How the app makes money: Waze is fully funded through ads placed within its app, according to a Waze spokesperson, and doesn’t share driver data with advertisers.GasBuddy also offers a trip cost calculator that will estimate the cost of gas for your next road trip, allowing you to more accurately calculate your getaway budget. If the Fuel Insights tool says that the average cost of gas in Orlando is $3.84, for instance, you’ll think twice before stopping at an Orlando gas station charging $4.15 a gallon.

The Fuel Insights feature offers helpful visualizations, including a regularly-updated average price in your state, county or metro area. One of GasBuddy’s most unique features isn’t in the app, but is available online. It offers a free rewards card for users that gives you discounts as much as 25 cents per gallon and links directly to your checking account to pay for gas. The app allows users to search for gas prices by their current location, ZIP code or city.

GasBuddy is one of the most well-known apps to maximize your gas savings.

How the app makes money: GasBuddy shares your location information with “trusted partners to provide tailored advertisements, analyze attribution, do analytics, conduct research and to recognize your device across the internet.” It also has a history of sharing location data with advertisers-so be sure to opt out of sharing your location in your privacy settings.

While deciding which gas app to use, characteristics such as cost, membership benefits and how the app makes money can help you make an informed decision about which is best for you. Gas apps are the easiest way to find cheap gas-and they require little commitment compared to loyalty programs that limit you to a single fuel brand. Many of them compile gas price data in real time for users, allowing you to shop around for gas straight from your phone. There are now dozens of apps that do the legwork for you. Searching for the cheapest gas near you no longer requires wasting gas driving around to find the best price. And with inflation continuing to take a bite out of budgets elsewhere, finding cheap gas is a priority for many consumers.

Gas prices may no longer be at their peak, but they remain higher than levels seen last year.

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