Two of the biggest retail memberships in the U.S. are now direct competitors: Amazon Prime at $139/year and Walmart+ at $98/year. Both offer free shipping. Both include streaming video. Both provide members-only deals and grocery perks. The $41 price gap doesn’t tell the whole story — they’re structured very differently and optimized for different shopping behaviors.
This guide breaks down every major benefit category side by side, then gives you the direct verdict for the shopping profiles most likely to read this: general online shoppers, grocery-focused households, and families who do most of their spending across a mix of retail categories.
The Price
| Amazon Prime | Walmart+ | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual | $139/year | $98/year |
| Monthly | $14.99/month | $12.95/month |
| Student discount | $69/year (with .edu email) | Not available |
| Free trial | 30 days | 30 days |
Key point: Prime’s annual cost is 42% higher than Walmart+. If you’re on the fence, the price difference is real — over 5 years, it’s $205 more for Prime. The membership needs to generate enough incremental savings or entertainment value to justify that gap.
Who gets the best Prime deal: If you’re a student or have a .edu email address, Prime Student at $69/year changes the math significantly. The value calculation tilts heavily toward Prime at the student price.
Free Shipping
Amazon Prime
Prime’s free shipping is its most used benefit and the primary reason most members join. Key details:
- Standard: Free 2-day delivery on most Prime-eligible items, which covers the majority of Amazon’s catalog
- Same-day: Available in most metro areas on qualifying orders over a threshold (typically $25–$35)
- One-day: Available on select items in most major markets
- No minimum: Free 2-day shipping on any order size for Prime members
The actual value of free shipping on Amazon: The shipping savings depend entirely on how often you order and what you’d otherwise pay. A household that orders 3–4 times per month saves roughly $8–$15/month in shipping costs that non-Prime members pay — which alone is sufficient to break even on the membership fee for active Amazon shoppers.
Walmart+
- Standard: Free next-day and 2-day shipping on orders over $35 (with some exceptions for heavy/oversized items)
- No minimum free delivery: Free unlimited delivery from Walmart stores on orders $35+ (groceries, household items, general merchandise)
- Same-day: Available in many markets on select grocery and general merchandise orders
The practical difference: Walmart+ free shipping requires a $35 minimum that Prime doesn’t. For small orders, this matters. For households that routinely order $35+ at a time — particularly on grocery and household staples — the minimum is rarely a barrier.
Walmart.com vs. Amazon.com catalog depth: Amazon’s product catalog is significantly deeper. For specialty items, electronics research, and general merchandise variety, Amazon’s inventory advantage is substantial. Walmart.com has improved but remains more limited, particularly for third-party sellers. This catalog difference makes Prime’s shipping benefit more universally applicable than Walmart+‘s.
Grocery Delivery and Pickup
This is the benefit category where Walmart+ has the most distinct advantage.
Amazon Prime / Amazon Fresh
- Free grocery delivery from Amazon Fresh in markets where it operates (requires Prime; sometimes a separate Amazon Fresh membership fee in some markets)
- Whole Foods delivery via Amazon at Prime member pricing
- No free pickup at Whole Foods from Amazon app (pickup orders have a delivery fee equivalent)
The limitation: Amazon Fresh isn’t available everywhere, and Whole Foods locations are concentrated in urban/suburban markets. Coverage matters here — check availability in your area before assuming this benefit applies.
Walmart+
- Free same-day grocery delivery from Walmart stores on orders $35+ (no separate grocery delivery service; your local Walmart is the fulfillment center)
- Free in-store and curbside grocery pickup with no minimum
- Walmart’s store coverage is vastly wider than Amazon Fresh or Whole Foods — 90%+ of the U.S. population lives within 10 miles of a Walmart
The Walmart+ grocery advantage is real: For households that use grocery delivery or curbside pickup, Walmart+ typically provides the best value simply because of store proximity and coverage. A $35 minimum for free grocery delivery from a local store is the most accessible offering in this comparison.
For Instacart users: Walmart+ includes free Instacart+ membership (a $99/year value separately), which provides free Instacart delivery from Instacart’s network of partner stores. If you currently pay for Instacart+, this inclusion alone can fully justify Walmart+‘s $98 annual fee.
Fuel and Gas Savings
Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime does not offer direct gas savings. Some Amazon credit cards (Amazon Visa) offer cashback at certain gas stations, but this is a card benefit, not a Prime membership benefit.
Walmart+
Walmart+ includes member fuel discounts of 5–10 cents per gallon at Walmart and Murphy gas stations, and 5 cents per gallon at Sam’s Club stations.
Value calculation: A household filling up 40 gallons per month (two 20-gallon tanks) at $0.10/gallon saves $4/month, or $48/year — roughly half the Walmart+ annual fee from fuel alone. For households with longer commutes or multiple vehicles, the fuel savings can exceed the entire membership cost.
The catch: This requires a Walmart or Murphy gas station on your regular route. The discount is substantial enough to matter but not enough to justify a significant detour.
Streaming: Prime Video vs. Paramount+
Both memberships include a streaming video service — but they’re not equivalent.
