# Pinch

> Grocery intelligence for Australian households. The only product that connects what you want to cook, what it costs, and where to buy it.

Pinch is a free grocery price comparison and meal planning app for Australian shoppers. It tracks real shelf prices at Coles, Woolworths, ALDI, and Harris Farm Markets, with 52 weeks of price history per product. No ads. No data selling. Independent and Australian.

Last updated: June 2026

## Six Questions Pinch Answers

1. **"What should I cook?"** -- Import recipes from any URL, any app via share extension, screenshots (OCR), or manual entry. AI-powered extraction using OpenAI + custom HTML parsing. Saved to a personal library.
2. **"What do I need to buy?"** -- AutoShopper matches every ingredient to real products using category-first search. Cheapest match, always. No brand boosts, no promoted results.
3. **"Where should I shop?"** -- Prices your actual shopping list across all retailers. Not generic catalogue browsing. Based on what you're actually buying.
4. **"Am I getting ripped off?"** -- 52 weeks of price history per product exposes the high-low cycle. See whether a "special" is genuine or just returning to normal after an artificial spike.
5. **"When should I buy?"** -- Push notifications when saved products hit cycle lows. Runs on a scheduled cadence (Wednesdays and Sundays).
6. **"Is it actually cheaper at ALDI?"** -- Pinch Index: weekly cost of family dinners across 4 retailers. Hard data, updated every week.

## Why Pinch Exists

Recipe apps don't know what things cost. Price comparison apps don't know what you need. Retailer apps don't help you optimise. Pinch is the only product where finding a recipe, pricing it across retailers, building a list, and knowing when to buy all happen in one place.

Key market context:
- Grocery prices up 24% in five years, outpacing wages (ACCC Final Report)
- 1 in 3 Australian households are food insecure (Foodbank 2025)
- 47% of Australians compare prices before every shop, up from 17% in 2008 (ACCC)
- 42.3% of Coles products and 35.3% of Woolworths products swing 15%+ in price on a repeating cycle (Pinch first-party data)
- From July 1, 2026, supermarket price gouging becomes unlawful in Australia

