Prox vs Groupon

You want people walking through the door today, not next month. That is the real question behind Groupon vs Prox: which one helps you fill the room on your schedule, and what does it cost you in margin?

Prox is a go-now search engine for local businesses. It's real-time advertising for people who want to be advertised to: shoppers nearby open it to see what is happening right now, and your shop shows up with a live post. Rankings are by distance and recency, never by ad spend. Shoppers use Prox free, forever. For shops, Prox is free through Jan 31, 2027. Save a card, $0 today.

Groupon works differently. You build a discounted offer, Groupon lists it in its marketplace, and customers prepay. Groupon keeps an agreed percentage when a customer redeems, with no upfront or monthly fee. It does not publish a standard rate; your account manager confirms it before launch. Older industry reports put the typical split near 50/50. On that math, a $50 service sold for $25 would leave you around $12.50.

Where Groupon is honestly better: reach and volume. Groupon reported 16.1 million active customers in Q2 2026, and says 71% of redemptions across its network start in the Groupon app. These are people who already buy local deals. Groupon also drafts the offer for you, lets you cap how many sell each month, and lets you pause from your account. If you need to fill a lot of open slots and can afford the discount, Groupon can move volume that a young app cannot.

Where it costs you: you sell at a discount and then share what is left. Groupon's own merchant FAQ says the deal gets customers through the door once, and bringing them back is up to you. A Groupon campaign is also built to run for weeks. It is not made for saying "slow right now, no wait" at 2pm and something different at 5pm.

That is the job Prox is built for, with live updates. Picture a Tuesday. Morning post: "Open, fresh batch, no wait." By 2pm the street is quiet, so you update it: "Slow afternoon. Quiet tables, fast wifi." It takes about a minute. Someone 0.3 miles away sees the update as new. No discount required, and nobody takes a cut of the sale.

The honest catch: Prox is new and growing city by city. Where you are, the audience may be small at first, and the shops on it now are among the first. We can't promise you a number of visitors. What we can tell you is how it works: Prox is free through Jan 31, 2027, live updates included. Save a card, $0 today. A printable QR for your counter is free, and shoppers never pay.

So pick the tool for the job. Need a big push and can live with the margin? Groupon is the stronger choice today. Want a live, full-price post you can change as your day changes? Start with a free Prox post and see whether it gets people in.