Cashback Extensions Compared: Honey, TopCashback, Rakuten, and daily cashback

Shopping extensions all promise the same thing: pay less without the hassle of searching. In practice, however, they differ significantly. Some test coupon codes automatically at checkout, while others simply notify you of available cashback and wait for your click. Every extension that displays information in shops must first identify which site you are currently visiting. We've looked into what Honey, TopCashback, Rakuten, and our own extension do, based on their own documentation. Status: October 2026.

To keep things fair: daily cashback is one of these four providers. We quote the others based on their own help and privacy pages and provide links below. Policies can change.

What matters in a cashback extension

• Activation: Does cashback start only after your click, or does the extension set the partner link itself?
• Coupons: Does it test codes automatically, or do you see the code and decide for yourself?
• Calculation: Do you see just a percentage, or the actual amount you'll pay in the end?
• Page views: Where is it checked if you are in a shop, on your device or on a server?
• Fairness: Does it stay inactive if another partner has already referred you to the shop?

Honey (PayPal)

Honey is primarily known for coupons. According to their help page, the extension searches over 30,000 sites for codes and tests them at checkout. Then there's the rewards program, now called PayPal Rewards. Honey is transparent about how they make money: they receive commissions from partner shops when members save or activate PayPal Rewards. A portion of this is returned to members as rewards. Honey states they do not sell user data.

The automatic code test is convenient: you don't have to search for anything. The trade-off is that you don't see the codes beforehand, and the extension interacts with the checkout process itself.

TopCashback

TopCashback focuses on cashback. The extension alerts you when cashback is available in a shop, and you activate it by clicking Activate Now. If you aren't logged in, the button prompts you to sign in. TopCashback says the extension is available for desktop only and covers cashback and coupons at over 7,000 shops.

The extension's privacy policy states that it recognizes the addresses of the sites you visit to check if it is a TopCashback shop. Searches and other visited sites are not stored according to this policy. TopCashback uses a unique identifier to operate the extension.

Rakuten

According to their Chrome Web Store entry, the Rakuten extension alerts you when you visit a partner shop, and cashback starts with a click on that notification. On its page about the data it collects, Rakuten lists, among other things, which of its products you use, explicitly including the browser extension, and, under activity, your browsing history. It doesn't specify exactly which data comes from the extension. For the full details, it's best to check Rakuten's linked privacy policy.

daily cashback

Our extension displays a small card in partner shops showing the cashback rate for your country and a calculator. The calculator starts at €100, applies the best coupon we know of, and shows you what you'll actually pay. Example: €100 purchase, 15% coupon, €85 at checkout, 5% cashback equals €4.25, effective price paid: €80.75.

Activation is manual via click. You then see the code with a copy button; you handle the entry yourself. The extension checks if you are in a partner shop locally on your device using a list that updates once a day. Nothing is sent to us. What the extension sends to our servers, for instance, when loading coupons or activating, is fully disclosed on our browser extension page. If another partner has already referred you to the shop, our extension remains inactive for at least 90 minutes.

The differences at a glance

• Automatic coupon testing: Yes for Honey. No for daily cashback; you see and copy the code yourself.
• Activate cashback via click: TopCashback, Rakuten, and daily cashback.
• Calculate effective price with coupon and cashback: daily cashback with the card calculator.
• Shop site recognition: TopCashback notes it recognizes visited addresses without storing history. daily cashback compares locally on your device. For Honey and Rakuten, please refer to their respective privacy policies.
• Payout: Honey via PayPal Rewards, others as cashback to your account with the respective provider.

Which one is right for you?

If you want to avoid searching for codes and already use PayPal, Honey is convenient. If you primarily shop in the UK or the US, TopCashback and Rakuten are worth a look; TopCashback mentions over 7,000 shops for its extension. If you want to see your final effective price before paying and prefer to keep your browsing data private, our extension is worth a try. You can disable it at any time in the settings or hide it for specific shops.

A tip for all extensions: only use one per purchase. If you click 'activate' for two different providers, the shop will usually only credit the last click.