If it seems like you’re spending more at the grocery store and walking away with less, it’s time to find a good grocery app. These can help you save money on groceries in a variety of ways, including earning cash back, accessing weekly flyers, and assisting with meal planning.
Grocery pickup or delivery can also prevent you from going over budget, since you won’t be tempted by impulse buys, which helps you stick to your budget.
This article covers lists and reviews some of the best grocery apps, plus offers insight into the future of grocery prices for Canadians.
Key Takeaways
- BigOven and Mealime are excellent grocery apps for meal planning.
- The Flipp app makes it very convenient to view various weekly flyers.
- Checkout51 offers cash back on gas and grocery purchases.
- The Flashfood app saves you money and saves food waste.
- Instacart and PC Express both offer valuable, convenient home delivery for your groceries.
1. BigOven
The BigOven app is best described as a grocery-shopping multitool, offering a place to save recipes (and look for new ones), create and share grocery lists, create meal plans, and more. It even has a “Use Up Leftovers” feature to help minimize food waste.
Best for: Meal planning
Why we like it: Having a digital cookbook for your favourite recipes is a convenient and space-saving alternative to a shelf full of books.
Cost:
- Basic: Free
- Pro Monthly: $2.99/month
- Pro Annual: $24.99/year
Features:
- Add your own online recipe and/or add hard copy recipes
- Follow friends and food bloggers for inspiration
- Meal Planner tool lets you add notes about specific recipes
- “Use Up Leftovers” feature suggests recipes to use up your leftover food
- Create and share grocery lists with other members
- Grocery lists are available offline, too
2. Mealime
While Mealime has tools and features for making grocery shopping lists and can even link to grocery-delivery services, its primary focus is on meal planning. Users create a profile to save their food preferences, and the app then uses this info to suggest recipes.
Best for: Meal planning
Why we like it: Mealime makes the potentially arduous task of meal planning much easier with its curated recipe suggestions. Plus, the interface is engaging and user-friendly.
Cost:
- Basic: Free
- Meal Planner Pro: $2.99/month USD
Features:
- Variety of diet-specific meal choices: Low carb, keto, flexitarian, paleo, vegan, and more
- Pro subscription option provides even more dietitian-created recipes
- Add your own favourite online recipes
- Auto-generated shopping lists (based on your recipe choices)
- Filter meals by calorie count
- Connect to stores and/or delivery services to order online
3. Flipp app
Flipp lets you virtually browse hundreds of flyers from your favourite stores, significantly reducing paper waste from physical flyers. It also allows users to create shopping lists and sync with loyalty programs to earn additional savings.
Best for: Flyers
Why we like it: This app makes it easy to select items from multiple flyers and add them to your shopping list. It's more than just grocery items – you can also add gardening items, pet supplies, tech gadgets, and whatever else your household needs.
Cost:
- Free
Features:
- Flyers for a wide variety of retailers: grocery, home and garden, pharmacy, sporting equipment, etc.
- Search feature for checking prices on individual items
- Syncs with various loyalty and rewards programs
- Watchlist feature to keep track of when desired items go on sale
- Grocery lists can be shared and combined with friends and family
4. Checkout51
Checkout51 was the first cash back app and is still one of the most popular choices. All you need to do is purchase your groceries, snap a photo of the receipt with your phone, and start collecting money in your account.
Best for: Cash back
Why we like it: Cash back sites are fantastic ways to earn extra money while shopping for items you were going to purchase anyway – and the Checkout51 app makes it easy to earn. We especially love that gas purchases are now eligible for cash back, too.
Cost:
- Free
Features:
- Cash back for gas, groceries, and various household items
- Applicable for in-store and online shopping
- Bonus offers available, such as extra cash back for purchasing a certain number of branded products
- Occasional contests and sweepstakes promotions
- New promotions released each week
- Cash out at just $20 via PayPal or cheque
5. Flashfood
Canadians who want to reduce food waste while saving money will love the Flashfood app. It lets you buy food items nearing their "best before" dates at discounted prices, offering great savings for your wallet.
