Is Honey or Rakuten better?

Neither clearly leads. Honey starts at Free and Rakuten at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Honey or Rakuten?

Honey starts at Free and Rakuten at Free.

Does Honey or Rakuten run on more platforms?

Honey runs on Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera, Edge. Rakuten runs on Browser Extension (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge).

Can I use Honey for free?

Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.

What is Honey best used for?

Honey is most often used for testing coupon codes automatically at checkout across 30,000 sites, notifying shoppers of price drops on saved items, comparing amazon sellers including shipping and prime costs, supporting shopping across chrome, safari, and firefox browsers. Of those, testing coupon codes automatically at checkout across 30,000 sites and notifying shoppers of price drops on saved items are not what Rakuten is typically brought in for.

What can Honey do that Rakuten cannot?

Honey covers Automatic coupon codes, Price history, Honey Gold rewards, Price drop alerts. Rakuten covers Cash back rewards, Coupon codes, In-store offers, Price comparisons. Both handle Chrome support, Firefox support, Edge support, Safari support.

Browser Extensions · head to head

Honey vs Rakuten

Honey

Browser Extensions

Automatically find and apply coupon codes

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Rakuten

Browser Extensions

Get cash back on every purchase

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: Honey browser extension requires permission to access browsing and shopping data; Rakuten minimum withdrawal amount of $5.01 creates friction for light users
They diverge on capability: Honey covers Automatic coupon codes, Rakuten covers Cash back rewards.
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Honey and Rakuten actually diverge.

Attributes where Honey and Rakuten differ
Attribute	Honey	Rakuten
Pricing model	Unknown	free
Platforms	Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera, Edge	Browser Extension (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
Founded	2012	1999

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Browser Extensions).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Honey

Automatic coupon codes
Price history
Honey Gold rewards
Price drop alerts
Opera support

Only in Rakuten

Cash back rewards
Coupon codes
In-store offers
Price comparisons

Both cover

Chrome support
Firefox support
Edge support
Safari support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Honey

Testing coupon codes automatically at checkout across 30,000 sitesnot Rakuten
Notifying shoppers of price drops on saved itemsnot Rakuten
Comparing Amazon sellers including shipping and Prime costsnot Rakuten
Supporting shopping across Chrome, Safari, and Firefox browsersnot Rakuten
Discovering deals at checkout moments without manual searchingnot Rakuten

Rakuten

Cash back on online purchases from partner retailersnot Honey
Cash back on in-store purchases using linked cardsnot Honey

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Honey

Browser extension requires permission to access browsing and shopping data
Limited to 30,000+ retailer sites; not all retailers supported

Rakuten

Minimum withdrawal amount of $5.01 creates friction for light users
Quarterly payout schedule only, with months-long delays between earning and receiving payments
Amazon cashback limited to specific categories at 1-3% rates
Must click through Rakuten link first or cashback does not register

Pricing, plan by plan

Honey

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Honey review.

Rakuten

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Rakuten review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Honey if

You need automatic coupon codes.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera, Edge.
You also want price history.

Honey review

Choose Rakuten if

You need cash back rewards.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Browser Extension (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge).
You also want coupon codes.

Rakuten review

Questions people ask

Is Honey or Rakuten better?: Neither clearly leads. Honey starts at Free and Rakuten at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Honey or Rakuten?: Honey starts at Free and Rakuten at Free.
Does Honey or Rakuten run on more platforms?: Honey runs on Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera, Edge. Rakuten runs on Browser Extension (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge).
Can I use Honey for free?: Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Honey best used for?: Honey is most often used for testing coupon codes automatically at checkout across 30,000 sites, notifying shoppers of price drops on saved items, comparing amazon sellers including shipping and prime costs, supporting shopping across chrome, safari, and firefox browsers. Of those, testing coupon codes automatically at checkout across 30,000 sites and notifying shoppers of price drops on saved items are not what Rakuten is typically brought in for.
What can Honey do that Rakuten cannot?: Honey covers Automatic coupon codes, Price history, Honey Gold rewards, Price drop alerts. Rakuten covers Cash back rewards, Coupon codes, In-store offers, Price comparisons. Both handle Chrome support, Firefox support, Edge support, Safari support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Honey: Is Honey free to use?

Yes, Honey's browser extension is completely free to use with no subscription fees. Users can earn rewards through purchases on participating sites and redeem points for gift cards.

Source

Rakuten: Does Rakuten charge membership fees?

No. Rakuten is completely free to join and use. There are no membership fees, setup fees, or any charges to members. Rakuten's revenue comes from merchant commissions, not user fees.

Source

Honey: What browsers does Honey support?

Honey is available for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera, and Edge browsers on desktop. iOS users can enable the extension for mobile Safari through the PayPal mobile app, but Android does not currently support the mobile extension.

Source

Rakuten: Is there a cost to use the Rakuten browser extension or mobile app?

No, both the browser extension and mobile app are free to download and use at no cost.

Source

Honey: How does Honey search for coupon codes?

Honey automatically searches for and tests available coupon codes at checkout on 30,000+ popular sites. If a working code is found, Honey applies the one with the biggest savings to your cart.

Source

Rakuten: How does Rakuten make money if it's free?

Brands partner with Rakuten and pay commissions to bring them customers. Rakuten shares a portion of these commissions with members as cash back rewards.

Source

Honey: Can I track price drops with Honey?

Yes, Honey's Droplist feature allows you to add items and receive notifications about price drops, helping you find the best time to purchase.

Source

Honey vs Rakuten

Honey

Rakuten

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Honey

Only in Rakuten

Both cover

What people use each for

Honey

Rakuten

Where each one falls short

Honey

Rakuten

Pricing, plan by plan

Honey

Rakuten

Which should you pick?

Choose Honey if

Choose Rakuten if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Honey

More on Rakuten

Keep looking

Other head to heads