If you live in the US, neither idealo nor Geizhals is a good way to watch prices. Both are European price comparison sites. idealo runs in Germany, Austria, the UK, France, Italy and Spain (Wikipedia: idealo). Geizhals covers Austria, Germany, Poland and the UK, plus an EU-wide domain (Wikipedia: Geizhals). Their price alerts follow European shops, not Walmart, Target or Amazon.com.

The good news is that you can do the same job in the US for free. For most households, the easiest setup is Google's price tracking for most stores plus Keepa or camelcamelcamel for Amazon. The main catch is that no single US tool watches every store, so you'll probably use two.

How a price alert works (the idealo and Geizhals idea)

A price alert, called a "Preisalarm" or "Preiswecker" in German, is simple:

  1. You pick a product.
  2. You set a target price, or a percentage drop.
  3. The service checks the price regularly and sends you an email or push notification when it hits your target.

idealo and Geizhals do this across many shops at once because they are price comparison sites. In the US, that job is split across a few tools:

  • Cross-store trackers (Google Shopping, Chrome) watch products from many retailers.
  • Amazon-only trackers (Keepa, camelcamelcamel) watch Amazon closely and show long price histories.
  • Extension watchlists (PayPal Honey's Droplist) save items while you browse.
  • Community deal alerts (Slickdeals) send you deals that other shoppers post, matched to your keywords.

Why price history matters in the US

US retailers often show "was" prices next to sale prices. Under the FTC's pricing guides, a former price comparison is only fair when the earlier price was "the actual, bona fide price" at which the item was offered regularly for a reasonable period. The guides call an inflated "Were $10, Now $7.50" example "obviously a false claim" (16 CFR § 233.1, via Cornell LII).

The US has no EU-style rule that makes stores show their lowest price from the past 30 days. So a tool with its own price history is your best check on whether a "sale" is really a sale.

How we compared (method)

  • Research date: 2026-10-07
  • Market: United States (US stores, US accounts)
  • Criteria: US availability, consumer cost, stores covered, alert options, platforms, price history, and privacy or trust notes
  • Sources: Official help pages, developer blogs, official app-store and add-on listings, and the FTC's pricing guides
  • Not included: idealo and Geizhals, as US tools, since they don't cover US stores. Seller-focused paid data products like the Keepa API were also left out.
  • What this is: A researched comparison from documented features. It is not a hands-on test, and none of the tools were used for this article.

Price and feature matrix (as of 2026-10-07)

Tool US availability Consumer cost Stores covered Alert trigger Platforms Price history
Google Shopping price tracking Yes (US, CA, AU, JP, IN) Free Many retailers with Google product cards Optional target price Google app, web Not publicly documented
Chrome price tracking Yes (AU, CA, IN, JP, US) Free Supported store pages Price drop Chrome on phone, tablet, computer "Price is low" insights
Keepa Yes (Amazon.com plus 10+ locales) Free core features; paid tier price not publicly documented by Keepa Amazon only Target price, back in stock Extension, iOS app, Firefox for Android Yes, detailed
camelcamelcamel / Camelizer Yes (Amazon US, CA, most of Europe, AU) Free Amazon only Target price Website, desktop extension Yes
PayPal Honey Droplist Yes Free Not publicly documented Percentage drop, tracking period Extension, iOS, Android Separate Amazon feature
Slickdeals Deal Alerts Yes Free Whatever the community posts Keyword and deal rating Website, iOS, Android No

Total cost over 12 months for the consumer features above is $0 for every option. None of them charge a setup fee for basic alerts. Keepa sells an optional paid tier, but its documented free features already include charts and alerts.

Google Shopping and Chrome price tracking

What's documented: On Google, you search for a product, open its product card, tap Track price, and can set a target price if you want one. When the price drops below your target, you get a push notification through the Google app and an email. The feature is available in the US, Canada, Australia, Japan and India, and you need to be signed in to a Google Account with notifications on (Google Shopping Help).

Chrome has its own tracker. To use it you must be in Australia, Canada, India, Japan or the US, be signed in to Chrome, sync your tabs and history, and turn on "Make searches and browsing better." You can turn mobile and email alerts on or off, and discount badges are US-only (Chrome Help).

Pros

  • Free, with nothing extra to install if you already use Google or Chrome
  • Covers many stores, so it's the closest thing to idealo-style cross-store tracking
  • Target prices on Google Shopping

Cons

  • Only works on products that have a product card
  • Chrome requires syncing your browsing history, which some privacy-minded users won't want
  • Google says not every feature is available on every device

Good for: Big-ticket items sold by several retailers, like TVs, vacuums and strollers. Not ideal for: People who don't want to sync their history with Google, or very niche items without product cards.

Keepa

What's documented: Keepa's Firefox add-on shows price history charts on Amazon product pages, compares prices across Amazon locales, and alerts you when a product drops below your target or comes back in stock. Alerts can arrive by email, Telegram, RSS, mobile push and other channels, and you don't need an account to start. It supports Amazon.com and more than ten other Amazon sites (Firefox Add-ons: Keepa). The iOS app adds a barcode scanner for comparing in-store items with Amazon prices. It's listed as free, and the developer reports collecting only diagnostics (App Store: Keepa).

