If you're looking for the best deals online, then two marketplaces stand out; Temu and AliExpress. With so many items to choose from and such lucrative deals available, you may get confused between the two platforms and not know which one is better.
Considering that one of them is well established whereas the other is still new to the game, we all might deviate to the one that's been around the longest - AliExpress.
But don't let that fool you because though Temu is new, they've managed to garner quite the following and they've grown like crazy over the last 2 years.
They offer free shipping, great deals on retail orders and their loyalty system is one of the best around.
This article will breakdown the key differences between the two brands and ultimately see which one's the best. We'll cover prices, product quality and even customer support and highlight the pros and cons of the two so that it's easier for you to make an informed decision.
Let's begin.
Also Read: Temu vs Amazon | Can Temu Overtake Amazon in the US Market?
Temu vs AliExpress : Summary
Comparing Temu to AliExpress, I've found both have apps apart from their websites, but Temu's app is notably faster and smoother to navigate. While both ensure security, AliExpress tends to bombard users with more pop-ups. Temu stands out with its lower prices, thanks to its commission-free model for merchants. Plus, shipping is a breeze with faster options and free choices on Temu. Though the product range is similar, Temu goes the extra mile to ensure higher quality. When it comes to customer support, Temu shines with its 24/7 chat and phone assistance. Overall, for me, Temu's swift interface, competitive prices, quality assurance, and top-notch support make it the preferred choice.
Temu vs AliExpress : Website / App
To start things off, both Temu and AliExpress have websites as well as apps that can be downloaded on various devices including smartphones and tablets.
Both platforms are SSL secure, but the AliExpress app is large and takes longer to download, install and setup.
The Temu app on the other hand is a lot smaller and has a relatively faster load time for pages. This is one of the reasons why I prefer using the Temu app over AliExpress any day.
Temu was quite easy to navigate and the layout was quite similar to AliExpress, so there’s not much to compare there.
Both websites have similar categories and they are listed at the top of the page alongside the top selling products and account section, while the apps have them in the footer.
One difference I did notice between the two apps is that AliExpress loads a lot of promotional pop-ups which can be frustrating at times.
There were a couple on Temu as well, but they only appeared when the app was launched and not while using it over a period of time.
In terms of ease of use, Temu is faster, more responsive and quite easy to navigate. AliExpress has a similar layout and is also easy to navigate, but it’s a tad slower than Temu and sometimes images and reviews don’t load.
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Temu vs AliExpress : Prices
Coming to the prices of products, there’s not much difference as both platforms cut out the middleman and connect buyers directly with manufacturers.
However, AliExpress does charge between 5% - 8% commission on each sale, so products can be a little more expensive than the listings on Temu.
There are no commissions or entry fees charged to merchants while using Temu and as a result of this, manufacturers are able to offer their products at a much lower rate on Temu than they can on AliExpress.
For example, if you take a look at the Lenovo L3 Pro speaker, on AliExpress it costs $14.22 and after discount it can be bought for $11.23. The same speaker retails at $11.43 on Temu and after discount it can be bought for around $1.71.
I did find it to be a similar case with other products and I also noticed a trend where other products listed on AliExpress were more expensive than the ones on Temu such as clothes, jewelry, tech, and accessories to name a few.
But that’s only when considering the retail aspect of buying things, if you’re a wholesale buyer then AliExpress is definitely the better choice as the site hosts sellers that primarily deal in wholesale goods, so the end price will be much cheaper on AliExpress when goods are bought in bulk.
So in a way i’d say that both platforms are balanced. Temu is better for retail shoppers whereas AliExpress is better for wholesale buyers and business owners. It is also a better platform for manufacturers and sellers as there are no commissions or fees collected, thereby providing sellers with a wider profit margin.
Temu vs AliExpress : Shipping and Delivery
I had a similar experience while using both platforms and though Temu provides only two shipping modes; Standard and Express, AliExpress has around 8 with the slowest being China Post that has a 20-90 day delivery turnaround.
Another thing I found interesting is that Temu has sort of followed in AliExpress’s footsteps and nearly all orders on Temu are eligible for free shipping.
Only if I had an urgent need for something would I then pay for Express shipping, but that was also free on orders over $99.
AliExpress on the other hand provided free shipping, but it was extremely slow and orders took around 2-3 months to get delivered.
To receive orders faster, I had to opt for premium services like FedEx, DHL or UPS and the price for shipping at times would cost more than the product itself.
So to take shipping and delivery into consideration, i’d say Temu is better because it provides free shipping on almost all orders and orders get fulfilled in a maximum time frame of 30 days. Their entire shipping process is much easier and they use FedEx, UPS and USPS for Express orders and China Post for standard orders.
