15 Free Money Saving Apps for 2023 (Best Money-Saving Apps)

Many of the best money-saving tools today are available as apps on your smartphone or tablet and are often free or come with a very low fee. 

Let us take your grocery shopping, for example. Extreme couponing has lost its lustre! Simply put, most people do not have the luxury of time to clip and organize hundreds of coupons regularly. And they do not need to.

Several great apps can help you save money on groceries. They offer a quick and painless way to earn cash back, and best of all; they are all FREE!

If you have an average household and spend $7,203 per year on food, imagine the relief that some tangible cash back can bring. Even a “measly” 2% cashback on your purchases is equivalent to $144 and enough to clear up some of your smaller monthly bills. 

If you are using the best cash back apps for your grocery shopping, some of them offer as much as 30% in discounts, so your savings per year have the potential to be much higher.

The same goes for other areas of your finances, including savings and investing. If you find it difficult to save money towards a goal or to invest regularly, some apps automate your savings, so you do not even have to think about it.

The best apps to save money can be downloaded from the iOS and Android app stores.

While there may be several apps that can accomplish the goals below, I will be highlighting the very best apps that can save you money starting immediately!

The Best Apps To Save Money on Groceries

These cash back apps will return money to your wallet whenever you shop for groceries. They will only take a few seconds of your time and are FREE to use.

1. KOHO

KOHO is an app that comes with a free reloadable prepaid card and is great for budgeting and saving money. Unlike the typical debit card, when you spend money using your KOHO card, you earn up to 5% cash back!

The KOHO app is versatile and easy to use, allowing you to set financial goals, save on autopilot, budget and pay fewer banking fees. It is available in Canada and is FREE to use.

• Rewards redemption: You can cash out your cash back whenever you want and use it to pay for purchases. There’s no minimum threshold.
• Available: Canada
• Cost: A regular KOHO account is FREE to join (Premium KOHO has a monthly fee)
• Best for: Getting cash back on all purchases

Read this detailed KOHO review.

When you open a KOHO account here, you receive a $20 bonus after your first purchase (use CASHBACK referral code during sign-up)

2. Caddle

Caddle is a grocery cash back app that is similar to Checkout 51, except that it is only available in Canada, and also pays you to answer short surveys and watch ads.

To get started with Caddle, sign up. From the app, select the offers that interest you for the week and buy them in-store. After that, take a photo of your receipt and upload it using your smartphone. Cha-ching!!

• Rewards redemption: You can cash out your cash back rewards when it reaches $20 or more. In addition to shopping cash back offers, Caddle also pays you to answer paid surveys and watch video ads weekly.
• Available: Canada
• Cost: FREE to join
• Best for: Getting cash back on groceries

Sign up for Caddle.

You can read our detailed review of Caddle.

3. Checkout 51

The Checkout 51 app is another great app for grocery shopping.

After downloading the app, you get new discount offers every Thursday morning, and these offers stay live until the following Thursday when new offers become available. 

Pick the offers that interest you and purchase them from any store. After that, take a photo of your receipt with your smartphone and upload it through the app. That’s it, and you are on your way to earning cash back and discounts every time you shop, no coupons required.

The beauty of the Checkout 51 app (and others like it) is that if you have coupons from other sources, you can usually combine them with the offers from the app to get even more rewards.

• Rewards redemption: You can cash out your cash back balance when it reaches $20 or more. 
• Available: Canada and the United States
• Cost: FREE to use
• Best for: Getting cash back on groceries and other household items

You can read my review of Checkout 51.

The Best Apps To Save on Shopping

These are some of the best apps to save money on everyday shopping, including electronics, fashion, entertainment, tools and equipment, books, drug store purchases, and everything else you buy daily.

4. Swagbucks

Swagbucks is the ultimate site for earning cash when you shop online, take paid surveys, watch videos, browsing, and more.

