Save Money on Apps & Games (iPhone/iPad)

How to Save Money on Apps and Games for Your iPhone or iPad

By Whitson Gordon


iPhone apps aren’t very expensive, but that doesn’t mean you can’t save a few bucks. Here’s how to track App Store sales so you can get the apps you want for a discount.

There are a few different tools you can use, but we like AppShopper. It lets you create a wish list of apps and games you want, then sends you email notifications when apps are on sale. If you’re lucky, you may even be able to nab some of those paid apps for free (or, at the very least, for 99 cents).

How to Use AppShopper to Track App Store Deals and Discounts

Using AppShopper is easy. Head to the home page and click the “Sign In” button along the top.



From there, click the “Register” button to create a new account. When you’re done, AppShopper will send you an email address to confirm your email—click the link in that email, and sign in with your new credentials.



Once logged in, you’ll see your username along the top. Click the search icon on the far right, and search for an app. By default, AppShopper searches both the iOS and Mac App Stores, so if you want to limit your search to iOS, click the “Edit” button on the right side and choose “iPhone”, “iPad”, or “iOS Universal” to narrow your search.



When you find the app you want in the search results, you can click the “Wish” button to add it to your wish list. I also recommend clicking on the app itself to get more info.



From the app’s page, you can see its App Store description, recent updates, screenshots, and more. On the right-hand side, you’ll see the most useful info: every price drop for the last few years. This gives you a good idea of how low the price goes when it’s on sale, as well as any patterns (like if the app regularly goes on sale during the holidays). It may also tell you that an app never goes on sale, in which case you can just buy it full price (or forego it if you feel it’s too expensive).



Click the “Wish” button if you haven’t already, or the “Buy” button to view its App Store page. Repeat this process with any other apps you want to buy.

You can click the Wishlist button in the toolbar to see the full list of apps you’re tracking. On the right side of this page, you can choose to share your wishlist publicly or hide it from public view, as well as customize your notification settings.



I recommend getting notified whenever there’s a price drop, so you can jump on it. It won’t make you a millionaire, but you’ll save a couple bucks, and if you buy a lot of premium apps and games, it can definitely add up to a few cups of coffee over time!

Tracking sales is really the best way to save money on those pricier apps and games. You can also grab discounted iTunes gift cards from time to time, which will save you 15 or 20%—though those are only useful if you buy other, more expensive things on iTunes (since you have to buy gift cards in higher denominations). The best savings will come from tracking sales.