Both Whole Foods and Aldi are two popular grocery chains In the United States. While they do target different demographics, it is hard to know what the real difference between the two stores are. So to help you choose between these two stores, I took a look and compared them on three major decision making factors.
These three major decision factors are:
- Price
- Quality
- Variety
By the end of this article, you should have a much better idea as to which store is right for you.
Which is Better: Aldi or Whole Foods? Aldi is cheaper than Whole Foods by a range of 21% to 74% on all Store brand items. However Whole Foods does have a higher product quality, according to the FDA, and more product variety in their stores.
Is Aldi Cheaper Than Whole Foods?
The price of a product is arguably the biggest decision making factor when it comes to picking a grocery store. And customers look at Aldi and Whole Foods, most would like to know which one is cheaper.
To figure this out, I compared the prices of the most commonly purchased store brand items from both stores. Below is a chart that shows which store has the cheaper products in the most common shopping categories.
| Category | Aldi Brand | Whole Foods Brand |
| Beverages | ✓ | |
| Baking Goods | ✓ | |
| Canned Goods | ✓ | |
| Dairy | ✓ | |
| Dry Goods | ✓ | |
| Frozen Foods | ✓ | |
| Personal Care | ✓ | |
| Cleaners | ✓ | |
Aldi is anywhere from 21% to 74% cheaper than Whole Foods. In other words, the products at Whole Foods cost less than the products at Aldi.
After checking the prices, it is clear that Aldi is the winner as it is the most cost-effective store. Whole Foods prices are significantly higher than Aldo’s prices. To further show the differences in price, I created a bar chart that expresses the prices of each shopping category for both stores.
Clearly, you can see that Whole Foods has significantly taller bars, which means they are more expensive. This is most apparent in the beverage, bread, dairy, and personal care categories.
So, if you are a customer that is primarily concerned with price then Aldi is the best option for you.
Product Quality: Aldi vs Whole Foods
Customers also are concerned with the quality of products that they are buying. When a customer purchases an item, they want to know that it is safe to use or consume. So, to figure out which store has better quality products, I took a look at the FDA’s product recall database.
This database shows how many product recalls each store has had in recent years. The store that has more product recalls is likely to be the store with lower quality products.
| Category | Aldi Recalls | Whole Foods Recalls |
| Animal & Veterinary | 0 | 0 |
| Biologics | 0 | 0 |
| Cosmetics | 0 | 0 |
| Dietary Supplements | 0 | 0 |
| Drugs | 0 | 0 |
| Food and Beverages | 31 | 2 |
| Medical Devices | 0 | 0 |
| Radiation Emitting Products | 0 | 0 |
| Tobacco | 0 | 0 |
Aldi has more than 15 times the amount of product recalls as Whole Foods, which means Whole Foods has much higher quality products in comparison to Aldi.
To give you a better idea of the average, most grocery stores have anywhere between 10 and 22 product recalls. Aldi has significantly more than the average, whereas Whole Foods has significantly less. This is a clear sign that Whole Foods has much higher quality products.
So if you are a customer who prioritizes product quality, then Whole Foods is a much better option for you.
Product Variety: Aldi vs Whole Foods
The amount of options that each store has available to their customers is also something to consider when picking between both of the stores. The store with more product variety is likely to have everything that you might need.
| Total Aldi Products | Total Whole Foods Products |
| 1,400 | 30,000 |
Whole Foods has much more product variety compared to Aldi. More specifically, Aldi has more than 21 times the amount of options in their stores as Aldi.
What it means is that you will be able to find significantly more options at Whole Foods in comparison to Aldi. The average grocery store has around 31,000 products available. So Whole Foods is right around the average, and Aldi is significantly below the average.
So, if you enjoy having more options to pick from than Whole Foods is better for you.
What Does Each Store Sell?
Both of the stores have a different focus on the types of products that they sell. Aldi focuses more on discount products while Whole Foods focuses more on organic, non-GMO, and other health-conscious options.
Which One Should You Shop At: Aldi vs Whole Foods?
When to shop at Aldi: Despite having lower quality products and less options to pick from, Aldi does have the best prices by far. If you are looking to save money when you go grocery shopping, then Aldi is the best option.
When to shop at Whole Foods: Despite having higher prices, Whole Foods does offer much better quality and significantly more options. Not only that, but they do offer an extensive variety of health conscious options. If healthier foods are more of a priority for you, then you should probably shop at Whole Foods.