Sign up for Swagbucks, and whenever you want to shop online, visit your favourite online store through Swagbucks. You will earn SB points for every $1 you spend.

• Rewards redemption: You can redeem your accumulated points as cash (PayPal) or gift cards. The minimum payout threshold is $3. Swagbucks has paid members over $770 million in rewards.
• Available in: Canada, the United States, and multiple other countries
• Cost: FREE to join

Bonus: Sign up here to receive a welcome bonus of $5.

5. Rakuten (Ebates)

Rakuten is possibly the most popular cash back rewards site for your general shopping. This is how it works:

Whenever you want to shop online at your favourite stores (be it Amazon, Hudson’s Bay, eBay, Old Navy, Sephora, Home Depot, and over 2,000 other stores), proceed from the Rakuten app or website to your preferred store.

You will earn cash back effortlessly into your Rakuten account. I have seen cash back offers of 30% or more on Rakuten, which can translate into significant savings for you. 

• Rewards redemption: Cash out your earnings when you reach $5 or more.
• Available: Canada, the United States, and several other countries
• Cost: FREE to use
• Best for: Earning cash back on just about everything you buy online

Sign up for Rakuten and get up to a $30 bonus. Remember to make a purchase of at least $30 through Rakuten to claim your bonus.

You can read my review of Rakuten.

6. Drop

The Drop app allows you to earn gift cards automatically on the money you spend at your favourite stores. Drop is FREE and very easy to use.

After signing up, you are required to link your preferred method of payment (credit or debit). Whenever you shop at your favourite stores on the app, you earn rewards points that can be redeemed for various popular gift cards.

One awesome thing I like about Drop is that you earn rewards without thinking about it. No coupons and no uploading of receipts required.

• Rewards redemption: You can start redeeming rewards starting at $25. 
• Available: Canada and the United States
• Cost: FREE
• Best for: Earning cash back on all kinds of shopping

Check out my review of Drop.

7. Ampli

Backed by the Royal Bank of Canada, Ampli is one of the newest cash back apps in town. When you shop at participating retailers using the app, you earn real cash back.

Brands on the app include Home Depot, Rexall, Hudson’s Bay, Boston Pizza, Petro Canada, Mary Brown’s, Adidas, DoorDash, and several others.

• Redemption option: Easily cash out your earnings via Interac e-Transfer.
• Available: Canada
• Cost: Free to join
• Bonus: $5 welcome bonus when you link your bank account.

Read our full review.

8. Paymi

Paymi is a Canadian cash back app backed by CIBC. When you shop online or in-store at any of their participating retailers and use your linked card, you earn real cash back.

For example, you can earn cash back whenever you purchase at Lowe’s, Leons, Burger King, Gap, Sportchek, Lululemon, Aldo, Mark’s, and many other stores.

• Redemption: Cash out your earnings easily using Interac e-Transfer.
• Available: Canada
• Cost: FREE

Read this Paymi review for more information about the app.

9. TopCashback

TopCashback makes it easy to earn cash back rewards from over 4,400 retailers.

When you access your favourite retailer through the TopCashback app or website, they track your purchases and pay cash rewards into your account within 7 days. It’s that simple!

• Rewards redemption: There is no minimum threshold for withdrawing your earnings. You can cash out via PayPal or redeem for a gift card.
• Available: Multiple countries, including the United States and Canada
• Cost: FREE to sign-up

A few other apps that are worth checking out for saving on groceries include:

• SavingStar: Offers opportunities to earn money back at over 70,000 locations, including Walmart, Target, Kroger, and others. The app is only available in the U.S.
• Ibotta (the U.S. only): Cashback offers at thousands of stores and over $438 million paid out to date.

The Best Automatic Savings Apps

How many times have you set a money-saving goal but were unable to meet your goals because you forgot or were not disciplined enough?

The best money-saving apps available will help you save in ways you have never dreamed of – they save or invest your spare change so that you won’t even feel a pinch.

