We shopped on Amazon and Walmart-owned Jet.com to see which offered a better experience - and the winner was clear

The differences between Amazon and Jet were obvious right away. The Amazon homepage featured deals and products that were recommended based on products I've looked at before, alongside a Prime advertisement and other related ads. There were a ton of recommended products and drop-down menus.

Advertisement

Jet's homepage was much simpler. Fewer products were displayed, and there was nothing showing up based on other products I've viewed in the past. There were fewer menus to choose from, so I was less overwhelmed with options. The layout was pretty similar to Amazon.

Advertisement

Both sites had a ton of different categories, including fresh produce, electronics, clothing, makeup, and more. It was a bit of an information overload.

The structure of the categories was slightly different. For example, makeup remover was including in "makeup" on Amazon, but "skincare" on Jet. Both sites were categorized into so many smaller segments that I found it hard to actually browse for anything, but in general, Jet felt more user-friendly and less cluttered.

Advertisement

I looked into popular categories from each site to see how the prices and shopping experiences compared. On Amazon, all of the prices on popular products were written on the category page — there were a ton of products on the page, and they were clearly labeled.

Jet had far fewer products in each category across the whole site.

Advertisement

Prices were similar on the two sites. Single apples generally cost under $2, and packs of six or more cost between $4 and $7 on both sites. Amazon had a much bigger variety of groceries for sale than Jet did.

A 61-count pack of Tide Pods cost $18.97 on Amazon and $19.97 on Jet. Amazon had a greater variety of products in the household supplies category. Jet has a private label called Uniquely J that sells environmentally friendly household supplies at low prices. Amazon also has about 70 private-label brands, including household-focused brands like Presto and Mama Bear.

Advertisement

Household items like this frying pan set cost the same on either site.

A 55-inch Roku smart TV cost the same on either site, and it qualified for free shipping on both.

Advertisement

There were a few areas where prices differed between the sites. On Amazon, a couch from Ashley Furniture was $856.17, and the same couch was $888.05 on Jet.

Other products were less expensive on Jet, like a 25-count package of makeup wipes. On Amazon, the same product was $11.95.

Advertisement

Dresses from the same brands also cost less on Jet than on Amazon. Calvin Klein dresses filed under "polished day dresses" were at least double the price on Amazon than they were on Jet, and Jet had a much bigger selection in this category.

Both websites had deals of the day. On Amazon, the selection was random, with sneakers, watches, smart home devices, hair styling tools, and more, all on one page.

Advertisement

Jet had the deals organized by category, and you were actually able to see how much you'd be saving. Some products were marked with a small purple arrow, meaning the price would drop once you added the product to your cart. Jet shoppers can also earn JetCash — reward incentives that can be used as payment on the site.

Jet offers free two-to-five-day shipping on every order over $35 and $5.99 shipping for smaller orders under that threshold. Amazon does offer free-shipping to non-Prime members, but it only applies to qualifying products and takes five to eight days.

Advertisement

Both sites accept returns within 30 days on most products. Overall, Amazon had a lot more to choose from, but Jet was more user-friendly and provided a better shopping experience.