Why we built this
Groceries went up 25% in four years. Paychecks didn't. People do two things in response: they buy less, or they spend more time comparing. Neither is a great option. So we built a third: automate the comparison, keep the list, keep the groceries, cut the cost.
What Grocery Routes is
An iOS app that compares every item on your list across every store you shop at, and builds you one optimized multi-store trip. That's the whole product. It is not a list app with price-tracking bolted on. It is not a coupon aggregator. It is not a delivery middleman. It is a price intelligence engine wrapped in a fast mobile list.
What Grocery Routes is not
It is not a way to get paid by stores. There are no affiliate kickbacks baked into the recommendations. If Aldi is cheaper, Aldi wins — whether or not they know we exist. If Ralphs is cheaper on milk and Trader Joe's is cheaper on eggs, that's what the optimizer says. We make money eventually from a freemium tier, not from skewing your list.
Where it's going
Today: Ventura County and LA County, 6 major chains. By early 2027: every major US metro, a receipt-scan flow so you don't have to type, and a savings dashboard that actually shows you how much a year of attention is worth. The roadmap is public on the changelog.
Who builds it
A solo founder in Ventura County, California. Build-in-public on the journal, replies on email, and the feature requests are on Instagram at @groceryroutes.
Principles
- Real shelf prices. No affiliate pricing. No loyalty-locked prices. Just what's on the shelf.
- Transparent math. You can see why every item landed at every store.
- Free stays free. The core comparison engine will always be free. Ads and paid tiers are on top, never inside, of the comparison.
- In person, on purpose. The savings live in the store. No delivery, no markup.
- Build by demand. Every region expansion is driven by zip requests. Loud users get their cities faster.