For each of these apps, I tested them by looking at the differences in discount prices and noting the shipping cost for each app. I also researched customers' reviews to see how regularly items were counterfeit and if these apps were selling the brands they claimed to sell. Though every app has some bad reviews, the ones I chose had many good reviews as well that seemed to outweigh the negative ones. 

When testing the apps, I also checked to see how much the items were being sold for on their actual site to see how great the deal was on the app. I also compared similar items between the discount apps themselves to see which apps were selling them for the lowest price. 

Each of these apps offers different things and styles of clothes. Because of that, I focused on price differences first. Then, I looked at what the apps offered and rated them based on which offered the widest range of products and designers so that they would be relevant to the most people.

On the first page when you open the app, there is a menu to shop for shoes, clothing, brands, and clearance. 

You can also click on the Departments tab and see more detailed categories to choose from. The clearance section has items for over 70% off including brand names like J. Crew. Amazon bought 6pm, which is a sister site of Zappos a few years ago. As a result, they have inventory stored at the same warehouses as Amazon items. Since Amazon is such a huge corporation, they have the infrastructure built in to handle frequent orders. This makes the app much more reliable than some of the other apps that have less infrastructure and are much slower to ship items. Because it’s sold through Amazon, the shipping also costs less, which is a major bonus. Free shipping is offered in many cases, and even when you do have to pay, it's not outrageous. The lowest shipping cost we found is $3.95.

As is true with any of these apps, sometimes the MSRP is inflated to make users feel like they are getting a better discount than they are. This is par for the course with apps like this. Some are accurate, and some are inflated. 

It’s worth it to check out the item's actual price on the brand’s website to see the full retail price if it’s still for sale on their website. Sometimes the MSRP could be based on the original price of the item and not the current one. Despite the MSRP sometimes being different from reality, the app still has items discounted for more than what they’re typically worth. 

Another snag is that the app’s design is not very interesting and looks slightly like an infomercial catalog. However, this isn’t that big of a deal since the goal of this app is to find designer clothes at a deep discount and not to look at a beautiful design. For this app, this shortcoming works in its favor. Having such a simple interface helps make it easier to quickly and seamlessly navigate sales sections and look at a lot of different items at once.

Unlike most of these apps, Rue La La does not list the percentage off until you actually click on the item. 

Once you do, you can see how much you’re saving from the original price. Instead, you see the original price crossed out next to the new price. They also have an online blog where you can read more about fashion and skincare products. This helps users get an idea of what trends are currently popular right now to help them decide what clothes they want to buy. Shipping is $9.99, or you can get free shipping by paying $30 dollars a year.

Right at the top of Zulily are tabs for sales that are ending soon and another for upcoming sales. 

This app is great for users who want to hunt and stay up to date on the best sales on an app. The design is clean and appealing with categories for goods other than clothing like makeup, skincare, crafts, and organization. The app allows you to pay with Venmo making it even easier to buy your items quickly. There are free shipping deals regularly so sometimes it’s worth waiting a few days to see if you can get free shipping.

Wanelo has a swipe function similar to dating apps that allows you to swipe on items you like so that they can learn your tastes and interests.

One of the categories to choose from is “Free Shipping,” which is another way to guarantee savings. Once you click on items, you can see the sale price as well as the percentage off of the original price. You can also search by brand or surf categories like “Under $20” and “Under $10.” Because there are so many different brands to choose from, there is something on this app for everybody. Shipping varies on this app. Some items ship for free, while others ship for upwards of 16 dollars. Because all of the items ship from different places, this app can feel less reliable, and it's worth checking out reviews for the particular location you're ordering your item from.

Gilt was acquired by Rue La La a few years ago, so the apps really don't seem to be very different at all. Both seem to have many of the same flash sales (if not all the same flash sales,) so it's probably better to stick with one or the other.

RetailMeNot is obviously pretty different from the other apps on this list, since it is more focused on coupons, promo codes, and discounts for specific retail stores. It is a good resource if you know where you like to shop! But these other apps beat it out as far as ease, especially with the department store-like organization among many different brands at once.

This app was not chosen because they weren't selling recognizable brands as far as we could see and many of the prices were equal to or higher than what they'd be at a recognizable brand name store. It's better to go with the brand itself or one of the other apps on this list.