Lidl Vs Aldi: What's The Difference?

If you're a food shopper living on the East Coast, lucky you. That means your chances of having both Aldi and Lidl grocery stores are pretty good. While both stores have a footprint in the U.S., there are way more Aldis than Lidls (2,300 to about 175, respectively). These grocery stores share a similar business model that focuses on efficiency, value, and self-service with minimal staff. Both also go all-in on products that we go wild for, like Aldi's Belgian chocolates and Lidl's acclaimed French sparkling wine (ooh la la x 2). Oh, and all those holiday foods and drinks at Aldi that blow up social media can be found at Lidl too. Both companies have plans to keep expanding in 2025, with Lidl set to open its third store in NYC, with eyes on Washington D.C. and Atlanta as well. Meanwhile, Aldi plans to open up a whopping 800 more stores in the U.S. by 2028.

It's a common misconception that the same company owns both Aldi and Lidl — while they are both German discount grocery stores, it's Aldi and Trader Joe's that share the same owner. And finally, both of these grocery stores stock their shelves with products that mimic popular brand-name items or offer a lesser-known brand. The chains say that this allows them to maintain competitive pricing while ensuring consistent quality. According to both, this strategy translates to more organic yum, gluten-free snacks, and specialty items. These cozy stores are kept small, too, but that's where the similarities end.

Aldi supermarkets are known all around the world. They operate 12,000 stores worldwide under two umbrellas: Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd. Aldi Nord oversees stores in Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Northern Germany, Poland, Portugal, and Spain. Here's where the connection between Trader Joe's and Aldi comes in: Aldi Nord owns all of the Trader Joe's in the U.S., but it operates separately from the Aldi Nord group. Aldi Süd operates stores in Australia, China, Hungary, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the U.S. In Austria, Slovenia, and Switzerland, Aldi operates under the brand name Hofer. In the U.S., Aldi's headquarters is located in Batavia, Illinois.

In 1946, brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht started Aldi, and they split the operations into the two aforementioned business entities in 1960. Both follow similar business models that streamline just about everything from your shopping experience to the products the stores carry. The low prices along with the way that the stores are laid out separate them from larger, traditional grocery store chains. U.S. shoppers go bananas over cheap groceries and neat home goods with a European flair. Oh, and the cart thing: Aldi carts require a coin to unchain them. The coin is returned when the cart is returned, and that's one way to save labor when it comes to collecting them. You can even buy a key chain from Fusiontec on Amazon that takes the place of a quarter or use a novelty coin-sized medallion from Wingkind that comes in an adorable pouch.

Lidl is a chain of supermarkets from Germany. The brand offers a mix of upscale food items along with competitive prices on staples, meats, and produce. Lidl has been around since 1973 and, like Aldi, its stores are smaller than traditional supermarkets. It also has a less frilly business model than fancier grocery stores, but compared to Aldi, Lidl offers a broader international scope on its private-label brands. That means the shelves are stocked with items like jars of Greek giant beans in tomato sauce and frozen French tarte flambes. While its products are limited, Lidl offers a mix of brand-name goods and private-label ones. That means you can get Cheetos Puffs alongside your Herr's tortilla chips.

Lidl touts a sustainable approach to selling groceries and offers responsibly-sourced seafood along with a variety of fair-trade and certified organic products. Its weekly selection of lifestyle goods like clothing, kitchen gadgets, and even standup paddle boards are like Aldi Finds on steroids. Lidl's footprint in the U.S. is nowhere near as large as Aldi's but both share a business model that includes lots of expansion. So shoppers, start your carts, because the race is on. Lidl coming to the U.S. is good news, just like all those Aldis that keep opening up. The more grocery stores, the merrier, especially since we can try out our best hacks for efficient shopping to good use at all of them.

There's a familiar smell when you walk into a Lidl, but you don't have to follow your nose very far to find it, because a bakery is the first thing you'll see. Lidl strategically places freshly baked croissants, danishes, donuts, and breads near the entrance so that it's the first thing you smell and see. It is also known as the home of the $0.49 croissant, but we've been known to call all-in when the pain au chocolate are three for .99. The only sad part about Lidl's bakery being by the door is that all those baked goods seem to fly out first. That's okay — it also has an automatic slicer that can slice any bread you purchase from the bakery for free.

Yep, Lidl's bakery is a big hit with customers, and there is a good reason for that: It offers up dozens of European-inspired breads, pastries, and lots of other baked delights. They are all low-priced and, best of all, everything is baked in-house. In June of 2024, Lidl added even more bakery items to its lineup to include more donut flavors, muffins, and classic New York-style bagels; this is a welcome addition to the imported French croissants and German pretzels. The new bakery standout items are the plain NY bagel, everything NY bagel, cinnamon roll donut, apple fritter, chocolate yeast donut, glazed yeast donut, glazed cake donut, blueberry muffin with streusel, and a triple chocolate muffin. Hello, easy brunch recipe ideas.

Let's talk private labels. Private labeling means that a product is sourced and produced by a third party, and then the brand's packaging is added later. This is where Aldi shines. Its private-label goods are a huge part of its business model, and the brand claims that this is how it maintains its super low prices. Sure, you can find some name-brand products at Aldi, but the majority of its offerings are its own. Lidl takes a different approach, mixing it up with private-label and brand-name products, some of which are imports. And according to the consumer-data company Numerator, more than 75% of all units sold at Aldi are private label. That includes household, health, and beauty goods too.

Now for some yummy name-dropping: Aldi is the place to grab so many different types of private-label Items like Mama Cozzi's, one of its most popular lines that features all sorts of frozen pizzas, calzones, and garlic bread. The grocer also features Clancy's for chips and salty snacks, Millville for cereal products, and its own private-label Aldi wines. You'll also see Sea Queen products in the frozen seafood section and Little Salad Bar for hummus, dips, and yep, salad, as you cruise through the veggie aisle. For cheese and dairy, it's Friendly Farms, and for our budding pastry chefs, it's Baker's Corner for goods like sugar, flour, sprinkles, chocolate chips, and icing. And we can't leave out Priano, with all of its Italian offerings like pastas, sauces, salami, and cheeses. Oh, and gluten-free pasta from Simply Nature.

While Aldi does just about everything it can think of to keep prices low while still offering some fun and upscale items, Lidl flips this concept around a bit. Putting European-style bakeries at the front of its stores is one way the chain does it, but it also features floral departments indoors and gardening centers outdoors during the spring and summer months. While Aldi does offer flowers and plants, they're typically included in the aisles with other lifestyle goods or up at the front in a small display — and there's not a thing wrong with either strategy. Sometimes, it's all about grabbing your groceries and a nicely-priced bouquet or plant. Other times, it's about putting together your own bouquet, and you can do that at Lidl.

The two chains seem to attract different customer demographics based on these offerings. Lidl aims for a wealthier suburban demographic, while Aldi's customer base nets more blue-collar shoppers. This is one reason why Lidl is setting its sights on larger East Coast cities, while Aldi targets smaller cities. You can see and feel this in the shopping experience too. At Lidl, you'll find free samples and a color-coded wine rating system. Lidl also accepts coupons, while Aldi does not and uses other neat cost-saving measures, like the quarter you use for your cart.