Home-brand products have been the butt of jokes for decades, from quips about scratchy toilet paper to banter about budget baked beans.
But they've come a long way and – believe it or not – some are so good that they rival products costing many times more. Some even top our expert taste tests and reviews, beating well-known brands.
Hesitant about home brands?
It used to be easy to spot supermarket own-brand products: the dorky labels with that "I made this in MS paint" vibe were a dead giveaway, as was their placement way down on the bottom shelf.
But supermarkets have upped their design game and these days you'd often be hard pressed to pick them out in a lineup of branded products.
And they're no longer relegated to the bottom shelf: they're usually front and centre in a bid to catch shoppers' attention (and money).
With the exorbitant cost of living, we know that many people are already switching to cheaper products to save money.
But some of us are still sceptical: will home brand products be as good as your tried-and-true faves, or will you be disappointed?
We've taken the guesswork out of it. CHOICE tests more than 2000 products each year in our labs, so we know which cheaper products are worth it and which are best left on the shelves.
So next time you're filling your trolley, try these products instead of your usual brand – you'll probably be pleasantly surprised by the performance and the savings.
On this page:
A note about prices: Grocery prices fluctuate so frequently that today's price could be completely different to tomorrow's. Prices listed were correct at the time CHOICE testers reviewed the product. Double-check before you buy to make sure you're getting the best deal.
Pantry and freezer
Irresistible by name and by nature: this Coles-brand vanilla ice cream ranked highest overall, even beating premium brands.
Ice cream
Coles Irresistible Vanilla Bean Ice Cream rose to the top of our ice cream test, beating well-known premium brands such as Haagen-Dazs and Connoisseur, and household names such as Bulla, Peters and Streets.
At just 65c/100mL it's a bargain to boot, and it tastes better than products costing up to $2.95/100mL – that's 4.5 times more.
This doesn't necessarily mean you should eat four times as much Coles ice cream, but with a price this cheap you can certainly enjoy an extra scoop without breaking the budget!
With a price this cheap you can certainly enjoy an extra scoop without breaking the budget!
Aldi is no stranger to the podium in our taste tests, and it lived up to its reputation in the ice cream stakes: Aldi Indulge Vanilla Bean Gourmet Ice Cream came second overall, well ahead of its expensive competitors. It's slightly cheaper than the Coles scoop at just 60c/100mL.
And Woolies got a look-in too, coming in fourth place. Woolworths Vanilla Bean Indulgent Ice Cream costs the same as Coles' classic treat: $6.50 for a 1L tub.
Coles' tinned tomatoes are top-tier.
Tinned tomatoes
This pantry staple is the backbone of many a family favourite meal: soup, stew, pasta, curry, pizza, and more.
So should you spring for the fancy stuff to make these simple dishes sing? Our taste test suggests not.
While the top tin was the most expensive, three supermarket products also made the podium:
Coles Cucina Matese Diced Tomatoes
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 76%
- Price per 400g tin: $1.40
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 75%
- Price per 400g tin: $1.10
Community Co Italian Diced Tomatoes (IGA)
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 75%
- Price per 400g tin: $1.30
For a treat on the cheap, head to Woolworths.
Milk chocolate
If you're after another treat on the cheap, one supermarket-branded choc will hit the spot for less.
Woolworths Belgian Milk Chocolate ranked fifth in our expert taste test, not far behind brands such as Tony's Chocolonely, Lindt and Mr Beast.
At just $3.80 a block, it's a quarter of the price of Lindt Excellence Creamy Milk and a third of the price of the tastiest choc on the block, Tony's Chocolonely.
It's a tough job but someone has to do it: expert chocolate taste testers Andre Sandison, Eddie Steward and Brigid Treloar.
Laundry and cleaning
Aldi's spray stain remover is a stain buster, but not a budget buster.
Stain removers
If you're after sprays and soakers that are tough on stains but gentle on your wallet, head to Aldi.
Its stain remover spray and laundry soaker powder products didn't quite take out the top spots in our tests but they weren't far off, and they cost a fraction of the big-name brands.
In the pre-wash stain spray category, Aldi Di-San Pro Ultra Degreaser with Enzymes (28c per 100mL) scored 75% – just one point behind the top scorer, Sard Super Power Stain Remover Toughest Stains. But the Sard product costs $1.90 per 100mL – more than six times the price of the supermarket spray.
