7 Popular Shopping Apps

Mobile phones and sleek apps make it too easy to spend money at any given time, but the convenience is nice when you need something. Some of the top shopping apps may already be installed on your phone, while others may be unfamiliar.

This list looks at sev chart-topping free apps in the shopping category on the Apple App Store. Apps featured are available on the Google Play store as well. Read on, especially if you’ve been wondering what Temu is, and how it compares with Amazon.

Temu

Best for: A big selection of cheap products at your fingertips.

Details: It feels like Temu landed at the top of the shopping category on the App Store out of nowhere. Like Amazon, it’s an online marketplace with a wide selection of products from millions of sellers. Browse the app or website for just a minute and you’ll be struck by the volume of products at prices under $10 from brands you’ve probably never heard of. One Temu “lightning deal” at the time of this writing featured a pair of men’s casual cargo pants for just $9.43. How long will $10 pants last? Expect prices to fluctuate frequently, especially once a lightning deal ends.

Temu offers free shipping for most items (although an order minimum may apply), and its website says shipping time can vary.

Nerdy concerns: Cheap stuff may lack quality, which could lead to more spending in the long run. Complaints about delayed packages have been well-documented in the news media and on the Better Business Bureau’s site. That said, Temu is a real shopping platform with big-time popularity.

Shein

Best for: Browsing fashion items cheap enough to keep up with the fast-changing trends.

Details: Shein is a lot like Temu, but with more of a fast-fashion focus. The items are plentiful and prices are cheap. While clothes are front and center, the app has products in many other categories. Offers and coupon codes display prominently on the app and site. One winter coat on a special flash sale was $10.99 at the time of this writing. But will it keep you warm?

Standard shipping, which Shein’s site says is usually around 7 days, is free for orders over $29. Lesser orders will run $3.99.

Nerdy concerns: Quality is a concern with Shein too, given the bent toward trendy styles at super cheap prices. Perhaps more notably, some of the company's labor and business practices have been scrutinized in the past.

Amazon Shopping

Best for: Shopping for almost anything — and quick delivery for Prime members.

Details: If Amazon hasn’t already infiltrated your life, more power to you. In the age of e-commerce, the shopping app is where many consumers start when in need of a new TV, a pack of batteries, cat litter, a cardigan, a phone case, light bulbs, soccer balls or just about anything.

Free same-day and two-day shipping on tons of items is a mainstay of the monster retailer, but Prime perks come with a membership fee.

Nerdy concerns: At $139 annually or $14.99 a month, Amazon Prime isn’t exactly cheap, even if it does buy near-instant shopping gratification. The good news is that eligible college students and people ages 18 to 24 can snag a Prime for Young Adults membership for roughly half the cost ($69 annually or $7.49 a month). Amazon's shopping app is also known to be safe and familiar.

Walmart

Best for: A mobile extension of your local Walmart store.

Details: Fans of the massive discount chain may find Walmart’s app useful. You can use the app like Amazon and search for just about anything to be shipped, or shop for groceries and arrange for local delivery or a store pickup. The app also integrates pharmacy and vision services if you use Walmart for prescriptions or eyeglasses.

Walmart+ members can take advantage of free shipping and other perks.

Nerdy concerns: The perks of Walmart+ come at a cost. A membership, which includes free shipping with no order minimum and free delivery from your local store, is $98 a year or $12.95 monthly. But it’s not required to shop the app.

Shop

Best for: Discovering unique products from brands that use Shopify web tools.

Details: The Shop app from Shopify is designed to help you discover products and stores from a range of brands. It acts as a mobile hub for products from tons of Shopify merchants and features a feed of recommended products. You can use the app to check out various stores, order products, track packages and manage payment installments if using Shop Pay.

Look for the “Shop Promise” badge for products with faster shipping.

Nerdy concerns: Similar to social media, Shop’s feed of products picked for you could encourage unnecessary spending. On the plus side, your repeat buys could be a boon to an up-and-coming e-commerce business. We should note big businesses use Shopify too.

Vinted

Best for: Purchasing second-hand clothes.

Details: Vinted brings together millions of members across the world to buy and sell pre-loved items. The app offers numerous categories, including clothes, books and kids’ items. You can also use it to sell your pre-loved clothes and items if looking for ways to make a few extra bucks. As a buyer, you’ll be responsible for paying the shipping costs and rates can vary depending on the size of the package and location.

Nerdy concerns: While the platform offers some buyer protection, you’ll have to pay a small fee to get a refund if an order is lost, damaged or not as advertised. Like any pre-owned online purchases, you run the risk of scammers who may falsely advertise goods, try to pass off counterfeits as legitimate brands or fail to follow through in shipping.

Depop

Best for: Fashion-forward resale goods for trendsetters.

Details: Depop is an online social shopping app that advertises “desirable fashion for everyone's unique personal style.” If Vinted is quick and transactional in the used clothing space, Depop is fashion-driven with trends and social inspiration.

Nerdy concerns: Expect to shoulder the shipping costs like other pre-owned shopping apps. Buyers pay a marketplace fee, which can be up to 5% of the purchase price, plus a fixed amount up to $1. That said, if an item is lost, damaged or does not represent what was advertised to you, Depop will give you a full refund within 30 days.

Other shopping apps to help you save and earn

Other categories of shopping apps can help you find discounts or earn a little back on what you spend.

Cash-back apps are all the rage today. Some gamify the shopping experience, while others focus solely on earning something back when you spend money. Apps like Fetch Rewards and Ibotta come to mind.

Browser extensions for finding coupons are software add-ons for desktop browsers like Chrome and Safari that run in the background while you shop on store sites.

Don’t forget about gas apps to help you pinch pennies at each fill-up. Upside and GasBuddy are popular among drivers.

» Next steps: Explore the best coupon apps