Amazon is a global e-commerce and cloud services giant with 798 million products and digital-first delivery model, while Costco is a membership-based warehouse retailer with 870 physical locations focused on bulk purchasing and lower per-unit costs. Amazon dominates online retail; Costco dominates in-person bulk buying with higher customer loyalty scores.
Amazon vs Costco — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Global e-commerce giant offering 350+ million products with Prime fast shipping.
Membership-based warehouse club retailer focused on bulk purchasing and curated product selection.
Business Model. Revenue (2024). Physical Locations. Product Variety. Customer Loyalty Score (2024). Membership Cost. Average Transaction Value
Choose Amazon if you value convenience, product variety, fast delivery (same-day in many cities), and digital integration with Prime Video and Music benefits. Choose Costco if you prioritize bulk purchasing savings, personalized member service, higher-quality food selections, and lower membership costs—Costco members report 82% satisfaction vs Amazon's 68%, and Costco's treasure-hunt shopping model drives 94% member renewal rates.
Amazon: $1.8 Trillion | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 240+ Prime members + broader reach | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 15% base commission | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: $638 billion | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 500+ million | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 40% US e-commerce market share | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: $2.36 trillion (July 2026) | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 15-25% (FBA included) | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 8-10% annual growth | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 220 million Prime members | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 500+ Amazon Go/Fresh stores | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: Same-day to 1 day (Prime) | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: $139 per year | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 240 million Prime members | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: Competitive on items under $50 | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 1-2 days (Prime) | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: Multi-category general retailer | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: Basic category and keyword filters | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: Limited home furniture brands | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 40% global e-commerce market share | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: $638B (e-commerce only) | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 240M+ Prime members | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 12-15% (estimated) | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: All categories (diversified) | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 5-20% on Subscribe & Save | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 190+ countries and territories | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: Industry average ~40-45% | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: Rufus 250M users | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: Online support only | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Standard Non-Perishable Pet Delivery Time
Amazon: ~50,000-100,000 (estimated pet section) | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 500+ million SKUs across all categories | Costco Wholesale: N/A
2025 Pet Supplies Market Position (GMV Rank)
Amazon: Not #1 in pet supplies | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 30 days (standard Amazon) | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: Limited pet-specific subscriptions | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Specialty Pet Food Availability (Exotic/Medical Diets)
Amazon: Limited; depends on seller listings | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 8-45% + 30-50% FBA | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: $0 (pay per sale) | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 300+ active customers | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 3-7 days (instant access) | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: Minimal (2/10) | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 0% customer data; Amazon owns relationship | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 1 (Amazon Pay only) | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: Varies by category and account tier | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: Amazon 380 million | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 5-7 days | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 30 days (standard) | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 30+ main categories | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: Prime $139 | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: Strict vetting, A9 quality standards | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 2+ million | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 2 days (Prime) | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: $139/year (Prime) | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 4.4/5 average seller rating | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 2.5 billion downloads | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: <2% handmade items | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: $575 billion | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 0 stores | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 300+ million | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 2 days (Prime) / 5-7 days (standard) | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: $150-$1,200 | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 250+ million | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 150+ million customers | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: $575 billion (2025) | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 1.5 million | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 200+ AWS services | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: Proprietary (freemium model) | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 2.1 trillion | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 500,000+ | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 20-30% markup | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 0 locations | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: Not offered; external pharmacy required | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 5-20% discount | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: Not offered | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 2,000,000+ | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: Not available | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 2-3 days (Prime) | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Average Product Price Index (baseline=100)
Amazon: GDPR/CCPA Compliant | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: $575.2 billion | Costco Wholesale: $252.6 billion
Amazon: 68/100 | Costco Wholesale: 82/100