Click Here for Exclusive Offers on Temu
Temu vs AliExpress : Range and Quality of Products
Coming to the range of products available, Items on Temu can easily be found on AliExpress and I did not find much of a difference between the two sites in terms of what’s available.
When it comes to quality however, Temu does a reasonably better job of delivering good quality items and though they are new in the market, they are able to provide customers with products that actually match what’s being shown on the platform.
AliExpress has a couple of bad sellers that tend to goof up on orders and this has taken the name of the company down a different path, resulting in users getting fed up of receiving bad orders or faulty products from the site.
The main difference that I was able to find is the process the two brands follow while onboarding sellers.
Temu tends to follow a more secure approach where they first physically inspect the product before it goes on the site. So, only if Temu can confirm that the product is made from good quality materials and that the seller will deliver products of the same quality will they be allowed to conduct their business on the site.
AliExpress on the other hand does have a couple of security measures in place to ensure that the seller delivers high quality products, but at times sellers tend to ship out a mix of good and bad quality products to avoid getting caught.
So, from what I can tell, in terms of the range of products, both platforms are pretty amazing with hundreds of thousands of items to choose from. However, when it comes to the overall quality of these items, Temu has a slight upper hand as they do not permit sellers to use their platform unless there’s a guarantee that only good quality merchandise will be shipped to customers.
Temu vs AliExpress : Returns and Refund Policy
Now while ordering from abroad, the one thing ecommerce sites should have in place is a strong refund/returns policy and luckily both AliExpress and Temu have one in place.
In fact, they both even have buyer protection programs that help protect the buyer in the event an order was not delivered, lost or damaged.
Both programs are applicable on all orders placed on their respective platforms and the full amount of the order will be refunded back to the buyer in case Temu and AliExpress can confirm that the order was either not delivered, delivered damaged or if it was an incorrect item that was sent.
I tried it on both platforms and they will provide full refunds in case there’s something wrong with the order and the seller is not helpful, but a ticket will have to be raised and it can take anywhere from 24 hours to 72 hours to have the complaint addressed and a solution delivered.
With regards to the refund timeline, Temu will take around 30 days to have the refund credited back to the customer whereas AliExpress will try to get it done within a maximum of 15 days and only in some cases will it take 30 days to get back into the account.
There wasn’t much of a difference in the entire refund process and the whole refund timeline is almost the same for both platforms.
Temu vs AliExpress : Customer Support
When it comes to customer support, I'd have to say that Temu offers better support than AliExpress.
I had a few issues with my orders and with the 24/7 live chat option on Temu, I was able to get my queries answered at any time. Whereas, on AliExpress I had to raise a ticket or send an email and I would receive a response only after 24 hours.
Also, though Temu requires buyers to get in touch with the seller first, they do take up cases on their own such as pre-sale queries.
Temu also has a direct customer support number to have rights or queries resolved over the phone which is something that AliExpress lacks.
I also found both websites to have a pretty detailed help section where common problems and troubleshooting tips were listed.
So, it's safe to say that Temu is faster at resolving issues and there are more ways to get in touch with their support team than there is on AliExpress.
Temu vs AliExpress : Summary
| Temu | AliExpress | |
| Overall App Rating | 4.7/5 | 4.5/5 |
| Website & App | Website is SSL secure and easy to navigate;Available on Android and iOS;21 MB file size | Website is SSL secure and easy to navigate;Available on Android and iOS;111 MB file size |
| Prices | Cheap and Affordable;Merchants don’t have to pay commission | Cheap and Affordable;Merchants pay 5-8% commission |
| Shipping & Deliveries | Free shipping on almost all orders;Standard and Express delivery | Free shipping on almost all orders;Long delivery times;Multiple shipping methods available |
| Range & Quality of Products | Few branded, most unbranded items;Good quality Chinese goods | Mostly Chinese made goods;Some are of good quality |
| Returns and Refunds | Returns on all orders;Timeline is 90 days | Returns and REfunds permitted;Timeline is 30-45 days |
| Buyer Protection | Temu Purchase Protection Program | AliExpress Buyer Protection Program |
| Customer Service | 24/7 Live Support;Chat, Email & Phone Support | Email and Ticket based support |
| Best For | Cheap Chinese Products and Impulsive Buying | Cheap Chinese Products |
Overall
There you have it, based on my comparison, both platforms are great to shop from if you're not worried about delayed or lost packages.
Products are nearly the same price, there are plenty of offers and deals running and the overall quality of the goods is good.
However, it's a safe option to buy from Temu as there are fewer scam sellers on the site, there's a pretty good buyer protection program and they have 24/7 customer support.
Which one would you prefer buying from? Drop your comments below.
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