Common sense would suggest that if something costs more, it must be for a reason. The materials, the expertise, the longevity, all of these things make something that little bit harder to produce. But experience shows that sometimes prices are so disconnected from reality that a wise consumer best does their research first.

People online, netizens, if you will, share their favorite examples of cheaper versions of items that are really just better than their expensive counterparts. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and list your own examples in the comments section below.

#1

Most generic over the counter medicines are the same thing as the brand name ones.

Image credits: jam219

#2

Dollar store birthday/thank you cards. No one really cares how much you spent on one or whether it's an overpriced $3.99 American Greetings one.

Image credits: bananapuddin

#3

Android.

#4

Acetaminophen/ibuprofen. Advil and Tylenol are so expensive compared to the store brand versions and they’re literally the same chemical make up.

#5

I don't need a BMW, my toyota does just fine.

#6

Most Kirkland products.

Image credits: lizard_king0000

#7

Tap water. It's like $2 for 1000 gallons.

Just checked Walmart. Deer Park is $3,149.50 for 1000 gallons. Even the King of Plumbers won't charge that to put in a whole house filter.

Yes, there is a King of Plumbers. And he has a Privy Council, but they don't do s**t.

Image credits: OneTimeIDidThatOnce

#8

Using vinegar to clean your floors, you don't need a fancy floor specific cleaner.

Image credits: GrandPappyMcPoyle

#9

Shoes. Just because they're Premium XX Panther Special Edition Golden Supreme-Velcro Adidas Trainers, doesn't mean you can pop down to a normal shoe shop and get some normal shoes.

Image credits: Tinylad

#10

Most kinds of cables. HDMI, ethernet - you can get stuff off Amazon or Monoprice that is waaaay cheaper and just as good as Monster or some other big brand.

Image credits: DonutDonutDonut

#11

For me, Vaseline works better than any $40 lip-balm Dior can sell me.

Image credits: L-aerodyne

#12

Basically any off brand food from Aldi.

Image credits: pc0le

#13

Not sure about other parts of the world but this is in Britain.
Medication brands are ridiculous.
In Britain you can buy “proper” brand Paracetamol. Or you can buy Tesco’s own cheap brand of Paracetamol.
They’re literally the same medication, just different packaging and pricing. No ingredient is different in the medication. And it isn’t just Paracetamol either, it’s like a bunch of different medications.

#14

I found out you can get some really good, high quality, good looking, polarized sunglasses ordered from china that are like around $8 . I stopped paying $70 for something I constantly lose.

Image credits: ButtlerRobot

#15

Safety razors ( aka double edge razors ) vs cartridge razors. Seriously the shave is great, and the blades are so cheap. 10-30$ / 100.

Once you have the handle you're good, and for ~30$ you can get a stainless steel razor, none of that plastic c**p like you'll get with cartridge razors..

#16

White vinegar for cleaning,

You can buy a giant jug of white vinegar for $5. You can buy a small spray bottle of it for the same amount. One is for general use, the other is advertised to rich hippies as a chemical free, sustainable way to clean your kitchen. It’s the same exact product.

Don’t even get me started on buying spices in the “spice aisle” vs the “Mexican/ethnic” aisle at the grocery store.

#17

Bar soap.

#18

Store brand flavored seltzer.

Image credits: Shlittle

#19

Coffee makers. My $5 french press can do anything a fancy coffeemaker can do besides froth milk. All the silly bells and whistles (not to mention piles of plastic waste) that come with a fancy coffeemaker running on pods/paper filters/batteries/what have you don't amount to much when all you need for a cup of coffee is hot water and coffee.

Image credits: whoop_there_she_is

#20

For me, the number-one on the list has to be **phone cases/covers**. I try to get the cheapest one possible without any consideration for brand name. As long as it's black and it fits, it's great.

Image credits: anon

#21

Dutch oven. no regrets on the money spent on the eye candy brand ones but utility-wise there's truly no difference.

Image credits: green_amethyst

#22

Watches

Don't know why people spend so much money on watches when a cheap one can do the job just fine.

Image credits: Laser158

#23

Used vs new. I almost prefer a few scratches for 50-60% off

#24

My cheap blender that I bought when I first moved out on my own is still going strong while the nice cuisinart one with the food processor I got for my wedding died pretty quickly.

Image credits: Livvylove

#25

Clancy's Baked BBQ Chips. I get mine from Aldi. They're like half the price and actually taste better than the Lay's brand.

Image credits: DangHeckinMemes

#26

The generic Costco Baileys.

#27

I've been told that the costco brand vodka (Kirkland Vodka, I think) is extremely cheap for a handle, and is quite good and is comparable to grey goose in quality.

#28

Water.

#29

Instead of AirPods^(TM) you can buy a beanie off Amazon for like 15$ that has Bluetooth headphones in it. Way more comfortable and warm, plus AirPod^(TM) users won't call you broke.

Image credits: anon

#30

Screw driver is a screw driver is a screw driver.

30 year old hammer is a hammer. No cracks? That s**t is golden.

If you can pick up non rotating tools at a garage sale cheap, that stuff is a great buy.

