Ever since its launch in 2005, Amazon Prime has been the gold standard of online shopping subscription programs. As of 2020, there are more than 150 million subscribers of Amazon Prime.
For $12.99 a month or $119 a year, Amazon Prime members get to enjoy a whole host of benefits such as free shipping on more than 13 million items, free streaming of TV shows and movies, free music, free online gaming, unlimited online storage of photos, and more.
Walmart Plus is better for people who shop at Walmart in store and want to save more money in gas and membership. Amazon is better in terms of variety of available products and streaming services.
After 15 years, Amazon Prime is finally facing its first serious challenger. Walmart, the biggest retailer by revenue in the United States, has launched its Amazon Prime competitor, Walmart Plus, on September 15, 2020.
The Main Difference
While Walmart Plus and Amazon Prime compete in the same market segment, there are substantial differences between the two. In the sections below we will look into their differences in detail. The following table summarizes the main differences between Walmart Plus and Amazon Prime:
| Walmart Plus | Amazon Prime | |
| Free Trial | 15 days | 30 days |
| Yearly Subscription | $98 | $119 |
| Monthly Subscription | $12.95 | $12.99 |
| Same-Day Delivery | For orders $35 or more | For orders $35 or more |
| Products Eligible for Same-Day Delivery | 160,000 items | 3 million items |
| 2-Hour Delivery | No | For orders $35 or more |
| Delivery Window | 1-Hour | No |
| In-Store Pickup | Yes | No |
| Fuel Discount | 5 cents per gallon | No |
| Free TV Shows & Movies | No | Yes |
| Free Music | No | 2 million songs |
| Free Games | No | Yes |
| Free eBooks | No | 1,000 Books, Magazines, Comics |
| Photo Cloud Storage | No | Unlimited |
Who Should Choose Walmart Plus
- Those who shop at Walmart regularly and want to save time through home delivery, in-store pickup, or scan & go
- Those who are interested in saving on fuel costs. An average driver can save $33 per year on the fuel discount offered by Walmart Plus. If your household has multiple drivers who drive more than average, you can easily make back the $98 per year subscription fee of Walmart Plus just on fuel savings alone
Who Should Choose Amazon Prime
- Those who shop at Amazon regularly and want to get fast delivery for free
- Those who are interested in the free TV shows, movies, music, games, and books offered by Amazon Prime
Walmart Plus Pros and Cons
Amazon Prime Pros and Cons
Cost Comparison
Both Walmart Plus and Amazon Prime let you choose to pay either annually or monthly.
If you choose to pay annually, Walmart Plus is quite a bit cheaper – it costs $98 per year while Amazon Prime costs $119 per year.
On the other hand, if you choose to pay monthly, Walmart Plus does not really offer any cost advantage over Amazon Prime – it costs $12.95 per month while Amazon Prime costs $12.99 per month.
Both Walmart Plus and Amazon Prime offer free trials, with the free trial of Amazon Prime being more generous. Amazon Prime offers a 30-day free trial while Walmart Plus offers only a 15-day free trial.
Shipping Comparison
Walmart Plus Free Delivery
- Product Focus: The product focus of Walmart Plus is squarely on groceries. As a result, only 160,000 products are available in Walmart Plus. Compare that to the 3 million items eligible for same-day delivery in Amazon Prime. But 160,000 is plenty enough for everyday grocery shopping. Walmart has made it clear the prices on Walmart Plus are the same as those in Walmart stores – there are no markups. Essentially, with Walmart Plus you can get groceries at the low prices Walmart is famous for and have them delivered to you for free
- Delivery Time: Walmart Plus promises “as fast as same day” delivery. The reality is, if you live close to one of the participating 2,700 Walmart stores, you will get same-day delivery. If not, your order will take longer to arrive
- Delivery Window: You get to pick a 1-hour window within which your delivery will arrive. This is a very nice and unique feature you will not get from Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime Free Delivery
- Product Focus: The product focus of Amazon Prime is much more expansive than that of Walmart Plus. More than 3 million items are eligible for same-day delivery and more than 10 million items are available for 1-day and 2-day delivery
- Delivery Time: Depending on the product and where you live, Amazon Prime offers 4 different delivery speeds:
- 2-day delivery: millions of items
- 1-day delivery: more than 10 million items
- Same-day delivery: more than 3 million items – if you live close to an Amazon distribution center
- 2-hour delivery: for groceries – if you live close to an Amazon distribution center
- Delivery Window: Amazon Prime does not offer a delivery window
Benefits Comparison
For both Walmart Plus and Amazon Prime, the main benefit they offer is free delivery. Having said that, there are still substantial differences between the 2 in this area.
Benefits Unique to Walmart Plus
- Discounted Fuel: You get a 5 cents per gallon discount when you fuel up at more than 2,000 locations nationwide
- In-store Pickup: Instead of having your order delivered to you, you can also choose to have it packed and ready for pickup at your local Walmart. That way you can just swing by on your way home and pick up your order hassle-free. You can also specify a 1-hour window for your pickup
- Mobile Scan & Go: No need to wait in line while shopping at Walmart. Just scan as you shop and you can skip the checkout line completely
Benefits Unique to Amazon Prime
- TV & Movie Streaming: Amazon Prime comes with an Internet video service called Prime Video. While Prime Video is not Netflix, it still offers a lot of popular original programming such as “The Man in the High Castle,” “The Expanse,” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Besides original programming, Prime Video also offers a lot of TV shows and movies licensed from elsewhere
- Music Streaming: You can listen to more than 2 million songs ad-free
- Game Streaming: Free games, free in-game contents, and free subscription to a Twitch channel of your choice
- eBooks: Unlimited access on any device to more than a thousand eBooks, magazines, and comics
- Photo Cloud Storage: Unlimited cloud storage for your photos
Key Takeaway
By now you are well equipped to make informed decisions on how to choose between them. Before you go, let us do a quick recap:
- Walmart Plus costs $98 per year or $12.95 per month
- Amazon Prime costs $119 per year or $12.99 per month
- Walmart Plus offers free delivery for orders $35 or more. You can choose from 160,000 items. Delivery is same-day if you live close to one of the 2,700 Walmart stores that participate in this program
- Amazon Prime offers free delivery for orders $35 or more. You can choose from 3 million items. Delivery is same-day if you live close to one of Amazon distribution centers
- Walmart Plus’ unique benefits include:
- 5 cents discount for fuel
- In-store pickup of orders
- Mobile scan & go shopping
- Amazon Prime’s unique benefits include:
- 2-hour delivery of groceries
- Free TV shows, movies, music, ebooks
- Unlimited cloud storage of photos