Pros

  • The most detailed Amazon price history among these tools, including New, Used and Warehouse prices
  • Many alert channels, plus back-in-stock alerts
  • Mobile app with barcode scanner

Cons

  • Amazon only
  • Lots of seller-focused data can overwhelm casual shoppers
  • Keepa offers a paid tier, but the official listings we checked don't publish its price, and third-party price claims disagree. That's why the matrix shows it as not publicly documented.

Good for: Frequent Amazon shoppers who want to know whether a "deal" is really a low point. Not ideal for: Anyone who mostly shops outside Amazon.

camelcamelcamel (The Camelizer)

What's documented: The Camelizer extension shows Amazon price history and lets you set a target price, with drop alerts by email or RSS. The developer calls camelcamelcamel "our free service." The extension says it contains no affiliate tags, ads or analytics, while the main website uses them to pay the bills. It covers Amazon US, Canada, most of Europe and Australia (Firefox Add-ons: The Camelizer).

Pros

  • Free, with a simple interface
  • Clear Amazon price charts
  • The extension has no tracking analytics, according to the developer

Cons

  • Amazon only
  • The Firefox listing was last updated in February 2023, so some listed features may be out of date
  • No official mobile app is documented in the sources we checked

Good for: Shoppers who want simple Amazon email alerts without a lot of charts. Not ideal for: Mobile-first shoppers who want push alerts.

PayPal Honey Droplist

What's documented: On desktop, you click the Honey icon on a product page, choose Add to Droplist, and pick how long to track the item (for example 30, 60 or 90 days). Honey then sends an email or browser notification if the price drops. In the mobile app, you set a percentage drop under "Notify me when price hits." Honey is free, with extensions for Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera and Safari, and apps for iOS and Android (PayPal).

Trust note: In March 2025, Google tightened its Chrome Web Store rules on affiliate links. Extensions may no longer add or replace affiliate links unless the user takes an action and gets a real benefit, with enforcement from June 10, 2025 (Chrome for Developers). The post doesn't name Honey, but it came after public criticism of coupon extensions' affiliate practices.

Pros

  • Works while you browse many stores
  • Tracking periods and percentage targets
  • Free on desktop and mobile

Cons

  • PayPal's guide doesn't list which stores Droplist supports
  • Affiliate-based business model, which recently drew scrutiny
  • Percentage targets are less exact than a fixed dollar target

Good for: People who already use Honey and want a light watchlist. Not ideal for: Shoppers who want exact target prices or minimal data sharing.

Slickdeals Deal Alerts

What's documented: You can set alerts for products, stores, brands or categories. Slickdeals then notifies you by email, push, private message or site notification when the community posts a matching deal. You can set the frequency (instant or daily) and a rating threshold, which defaults to +2 net votes (Slickdeals).

Pros

  • Catches coupon stacks, clearance and price mistakes that trackers may miss
  • Works for categories ("air fryer"), not just one exact product
  • Free

Cons

  • Depends on someone posting the deal
  • Broad keywords can flood your inbox
  • No target price for a specific product

Good for: Flexible shoppers who'll take any good deal in a category. Not ideal for: Waiting on one exact model at one exact price.

Hypothetical savings scenario

This is an illustrative example, not an observed result. Savings are never guaranteed.

Assumptions:

  • You plan to buy a $300 robot vacuum and a $120 car seat this year.
  • You set a target price 15% below today's price on Google Shopping, which is free.
  • Over a few months, both items reach your target. This is an assumption; prices may never drop.

Arithmetic:

  • Vacuum: $300 × 15% = $45 saved
  • Car seat: $120 × 15% = $18 saved
  • Gross savings: $45 + $18 = $63
  • App fees over 12 months: $0
  • Net savings: $63

Compared with checking manually: Checking by hand costs nothing in fees, but it costs time, and you can miss short sales. Because these tools are free, there's no break-even point to reach. Any real drop you catch is net savings. The real cost is waiting: if you need the item now, waiting may not be worth it.

For extra savings at the register, see how to use price-match apps before checkout. If the price drops after you've bought something, these apps for post-purchase price drops can help you claim the difference. Families can also check our guide to saving on baby supplies with price-compare apps.

Which setup suits you (our analysis)

  • Mostly Amazon: Keepa for detail, or camelcamelcamel for simplicity.
  • Many different stores: Google Shopping price tracking.
  • Already live in Chrome: Chrome's built-in tracking, if you're comfortable with history sync.
  • Flexible on brand or model: Slickdeals keyword alerts.
  • The closest match to idealo: Google Shopping plus one Amazon tracker.

Conclusion

idealo and Geizhals price alerts are great in Europe, but they don't track US retailers. In the US, you get the same idea for free by combining tools. Google's price tracking covers many stores, Keepa or camelcamelcamel adds solid Amazon history, and Slickdeals catches deals posted by the community. Use price history to check "was" prices, set realistic targets, and remember that an alert only saves you money if the price actually drops.

References