How we test PromoIQ
We tested PromoIQ against four other coupon extensions on the same 50 stores, twice. Here is how, and what we found, including where PromoIQ came last.
Tests run on October 10 and October 11, 2026, with a release candidate of PromoIQ 3.0. If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will fix it.
The rules we set before testing
- Written down first. We saved the method, the store list and the scoring rule before the first run, so we could not change them after seeing results.
- Same item, back to back. Each store got one item. Every extension was tested on a cart with that same item, signed out, one after another within about 15 minutes. A few runs that hit a problem in our test setup were redone later the same day, and our records mark them.
- The store decides what counts. A saving counts only if the store's own order total went down and stayed down after a page reload. What an extension says it saved does not count.
- No orders. We never paid for anything. We stopped at the checkout total.
- Twice. We ran the whole test again at least 24 hours later and report both runs.
- No getting past bot walls. Many large retailers block automated browsers. We did not try to get around that, so 42 of the 50 stores are smaller brands that run on Shopify and similar platforms, and 8 are large US retailers.
Versions tested: PayPal Honey 19.7.0, Capital One Shopping 0.1.1397, Coupert 6.70.70 and SimplyCodes 2.11.0, each the Chrome Web Store package, and PromoIQ 3.0.0 release candidate 14.
What we found
Both runs shown as run 1 / run 2. PromoIQ is shown two ways: with only codes it found for that store, and with its "Also try common codes" option turned on (the panel marks each of those "A common code, not found for this store").
| PayPal Honey | Capital One Shopping | Coupert | SimplyCodes | PromoIQ, store codes only | PromoIQ, plus common codes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stores where the total truly dropped | 10 / 10 | 19 / 18 | 13 / 15 | 22 / 22 | 7 / 8 | 21 / 21 |
| Dollars saved, checked after reload | $95.52 / $95.52 | $186.11 / $174.82 | $162.22 / $195.07 | $220.94 / $220.94 | $61.84 / $67.03 | $160.91 / $166.75 |
| Savings claims that were false or too high | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 19 / 18 | 0 / 0 | 1 / 1 | 1 / 1 |
| Runs with affiliate redirects, tabs or cookies | 3 / 3 | 20 / 21 | 42 / 42 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 |
| Network requests the extension made before any click (median per store) | 70 / 70.5 | 87 / 88 | 124 / 124 | 39 / 40 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 |
The fair reading
- SimplyCodes saved the most in both runs, with no false claims and no affiliate activity. It lists codes; our test pasted them the way a shopper would.
- Capital One Shopping saved the second most dollars in run 1, and Coupert in run 2.
- PromoIQ with store codes only saved the least of all five, less than Honey in both runs. Its own code supply is still small.
- With common codes turned on, PromoIQ lowered the total at 21 stores in both runs. That is more than Honey (10) and Coupert (13 and 15), about the same as Capital One Shopping (19 and 18), and one fewer than SimplyCodes (22).
- Even with common codes, PromoIQ saved fewer dollars than SimplyCodes, Capital One Shopping and Coupert in both runs. Of the other four, only Honey saved fewer.
- Coupert's false claims were savings it showed that never reached the shopper's checkout. Its codes were often real: in run 2, 15 of the 18 codes behind those claims lowered the total when typed by hand.
- No extension lowered the total at any of the 8 large retailers, in either run. Every saving came from the smaller brands.
- PromoIQ was the only one that sent nothing before the click, at all 50 stores in both runs. The other four made network requests before any click at every store they reached, and at every one of those stores some of those requests included the store's web address.
Where PromoIQ got it wrong
At one store (Vuori), a code PromoIQ tried really took $11.60 off. PromoIQ said it saved $50.61, because it read the store's savings line as the new total. The code worked; the amount shown was wrong. We fixed this before PromoIQ 3.0 was released, and it counts against PromoIQ in the table above.
What "worked" means in PromoIQ
PromoIQ says a code worked only when it saw a checkout total go down with that code. "Worked just now in your cart" means your own total dropped. "Worked for a PromoIQ shopper", with how long ago, means another PromoIQ shopper's total dropped in the last 30 days; it may not work for you today. Codes from the store's own site say "Not tested yet", and codes found elsewhere online are listed under "Found online, untested".
What we did not test
- Price comparison ("the same product cheaper elsewhere") was not part of this test.
- Stores that need you to sign in, and most large retailers, which block automated testing.
- Rewards or cash back programs. PromoIQ has none.
We plan to run this test again after major updates and post the new numbers here, whatever they show.