Image credits: Suuperdad

#31

Most pharamaceuticul d***s.

#32

Audio Technica ATH-M40x headphones are extremely good for the price.

Image credits: Ryzasu

#33

Tenda Routers. For the same feature set as a much higher priced Asus router, you can get a Tenda for about 2/3 the price of an Asus, Linksys, or Cisco router. Have ran them for years with 0 issue, in fact there is still a vary old (like 10 years plus) $5 dollar Tenda router in use at my parents house. Still working perfectly.



Heck, ill go out and say nearly anything that is a Microcenter house brand is as good or better than MOST name brand items. I wouldn't get Inland fans, but cables? Media? Every time.

#34

If you don’t have medical insurance, look up your prescription from your doctor online. You might find the exact brand and packaging sold through a pet supply online store and don’t need a prescription to purchase a $10 item when CVS is charging you $150.

#35

Clothes (most of the time).

#36

Boots for work or mountain walks

if you go to an army shop you can get really good boots for a really fair price compared to a brand

seeing my friend stumble around in his 150 euro clark boots with me in mountain paths and mud while mine cost like 29 euros and i had them in scruffy but good condition for like 6 years.

#37

Fitbit watches and smart watches. Off brands like Amazfit Bip and Skagen Hagen Connected work exactly the same minus the cost. Another one is by the store brand of food items taste as good or better as the regular big brand food items.

#38

Nose strips and cotton swabs.

#39

Behringer Model D ($300) versus Moog Minimoog D ($3500). They sound nearly identical across their full ranges of sounds. The Behringer does require an external MIDI keyboard, but those can be had for as little as $100 (and most keyboard players already have one).

EDIT: For the uninitiated . . . these are electronic synthesizers (musical instruments).

#40

Stainless steel thermoses. My $11 Contigo one seals completely (I can throw it in upside-down in my bag and it doesn't leak) and keeps my coffee hot for hours. I used a relative's Yeti once and didn't think it had anything more going for it.

#41

A bag.

#42

Movies. It is cheaper to rent a movie and stream it online than going to the theatre. Me and my sister…that’s kind of our thing, Tuesday night is movie night and…we could spend $60 at the theatre or go to our parents house and use the theatre there or my house and watch it on the 80 inch in the basement. Unlimited popcorn and drinks, free candy and if you need to go to the bathroom…you can pause the movie so you don’t have to rush. Only downside is…you have to have a really solid wifi connection.

#43

Champagne. I've tried more expensive stuff and it tasted like s**t, the (at the time) $10 tosti asti was off the chain.

#44

Cheap vodka as long as your freeze the everliving s**t out of it

There are also some cheap bourbons and ryes that are pretty good - lookin at you Pikesville.

#45

Souljapods.

#46

Aldi Soy Milk. Less than half the price of other supermarkets.

Coles/Woolies/IGA (Aussie companies) it's $2.80, Aldi it's $1.09.

Just one of the many bargains Aldi is gutting the competition with.

#47

Pots and Pans

I love my T-Fals

Calfphalon is a waste of money.

#48

Cat tree

#49

I've posted this before, but for all of you Texans out there, HEB's product line is almost always as good as or better than the original product, while also being cheaper. Last time I posted this, I said that their only inferior product that I've had was their ice cream line when compared to Blue Bell, but a significant amount of people disagreed with that, so it seems that they're still batting 1.000.

#50

Underwear.

#51

Seriously, £5 Tesco branded earphones. Saved me a lot of money.

#52

The Jewel version of cheeseburger Hamburger Helper is better than the brand it emulates. I wouldn't have believed it, but it is...it is.

#53

Wonder clips. Used in sewing and quilting. The name brand are all red and instantly expensive (100 clips for $60ish) and you can but the cheap ones on Amazon and wish for $8-10 for 100, and they're different colors. They work just as well, occassionally you many get a few that are a little difficult to open, but for the price difference its beyond worth it. I'm always baffled that people pay for the brand name ones. Most of the time though its because they dont realize the cheap ones exist since they're sold online only.

#54

Butter.

#55

A fun one at work is otoscopes (the lens with the handle and the light.) The department spent thousands on like 8 of them. They sucked, and the administration even wanted the docs to have to sign them out. A year later most are missing or broken and they bought $30 ones off of Amazon that work just fine.

#56

I realised that cheap safety razors are far better for shaving my head than expensive razors. They flex and bend a lot more which is a lot better for going over the contours of my scalp

#57

Those oak aged expensive wines, to me taste like s**t. Maybe I haven’t developed that palette yet but you make me happier with a bottle in the $10 range.

#58

The AmazonBasics brand. We have c*****g boards, a kitchen scale, batteries, hdmi cables, iPhone chargers, towels, and a few other things. Everything works great and is super cheap.

#59

TRX straps (suspension trainer/ exercise equipment).

#60

Soulja pods > air pods.

#61

Tattoo machines, i think, if anyone else has had this happen, please let me know.

#62

A bike compared to a car.

#63

Cologne/ Perfume, some cereals and soda as well.

#64

Jeans.

#65

For many electronics like remotes, batteries.