Inflation has hit consumers hard, so finding ways to save money is crucial today. Fortunately, the internet makes it easy to save money by using price comparison websites to find the best deals and get price drop alerts.
Let’s dive into the best options.
How Do Price Comparison Websites Work?
Price comparison websites have different nuances but the same premises. You search for the product or category you want to shop for, and it presents you with stores selling the items or categories. You can typically sort the results by price, relevance, or discount.
Each price comparison site or app works with different retailers, so pay attention to which stores they monitor to ensure you’re getting the desired results.
Best Price Comparison Websites for Smart Shoppers
The price comparison sites on my list are free, so you don’t lose anything by trying them, but time is money, so find the site that searches the stores you prefer.
1. Google Shopping
It’s probably not surprising that Google Shopping is one of the most user-friendly price comparison websites. It integrates perfectly with typical search engine results, but if you need more robust answers, click the ‘Shopping’ tab at the top of your results page.
You can search by typing in the product’s name or description, or if you use the Google mobile app, you can upload a picture of what you’re looking for and get options from different stores and even comparable products if Google can’t find the exact product you uploaded.
Google Shopping can also watch a price for you. Sign in to your Google Account, open a product’s listing, tap Track price, and set the price you want to pay. When the listing’s price drops below your target, Google emails you and sends an alert through the Google app. For many products, the listing also rates today’s price as low, typical, or high and shows how it has moved in recent months.
2. Capital One Shopping
Capital One Shopping made our list of price comparison websites even though, technically, it’s not a website. Instead, it’s a free browser extension or mobile app that works in the background when you shop online. It works with 30,000+ sites to get you great deals on your purchases. It can compare a product’s price across hundreds of other sellers with one click, and it alerts you when the price drops on something you’ve viewed or bought. You don’t need a Capital One card or bank account to use it.
Capital One Shopping also offers shopping rewards for some purchases. You can redeem them for gift cards from dozens of retailers. Rewards usually show up as pending a few days after you buy, while the store confirms the purchase qualifies. Travel rewards take longer and pay out 60 to 90 days after your trip.
Read our full Capital One Shopping review for more details.
Capital One Shopping compensates us when you get the browser extension using the links provided.
3. ShopSavvy
ShopSavvy is a price comparison website, but they highly encourage users to install their free browser extension for even more features. ShopSavvy is available on your browser and iOS and Android, allowing you to price-check items in-store by scanning the barcode.
On ShopSavvy, you’ll see price comparisons across tens of thousands of retailers and price histories that go back years. You can also sign up for price drop and deal alerts to never miss the best deals. However, my favorite feature is the ‘back in stock’ alert, which tells you when a sold-out item is available again.
4. camelcamelcamel
camelcamelcamel is an Amazon price tracker. It tracks the prices of millions of products sold on Amazon and sends alerts when the price drops, helping you to save the most money. You can also use the Amazon price history charts to make buying decisions because you can see how often the price changes for a specific product.
If you want something easier than the price comparison website, camelcamelcamel also has a free browser extension called The Camelizer. It shows an Amazon product’s price history in a pop-up and lets you set a price alert from there.
5. Honey
Honey works a lot like the Capital One Shopping extension. It’s a free browser extension that automatically looks for deals when you shop online. Honey works with 30,000+ sites to find coupon codes to help you save money.
Adding the extension to Chrome takes only a few seconds, and then you can shop normally. If Honey finds a code that works for your purchase, it applies the code to your cart automatically. Its Droplist feature also watches items you save and lets you know when one drops in price at that store.
Read our full Honey app review for more details.
6. Price.com
Price.com compares prices on new, used, and refurbished items, and it finds coupons and cash back at more than 100,000 stores.
You can also download the free browser extension that will automatically compare prices while you search and notify you when a price drops.
7. Pricepirates
Pricepirates makes finding the lowest prices on your favorite products simple. Just enter the product, and they’ll display results from multiple stores, including eBay, so that you can see all your options.
Pricepirates also has an Apple and Android app to help you compare prices while on the go.
8. BuyVia
BuyVia is a price comparison website that allows users to search for a specific product or browse products by category. Their homepage lists the latest deals, including one-day-only sales, so it pays to check back often to see what deals are available.
If you want more ways to save money, you can also find coupons and promo codes to use on your purchases so you always get the best deal.
BuyVia’s app can also send you a push notification or email when a product you’re tracking goes on sale online or at a local store, though its alerts skip Amazon.
FAQs
Price comparison websites are a great way to ensure you aren’t overspending or, better yet, to get price drop alerts. Here are some common questions people have about them.
Are Price Comparison Websites Free?
The price comparison websites on our list are free. Each also has a browser extension, a mobile app, or both.
Which Price Comparison Websites Offer the Most Accurate Results?
Google Shopping usually has the most accurate results. It lists offers from many stores side by side, and for many products it shows how the price has moved in recent months.
Not all price comparison websites are reliable, though. Always do your own research to see if the results a comparison site provides are realistic.
Can Price Comparison Websites Help You Save Money?
I still recommend doing your own research when using price comparison sites, but they can be the starting point to saving money. They help you find the lowest prices, but you may also find coupons or promo codes to make the deal even better.
Do Price Comparison Websites Track Discounts and Promotions?
Some price comparison websites only track prices. But others, like the Honey extension, provide coupon codes and discounts to help you save more money.
Can Price Comparison Websites Help Find the Cheapest Flights?
There are specific price comparison websites for flights, like Skyscanner. Just like regular comparison sites, it aggregates the lowest flight prices based on the parameters you enter, including travel dates, departure, and arrival cities.
Are There Any Price Comparison Websites Specifically for Electronics?
There are a few price comparison websites for electronics for other countries, like Canada. In the U.S., your best bet is to stick with Google Shopping, which covers the largest number of stores and deals to help you save money.
The Bottom Line
If you’re serious about saving money this year, consider adding price comparison websites to your shopping habits. To save the trouble of checking them, add the free Capital One Shopping extension, which compares prices as you shop and tells you when something you’ve bought drops in price.
Editorial & Advertiser Disclosure: The editorial content on this page is not provided, commissioned, reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser. Opinions expressed here are ours alone, not those of any advertiser. The offers that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. That compensation may influence which products we cover and where and how they appear on a page – including the order in which they appear – but it does not influence our evaluations, ratings, or opinions. We do not include every company or offer available in the marketplace.
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