Retail Therapy vs LocalShopper
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Retail Therapy
Discover hundreds of exclusive coupons and deals from various businesses across California. Easily search, filter, and locate discounts by store, shopping center, or category. Save your favorites and share them with friends and family.
- Exclusive coupons and deals
- Search and filter by store, center, or category
- Map-based coupon locator
- Browse curated coupon collections
- Save favorite coupons
- Share coupons with others
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Retail Therapy, powered by Irvine Company Retail Properties, gives you instant on-the-go access to hundreds of exclusive coupons and incredible deals from restaurants, retailers, spas, salons, and more throughout California (Irvine, Newport Beach, Tustin, Santa Clara, San Jose, and Sunnyvale). App Features: - FREE way to discover discounts and save money - Search and filter coupons by store name, shopping center, or category - Locate the closest coupons to you using the map - Access premium coupons (i.e. Buy One, Get One FREE...yes, many are THAT good!) - Browse coupons by collections curated around themes (Hot & New, Happy Hour/Cocktails, Desserts, Working Out, etc.) - Easily register through your Facebook or Google account, or with your email address - Save your favorite coupons in one place - Share coupons with your friends and family via text, email, Facebook, or Twitter
LocalShopper
This app helps shoppers find products from local small businesses, farms, and brands. It empowers small businesses by increasing their visibility and allowing them to compete with larger corporations.
- Discover local store products
- Find products from farms
- Search for small brand products
- Create business profiles
- List product inventory
- View business hours and contact info
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Local Shopper, a newly launched app, aims to empower small businesses by facilitating their product marketing to customers, while also assisting shoppers in locating where these products are available, whether online or in physical stores. As Local Shopper expands its reach, it serves as a tool to level the playing field for smaller businesses, offering them a fair opportunity to compete against larger corporations that currently dominate the marketing landscape. In today's digital age, the vast majority of consumers tend to conduct online searches before making purchasing decisions. However, this practice often overlooks numerous smaller businesses that offer the same products as larger corporations. Such oversight can occur for various reasons, ranging from larger companies paying for preferential visibility to search engines simply not recognizing the presence of local establishments. Our aim is to address this issue by providing a platform where all small businesses can level the playing field and gain visibility by registering on our app. Upon registration with Local Shopper, businesses can establish a comprehensive profile showcasing essential details such as operating hours and contact information. Additionally, they are granted the flexibility to list an extensive array of products within their inventory. This enables customers to easily discover the business and explore its offerings through a simple search. When embarking on a product search within Local Shopper, users will encounter three distinct options to tailor their search experience: Store, Farm, or Brand. 1. Opting for a store product search enables users to explore products offered by nearby stores within their specified search radius, encompassing a wide range of businesses, from downtown bookstores to quaint country shops, offering an array of merchandise such as handcrafted furniture or wholesale bakery goods. 2. Conversely, a farm product search presents offerings exclusively sourced from farms or ranches, like blueberry farms or apple orchards, ensuring authenticity and prohibiting the resale of goods. 3. The brand product search caters to small brands seeking greater exposure. Here, only products made under the brand's name are featured, excluding the resale of items. By opting for a brand search, users actively support smaller businesses, as major brands like Nike are not permitted on the platform. In conclusion, Local Shopper stands as a beacon of opportunity for every small business—whether it be a store, farm, or brand—in today's competitive market landscape. By providing a platform where they can showcase their products and services alongside larger corporations, we aim to empower them to thrive and succeed. Through our commitment to leveling the playing field and fostering visibility for all small businesses, we invite entrepreneurs to join us in this journey of empowerment and growth. Together, we can reshape the digital marketplace and create a more inclusive and vibrant economy for all. Join us on Local Shopper, where every small business store, farm, or brand has the chance to shine.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: LocalShopper at free against Retail Therapy's free with in-app purchases. LocalShopper also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.6). Retail Therapy's advantage is ratings volume (2.2K vs 1). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
LocalShopper holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Retail Therapy has 2.2K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Retail Therapy ships an update every 3 weeks, LocalShopper every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Retail Therapy | LocalShopper |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (2.2K ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 48.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2.2K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 38 MB | 55 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Irvine Company | Aidan Nielsen |
Customer experience
Retail Therapy
LocalShopper
Bugs and requests
Retail Therapy
Reported bugs
3 issues- Login codes not working
- App freezing and not loading
- Incompatibility with newer devices
Requested features
2 requests- Improved coupon redemption process
- Better communication on app issues
LocalShopper
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Retail Therapy
No in-app purchases
LocalShopper
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Retail Therapy free?
Is LocalShopper free?
Which has better reviews, Retail Therapy or LocalShopper?
Do Retail Therapy or LocalShopper have ads?
Which is updated more often, Retail Therapy or LocalShopper?
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