Everyone loves a good deal when buying something, and most of us check various websites to find the best deals when buying products online, so why should an app be any different? If you’re looking for free apps so you can get them without using a debit card, or looking for deals and discounts because you’re not sure if an app is worth buying, there are a few different ways you can get the best deal.
Looking for deals on apps seems stingy considering most apps are priced at Rs. 60 or Rs. 120 – less than a cup of coffee in many places. But as some members of our team can attest, small expenditures add up and you can end up spending thousands of rupees in a year. At that point, you’ll really want to look for deals before you buy.
(See also: Never Pay MRP: 3 Browser Extensions to Help You Save Money)
We’ll bring you the best deals every week, but if you want to find the deals yourself, here’s what you need to know:
iOS system
app shopper
There are plenty of websites that show the best deals for iOS and Mac users, but AppShopper is our favorite, ahead of just 148apps. Between the two, we prefer AppShopper because its search is easier to customize and lets you find apps based on categories.
To see the discount, all you have to do is click on the “Reduced Price” button in the upper right corner. You can choose between iOS and Mac, or iPad only, iPhone only, and universal apps. You can also search for discounted and free apps with a simple toggle on the top bar.
If you want to keep an eye out for price drops on your favorite apps, then you can also sign up for AppShopper and add apps to your wishlist.
TouchArcade
Unlike AppShopper, which is primarily for finding deals, TouchArcade is a gaming-focused site where you can get reviews and in-depth forum discussions about iOS games. This is also a good way to determine what content you should download. The site also has a very useful app that allows you to track your game’s sales. You can set this up by following these steps:
1. Download TouchArcade and open the application. Click the gear icon in the upper left corner > Watch list updates > Turn on > Click Done at the top.
2. Click the search button in the upper right corner to search for your favorite game. Click on the game in the results. This will take you to the Touch Arcade game page. Here, flip the binocular switch below the price. Now you will see binoculars on a blue background. This means the game has been added to your watch list. You’ll be notified whenever a game you’ve added has a price drop, a review, or an update. TouchArcade notifications won’t appear if you don’t open the app for a few days, so just open it every few days to keep it active.
(See also: How to save money on Google Play Store apps)
App price reduction
If you just want a simple list of discounted apps, TouchArcade and AppShopper aren’t useful enough. You need to get the Appsgonefree or AppPriceDrop app.
AppsGoneFree is updated once a day and provides a short list of discounted apps, kind of like the Yahoo News Digest discounts. AppPriceDrop, on the other hand, displays a list of all apps that have received discounts, which can be sorted by category. It’s based on the US App Store, so while it should still be useful, it may sometimes show a discount that isn’t even available here.
(See also: How to save big on Windows Phone, BB10, Windows and Mac apps)
IFTT
IFTTT, short for If This then That, is a great service that lets you automate multiple tasks. You can have it perform several actions for you, such as sending you an alert when a currency exchange rate exceeds a threshold. It has a channel called AppZapp that lets you track app deals for top-rated apps. The setting method is as follows.
1. Go to IFTTT > Create Recipe.
2. You’ll see in huge font: “If this, then that”. Click “This” > Select AppZapp > Scroll to the bottom > Select one of the six triggers.
3. A trigger is an event that tells IFTTT to send you an alert. In the case of AppZapp, the triggers you can choose are when the top-rated apps go on sale, become free, or get updates. These three triggers are available in Apple’s App Store and Google Play Store. Select the trigger you want to get relevant alerts for, such as when a top app becomes free.
4. Now select your country, device, and app category for which you want to be alerted. Now click Create Recipe.
5. The next step will display the same text you saw in step 2. Instead of “this” you will see the AppZapp icon. Now click “that”. Here you can select the type of alert you want. We recommend that you choose one of Email Digest, Android Notifications, and iOS Notifications. This will send you a daily email or a quick notification on your smartphone. You need to have the IFTTT app installed on your phone for this to work.
We’ve found this to be the best way to keep an eye on apps that are on sale or are free due to notifications. You can click on these notifications, click on the alert in the IFTTT app, and you’ll be redirected to the App Store. This method also works on Google Play. We’ve also written about more resources you can browse when looking for deals on Android apps. Our “How To” section has many more helpful articles, so be sure to check that out too.
