Ibotta vs Rakuten vs Fetch: Which Cash Back App Earned Me the Most in 6 Months

Six months ago, I decided to conduct a personal experiment. Instead of using just one cash back app like most people, I committed to using Ibotta, Rakuten, and Fetch simultaneously for every purchase I made. My goal was simple: figure out which app would actually put the most money back in my pocket with the least amount of effort.

After meticulously tracking my spending and earnings across all three platforms for half a year, I’ve compiled real data showing which app performed best for different types of purchases—and the results surprised me.

My Cash Back Experiment Setup

To keep things fair and scientific, I established some ground rules:

1. I would use all three apps for every applicable purchase
2. I would track both earnings and time spent managing each app
3. I would maintain consistent shopping habits (no artificially increasing spending)
4. I would document any special bonuses or promotions

My typical monthly spending included:

• Grocery shopping (~$500/month)
• Online shopping (~$300/month)
• Restaurant dining (~$250/month)
• Gas/fuel (~$150/month)
• Miscellaneous retail (~$200/month)

Let’s dive into how each app performed across these categories.

The Cash Back Apps: A Quick Overview

Before sharing my results, here’s a brief overview of each platform:

Ibotta

Ibotta focuses primarily on grocery and in-store shopping, requiring users to select offers before shopping and upload receipts afterward. According to NerdWallet, it’s rated 4.8/5 on the App Store and 4.6/5 on Google Play.

Rakuten

Rakuten (formerly Ebates) specializes in online shopping with over 3,500 partner retailers. Users shop through the app or browser extension to earn cash back. It boasts a 4.8/5 App Store rating but only 3.5/5 on Google Play.

Fetch Rewards

Fetch takes a simpler approach—scan any receipt from anywhere to earn points redeemable for gift cards. It maintains impressive ratings of 4.8/5 on App Store and 4.7/5 on Google Play.

Six-Month Earnings Breakdown

After 26 weeks of consistent use, here’s how much each app earned me:

The raw numbers don’t tell the whole story, though. Let’s break it down by spending category to see where each app truly shines.

Category-by-Category Performance

Grocery Shopping

Winner: Ibotta

Ibotta dominated grocery rewards, accounting for $132.68 of my total earnings in this category. The app’s focus on CPG (consumer packaged goods) brands means substantial offers for everyday items.

My best grocery haul came when I combined a $5 welcome bonus with $12.75 in product-specific offers and a $2 any-receipt bonus, earning $19.75 back on a $78 grocery trip—a whopping 25% return.

Fetch earned me $42.15 on groceries over six months, primarily through special brand bonuses and the 25-point minimum for any receipt. Rakuten lagged significantly with just $18.50 in grocery cash back, limited mostly to online grocery orders.

According to FinanceBuzz, Ibotta’s grocery focus is by design, offering substantially higher rewards for supermarket purchases than its competitors.

Online Shopping

Winner: Rakuten

Rakuten absolutely crushed the competition for online shopping, earning me $108.25 over six months. Its browser extension automatically activates at checkout, making it nearly effortless to use.

My biggest single Rakuten payout came from booking a weekend hotel stay through Expedia with an 8% cash back offer, earning $22.40 back on a $280 booking.

Ibotta’s browser extension is improving but still earned me just $42.78 for online purchases. Fetch performed poorly here with only $12.15, as it’s primarily receipt-based and many online purchases don’t generate physical receipts.

Restaurant Dining

Winner: Ibotta

For restaurant spending, Ibotta’s partnership with many chain restaurants and delivery services gave it the edge, earning me $11.96 over six months.

Fetch came in second with $9.00 in dining rewards, while Rakuten earned me just $5.50, mostly from online food delivery orders.

A TastyReferrals comparison confirms that Ibotta’s in-store capabilities give it an advantage for restaurant spending, while Rakuten primarily benefits online orders.

Gas/Fuel

Winner: Fetch

Surprisingly, Fetch performed best for gas purchases, earning me $5.00 in rewards over six months simply for scanning my gas receipts. The app frequently offers bonus points for gas station chains.

Ibotta came in second at $3.00, while Rakuten earned nothing since I don’t purchase gas online.

Miscellaneous Retail

Winner: Split between Rakuten and Ibotta

For general retail purchases, Rakuten and Ibotta tied at around $10.50 each over six months, with the winner depending entirely on whether I shopped online (Rakuten’s strength) or in-store (Ibotta’s domain).

Fetch consistently earned about 25-100 points per receipt regardless of store, accumulating about $5.00 worth of points in this category.

Time Investment Analysis

One critical factor often overlooked in cash back app comparisons is the time required to earn those rewards:

Ibotta: Most Time-Intensive

• Average weekly time: 12-15 minutes
• Activities: Browsing offers, activating deals, uploading receipts
• Total six-month time investment: ~5.5 hours

Rakuten: Most Efficient

• Average weekly time: 3-4 minutes
• Activities: Activating browser extension, occasional app browsing
• Total six-month time investment: ~1.75 hours

Fetch: Quickest to Use

• Average weekly time: 2-3 minutes
• Activities: Simply scanning receipts
• Total six-month time investment: ~1.25 hours

When calculating an “effective hourly rate” for each app (earnings divided by time invested), Rakuten was by far the most efficient at $81.57/hour, followed by Fetch at $54.64/hour and Ibotta at $34.08/hour.

Payout Experience

How easy was it to actually get my money from each app?