Amazon Prime Video
Prime Video is a top-tier streaming service with a significant library of original content (The Boys, Rings of Power, Reacher, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), broad licensing of third-party titles, and an expanding sports portfolio (NFL Thursday Night Football, some NBA games).
The standalone value of Prime Video: Amazon Prime Video subscriptions sell separately for $8.99/month ($107.88/year). Prime membership costs $139/year. The implied “price” of the non-video Prime benefits is $31.12/year if you value the video component at its standalone price. This math suggests Prime is significantly undervalued as a video streaming service.
The ad tier caveat: In 2024, Amazon added ads to Prime Video by default, with an ad-free upgrade available for $2.99/month. This reduces the video value somewhat relative to the original ad-free experience, but it remains competitive with other ad-supported streaming tiers.
Walmart+ / Paramount+
Walmart+ includes a Paramount+ subscription (with ads) at no additional cost. Paramount+ has a solid library — Star Trek, CBS originals, and some NFL/college sports — but it’s a tier below Prime Video in terms of original programming investment and catalog depth.
Standalone value of Paramount+ (with ads): $7.99/month, or $95.88/year. If you value Paramount+ inclusion at its standalone price, Walmart+‘s effective non-streaming cost is $2.12/year — essentially free for its shipping and grocery delivery benefits.
Members-Only Deals and Exclusive Pricing
Amazon Prime Day (and Prime Big Deal Days)
Prime’s crown jewel exclusive event is Prime Day (July) and the companion Prime Big Deal Days in October. These are the most significant member-exclusive shopping events in U.S. e-commerce — not just for Amazon products, but across electronics, home goods, clothing, and more. Prime Day deals are often genuinely at or near annual price lows.
The value of Prime Day: A single Prime Day purchase can justify the entire membership fee. A Prime member who buys one laptop, TV, or appliance at Prime Day prices typically saves more than $139 — the margin on electronics deals during these events is that significant.
Walmart+ Early Access and Member Pricing
Walmart+ members receive early access to major Walmart sales events — Black Friday, Walmart’s Black Friday in July event, and periodic member-specific promotions. The early access window (typically 2–4 hours before general public) matters at Walmart because high-demand items sell out.
Member pricing: Walmart+ members see app-exclusive pricing on select items that non-members can’t access. These discounts are typically 5–15% on specific products rather than sitewide. Less broadly impactful than Prime Day but meaningful for specific purchases. For more on Walmart’s in-app deals, see the App-Exclusive Deals strategy guide.
Comparing the Two: Who Should Get Which
Get Amazon Prime if:
- You order from Amazon 2+ times per month and want free 2-day shipping without a $35 minimum
- You stream video regularly and want one of the best libraries available
- You buy electronics, appliances, or large ticket items and want Prime Day access
- You’re a student and qualify for Prime Student at $69/year
Get Walmart+ if:
- You buy groceries online and Walmart stores are in your area (the grocery value is the clear differentiator)
- You drive regularly and have a Walmart or Murphy gas station on your route (the fuel savings alone can justify the fee)
- You currently pay for Instacart+ — Walmart+ includes it, making the math immediate
- You do most of your shopping at Walmart and want member pricing
Get both if:
- Your household uses both Amazon (for variety and shipping) and Walmart (for groceries and gas)
- The combined cost ($237/year) is less than what you’d spend on equivalent standalone services (Instacart+, Prime Video, regular grocery delivery fees)
- You’re an active deal shopper who wants access to both Prime Day and Walmart’s member events
Households that genuinely benefit from both are more common than the price difference suggests — particularly families who use Walmart for groceries and Amazon for everything else. Two-member households with different primary shopping platforms often each use their preferred service enough to justify the cost independently.
The Third Option: Costco
For the comparison to be complete, Costco membership ($65/year Gold Star, $130/year Executive) belongs in the conversation for households evaluating warehouse club value. Costco’s membership is primarily a shopping access fee rather than a logistics and entertainment bundle, but its savings on groceries, gas, tires, and appliances can exceed either Prime or Walmart+ for the right household.
If you already have a Costco membership and are considering adding Prime or Walmart+, the grocery question is essentially settled by Costco. The Prime or Walmart+ membership decision then becomes about delivery logistics and entertainment, not grocery economics. For the full Costco membership analysis, see Is a Costco Membership Worth It?
The Bottom Line
| Benefit | Amazon Prime | Walmart+ | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free shipping | No minimum, 2-day | $35 min, next-day | Prime |
| Streaming | Prime Video (strong) | Paramount+ (good) | Prime |
| Grocery delivery | Amazon Fresh (limited) | Walmart stores (wide) | Walmart+ |
| Gas savings | None | 5–10¢/gallon | Walmart+ |
| Annual price | $139 | $98 | Walmart+ |
| Deal events | Prime Day (major) | Early access (good) | Prime |
| Instacart+ | Not included | Included | Walmart+ |
For most online-first households: Prime is the default choice because of catalog depth, shipping flexibility, and Prime Day.
For households that prioritize grocery delivery and gas savings: Walmart+ offers better direct value at a lower price, especially if you have kids and do weekly grocery runs.
For active, multi-channel shoppers: both is frequently the right answer once you account for the Instacart+ inclusion and what you’d spend independently.