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There are many price comparison tools out there that can save you lots of time and money. These tools or apps make it so much easier to comparison shop, rather than hopping from website to website to search for the lowest prices on much needed items. That’s why these online tools have become hugely popular.

If you’re waiting around for the best deal to happen, or a sale to start, comparison shopping tools can make your life much simpler. Whether you want to compare the prices of groceries, electronics or flights, there’s a tool that can help you. Many companies have online price checkers but all are not the same. When you are looking for the one that suits you, consider the breadth of retailers and products, search and filter capabilities, and ease of use.

What to Keep in Mind When Using Price Comparison Tools

Price comparison tools are not all perfect. It’s recommended that you use more than one tool to ensure you are getting the best price on any given item.

Many of the best price comparison sites use data feeds to get their information from merchants and sellers. These files are put together by the merchants who then make them available to boost their sales.This means the comparison sites only get data merchants want them to have, and sellers may not include all their products. Merchants may not send information on products with higher margins or on items that are very popular.

Different retailers may also provide varying product names and descriptions, making it difficult to know if two products are actually the same.

It is difficult to be certain that every search will return the absolute best prices. You should also keep in mind that some comparison sites and apps focus on specific categories while others are more general. And some only highlight listings from retailers who officially partner with them.

Some comparisons can vary based on whether shipping costs and taxes are included in the display price. Comparing prices online before you make a purchase is far easier than searching website to website individually in search of the best deal.

Here are 5 of the best comparison shopping tools available.

Capital One Shopping – This online shopping assistant uses real-time data from millions of its customers to find you the best deals.The more that people use it, the better it gets at finding coupon codes and the lowest prices. You don’t have to be a member or have an account with Capital One to use the tool. Just add the extension to your browser and set up an account. The deals will start flowing.

Some of the features of the Capital One Shopping tool are:

Price Checking. When you search for a product online or scan a barcode in a store, Capital One Shopping searches for better prices. It displays all the prices it finds from Amazon sellers and other top retailers on a single page. 

Coupon Checking. When you add something to your online cart, Capital One Shopping checks coupons. It checks multiple coupon codes to see which ones have worked for other Capital One Shopping users and automatically applies the one that gives you the bigger discount. 

Price Tracking. If you decide not to make a purchase, Capital One Shopping continues to track its price. If it goes on sale, the app notifies you so you can jump on the deal.

Shopping Rewards. Capital One Shopping also functions as a rewards app. When you shop, you earn rewards credits at its partner stores, including eBay and Walmart. You can cash in your credits for gift cards at these same stores at Capital One Shopping’s website.

The Capital One Shopping extension works on Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari, as well as an Android and IOS mobile app.

Google Shopping – Google is an expert at pulling data from around the web and making it available to you. With Google Shopping it couldn’t be more simple. To use Google Shopping, all you need to do is search for the product you want using the regular search engine. The results appear either on the main results page or under the shopping tab. When you click on an item, not only will you see prices from several retailers, but you’ll get a description of the product and see customer reviews.

Google Shopping will show you the lowest price but if you don’t want to use that retailer, you can expand the list to see a full table with comparisons. If you want to buy refurbished or used items, you can easily choose to see these results.

Since you most likely already use Google to begin your product search, why not make shopping easier by using the price comparison feature?

Walmart Savings Catcher – The Walmart Savings Catcher works differently than some of the other comparison tools.  The Savings Catcher works like a cash back system.

The process starts when you buy something at an eligible Walmart store with Walmart Pay.You then send your eReceipt to Savings Catcher from the Walmart Pay confirmation page or the Savings Catcher dashboard.

The program determines the prices of items you bought against those of local retailers in your area as published in weekly print and digital ads.If the Savings Catcher finds a lower advertised price for the exact item, you get the difference on an eGift Card.

You’re usually notified within a week about whether a lower price was found. You can use the card to make purchases in store or online.

If you are a frequent Walmart shopper, this is one of the price comparison tools for you.

Pricegrabber –  Pricegrabber has tons of items to choose from.You can compare products and services across several categories including books, cell phones, clothing, electronics, and cameras. You have access to thousands of sellers ranging from Walmart, Office Depot, and Best Buy to small local merchants and retailers who don’t have their own website.

By signing up for Pricegrabber’s weekly newsletter, you get notified of discounts, deals, and popular new items. This means you can stay on top of all the best prices even when you aren’t looking for a specific product.

Save thousands by comparing prices on Pricegrabber.

Shopping.com –  It’s one of the first ones to arrive in the shopping stratosphere. Shopping.com is part of the eBay Commerce Network, and one of the best price finders.

The site gives you access to millions of products from thousands of retailers including big brands like Guess, Sony, Ray Ban, and Bosch.

The search tools are easy to use and you benefit from reviews and ratings of both products and merchants. Like other top price comparison sites, shopping.com helps you to save time and money.

There are many more apps and extensions out there. These five, however, are a good starting point to set you on your way to a happy and successful shopping experience.