This Is The Best GasBuddy Alternative To Find Cheap Gas

GasBuddy is one surefire way to find cheap gas, but sticking with just one app means you may be missing out on even better savings. I've tested several of the most popular GasBuddy alternatives firsthand (paying close attention to things like pricing accuracy, cash-back opportunities, usability, and overall value) to find out if there's anything else out there worth using instead of or in addition to GasBuddy.

Upside is, without question, the top GasBuddy competitor. Thanks to its straightforward cash-back model, its strong network of partner gas stations, and its quick and easy redemption process, it didn't take long for me to realize it deserved the top spot. 

Upside works like this: No receipts to upload, no loyalty points to track — just real money sent to your actual bank account. While the gas prices shown weren't always perfectly accurate (some stations displayed lower prices than the app claimed), the cash-back Upside has to offer still can't be beat. Upside also works beyond fuel, offering decent restaurant and grocery deals in some areas. It's all quick, convenient, and ultimately more rewarding than the competition.

In addition to GasBuddy and Upside, Checkout 51 offers an interesting hybrid approach: gas discounts plus cash back on food, prescriptions, and even surveys. I found the app to be well-designed and easy to navigate, but there's no denying the receipt uploading thing is a pain. It's a little convoluted to have to activate a deal, pay with a card, and upload the receipt just to earn your rebate.

Where Checkout 51 starts to lose ground is its payout structure and offer limitations. You have to reach $20 before you can cash out, and that could take time if you're only using it for gas. Some offers are also very specific and limited to certain brands, sizes, or stores, which makes maximizing rewards feel less convenient and more like clipping old-school coupons. That said, for someone who likes to earn across multiple types of spending (and already uploads grocery receipts to other apps), Checkout 51 is still one of the best.

I also tried out several gas station-specific rewards programs, including ExxonMobil Rewards+, Shell Fuel Rewards, and Circle K Inner Circle. Even though the gas stations themselves change from app to app, the programs are all equally easy to join and give you a decent discount of about 3 to 5 cents off per gallon. While these programs lack the flexibility and transparency of Upside or Checkout 51, they can still be nice if you're loyal to one chain over another. Shell Fuel Rewards is probably the most versatile, but even so, I never saw more than 10 cents off per gallon while hopping around the map.

On the flip side, being tied to one brand can also be seen as a negative. If the closest Shell station is out of the way (or simply more expensive to begin with), then those rewards may not actually save you money. Unlike GasBuddy, which shows you where to find the lowest price across all brands, or Upside, which gives you cash back at multiple locations, these branded apps are better used as supplemental savings — not ride-or-dies. In my experience, that designation belongs to Upside.