Supermarket apps worth checking out

Attention shoppers! Like many people, we need food to survive. Unfortunately that often means going into shops, because apparently man cannot live by pizza alone. But the humble mobile makes everything better, so here's our look at the best buys and no-frills no-nos in the world of supermarket apps.

All the apps below include a store locator and tell you when stores are open, but what other features do they offer to improve your supermarket sweep?

Sainsbury's

Sainsbury's app is available for Android, Nokia and iPhone. It includes a store locator, recipes, shopping lists and access to your Nectar card points. You can reserve items such as gadgets, electrical goods and furniture before you go into a store to collect them, but you can't reserve food yet. Sainsbury's promises groceries are coming soon.

Sainsbury's Smartphone App (Android, iPhone, Nokia Ovi)

Tesco

Tesco's clever little app is available on several of the major phones, which you'd expect from a supermarket with its own phone network. The Tesco Grocery App lets you scan the barcode of any item, whether you're in the store, in your kitchen, or even in another shop, and the app adds that item to your online basket. You can then control your online shopping through the app, booking a delivery time and paying for your shopping.

Tesco also offers a recipes app for the iPad.

Tesco Grocery App (Android, iPhone, Nokia Ovi, Windows Phone)

Asda

Asda, the home of the £99 Android tablet, offers a price-check app for the iPhone. The app can net you some money back if your shopping would have been cheaper in another supermarket. All you have to do is keep your receipt, containing at least eight different items, then the next day type in the receipt details to the app then take the receipt to the shop... aaaand we've dozed off with boredom. After all that rigmarole, all you can get is the price difference knocked off your next shop, which you probably won't get, because the whole point of the app is that Asda is supposed to be the cheapest supermarket. So apart from the store locator, this app is about as useful as a trolley with three wheels missing.

Asda Price Guarantee (iPhone)

Morrisons

The Morrisons app shows you the current deals and adds stuff to your shopping list, calculating how much you've saved.

Morrisons (iPhone)

Waitrose

Waitrose poshos get fancy-pants recipes and seasonal food inspiration. Lah-di-dah!

Waitrose (iPhone)

Spar

Spar's app offers recipes from Kitchen Hero, a TV show in Ireland.

Spar (iPhone)

Aldi

Aldi's app shows you the latest bargains in-store and creates a personal shopping list.

Aldi (Android, iPhone)

Lidl

Yes, Lidl has an app. Don't get too excited though, bargain-hunters: it's just a store finder and only covers Europe.

Lidl (iPhone)

If you get your groceries in Somerfield, Kwik Save, Budgens, the Co-op, Iceland, Londis, Netto or Marks & Spencer there's no apps to play with, unfortunately.

Which supermarket do you shop at, and have you found any shopping apps useful? Make your way to the checkout and leave a comment below, or go wild in the aisles at our Facebook page -- but look out for unexpected items in the bagging area. And the next time you're at the checkout and you hear the beep, think of the fun you could be having on Supermarket Sweep!