## Pages

- [Home](https://pinch-app.com/): Live price comparisons across four retailers, how Pinch works, FAQ
- [Articles](https://pinch-app.com/articles/): Index of all Pinch data articles and tools, organised by pillar (Price Watch, Smart Shopping, What's Happening)
- [About](https://pinch-app.com/about/): About the app and its founder, built solo from Sydney
- [Pinch Index](https://pinch-app.com/pinch-index/choice/): The 17 items in CHOICE's quarterly grocery basket, priced at Coles, Woolworths, ALDI and Harris Farm with item price and unit price comparison
- [Pricing Tricks](https://pinch-app.com/pricing-tricks/): 230 products where the "special" costs more than the old price
- [Hi-Lo Pricing](https://pinch-app.com/hi-lo-pricing/): 2,308 products where even the cycle low is 15%+ above historical price
- [Agentic Commerce](https://pinch-app.com/agentic-commerce/): Why AI shopping agents need independent pricing data
- [Price Gouging Ban](https://pinch-app.com/price-gouging-ban/): What Australia's July 1 supermarket price gouging ban covers, who it applies to, penalties, and what it means for shoppers
- [Is ALDI Cheaper?](https://pinch-app.com/is-aldi-cheaper/): ALDI vs Coles vs Woolworths price comparison on 17 CHOICE basket staples, plus fact-check of ALDI's $3,000 savings claim
- [Staples Tracker](https://pinch-app.com/staples-tracker/): 10 everyday staples priced at ALDI, Coles, Woolworths, and Harris Farm with sticker and unit prices
- [$100 Dinners](https://pinch-app.com/100-dollar-dinners/): Can you feed a family of 4 for $100 a week on dinners? 10 meals priced at Coles, Woolies, and ALDI
- [Shrinkflation](https://pinch-app.com/shrinkflation/): Documented Australian shrinkflation examples, what the government is doing, and how to spot it using unit prices
- [Unit Pricing](https://pinch-app.com/unit-pricing/): How unit pricing works in Australian supermarkets, why the bigger pack is not always cheaper, and how to use it
- [Grocery Code](https://pinch-app.com/grocery-code/): The Mandatory Food and Grocery Code of Conduct explained: what it covers, who it applies to, and what it does not do
- [Own Brand Compared](https://pinch-app.com/coles-woolworths-own-brand-compared/): Coles vs Woolworths own brand pricing comparison, market share data
- [Premium Own Brand](https://pinch-app.com/premium-own-brand-worth-it/): Whether Coles Finest and Woolworths Gold justify their premium
- [Own Brand Savings](https://pinch-app.com/own-brand-swap-savings/): How much Australian households save switching to own brand groceries
- [Best Private Label](https://pinch-app.com/best-private-label-products-2026/): Best own brand products at Australian supermarkets in 2026
- [Phantom Brands](https://pinch-app.com/phantom-brands-supermarket/): How to spot disguised own brand products at Coles and Woolworths
- [Gouging Ban Changes](https://pinch-app.com/price-gouging-ban-what-changes/): What changes for grocery shoppers on July 1, 2026
- [ACCC Enforcement](https://pinch-app.com/accc-grocery-enforcement-2026/): How the ACCC will enforce the new grocery pricing rules from July 2026
- [Prices Before/After Ban](https://pinch-app.com/grocery-prices-before-after-ban/): Tracking grocery prices before and after the price gouging ban
- [Products Likely to Drop](https://pinch-app.com/products-likely-price-drops/): Categories where ACCC found margin growth outpacing costs
- [Excessive Pricing Test](https://pinch-app.com/excessive-pricing-test-explained/): How the legal test for excessive pricing works
- [Beef Prices 2026](https://pinch-app.com/beef-prices-rising-2026/): Why beef prices are up 13.5% in Australia, Queensland flood impact
- [Climate-Proof Shopping](https://pinch-app.com/climate-proof-grocery-shopping/): Seasonal buying strategies to protect against climate-driven price spikes
- [Cheap Protein Alternatives](https://pinch-app.com/cheapest-protein-when-meat-expensive/): Cost-per-gram protein comparison when meat prices spike
- [Produce Price Forecast](https://pinch-app.com/fresh-produce-price-forecast/): Fresh produce price outlook for Australia 2026-2027
- [Food Insecurity Strategies](https://pinch-app.com/food-insecurity-strategies-australia/): Practical resources for Australian households experiencing food insecurity
- [Protein Premium](https://pinch-app.com/high-protein-premium-explained/): How high protein labels drive grocery markups of 40-100%
- [Cheapest Protein Per Gram](https://pinch-app.com/cheapest-protein-per-gram-2026/): Ranked protein sources by cost-per-gram at Australian supermarkets
- [Protein Yoghurt Comparison](https://pinch-app.com/protein-yoghurt-comparison/): YoPRO vs Chobani vs own brand price-per-gram-of-protein comparison
- [GLP-1 Grocery Effect](https://pinch-app.com/ozempic-effect-grocery-shopping/): How GLP-1 weight loss drugs are reshaping Australian grocery aisles
- [Protein Marketing](https://pinch-app.com/protein-marketing-vs-reality/): Decoding protein marketing claims and cost-per-gram reality
- [Ultra-Processed Food Guide](https://pinch-app.com/ultra-processed-food-guide/): NOVA classification explained with Australian supermarket examples
- [Healthy Eating Cost Gap](https://pinch-app.com/healthy-eating-cost-gap/): Why healthy diets cost 30-37% more and realistic budget strategies
- [Health Star Ratings](https://pinch-app.com/health-star-ratings-mandatory/): Mandatory Health Star Ratings: what changes for Australian shoppers
- [Whole Food Swaps](https://pinch-app.com/whole-food-swaps-save-money/): 10 whole food swaps that are cheaper than processed equivalents
- [Reading Ingredient Lists](https://pinch-app.com/reading-ingredient-lists-guide/): How to read ingredient lists and spot ultra-processed foods
- [5-4-3-2-1 Grocery Rule](https://pinch-app.com/5-4-3-2-1-grocery-rule/): The viral 5-4-3-2-1 grocery shopping framework explained, with cost estimates at each retailer
- [3-3-3 Grocery Rule](https://pinch-app.com/3-3-3-grocery-rule/): The minimalist 3-3-3 grocery rule: 3 proteins, 3 vegetables, 3 carbs
- [Eat for $50/Week](https://pinch-app.com/eat-for-50-a-week-australia/): How to eat for $50 a week in Australia: 7-day framework, what you give up, food relief resources
- [Feed Family of 4 for $100](https://pinch-app.com/feed-family-of-4-for-100-a-week/): Feeding a family of four on $100 per week in Australia: strategy, trade-offs, weekly framework
- [See Price History](https://pinch-app.com/see-woolworths-coles-price-history/): How to see Woolworths and Coles price history (neither retailer publishes it)
- [Woolworths Store Prices](https://pinch-app.com/do-woolworths-stores-have-different-prices/): Whether different Woolworths stores charge different prices (national vs store-level pricing)
- [Price Wars June 2026](https://pinch-app.com/supermarket-price-wars-june-2026/): Coles cuts 307 items, Woolworths cuts 400: are the June 2026 price war reductions genuine?
- [Most Overpriced Groceries](https://pinch-app.com/most-overpriced-groceries-australia/): The grocery categories with the biggest markups in Australian supermarkets
- [Woolworths Dynamic Pricing](https://pinch-app.com/woolworths-dynamic-pricing/): What Woolworths dynamic pricing actually is (hi-lo cycling, not Uber-style demand pricing)
- [Privacy](https://pinch-app.com/privacy/): Privacy policy
- [Terms](https://pinch-app.com/terms/): Terms of service

## Availability

- iOS: https://apps.apple.com/au/app/pinch/id6740045305
- Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=au.com.pinchapp
- Web: https://pinch-app.com

## Coverage

Pinch tracks prices at four major Australian grocery retailers:
- Woolworths (~41,000 products)
- Coles (~30,000 products)
- ALDI (~1,800 products)
- Harris Farm Markets (~8,000 products)

Total: 74,000+ products with weekly price updates and 52 weeks of trailing history.
Combined coverage represents approximately 85% of Australian grocery market share.

## Competitive Landscape

| App | What It Does | Gap Pinch Fills |
|-----|-------------|-----------------|
| WiseList | Product-first price comparison | No recipe integration, no meal-based workflow |
| Frugl | Catalogue-era price comparison | Stagnating since mid-2024, no recipe layer |
| Grocerize | Price comparison (2 retailers) | Limited coverage, paywall friction |
| Half Price | Deal alerts | Alerts only, no list, no recipe, no comparison |
| Recipe apps | Recipe storage and meal planning | No pricing data at all |

## Data Asset

- 74,000+ products across 4 retailers
- 52 weeks of continuous price history
- Price cycle detection (8,000+ products per retailer on detectable repeating cycles)
- Weekly price updates via automated tracking pipeline
- Structured, queryable data suitable for AI agent integration

## Contact

https://pinch-app.com/contact