Sainsbury's vs Tesco: how do the supermarket giants compare?

Sainsbury's and Tesco are the UK's biggest supermarket chains, with thousands of stores between them.

Both stock a huge selection of products ranging from no-frills to premium, and offer enticing loyalty schemes, but which one is better to shop with?

We compare the supermarket giants' performance on everything from prices and taste tests to customer experience and animal welfare. 

Is Sainsbury’s or Tesco cheaper? 

Every month, we use an independent pricing database to compare the cost of a selection of popular groceries at major supermarkets. 

Tesco was cheaper than Sainsbury's in both our January and February price comparisons, even when loyalty discounts were taken into account. It was also cheaper than Sainsbury’s for both a smaller and bigger shop every month last year with one exception.

Overall, Aldi is consistently the cheapest of the eight supermarkets in our monthly price analysis, while Asda has been the cheapest of the traditional supermarkets so far this year.

• Find out more: cheapest supermarkets of 2025

Are Tesco or Sainsbury’s stores nicer to shop in?

Tesco was more popular with shoppers in our latest survey of the best and worst supermarkets. It placed second for in-store shopping (after M&S). 

Sainsbury’s was mid-table for in-store shopping, but earned identical star ratings, including four-out-of-five stars for store appearance, product range and stock availability.

Both supermarkets were rated better by shoppers than rival traditional supermarkets Asda and Morrisons, which came joint last for in-store shopping.

Which is better for online shopping? 

Tesco also came joint first for online grocery shopping (alongside Ocado) in our survey, with an impressive customer score of 79%. Sainsbury’s wasn’t far behind, placing joint third. 

Again, they had identical star ratings, including four stars for customer service and the full five for delivery.

Sainsbury’s is a Which? Recommended Provider (WRP) for online. We didn't make Tesco a WRP because we're concerned about the accessibility of its Clubcard loyalty scheme, which is only available to over-18s (more on that below).

One big difference between their online shops is that Tesco.com is what's known as a marketplace. As well as its own products and branded goods, you can buy things sold by third-party sellers that deliver orders directly to customers. There are now more than 150,000 third-party items available, spanning everything from homeware and garden furniture to toys and pet accessories

Be aware that Tesco takes no responsibility for delivery issues, returns, refunds or complaints about marketplace items according to its terms and conditions. However, it told us that it would assist with resolving issues if you're unhappy with a seller's response.

• Find out more: strangest supermarket substitutions

Does Sainsbury’s or Tesco make tastier food?

Which? regularly pits supermarket own-label products against big brands in taste tests. Both Sainsbury’s and Tesco beat well-known brands like Tiptree, Duerr's and Frank Cooper's in our recent marmalade blind-taste test, but tasters preferred Sainsbury’s.

In fact, Sainsbury’s achieved higher scores than Tesco in 13 recent food and drink taste tests; Tesco scored higher in five, and they scored the same twice. However, Tesco had more Best Buys than Sainsbury's.

Here are some of their tastiest products in recent tests:

Loyalty schemes compared: Clubcard vs Nectar 

Clubcard 

Tesco was the first supermarket to offer two-tier pricing, where loyalty scheme members pay less for some products than non-members. Our monthly price analysis shows Clubcard members could save around 7% on a grocery shop.

Clubcard members also collect one point for every £1 spent in-store and online, plus one point for every two litres of fuel you buy. Each Clubcard point is worth 1p in Tesco, so 100 points are worth £1. However, points are worth twice their value if you spend them with Clubcard partners, of which there are around 100, including Cineworld, National Express and Zizzi. 

Other perks include personalised coupons for bonus points or extra discounts every fortnight if you use the app. Personalised coupons are sent around eight times a year if you receive Clubcard vouchers by post.

For £7.99 a month, Tesco also offers Clubcard Plus. Benefits include a 10% discount on two in-store grocery shops per month, 10% off selected Tesco brands in-store, including F&F and Tesco Pet, plus double data on Tesco Mobile.

You must be over 18 and have a UK address to be eligible for a Clubcard. Which? is calling on supermarkets, including Tesco, to widen access to their loyalty schemes, particularly where they unlock big discounts.

