Scanning the weekly flyers and clipping coupons at the kitchen table will soon be a thing of the past as Canadians turn to their smart-phones to save money and find the best deals on groceries. At the forefront are two slick mobile apps – Flipp and Checkout 51 – which are designed to take the pain out of grocery shopping and save consumers time and money in the process.

Flipp and Checkout 51 help save you money on groceries and other household items by finding the best deals and organizing them into an easy to use mobile app. The upshot is that you don’t have to bother sorting and clipping coupons from home, or waste time driving from store-to-store looking for a price match or better deal.

Here’s how these two grocery apps compare:

Flipp vs. Checkout 51

Origin	Formerly called Wishabi. Founded in 2007 in the GTA by a group of Waterloo graduates.	Founded in August 2012 in Toronto. The app went live to Canadian users in December 2012.
Number of users	It currently has more than six million downloads in Canada.	The app has 1.5 million users in Canada.
Available	For iOS, Android, plus a desktop version (www.flipp.com)	For iOS and Android, plus a desktop version (www.checkout51.com)
How it works	This digital flyer app aggregates 800+ flyers from both national and local retailers to help find the best local deals. Save money on groceries, household goods, and electronics right at the check out.	Browse your offers and buy products at any store. Upload your receipt using the Checkout 51 mobile app. They’ll confirm your purchase and credit your account. When your account balance reaches $20, you can cash out and they’ll mail you a cheque.
Unique features	The only shopping app to offer coupon match-ups, which combine flyer deals with brand coupons for even more savings. Clip flyer items with a single tap and create an in-app shopping list to help plan your weekly shop and stay organized. Once you enter an item into your shopping list, Flipp automatically pulls all the local deals for the item. Want to shop by discount? Use the discount slider to identify the best savings at a glance.	Buy from any store, snap a photo of the receipt, and get cash back without having to use a single coupon. New offers are released every Thursday and are valid until Wednesday of the following week. Save money with Checkout 51 offers at any retailer and every major consumer packaged goods brands. The more active member save hundreds, even thousands, of dollars every year. To date, the app has saved shoppers more than $25 million.

The Verdict:

Saving money on groceries used to involve sorting through flyers, clipping coupons, and driving around from store-to-store looking to price-match. But with grocery apps like Flipp and Checkout 51, shoppers can do all of those things from the palm of their hand. If you want to access your favourite Windows applications on a mobile device, checkout the services from CloudDesktopOnline.com and CloudAppsPortal.com.

The case for Flipp:

Shoppers who are willing to go that extra mile to find the best deal will find Flipp to be the most useful. This app harnesses technology and takes flyer and coupon scanning to the extreme.

Enter your postal code and you’ll find flyers from just about every local retailer, plus coupons for top brands in groceries, baby supplies, health & beauty, and more.

The most unique feature is the shopping list. Enter an item such as cheddar cheese, or chicken breasts, and Flipp quickly scans the local flyers and puts the best deals in front of you to review.

The case for Checkout 51:

If you’re the sort of person who gets excited about a coupon but then forgets to take it with you to the grocery store, you’ll love Checkout 51. No coupons!

Simply scan your weekly offers on your smart phone, highlight the ones you think you’ll use, head to any grocery store, then snap a photo of your receipt to show you purchased those selected items and upload it through the app.

Save 50 cents on bananas, $1 on your favourite cereal, $1.50 on shampoo. Once your savings adds up to $20, Checkout 51 will mail you a cheque. The company says its more active members save hundreds of dollars every year, and to date the app has saved shoppers more than $25 million.

Have you tried a money saving grocery app like Flipp or Checkout 51? Share your experience in the comments below.