10. Wealthsimple

Wealthsimple is one of the most popular robo-advisors making investing easier for everyday investors.

They simplify the investing process, lower your investment fees (0.50% or less), and aim to maximize your returns by diversifying your portfolio using low-cost ETFs. 

The Wealthsimple app has one of the best ratings on the app store and offers a Roundup feature that helps you automate your savings. 

In addition to investing, you can earn a high-interest rate on your savings through Wealthsimple Save.

Available: Canada

Open a Wealthsimple account ($25 cash bonus).

Read this detailed review of Wealthsimple.

11. Moka

Moka is the Canadian equivalent of Digit or Acorns and is one of the best automatic investing apps available. This is how it works:

Sign up for a Moka account and link to your bank.

When you make purchases with your credit or debit card, Moka will round up your purchases to the nearest dollar and save/invest the change. For example, if you purchase a cup of coffee for $2.25, Moka will round it up to $3 and invest the $0.75 automatically. 

You can set up specific savings and investing goals, and the Moka app will help you reach them. These may include saving for retirement and home down payment plans. You can reach your goals faster by making one-time lump-sum payments or multiplying your roundups.

Your funds are invested in a diversified portfolio using low-cost ETFs, and Moka helps you to save and invest on autopilot.

• Available: Canada
• Cost: $3.99/month

Sign up for a Moka account ($5 welcome bonus).

The Best Apps For Your General Finances

One way to boost your finances is to look for easy ways to save money every day without going out of your way. These apps below do a good job of helping you budget and save money.

12. Mint

Mint is a free budgeting app that tracks your bank accounts – spending, income, bills, and credit score. The app helps you to easily create budgets, set money goals, track your investments and bills, receive timely alerts, and avoid late payment fees.

Mint makes it easy for you to view your finances in one place. 

Available: Canada and the United States

Cost: FREE

For a paid budgeting app that takes your budgeting to the next level, you can try out YNAB.

13. GasBuddy

GasBuddy is your secret key to finding the cheapest gas prices in your area. With real-time fuel price information at your fingertips, the Gas Buddy app can save you a significant amount of money every year. 

In addition, when you Pay with GasBuddy, you save 5 cents per gallon at thousands of participating gas stations nationwide.

Available: Canada and the United States

Cost: FREE to join

14. Trim Financial Manager

Trim works as your very own personal finance assistant, managing all the important aspects of your finances and saving you money. This is how it works:

– Sign up for a free account (US only). 

– Connect your bank accounts, and Trim will automatically analyze your spending to look for money-saving opportunities, including negotiating your utility bills (cable and internet), finding your unused subscriptions and cancelling them, finding cheaper car insurance, etc. 

You can also take the app one step further and set up automated savings using Trim Simple Savings. They secure your account using 256-bit SSL encryption and more.

• Available: United States
• Cost: FREE. There are additional features you can pay for if desired

Other free apps/websites that can improve your finances include:

Credit Score: Canadians can also obtain their FREE credit score and report through Borrowell, while those in the U.S. should check out Credit Karma.

Hopper: Hopper is a great app for saving money on flights. With the app, you know when to book and how far into the future (up to 1 year) you need to wait to get the best deals possible. Savings of up to 40% on flights can easily be had using Hopper. 

Bonus FREE app for saving money:

15. EQ Bank

EQ Bank offers one of the best savings rates you will find in Canada.

This rate is standard and does not disappear after a few months. The EQ Bank app is very versatile, and you can deposit cheques from the comfort of your home.

Open an account or read our EQ Bank review.

Wrapping Up

These are some of the best apps for saving money in Canada. With your newly-found savings, you can pay down debt, save for retirement, splurge on your guilty pleasures, or venture on a much-deserved vacation.

In addition to saving money, I have also written on how to make money and become your own boss. Learn about the 13 legitimate Work from Home Jobs you can try this year.

Related: Best Canadian Cash Back Apps.