Amazon: 0 (e-commerce only) | Costco Wholesale: 870 warehouses
Amazon: 798 million | Costco Wholesale: 3,700
Amazon: $139 (Prime basic tier) | Costco Wholesale: $65 (Gold Star basic tier)
Amazon: ~85% (estimated) | Costco Wholesale: 94%
Amazon: 1-2 days (Prime members in metro areas) | Costco Wholesale: Immediate (in-warehouse purchase)
Amazon: 500+ brands | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Average Price Difference on Beauty Products
Amazon: 10-25% discount below MSRP | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 0 (online only) | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: Same-day or 1-day with Prime | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: Varies; typically 1-5% with Prime | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 40+ categories | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: $139 (Prime) | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: $0 with Prime / $25 without | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: $88 billion (AWS) | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 1-2 days (Prime members) | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 2,100 million | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 180 days (A-to-Z Guarantee) | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: US-regulated, transparent data policies | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 350+ million items | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: $139/year | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Prime Eligible Items with Two-Day Shipping
Amazon: 100+ million items | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 2-3 weeks | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Free Shipping Threshold (Standard Members)
Amazon: $35 (with Prime; $100 without) | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 500+ furniture brands available | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Average Beauty Product Price Comparison (Foundation)
Amazon: 1-2 days with Prime | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Customer Review Average Rating (Beauty Products)
Amazon: 4.2 stars | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 350+ million | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: Up to 45% (varies by category) | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 30 days standard | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 91% trust Amazon (2024) | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 65% third-party sellers (mostly resellers/aggregators) | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: 4.4/5 stars (platform average) | Costco Wholesale: N/A
Amazon: N/A | Costco Wholesale: $65-$130
Amazon: N/A | Costco Wholesale: 3,500-4,500
Amazon: N/A | Costco Wholesale: Limited: prescriptions and pharmacy services only
Amazon: N/A | Costco Wholesale: $150-200
Amazon: N/A | Costco Wholesale: $65 (Gold Star)
Amazon: N/A | Costco Wholesale: 569 warehouses
Amazon: N/A | Costco Wholesale: ~4,000 SKUs
Amazon: N/A | Costco Wholesale: Baseline
Amazon: N/A | Costco Wholesale: 730 days (2 years)
Average Customer Visits Per Year (heavy users)
Amazon: N/A | Costco Wholesale: 24-36 visits/year
Membership Breakeven Point (Annual savings)
Amazon: N/A | Costco Wholesale: $65-130 (Gold/Executive breakeven)
Average Savings on Bulk Items vs. Retail
Amazon: N/A | Costco Wholesale: 20-40% discount
Amazon: N/A | Costco Wholesale: Pharmacy only
Amazon: N/A | Costco Wholesale: 3,700-4,000 (curated)
Annual Member Savings (Frequent Shoppers)
Amazon: N/A | Costco Wholesale: $500-$800
Amazon: N/A | Costco Wholesale: 40-60¢ cheaper
Amazon: N/A | Costco Wholesale: Unlimited
Amazon: N/A | Costco Wholesale: Standard pricing
How to choose between Amazon and Costco Wholesale
Amazon vs Costco — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Amazon vs Costco. Contains 192 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Amazon vs Costco — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Amazon vs Costco.
Is Costco or Amazon cheaper for bulk groceries?
Costco typically offers 15-30% lower per-unit prices on bulk groceries due to high-volume purchasing and lower overhead costs. However, Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods (owned by Amazon) offer competitively priced items with delivery convenience. For non-perishables bought in bulk, Costco's Kirkland Signature brand provides best value; for fresh groceries with delivery, Amazon Fresh matches within 5-8% of Costco's warehouse prices.
Should I pay for both Amazon Prime and a Costco membership?
It depends on shopping habits. Prime ($139/year) is better for frequent online shoppers needing fast delivery and digital services. Costco ($65-$130/year) suits households buying bulk groceries, paper products, and non-perishables. A 4-person family spending $300+ monthly on groceries saves $600-$900 annually with Costco's bulk pricing—easily justifying both memberships. Single-person households typically benefit most from Amazon alone.
Which has better private-label products?
Costco's Kirkland Signature brand is widely regarded as higher quality than Amazon Basics, with 28% of Costco sales coming from private label. Kirkland products undergo rigorous quality testing and customer reviews average 4.6/5 stars. Amazon Basics focuses on commodity items (cables, batteries) at lower prices but with less differentiation. For premium household goods and food, Costco's private label wins; for tech accessories and basics, Amazon Basics offers better value.
Does Amazon or Costco have better return policies?
Amazon offers 30-day returns on most items with free return shipping for Prime members. Costco offers 100% satisfaction guarantee with no time limit on returns (excluding electronics: 90 days). Costco's unlimited return policy is more generous, though returns require in-person warehouse visits. Amazon's policy favors digital/convenience shoppers; Costco's favors bulk buyers who may need flexibility on large purchases.
Which company is more profitable and financially stable?
Amazon is larger ($575B revenue vs $253B) with higher operating margins (7.2% vs 4.1%) and dominates cloud infrastructure through AWS. Costco maintains exceptional member loyalty (94% renewal rate) and consistent profitability with lower debt. Both are financially stable; Amazon grows faster through diversification (AWS, streaming, advertising), while Costco exhibits remarkable customer retention despite slower growth.
How to Choose Between Amazon and Costco Wholesale
Business Model: Amazon has E-commerce & cloud services (AWS generates 16% of revenue), while Costco Wholesale has Membership warehouse retail (requires paid membership).
Revenue (2024): Amazon has $575.2 billion, while Costco Wholesale has $252.6 billion.
Physical Locations: Amazon has ~600 fulfillment centers (no retail stores), while Costco Wholesale has 870 warehouse clubs worldwide.
Product Variety: Amazon has 798 million SKUs available, while Costco Wholesale has ~3,700 SKUs (curated selection).
Customer Loyalty Score (2024): Amazon has 68/100 (American Customer Satisfaction Index), while Costco Wholesale has 82/100 (American Customer Satisfaction Index).
Membership Cost: Amazon has Prime: $139/year or $14.99/month, while Costco Wholesale has $65/year (Gold Star) or $130/year (Executive).
Average Transaction Value: Amazon has $35-$45 per order, while Costco Wholesale has $150-$200 per visit.