The Best AI shopping assistants in 2026

8 apps ranked
Updated Oct 2026
Researched from official sources

AI shopping assistants promise to do the tab-hopping for you: ask what to buy, compare a shortlist, check whether a price is really a deal and, increasingly, check out without leaving the chat. They differ a lot in how independent their picks are, since some show sponsored products inside the answers and some only search one store. We checked the leading assistants and ranked them with the same published rubric.

Compare at a glance How we rank

Our top picks

Top ranked

Google AI Mode shopping

#1 of 8

8.8/10

Shopping in AI Mode and Gemini with virtual try-on, price alerts and agentic checkout

Free

Visit Google AI Mode shopping ↗Verdict →

Runner-up

Alexa for Shopping

#2 of 8

8.5/10

Amazon's free shopping assistant, formerly Rufus, with price history and automated buying

Free

Visit Alexa for Shopping ↗Verdict →

Best free option

ChatGPT shopping

#3 of 8

8.4/10

Shopping research in ChatGPT that asks questions, then builds a buyer's guide

Free plan · paid from $8/month

Visit ChatGPT shopping ↗Verdict →

The full ranking

8 apps, best first

1
Google AI Mode shopping
Best forComparing products across thousands of stores and buying when the price is right
Shopping in AI Mode and Gemini with virtual try-on, price alerts and agentic checkout
Mobile appFree
Pros & cons
- Searches the widest product catalogue of any assistant here
- Virtual try-on works with your own full-length photo
- Price alerts can trigger checkout, but only after you confirm
- Universal Cart gathers items from many stores and flags promo codes
- Google sells Sponsored shopping placements in AI Mode, marked with a small tag
- Checkout, try-on and Universal Cart are US-only for now
- Agentic checkout only works with participating merchants
Our Google AI Mode shopping verdict →+ Compare
8.8/10★★★★★Visit ↗
2
Alexa for Shopping
Best forAmazon shoppers who want price history and deal alerts without a third-party extension
Amazon's free shopping assistant, formerly Rufus, with price history and automated buying
Mobile appFree
Pros & cons
- A year of price history built into the product page
- Can watch for a target price and act on it for you
- Free, with no Prime membership required
- Works in the app, on the web and on Echo Show
- Amazon serves sponsored ads inside the assistant's conversations
- Recommendations come mostly from Amazon's own store
- US only
Our Alexa for Shopping verdict →+ Compare
8.5/10★★★★★Visit ↗
3
ChatGPT shopping
Best forResearching a considered purchase when you don't yet know which product you want
Shopping research in ChatGPT that asks questions, then builds a buyer's guide
Mobile appFree plan · paid from $8/month
Pros & cons
- Shopping research is the most thorough buyer's guide here
- OpenAI says product results are not ads or influenced by partnerships
- Shopping research and comparisons are free on every plan
- Pulls products from many retailers, not one store
- Instant Checkout was scaled back, so most purchases end on the retailer's site
- No price alerts or price history
- Prices and stock can be wrong; OpenAI says to check with the retailer
Our ChatGPT shopping verdict →+ Compare
8.4/10★★★★★Visit ↗
4
Perplexity shopping
Best forBuying from a clear, ad-free answer without opening a dozen tabs
Ad-free product answers with PayPal checkout inside the chat for US users
Mobile appFree plan · paid from $20/month
Pros & cons
- Buy inside the chat with PayPal purchase protection
- Perplexity says it has dropped ads, so picks aren't paid placements
- Shopping is free; only try-on needs a paid plan
- Retailers still handle shipping and returns
- Shopping and Instant Buy are US-only
- No price tracking or price history
- Instant Buy only works with merchants that accept PayPal
Our Perplexity shopping verdict →+ Compare
8.1/10★★★★★Visit ↗
5
Phia
Best forFashion shoppers who want to know if a price is fair and find it cheaper secondhand
Checks whether a price is fair and finds the same item cheaper, new or secondhand
Mobile appBrowser extensionFree
Pros & cons
- Compares new and resale prices in one tap
- Works on the store page you're already on
- Applies coupon codes automatically
- Free, with a 4.8 rating on the App Store
- No Android app
- Its site doesn't explain how it earns money from the store links it shows
- Strongest for fashion; little help with electronics or groceries
Our Phia verdict →+ Compare
7.8/10★★★★★Visit ↗
6
Microsoft Copilot shopping
Best forEdge users who want price checks and cashback while they browse stores
Copilot in Edge compares prices, tracks drops and finds cashback, plus in-chat checkout
Web onlyFree
Pros & cons
- Price history and alerts work on other stores' pages
- Cashback offers appear automatically
- In-chat checkout with PayPal, Shopify, Stripe and Etsy merchants
- Free
- Most tools only work in the Edge browser's sidebar
- Checkout only covers a limited set of participating merchants
- US only
Our Microsoft Copilot shopping verdict →+ Compare
7.4/10★★★★★Visit ↗
7
Walmart Sparky
Best forWalmart shoppers who want quick answers and easy reorders of everyday essentials
Walmart's in-app AI assistant for review summaries, comparisons and quick reorders
Mobile appFree
Pros & cons
- Review summaries make it fast to choose between similar items
- Reorders household essentials in a few taps
- Works in English and Spanish
- Walmart says it won't use what you tell Sparky to raise your price
- Only searches Walmart's own catalogue
- Walmart has started showing sponsored prompts inside Sparky's answers
- No price history or price-drop alerts
Our Walmart Sparky verdict →+ Compare
7.3/10★★★★★Visit ↗
8
Daydream
Best forFinding a specific look or outfit across many fashion brands by describing it
Chat-to-shop fashion assistant across 10,000+ brands, with screenshot search
Mobile appFree
Pros & cons
- Understands style descriptions better than keyword search
- Screenshot and photo search for looks you've seen elsewhere
- Free with no ads, according to the app
- Covers more than 10,000 brands
- Fashion only
- No Android app
- No price alerts, price history or in-app checkout
Our Daydream verdict →+ Compare
7.2/10★★★★★Visit ↗

