment.

You may redeem your cash back through your bank or PayPal account or opt to receive a gift card. SavingStar also provides the option to donate your cash back to charity. You will receive your payout within 24-48 hours after a request.

Money-Saving Apps for Travel

13. GasBuddy

GasBuddy is an app that lets you find and report the cheapest gas stations near you in real-time. The app relies on users to report the latest gas prices. Next to each price, you will see when the gas price was last updated by a user.

GasBuddy allows you to view gas prices by distance, price, or top tier (gas stations near you that only provide top-tier gas). It is available in Australia, Canada, and United States.

14. Hopper

Hopper is a mobile travel app that helps you book flights and hotels at the right time to save you money. When you enter your destination, the app shows you a calendar with a price breakdown for roundtrip flights on different. It then allows you the option to either book the flight or put it on a watchlist.

Hopper will alert you when the price of a flight on your watchlist is about to drop and suggests how soon you should book it before prices rise again. It claims a 95 percent accuracy on its predictions regarding finding the best time for you to book.  

15. Google Flights

Google Flights is one of the most popular and powerful flight metasearch engines that allows you to book flights from over 300 airline and online travel agency partners. It is not a booking site, but rather it facilitates the purchase of airline tickets through third-party suppliers.

Further, Google Flights allows for quick comparisons for flight, hotel, and travel package options.

16. Skyscanner

Skyscanner is a travel metasearch engine that allows you to find the cheapest flights anywhere worldwide quickly. It aggregates fares from Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) such as KAYAK, Expedia, and Priceline. Skyscanner does not sell you flights itself. Once you find a suitable flight, it redirects you to the airline or OTA’s website to complete your booking and pay.

17. Momondo

Momondo is also a travel metasearch engine and travel fare aggregator, similar to Skyscanner. It returns fare data from over 1000 airlines, online booking sites, travel agencies, search engines, and other online travel discount sites. Once you find the flight that you like, it redirects you to a booking site.

18. KAYAK

KAYAK is a popular travel search engine. It searches the web to find you the best prices and travel times for flights, hotels, rental cars, vacation packages, trains, cruises, etc. Once you find a good deal, KAYAK redirects you to book directly with the airline, hotel, car rental agency, or other third-party travel sites.

It is free for users and earns revenue through advertisements and commissions paid by providers once a user books through KAYAK.

19. HotelTonight

HotelTonight is a travel agency and metasearch engine that allows users to find and reserve same-day hotel rooms from their mobile phones at great prices. If you are flexible on where to stay and when to make your reservation, HotelTonight is a great option.

HotelTonight is available in over 1,700 cities and has over 50,000 properties in North America, Europe, and Australia.

Other Money-Saving Apps

20. Swagbucks

Swagbucks is a popular and free online rewards program that earns users points for performing simple tasks such as searching the web, watching videos, and completing paid surveys. Points earned from the program are called Swagbucks Points (shortened to SB). You can redeem your SBs for various gifts cards from over 1,500 retailers, including Amazon and iTunes. You can also cash out SBs via PayPal.

21. MyPoints

MyPoints is a pioneer and one of the leading online rewards programs. It offers several ways to earn rewards: watching videos, taking surveys, shopping through participating retailers, playing video games, referring a friend to the program, etc.

MyPoints is available in Canada and the US, and you can use it through its web interface or a mobile phone app. You can redeem your points for gift cards to your favourite retailer, cash through PayPal, and United MileagePlus frequent flier miles.