Aldi vs Lidl, Which Discount Supermarket Is Better?

Aldi vs Lidl, where can you get your groceries for less? Both discounters offer cheap food, but which one has more potential for savings? Read this comparison of Aldi and Lidl to find out.

I’ve always preferred Aldi over Lidl. I grew up in Germany, where Aldi and Lidl belong to the most common supermarkets. Aldi was always my first destination, and I only bought things I couldn’t find there at Lidl. Was I right to do this? Now, I finally know the answer.

Who Are Aldi and Lidl?

Aldi and Lidl are discount supermarkets offering cheap but quality products. Both supermarket chains have much in common but are separate companies.

Aldi was established in 1913 by the brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht in Essen, Germany. The acronym Aldi stands for “Albrecht-Diskont” (Albecht Discount).

Aldi is split into Aldi Nord (North) and Aldi Süd (South). In Germany, Aldi Nord operates in the North and Aldi Süd in Southern Germany. The company is also split internationally. In the UK, we have Aldi Süd.

Lidl was established in 1930 but did not become a supermarket chain until 1977. Lidl is based in Neckarsulm, Germany, and belongs to the Schwarz Group.

My Comparison Experiment

I created a shopping list with ordinary groceries to see whether Aldi or Lidl is the cheaper supermarket. After buying everything, I’ll see how much I spent on groceries. Additionally, I will assess other differences between Aldi and Lidl.

My shopping list is as follows:

• 🍌 Bananas
• 🍎 Apples
• 🥚 Eggs
• 🌾 Wheat flour
• 🥛 Almond milk
• 🍝 Pasta
• 🥔 Potatoes
• 🍫 Chocolate
• 🍗 Meat (chicken)
• 🍞 Bread

These are all products a typical shopper might buy at either supermarket.

1. Comparison: Grocery Costs at Aldi and Lidl

After spending my Saturday morning shopping, I returned with two bags of groceries. One from Aldi and one from Lidl. On the outside, there is little difference. But my wallet noted a difference:

Item	Aldi	Lidl
2 bananas	£0.28	£0.28
6 Braeburn apples	£1.39	£1.45
10 large eggs	£1.39	£1.25
1.5 kg plain flour	£0.55	£0.45
1 L Almond milk	£0.85	£1.00
500 g pasta	£0.65	£0.55
2.5 kg potatoes	£1.58	£1.45
100 g milk chocolate	£0.33	£1.05
1.0 kg chicken breast fillet	£5.45	£5.35
800 g sliced white bread	£0.65	£0.65
Total	£13.12	£13.48

Update

I recently rechecked the prices after all that inflation. When I first wrote this post, shopping at Aldi cost £10.60. Now, I spent £13.12, meaning Aldi has increased its grocery costs by £2.52. For Lidl, the original costs were £12.25. Now, I spent £13.48, meaning Lidl has increased its grocery costs by £1.23.

As you can see from the table, Aldi was cheaper by £0.36. This difference is negligible. It may not be significant enough for a recommendation to choose Aldi.

You may choose which supermarket to go to depending on the specific item you need. For example, Aldi seems to be the go-to place for almond milk and chocolate. On the other hand, Lidl is the place for flour and chicken.

Interestingly, there is a big difference in the price of chocolate. With Aldi, you can save £0.72 on ordinary milk chocolate. Some products also had identical prices.

Missed Savings Opportunity With Lidl Plus

Lidl Plus is Lidl’s free reward program for discounts and special offers. I am not a member of this scheme, so I missed some savings. Lidl Plus members can also get a free doughnut on their birthday. Read more in my Lidl Plus app review.

2. Shopping Time Comparison

Time is money. Cheap prices do not matter if you spend hours queuing. I timed my shopping experience to see how long it took. I went on the same day around the same time to minimise confounding factors. Both shops were moderately crowded when I went. Aldi had more self-checkout tills, but the store was larger.

With each store, there was no queue for the self-checkout tills. The regular tills had small queues with about two to three people waiting.

	Aldi	Lidl
Time spent shopping	15 minutes	17 minutes

A difference of a few minutes hardly impacts your shopping experience. Regarding shopping time, Aldi and Lidl are almost identical.

Click & Collect

Aldi now offers Click & Collect, which means you can shop online. You only need to go to the supermarket to collect your shopping. With this service, you can complete your shopping faster and with less stress than Lidl.

Sadly, neither Aldi nor Lidl offers online shopping like other supermarkets.

3. Supermarket Location Comparison

If there is an Aldi near you, it is not worth travelling to a Lidl far away to save a few pennies and vice versa. The further you go, the more money you spend on transport and the more time you lose.

Thus, going to the closest supermarket rather than the cheapest may be better. There are currently 11,234 Aldi stores and 800 Lidl stores in the UK. Therefore, you are more likely to live near an Aldi than a Lidl.

4. Quality of Products Comparison

Of course, money is not the only factor that matters. You also want your products to be of sufficient quality. For food items, this would include taste and freshness.

Regarding the latter, I could not find a difference between Aldi and Lidl. Taste is a subjective matter, so I do not want to decide for you in this section.

5. Customer Service Comparison

Customer service may not be as important as saving money. Nonetheless, it may be a factor when choosing a supermarket.

Personally, shopping in Aldi and Lidl always reminds me a bit of home (Germany). In German supermarkets, cashiers are much faster than in the UK. Aldi and Lidl seem to have retained some of that speed, which I like. Otherwise, I have not interacted with the store staff during my experiment.

However, I think customer service is store dependent and may differ depending on which Aldi or Lidl you visit.

Pros and Cons of Shopping at Aldi vs Lidl

Pros and Cons of Shopping at Aldi

Pros of Aldi	Cons of Aldi
Overall cheaper	Smaller product range
Faster shopping time	Fewer promotions
Available in more locations
Click and Collect available

Pros and Cons of Shopping at Lidl Compared with Aldi

Pros of Lidl	Cons of Lidl
Wider product range	Slightly more expensive
More promotions	Slower shopping time
	Not available in many locations
	No Click and Collect available

Although it may seem like Lidl has far more cons, the pros may outweigh the drawbacks. For example, if you can take advantage of promotions, you pay less than shopping at Aldi.

Limitations of this Experiment

Of course, this Aldi vs Lidl comparison is not perfect. I only bought a few items, which may not represent the whole supermarket inventory. Equally, my shopping list may differ from yours.

Some products were sold by weight in one supermarket but per piece in another. I had to calculate and convert items from one unit to the other to make a comparison.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do the same brothers own Aldi and Lidl?

No, Aldi and Lidl are not owned by the same brothers. Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd belong to two brothers. Lidl is a separate company that has nothing to do with Aldi.

What is the difference between Aldi and Lidl?

The difference between Aldi and Lidl is that Lidl is more upscale than Aldi. While still being a discounter, Lidl carries more branded and international products.

Are Aldi and Lidl the cheapest?

Yes, Aldi and Lidl are the cheapest supermarkets. This applies to a typical grocery shop only, though. Certain products may still be cheaper in other stores.

Aldi vs Lidl Summary

My shopping trips revealed Aldi as the winner for the cheapest discounter title. Additionally, Aldi won regarding shopping time (also not significantly) and location.

While Aldi may be the cheapest of the two discounters, consider that both are cheaper than regular supermarkets. This post does not label Lidl as expensive.

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