Nectar 

Sainsbury's also offers member-only prices, which could save you around 7% on your grocery bill, according to our research.

Nectar members earn one point for £1 spent at Sainsbury's. You can also collect points with selected partners such as Argos and British Airways.

Points are worth 0.5p, meaning 200 Nectar points are worth £1. You can spend them with Sainsbury's or more than 300 companies, including Caffe Nero, Just Eat and Vue Cinemas.

If you shop in-store using Sainsbury's SmartShop app or link your Nectar card to your online account, you'll receive bonus point offers and personalised discounts (called Your Nectar Prices). 

You must be over 18 and have a UK address to join, but under-18s can be added to the account of a parent or guardian. 

• Find out more: how Asda Rewards, Morrisons More and Lidl Plus schemes compare

How do Tesco and Sainsbury’s compare on animal welfare? 

Neither supermarket excels in this field. Both were rated as ‘making progress’ in the latest Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare, which evaluates large food companies’ welfare policies and practices (M&S and Waitrose were the highest-rated grocers).

On a more positive note, Sainsbury’s was the first major supermarket to give its own-label fresh chickens more space in 2023. Tesco followed suit last year, pledging that the amount of space per bird would be increased to 20% more than the industry standard by mid-2025. 

Both also offer free-range, higher-welfare fresh chicken – look out for the ‘RSPCA Assured’ logo. However, neither plans to stop using fast-growing breeds, which suffer from health problems – unlike M&S and Waitrose.

All Sainsbury’s eggs are sourced from free-range UK farms. Tesco has committed to only using cage-free eggs by the end of 2025 ('cage-free' includes eggs from chickens reared in barns without outdoor access). 

• Find out more: decoding sustainability, welfare and food safety labels

How sustainable is their fish?

Sainsbury’s is making headway on sustainable seafood sourcing. It was the first UK supermarket to have all its fresh Scottish salmon range independently certified, and the first to commit to selling only Aquaculture Stewardship Council-certified farmed seafood.

It’s one of only two grocers with the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) blue label on all its own-brand canned tuna products (Waitrose is the other). Overall, 79% of Sainsbury’s wild seafood range was MSC-certified in 2023/2024 – more than any other retailer.

Tesco has pledged that all its own-label canned tuna products will be MSC-labelled by the end of 2025, and 70% of its wild seafood range was certified in 2023/2024. It’s also committed to sourcing all its own-brand wild-caught seafood sustainably by the end of 2030. It's unclear how much of Tesco's farmed fish is currently responsibly sourced.

• Find out more: how to buy sustainable fish

How many stores do Sainsbury’s and Tesco have?

Tesco is the UK's biggest supermarket chain with 3,600 stores, including 2,074 small Express stores. According to Kantar data, it has a substantial 28% slice of Great Britain’s grocery market.

Sainsbury’s has around 1,400 stores – 600 supermarkets and over 800 Local outlets – making it the second-biggest chain with 16% market share. It also owns Argos.

Tesco is on track to make record profits this year. Industry experts credit its member-only Clubcard offers and price-matching with giving it the edge.

Sainsbury’s has copied Tesco’s tactics and introduced loyalty prices and Aldi price-matching in the past few years. It recently became the first supermarket to match some of Aldi’s prices in convenience outlets, but doesn't offer Nectar promotions in Local stores.

So which is really better: Tesco or Sainsbury's?

The answer to that question depends on your priorities.

Tesco is cheaper based on our monthly price analysis. It also offers a slightly better in-store experience, but both are great for online shopping, according to customers.

You can collect Nectar points with other companies, but Tesco’s loyalty scheme offers bigger rewards if you’re planning to spend your points with affiliated brands rather than on a grocery shop.

Sainsbury’s own-brand products have scored higher in more of our recent taste tests, but Tesco has had more Best Buys. 

Sainsbury’s stocks more sustainable fish and eggs and has made more progress on chicken welfare, but both could do better on farm animal welfare in general. 

If you’re after a traditional supermarket that caters for all budgets and tastes, you're unlikely to be disappointed at Tesco or Sainsbury's.