5 Top Price-Compare Apps - SmartMoney.com

With fast-ending sales, stackable coupons and online-only discounts, in-store shoppers often have good reason to question whether the price they see is really the best deal out there. More are turning to a growing roster of price-comparison apps for an answer -- and getting mixed results.

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Nearly 40% of smartphone owners use their phones for in-store price comparisons, making it the top mobile shopping-related activity, according to Nielsen. And even those with regular cell phones run price checks: During the 2011 holiday shopping season, 19% of consumers used their phone to compare products or prices in store, up from 15% in 2010 and 3% in 2009, according to customer service research firm ForeSee. "It's such a great development for consumers," says Deborah Mitchell, executive director for the Center of Brand and Product Management at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Experts warn, however, that the apps may not always be so effective and some stores are determined to thwart them. "Retailers obviously don't like them," says Brad Spirrison, the managing editor for review site Appolicious. To keep customers from making an easy comparison, some now use store-specific barcodes that the apps can't scan, or negotiate with manufacturers for exclusive model numbers -- which means a fast search won't turn up any results.
Apps are also only as good as their underlying price-search engine, says Edgar Dworsky, the founder of ConsumerWorld.org. Some stores or sites may be excluded from results, and partner retailers may be given preference in the listings. The software may update pri! ces only sporadically or fail to include shipping, which can distort results, he says. And local search results are often limited to big-box retailers, with no mom-n-pop listings. "Maybe I'm being a little old-fashioned, but I tend to do my homework on a computer at home before I go to the store," he says. "That makes it easier to check a few sites for comparison."
Still, having a reliable price-comparison app or two on your phone can be a smart spot-check. Some stores may even be willing to match deals the apps find. Here are five the experts say are worth the download:

RedLaser

• iPhone, Android, Windows

One of the big names in mobile price checks, RedLaser lets shoppers scan barcodes or conduct manual searches by typing in a product's name, Spirrison says. Experts say it tends to read product barcodes more easily and accurately than other apps, which may cut down search time. Searches for a $200 Microsoft Xbox 360 4GB turned up an extensive 99 online results, including eBay auctions (eBay acquired the startup in 2010), and listed a few independent shops in local results, too. Cheapest prices: $144 on eBay, $190 at a nearby Dell store. Local results are sorted by proximity rather than price, however, so be prepared to scroll through to find the cheapest deals. A spokeswoman says the cheapest local price is noted at the top of overall search results, but it's worth looking through them all -- Toys R Us allows users to link through the app to reserve items for in-store pickup, and Best Buy will too at some point this spring.

Decide.com

• iPhone, Android

Not only will this free app find gadget prices online and nearby, it also notes whether there's a new model due out soon or other factors that could impact pricing. "It'll tell you whether you should buy the item now or wait," Dworsky says. A new 2012 model 42" Panasonic Viera, for example, gets a "buy" rati! ng, sinc e the site expects prices to hold steady. It found sets for $600 at a nearby Best Buy, and online as cheap as $470 at PCConnection.com. App users can scan barcodes or type in a product name to find items, and sign up for price-drop alerts if they decide to wait. But check the confidence rating on predictions about price changes -- Decide.com claims 77% turned out to be accurate on average. "It's a bit like the weather," says spokesman Michael Paulson. "But an 80% chance is still good buying information."

Google Shopper

• iPhone, Android

"One scan and it will show you all the places an item is available online, and near you," says Michelle Madhok, the founder of SheFinds.com. Shoppers can also hunt for a product by snapping a picture some items, or saying its name. A hunt for the game "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" on PlayStation 3, regularly $60, turned up a new copy for as little as $36 online -- and a note that the seller didn't have any reliability rating. Local results were plentiful, too, although none were below sticker price. Google Shopper also integrates with other Google products, letting users get Google Maps directions to that local store or check the latest daily deals via Google Offers, she says. Local listings note availability, although Madhok says it's still a good idea to call and confirm. (Clicking on a store listing includes the option to call.) A Google spokeswoman says the feeds are updated on a regular basis.

Price Check by Amazon

• iPhone, Android

"As a consumer it pays to keep track of what Amazon is doing," says Mitchell. If there's a cheaper price online, they're often the site that has it, she says, so it's worthwhile to try the free price-check app, which lets users search by scanning a barcode, snapping a picture or saying or typing in the product name. (Users on other platforms, including BlackBerry and Windows, can try the ! Amazon M obile app, which offers the same price-checking capabilities, but requires an extra click or two to access them among other features in the app.) A $450 Dyson AM02 tower fan at Sears came up as cheap as $339 on the site. The catch with both Amazon apps, of course, is that they only check prices on Amazon. The company did not respond to requests for comment.