Ibotta

• Minimum payout threshold: $20
• Payout options: PayPal, direct deposit, gift cards
• Payout speed: 1-3 business days
• Number of payouts received: 3

Ibotta’s $20 minimum threshold meant I received fewer, larger payouts. According to SideHustleNation, this higher threshold is a common complaint among users.

Rakuten

• Minimum payout threshold: $5.01
• Payout options: PayPal, check, American Express points
• Payout speed: Quarterly payments (February, May, August, November)
• Number of payouts received: 2

Rakuten’s quarterly payment schedule was frustrating—I had to wait months to receive my cash back. However, the payments were reliable and arrived exactly when promised.

Fetch

• Minimum payout threshold: 3,000 points ($3)
• Payout options: Gift cards only
• Payout speed: Instant digital gift cards
• Number of payouts received: 5

Fetch’s low threshold and instant gift card redemption made it the most satisfying for quick rewards, though the lack of cash options was limiting. I primarily redeemed for Amazon and Target gift cards.

User Experience Comparison

Beyond the raw numbers, the app experience significantly impacted which one I found myself wanting to use:

Ibotta

• Pros: Rich rewards, frequent bonuses, teamwork options
• Cons: Time-consuming, occasional receipt rejection issues
• Best feature: “Any brand” categories (like “Any bread: $0.25 back”)

Rakuten

• Pros: Seamless online integration, minimal effort required
• Cons: Limited in-store options, quarterly payment schedule
• Best feature: Browser extension that automatically activates

Fetch

• Pros: Extremely simple, works with any receipt
• Cons: Lower overall earnings, gift cards only
• Best feature: Special offers that can multiply points (5x, 10x) on certain brands

According to FinanceBuzz, user experience is a major differentiator between these apps, with Rakuten focusing on simplicity while Ibotta offers more rewards for those willing to put in extra effort.

Unexpected Findings

A few surprising discoveries from my six-month experiment:

1. Double and triple-dipping works: For many purchases, I could earn from multiple apps simultaneously. My record was earning $4.25 from Ibotta, $2.50 from Rakuten, and 250 Fetch points (worth about $0.25) on a single $45 purchase.
2. Bonus offers matter more than base rates: Special promotions, welcome bonuses, and limited-time offers accounted for over 40% of my total earnings across all apps.
3. Consistency is key: I earned significantly more in months when I diligently used all three apps for every purchase compared to months when I occasionally forgot.
4. The “set it and forget it” factor: While Ibotta paid the most overall, Rakuten’s browser extension made it the app I was least likely to forget to use, ensuring consistent earnings.

Which App Would I Keep If I Could Only Choose One?

If forced to select just one cash back app, my choice would depend entirely on my shopping habits:

• For grocery-heavy shoppers: Ibotta, no question. Its grocery rewards are substantially better than competitors.
• For online shoppers: Rakuten, for its seamless integration and higher online rates.
• For minimal-effort users: Fetch, since scanning any receipt for some reward is better than forgetting to use more complex apps.

Since my spending is fairly balanced between categories, I’d personally choose Rakuten for its exceptional efficiency—earning $81.57 per hour of effort is hard to beat.

Maximizing Your Earnings: My Top Tips

After six months of intensive use, here are my best tips for each platform:

Ibotta Tips

• Always check the app before grocery shopping
• Look for “any brand” offers for guaranteed savings
• Stack bonuses by completing multi-item promotions
• Link your loyalty accounts to automatically capture in-store purchases
• Check for online shopping offers before heading to Rakuten

Rakuten Tips

• Install the browser extension for automatic activation
• Check for increased cash back promotions (sometimes up to 15%)
• Stack with credit card rewards for double cash back
• Add items to your cart, then wait—they often email higher cash back offers
• Time big purchases around quarterly Double Cash Back events

Fetch Tips

• Scan every receipt, no matter how small
• Look for special brand offers in the app before shopping
• Connect email/Amazon accounts to capture online purchases
• Save points for special redemption bonuses
• Check for limited-time bonus point opportunities

The Ultimate Cash Back Strategy

Based on my experiment, here’s my recommended approach for maximizing rewards with minimal effort:

1. Use all three apps, but strategically:
   • Check Ibotta before grocery shopping
   • Use Rakuten’s browser extension for all online purchases
   • Scan all receipts with Fetch as a backup
2. Stack with credit card rewards: I used a2% cash back credit card for all purchases, effectively adding another layer of rewards.
3. Set calendar reminders: I found setting Sunday evening reminders to check for new offers dramatically increased my earnings.
4. Track your results: Using a simple spreadsheet to track earnings helped me identify which app performed best for different stores.

According to NerdWallet, this multi-app approach is becoming increasingly common among savvy shoppers looking to maximize returns.

Final Verdict: Is Using Multiple Cash Back Apps Worth It?

After six months of diligent tracking, my total earnings across all three apps came to $398.47. For approximately 8.5 total hours of effort, that’s an effective rate of $46.88 per hour—not bad for a side hustle that integrates with shopping I was already doing.

While Ibotta earned me the most overall, Rakuten provided the best return on time invested. Fetch, while earning the least, required almost no effort and served as a reliable backup for capturing any purchase the other apps missed.

The bottom line: Using all three apps simultaneously delivered significantly better results than any single app could have provided alone.

Have you tried any of these cash back apps? Which one works best for your shopping habits? Let me know in the comments!