Gas apps compared: which one do you actually need?
Four apps tell you four numbers: the sign, the cash back, the brand's rewards, your card. PumpWatt adds them up, counts the drive, and says which station costs your car least. Most drivers need one of each.
Side by side
| App | Does well | Cannot tell you | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| PumpWatt | Which station is cheapest for your car, drive and card counted. A price that stops matching the street comes off. | A live map of every station, or a fill-up log. | Free, no sign-up |
| GasBuddy | The most stations, reported by drivers all day, plus a card that takes cents off every gallon. | Which station costs YOU least after the drive and your card. Reported prices can lag by hours. | Free app; card 3¢/gal; Plus $7.99/mo |
| Upside | Real cash back, paid to your bank or a gift card, with the card you already carry. | Whether the offer beats a cheaper sign two blocks over, or the miles to get there. | Free; cash back per offer |
| Gas Guru | Sorted every nearby station by price or distance, from a published price feed rather than driver reports. | Anything about your car or your miles. And as of late 2025 it cannot be installed at all. | Was free; gone from the stores |
| Google Maps and Waze | Prices on the stations along your route, in the app you already have open. | Whether the cheaper stop is worth the miles, and anything about your car. | Free |
| Fuelio | A fill-up log, your true mpg, and running costs over time, all free. | Where to fill up next, or whether a cheaper sign is worth the drive. | Free |
| AAA | The daily average everyone quotes, by state and metro, plus nearby station prices and chargers in its app. | Which of those stations costs YOU least after the drive and your card. An average is not a station. | Free; membership only for roadside |
| Costco, Sam's Club and BJ's | The lowest sign in most towns, every day, without an app or a receipt. | Whether the drive there and the yearly fee leave any of the saving. Members only, card at the pump. | $60 to $130 a year |
| Station rewards programs | Free money at a brand you already use, three to ten cents a gallon most weeks. | Whether the cents beat the cheaper sign across the street. Each one only sees its own pumps. | Free |
| Grocery fuel points | Real cents off gas for shopping you were doing anyway, sometimes a dollar a gallon on a big month. | Whether the partner pump beats a cheaper sign on your way, and it only counts at that pump. | Free with the store card |
| Checkout 51 | Cash back at over 5,000 stations plus grocery offers, no card to link. | Whether the offer beats a cheaper sign nearby, or the miles to get there. And nothing without the receipt photo. | Free; $20 to cash out |
| Fetch, Ibotta, Trunow, Receipt Hog | Points or cash for any receipt; gas is one category. | Where to fill up. They pay after the fact. | Free |
| Apple Maps | Shows a price on some stations on an iPhone. | Whether the stop is worth it; it says nothing about your car. | Free |
| Fuelly | The fill-up log people used before Fuelio, on the web. | Where to fill up next. | Free |
| Gas credit cards | 2 to 5 percent back on every fill, at any brand. | Which pump; the percent is the same everywhere. Fill up takes it as one input. | Varies; some carry an annual fee |
Other apps' terms from their own help pages and store listings, checked September 17, 2026. Each name links to the full comparison.
The short version
See prices: GasBuddy, Google Maps or Waze.
See the average: AAA, or PumpWatt for your area with a year behind it.
Get cash back: Upside, then tell PumpWatt the cents.
Log your fill-ups: Fuelio.
Decide where to fill up: PumpWatt.
Questions people ask
Which gas app finds the cheapest gas?
GasBuddy and Google Maps show the most signs. PumpWatt is the only one of these that ranks the stations by what the fill costs your car, with the drive and your card counted, and it is free with no sign-up.
Do I need more than one gas app?
Usually two: one that shows prices (GasBuddy, Google Maps or Waze) and PumpWatt to decide between them. Upside adds cash back at its partner stations; enter its offer in PumpWatt's Stack your savings, on the home page, and it is counted.
Is PumpWatt free?
Yes. No sign-up and no card. Some links pay us; that never changes which station wins.
Who makes PumpWatt?
Anvimo LLC, an independent publisher. GasBuddy, Upside, Gas Guru, Google Maps, Waze, Fuelio and AAA are trademarks of their owners; PumpWatt is not connected to any of them.