Compare at a glance

Scroll sideways on mobile

#	App	Free plan	Paid from	iOS	Android	Web	Recommendation quality	Ease of use	Features	Value for money	Platforms	Score
1	Google AI Mode shopping	Yes	Free	✓	✓	✓	8.5	8.5	9	9	9	8.8
2	Alexa for Shopping	Yes	Free	✓	✓	✓	8	9	8	9	8.5	8.5
3	ChatGPT shopping	Yes	$8/month	✓	✓	✓	8.5	8.5	7	9	9.5	8.4
4	Perplexity shopping	Yes	$20/month	✓	✓	✓	7.5	8.5	7	9	9	8.1
5	Phia	Yes	Free	✓	—	—	7.5	9	6	9.5	6	7.8
6	Microsoft Copilot shopping	Yes	Free	—	—	✓	7	7	7	9	6.5	7.4
7	Walmart Sparky	Yes	Free	✓	✓	✓	6.5	8.5	5	9	8	7.3
8	Daydream	Yes	Free	✓	—	✓	6.5	8.5	5.5	9.5	5	7.2

Head to head

10 comparisons

Google AI Mode shopping vs Alexa for Shopping

Google AI Mode shopping vs ChatGPT shopping

Google AI Mode shopping vs Perplexity shopping

Alexa for Shopping vs ChatGPT shopping

Alexa for Shopping vs Perplexity shopping

ChatGPT shopping vs Perplexity shopping

Google AI Mode shopping vs Phia

Google AI Mode shopping vs Microsoft Copilot shopping

Google AI Mode shopping vs Walmart Sparky

Google AI Mode shopping vs Daydream

For developers

Make AI shopping assistants? Get yours reviewed here.

People compare AI shopping assistants on this page before they choose. Paste your website after checkout and we'll research, score and publish your listing.

Full profile page
Scored with the same rubric
Reviewed within 2 working days
Included in comparisons

Get listedProfile page · ranked by score · comparisons£49one-time Featured spotTop-of-page placement above the ranking · clearly marked as sponsored£29per month

Get seen where buyers compare apps. Your own profile page, a spot in the ranking and head-to-head comparisons, and a link to your site. Our rankings stay independent, which is why readers trust them.

How we rank AI shopping assistants

Every assistant was checked on 24 October 2026 against its maker's own announcements, help pages and app-store listings, plus independent 2025–2026 coverage. Each gets five scores out of 10, weighted into an overall score.

Ties are broken by the recommendation quality score. To be listed, a tool's main job has to be helping consumers find, compare or buy products, through product research, price comparison or tracking, virtual try-on or agentic checkout. General chatbots and search engines only count through their dedicated shopping features. The list is open: developers can submit an app, and we review it with the same rubric.

Features are scored half by our editors and half by this published checklist, ticked only where the app's own pages or app-store listing confirm it:

Compares products side by side
Summarises reviews or pros and cons
Alerts you when a price drops
Shows a product's price history
Search with a photo or screenshot
Try clothes on a photo of yourself
Buys for you or checks out inside the chat
Searches across many retailers, not one store
Finds coupon codes or cashback
No paid placements among its product picks

Rankings are editorial. Companies can't pay to change a score or a position, and any paid placement is labelled Featured.

Reviewed by Tech Arcade editors · Updated Oct 24, 2026

Recommendation quality30%
Ease of use20%
Features20%
Value for money20%
Platforms10%

Quick answers

What is the best AI shopping assistant?

In our October 2026 comparison, Google's shopping tools in AI Mode and Gemini scored highest (8.8/10), thanks to the widest product catalogue, virtual try-on, price alerts and agentic checkout. Amazon's Alexa for Shopping (8.5) is the best for Amazon buyers, with a year of price history, and ChatGPT (8.4) is the best for researching what to buy.

Are AI shopping assistants free?

Yes, the core shopping features of every assistant on this list are free. ChatGPT shows ads on its Free and Go plans in the US, and Perplexity's virtual try-on needs a Pro ($20/month) or Max plan, but shopping itself costs nothing.

Can AI shopping assistants buy things for me?

Some can, mostly in the US. Google can buy an item once it drops to your target price, after you confirm; Amazon's assistant can add items to your cart or buy at a set price; and Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot let you check out inside the chat with participating merchants. OpenAI scaled back ChatGPT's Instant Checkout in March 2026, so ChatGPT purchases now finish on the retailer's site.

Are AI shopping recommendations sponsored?

Sometimes. Google sells Sponsored shopping placements in AI Mode, Amazon serves sponsored ads inside Alexa for Shopping conversations, and Walmart shows sponsored prompts in Sparky. OpenAI says ChatGPT's product results are not ads (ads appear separately), Perplexity has moved away from advertising, and Daydream says it shows no ads. Check for a Sponsored label before you buy.

Which AI shopping assistant is best for finding deals?

Alexa for Shopping shows up to a year of price history for Amazon products, Google's Universal Cart alerts you to price drops and promo codes across stores, and Microsoft's Copilot in Edge adds price history, alerts and cashback on store pages. Phia (7.8) is the best for fashion, checking an item against retail and resale prices.