Consumer Reports Mobile Shopper

• iPhone, Android

At $5 for one-year access, Consumer Reports' offering is among the priciest price-compare apps. But users also get the group's expert ratings, reviews and buying advice, which cost $30 a year to see online, says Dworsky. Shoppers can scan a barcode, type in a product or look for top picks by category. Searches for a "best buy"-rated $60 Expert Finish steam iron, for example, turned up online prices as cheap as $49 at TechLoops.com, and also pointed to a local Best Buy that had it in stock. App users can also access brand reliability ratings for single-brand retailers like Gap or Cole Haan. Users can't access auto ratings, however, and complaints about the app on iTunes say some ratings aren't up-to-date. Spokesman Kevin McKean says the ratings are CR's latest, but because the nonprofit buys and tests everything itself, some categories may not have ratings for every item, or have them immediately.

1.3 Million Reasons to Like Sirius XM

Sirius XM Radio (Nasdaq: SIRI  ) initiated its subscriber guidance last week. The satellite radio giant expects to close out 2012 with 1.3 million more subscribers than it has now.
Some investors aren't impressed. Didn't Sirius XM tack on 1.7 million net accounts last year and 1.4 million more subs the year before that? Auto analysts see 2012 as the strongest year for new car sales in years. If new car smell is the lifeblood for satellite radio growth, why is CEO Mel Karmazin being so conservative?
Well, let's go over why closing out this year with 23.2 million subscribers won't be so shabby after all.
There's no such thing as an immaterial price increase
Sirius XM initiated a price increase last month. The company estimates that it will take 18 months for the hike to work its way through its existing members, but new accounts are getting hit with the 12% increase right away.
How can that not influence the conversion decision?
Let's set aside Netflix's (Nasdaq: NFLX  ) poorly received summertime plan to split its DVD plans from its streaming service. The move -- which essentially boosted prices by as much as 60% -- led to a flood of defections during the third quarter, and DVD plan subscribers continue to move on.
Let's look at the more modest increases at Costco (Nasdaq: COST  ) and Coinstar's (Nasdaq: CSTR  ) Redbox.
Warehouse club giant Costco bumped its annual memberships 10% higher in October. Redbox increased the price of its DVD rentals by 20% to $1.20 a night a few weeks later.
Redbox parent Coinstar still pulled through with blowout quarterly results during the holiday quarter. Analysts see modest growth out of Costco when it reports later this month. However, the strong numbers don't mean that the hig! her pric es didn't scare away at least some customers. Price matters. How can it not?
Applause for 1.3 million
There is a finite number of potential Sirius XM subscribers, and it's not simply the number of cars on the road. There is certainly potential for Sirius XM on boats, planes, and even at home, but let's look at the auto market where radio is largely consumed.
Peer-to-peer auto-sharing leader RelayRides claims that the average driver spends an average of just an hour a day on the road. Paying $14.49 a month -- or nearly $16 a month after tacking on the unpopular $1.42 monthly U.S. music royalty fee -- isn't going to be the same value proposition for a driver that's just using the car to shuttle the kids to school or make a short commute to work as it is for trucker or a courier. The higher the price, the smaller the potential market.
Sirius XM made it clear during last week's call. Karmazin claims that churn will increase from 1.9% last year to 2.1% this year based on the increase alone.
Let's work the math here. Churn is essentially the monthly rate of users canceling the service. At 2.1%, we're talking about roughly 460,000 cancellations a month for Sirius and XM services. The difference between 2.1% and 1.9% is close to 44,000 members. This isn't a big number, but over the course of the year we're talking about more than 500,000 subscribers canceling because of the price increase.
If it wasn't for the increase, one can argue that Sirius XM would be targeting 1.8 million net new subscribers this year.
Off the assembly line
More cars do mean more factory-installed receivers. That's great. Unfortunately, conversion rates -- the number of drivers who turn into paying subscribers once their free trial offers end -- have been inching lower over the past year. Just 44% of drivers are sticking with satellite radio, compared to 45% during the fourth quarter of 2010 and 46.4% during the fourth quarter of 2009.
Is it the pop! ularity of free streaming alternatives for smartphone owners? Pandora (NYSE: P  ) struck several new deals last month, bringing its tally to 23 automotive partners for seamless digital listening. Is it the maturing market? It can be rightfully argued that many of today's new cars are simply being bought by owners replacing their existing service.
Regardless of the reason, conversion rates at this year's higher price points are likely to continue to inch lower.
This isn't the end of the world for Sirius XM. This is a scalable model, and we're talking about simple math. Fewer additions paying more is still good business. There's a reason why Sirius XM expects revenue to climb 10% this year, while targeting adjusted EBITDA to rise by nearly 20%.
We also can't forget that Karmazin has been historically conservative in his outlooks. A year ago at this time, Sirius XM was only expecting to add 1.4 million more subscribers to its rolls in 2011. Reality delivered 1.7 million new members.
So cheer up, investors. The subscriber guidance isn't that bad based on the headwinds -- and it's probably too low based on Sirius XM's history of where it sets the bar.
Running of the bulls
I remain bullish on Sirius XM's future. It should come as no surprise that I'm promoting the CAPScall initiative for accountability by reiterating my bullish call on Sirius XM for Motley Fool CAPS.
XM Satellite Radio was a Rule Breakers recommendation before the Sirius XM merger. It's now gone from the scorecard, but if you want to discover the newsletter service's next Rule-Breaking multibagger, a free report reveals all.