Best for: Discounted food
Why we like it: Flashfood saves money and helps the planet by cutting down on food waste.
Cost:
- Free
Features:
- Features quality produce and products near their expiration dates
- Pay up to 50% less than sticker price
- Identifies stores in your area that link with the app
- Stores feature a designated fridge to hold your items until pickup
- Significantly helps reduce food waste
- Saves your receipts in the app for easy referral
- Share a referral code to give $5 off and save $5 yourself
6. Instacart Canada
The best app for grocery delivery in Canada is Instacart Canada. The app is easy to use and links to thousands of stores across the country, and you can choose to have your order delivered within an hour or up to 14 days in advance.
Best for: Grocery delivery
Why we like it: It provides convenient grocery delivery from a wide selection of stores, often with the option to receive orders within an hour. It also partners with major retailers, allowing users to shop from multiple stores in one place, saving both time and effort.
Cost:
- $3.99 and up
Features:
- Partnerships with 80,000 individual stores Canada-wide
- Order from Costco even without a membership
- Low $10 minimum order requirement
- Wide, flexible delivery windows
- Instacart+ premium membership offers cash back, unlimited free delivery, and more
- Link your store loyalty and rewards programs
$35 GeniusCash + Delicious meal choices with fresh ingredients + Front-door delivery.7. PC Express
For busy people who prefer ordering groceries online, PC Express offers a convenient platform to order from Loblaws stores. With options for both curbside pickup and home delivery, the service offers competitive pricing.
Best for: Grocery delivery
Why we like it: Earning PC Optimum points provides excellent value on its own, and this app gives you extra opportunities to earn. Plus, the convenience of grocery delivery is undeniable.
Cost: Free
- $1 - $5 per pickup order
- $5.99 - $13.99 per delivery order
Features:
- Create shopping lists and request delivery/pickup
- Earn valuable PC Optimum points
- Weekly curated offers based on previous purchases
- View Loblaws store flyers, browse by category, or search for individual items
- View your commonly purchased items for easy re-ordering
- PC Express Pass is available, offering more features and discounts
Rising grocery prices in Canada: Update
Using the grocery apps mentioned above can be a wise choice to help you save some money as food costs rise. Although inflation is expected to rise more slowly, economists expect that food prices will increase by 4% to 6% in 2026.
Meat prices are driving much of this increase, costing Canadians an extra 7% in 2026, but other categories, like canned goods, will cost more too.
Factors like climate change, ranchers leaving the market, U.S. tariffs, supply chain issues, and politics all play essential roles in how grocery prices fluctuate in Canada.
FAQ
What is the best app to use for groceries?
The best app depends on what you’re using it for. There are great apps for getting cash back on your purchases, accessing flyers and finding deals, purchasing discounted food, and even some for getting your grocery order delivered (or scheduling pickup).
Who has the cheapest groceries in Canada?
No Frills is the cheapest grocery store in Canada, with an average per-item price of $8.10. This is followed closely by Walmart, with an average cost of $8.50 per item. For some, Costco can also be quite inexpensive if you shop carefully, but a Costco membership isn't right for every household.
What's the best way to save money on groceries?
There's no single best way to save on groceries. However, you can start by taking stock of what you already have in the fridge and pantry, then create a meal plan to use those ingredients. Only shop for products you need, and try to make meals that provide multiple meals or leftovers.
What is a realistic budget for groceries?
According to the latest Canada Food Price Report, a family of four will spend $16,833.67 this year on food. This works out to $350 per person per month, which means your weekly grocery budget is around $81 per person.
Are there any grocery cash back apps in Canada?
Yes, there are several grocery cash back apps available, but the best is Checkout 51. With this app, users grocery shop as usual, then upload a photo of their receipt in the app in order to earn cash back on featured products.
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