The Best Generic Brands That Save You Money

Most consumers agree that buying generic rather than name-brand products is a good way to keep down costs.

In fact, due to recent inflation, more than a third of Americans have switched to buying private label brands.

“Generally, store brands are about 40% less than their name-brand counterparts,” said Teri Gault, author of “Shop Smart, Save More.” And she added that most are as good as name-brand products.

If you want to save money and are willing to give generic products a chance, here are some of the best private-label brands.

Discount supermarket chain Aldi sells several private-label brands in its 2,297 stores across 39 states and territories. In fact, 90% of what is sold in Aldi is a store brand.

Aldi’s Simply Nature line of organic items is a particularly good buy, explained Lauren Greutman, a frugal-living expert and author of “The Recovering Spender.” This line includes products such as milk, bread, cereal, pasta, frozen foods and more.

“Their organic line saves me easily 50% off what I’d pay for name brand,” she said.

Greutman also recommended Aldi’s Never Any! brand, which is a line of natural meats that cost about half as much as brand-name equivalents.

Warehouse club Costco has its own private-label brand, Kirkland Signature, which appears on nearly 25% of the brand’s total revenue. Many of the items sold under this label garner good reviews for quality and value.

However, its wine and spirit offerings — such as vodka and bourbon — are particular stand-outs, said Jim Wang, founder of the money-saving blog WalletHacks.com.

“All of the Kirkland brands are white-labeled products from companies that produce it under other names, too, and Kirkland requires the quality to be top-notch,” Wang explained.

He added that compatible brand names sell for 20%-30% more.

Costco’s laundry and dish detergents also offer great value for the money. A 2015 Consumer Reports’ test of laundry detergents found that Costco’s Kirkland Signature Free & Clear did as good of a job getting clothing clean as name-brand products that cost two to three times as much.

The Kirkland Signature Dishwasher Pacs compared favorably with top-rated Cascade at one-third of the cost, according to Consumer Reports.

Supermarket chain Kroger sells a line of organic and natural food products under its private-label Simple Truth brand, which is typically cheaper than name-brand counterparts.

For example, Simple Truth Organic Creamy Peanut Butter costs $4.49 for a 16 oz jar at Ralphs, whereas the Santa Cruz brand of Organic Creamy Peanut Butter costs $7.49 a jar at the same store.

Supermarket chain Safeway offers a line of premium foods under the Safeway Select brand. The coffee sold under this brand is a particularly good buy.

A 32 oz bag of Signature SELECT Coffee Whole Bean Arabica Medium Roast Colombia costs $18.99 for a 32 oz bag. For a comparable blend from Starbucks, you’ll pay $8.99 for 12 oz.

Any parent knows that the cost of diapers can add up quickly, but some might not be willing to take a chance on generic brands to save money.

However, BabyGearLab.com — which tests baby products — found Target’s Up & Up brand of diapers offered quality at a more affordable price than brand-name diapers.

Although the Up & Up diapers didn’t rank at the top of BabyGearLab.com’s list, they performed better than some more expensive brands. Up & Up sells packs of 124 diapers for $20.49. For a pack of 104 Pampers diapers, you’ll pay $45.99.

Discount grocer Trader Joe’s is known for its high-quality food products sold under the Trader Joe’s name at low prices. But shoppers should pick up their sunscreen there, too.

Consumer Reports gave Trader Joe’s Spray Sunscreen with an SPF of 50 a perfect score for delivering the SPF protection it promises, reports WebMD. At $5.99 for a 6-ounce can, it’s a fraction of the price of the only other sunscreen to receive a perfect score — $24.99 for a 5-ounce container of La Roche-Posay Anthelios 60 Melt-in Milk.

To get a good deal on health and beauty products, consider Walmart’s Equate brand. Equate over-the-counter medications, in particular, offer significant savings over brand-name equivalents, Greutman elaborated.

For example, a bottle of Equate Ibuprofen with 500 tablets costs $8.38 at Walmart. A bottle of Advil with only 144 tablets cost $15.97 at Walmart. 

According to the Food and Drug Administration, generic drugs are required to have the same active ingredient, strength and dosage as the brand-name product. This means you won’t get a lesser product — just a more affordable one.

Brooke Barley contributed to the reporting for this article.

Prices are accurate as of May 15, 2023 and are subject to change by the retailer.