Generic vs name brand: the real gap
Across the 12 categories we track with both, the store brand is cheaper per unit by about 32% on average — but the gap swings from 58% on toilet paper down to nearly nothing on others. The point of this page is that you should check, not assume, and here is the check.
What this measures. The pricegap, per unit, from live listings. Whether the generic performs the same is a separate question — for commodities it usually does; for things like skincare actives or diaper fit it may not. We measure what’s measurable and don’t pretend the rest away.
Store brand vs name brand, per unit
| Category | Store brand | Name brand | Store brand saves |
|---|---|---|---|
| toilet paper | $0.27/100 sheets | $0.65/100 sheets | 58% |
| razor blades | $1.25/cartridge | $2.90/cartridge | 57% |
| food storage bags | $0.070/bag | $0.16/bag | 55% |
| dishwasher pods | $0.18/pod | $0.33/pod | 47% |
| diapers | $0.29/diaper | $0.50/diaper | 42% |
| paper plates | $0.079/plate | $0.13/plate | 41% |
| cat litter | $0.56/lb | $0.95/lb | 40% |
| trash bags | $0.17/bag | $0.27/bag | 38% |
| dish soap | $0.30/fl oz | $0.40/fl oz | 26% |
| copy paper | $0.013/sheet | $0.017/sheet | 25% |
| paper towels | $2.00/100 sheets | $2.42/100 sheets | 17% |
| batteries | $1.48/battery | $0.92/battery | −61% (name wins) |
Median cost per unit, retailer private labels vs everything else. Live Amazon US prices, re-checked on a rolling cycle; categories with at least two tracked listings on each side.
When the name brand is actually worth it
Cheaper per unit is not the same as better value in every case. Pay up when the thing you’re buying genuinely varies in performance and that performance matters to you: a diaper that leaks costs more than the few cents you saved; a skincare active at the wrong concentration does nothing. For commodities — where the private label is often the same product in a plainer box — the gap in this table is money you keep for nothing given up. The table tells you where the gap is big enough to be worth the switch.
See it per category
Frequently asked
Are store brands cheaper than name brands?▾
Usually, and by more than people expect — but not always. Across the 12 categories we track with both, the store brand is cheaper per unit by about 32% on average. The biggest gap is toilet paper, where the store brand runs about 58% less per 100 sheets. The smallest is batteries, where the gap nearly vanishes — proof it's worth checking rather than assuming.
Are store brands the same quality as name brands?▾
For commodities — bleach, foil, sugar, basic OTC meds, most paper goods — private labels are frequently made in the same plants to the same specs, and the difference is the label. For anything where formulation or fit genuinely varies (skincare actives, diapers, some detergents) the products are not identical, and a lower price per unit is a price fact, not a quality verdict. We measure the price; we do not claim the generic performs the same.
How do you measure the gap?▾
For each category we take the median cost per unit of the retailer private labels (Amazon Basics, Kirkland, Great Value, Up & Up, Member’s Mark and the like) and the median cost per unit of everything else, from live Amazon US prices, and compare the two. It is the same cost-per-unit arithmetic we rank every product by, re-checked on a rolling cycle.