Aside from Sard, every other spray stain remover that's recommended by our experts is a supermarket own-brand product, so no matter where you shop you can bust stains on a budget.
- Coles Ultra Pre-wash Stain Remover: CHOICE Expert Rating: 72%
- Aldi Di-San Pro Oxy With Enzymes: 71%
- Woolworths Clean Ultimate Oil & Grime With Enzymes Pre-Wash Stain Remover: 71%
- Coles Ion Enzyme Action Gold: 70%
While you're picking up Aldi's spray stain remover, grab some Aldi Di-San Pro Oxy Laundry Soaker & In Wash Booster as well. It didn't quite reach the podium, but it is recommended by our experts and for just 35 cents per 100g, it'll bust stains just as well as powders costing five times as much.
We're currently testing stain removers in our labs to find the best spray and powder stain busters including newer products on the market. Stay tuned for the results.
Expert results on an amateur budget: IGA's Active Expert laundry detergent.
Laundry detergent
If you're a front loader family looking to fine-tune your laundry and your budget, a detergent from a different supermarket is the way to go.
Our experts named Active Expert Laundry Powder from IGA as a 'Best Buy' – a product that doesn't do well enough to be recommended, but performs quite well and represents great value for money. It scored 74% overall and costs just 16 cents per wash.
Aldi Trimat Advanced Laundry Liquid Concentrate and Coles Ultra Concentrate Laundry Powder are the other Best Buy detergents for front loaders.
Aldi Trimat Advanced is the top pick for top loaders.
Want a top detergent for your top loader?
It's supermarkets for the win again: Aldi's Trimat Advanced Laundry Powder Concentrate topped the top loader tests, beating detergents from Omo, Radiant and Biozet Attack.
Aldi Almat Laundry Powder and IGA's Active Expert Laundry Powder are also worth considering – they're our experts' Best Buys for top loaders.
Coles' dishwasher tablets outperformed big-name brands.
Dishwasher detergent
You can't put a price on clean dishes, right? Pick a poor performer and you'll have to pick again – pick food scraps off your plates, that is.
But our tests show that you don't have to spend a fortune for a great clean. Products from Coles, Aldi and Woolies were among the top scoring dishwasher detergents in our tests, hot on the heels of the big brands.
They didn't quite top our tests, but these dirt-cheap detergents are recommended by our experts, along with big brands such as Finish and Fairy that cost up to nine times more.
Coles Ultra Advanced Dishwasher tablets
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 76%
- Cost per wash: $0.15
Aldi Logix Platinum Dishwasher Capsules
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 75%
- Cost per wash: $0.25
Woolworths Shine Optimum All in 1 Ultimate Clean Dishwashing Pods
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 75%
- Cost per wash: $0.26
If you go for these cheap-but-cheerful performers, you'll have money left over in the shopping budget to buy yourself a little treat. (A supermarket-brand ice cream or milk chocolate, perhaps?)
Read our full dishwasher detergent review to see how the brands compared.
Household
The best supermarket TP for your bum and your budget: Vevelle 2 ply.
Toilet paper
Cheap toilet paper can be a false economy: you might need to use more to get a good wipe, it can be scratchy, and – worst of all – it can give way at the worst possible moment.
Plus, it can cost a fortune if you don't pay attention to the cost per sheet.
We don't want to give you the bum steer on toilet paper, which is why we tested 26 products in our labs, and we can tell you that Vevelle White Toilet Tissue 2 ply is the best wipe for your wallet.
Even though it looks like a branded product, it's actually produced by Woolworths. And it's certainly priced like a home-brand TP, costing just 19 cents per 100 sheets.
However, its score on our puncture test, which measures how likely your finger is to go through the paper, doesn't instill confidence – our experts rated it just 53%.
We're on your side
For more than 60 years, we've been making a difference for Australian consumers. In that time, we've never taken ads or sponsorship.
Instead we're funded by members who value expert reviews and independent product testing.
With no self-interest behind our advice, you don't just buy smarter, you get the answers that you need.
You know without hesitation what's safe for you and your family. And our recent sunscreens test showed just how important it is to keep business claims in check.
So you'll never be alone when something goes wrong or a business treats you unfairly.
Learn more about CHOICE membership today
Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
