Temu vs. Wish: Which Is the Better Ecommerce Marketplace?

temu vs wish
Temu Vs. Wish: My Verdict

Omar Deryan Founder of OJ Digital Solutions

Table of Contents

In recent years, these two platforms have gained traction among consumers because of their low prices and wide selection of products.

In this article, I’ll explain everything you need to know about Temu vs. Wish, from customer support and shopping experience to shipping costs and product pricing.

To come up with the most unbiased review, I looked into these critical features:

  • Website User Experience and Interface

  • Search Function

  • Product Variety

  • Product Quality

  • Pricing

  • Sales, Discounts, and Promotions

  • Shipping

  • Return and Refund Policy 

  • Customer Support

  • Business Model

We’ll cover the most important deciding factors in-depth, but to before we go in-depth, here’s a quick snapshot of what we found:

Temu

BEST for budget-conscious shoppers looking for trendy and quirky items
OVERALL STAR RATING: 4.8/5Website User Experience and Interface 4.8

Search Function 4.8

Product Variety 4.9

Product Quality 4.7
Shop at Temu now.
Wish

BEST for shoppers looking for reasonably priced functional items
OVERALL STAR RATING: 4.4/5Website User Experience and Interface 4.3

Search Function 4.1

Product Variety 4.5

Product Quality 4.7
Shop at Wish now.
Temu is the better marketplace if you’re looking for rock-bottom prices and want an extensive selection of products.Despite limited search functions, Wish remains a good marketplace for finding affordable everyday items.

Temu vs. Wish: Quick Comparison

TemuWish
Which marketplace provides more relevant search results?It’s easy to zero in on products because of its intuitive search functions.The limited search function makes it difficult to find products you want to buy.
Which website has better functionality and user experience?The user interface is modern-looking but can look clunky.The website has a minimalist design and easy to navigate.
Which offers more product variety?It has a vast product selection, especially trendy fashion and tech items.You can find almost all functional items for everyday use.
Which has lower prices?Its efficient supply chain allows it to offer rock-bottom prices.It offers lower prices than most well-known marketplaces like Amazon and Walmart.com.
Which has faster shipping?Domestic deliveries take 5 to 8 days or 7 to 30 days for international orders.Most orders take 15 to 30 days.
Which offers better customer support?It offers multichannel customer service support.It only offers email support.
Which has a more generous return and refund policy?You can return items within 90 days from the order delivery date.

Temu also offers free return shipping.
It accepts returns within 30 days from the order delivery date.

Wish customers may pay for the return shipping fee.
Which has better product quality?Although you may still encounter shoddy sellers, most products are of high or acceptable quality.While the platform has a strict seller application process, you may still encounter shoddy sellers.
Are you ready?Visit Temu here.Visit Wish here.

Temu vs. Wish: The Verdict

Is Temu like Wish?

Yes, because they share many similarities, such as products at extremely low prices, frequent flash sales, and extensive product selection.

Temu and Wish are similar in terms of the product catalog. Both marketplace platforms offer electronics, apparel and fashion accessories, home and kitchen, garden, pet supplies, and more. 

As a whole, the difference between Temu and Wish is fairly negligible. However, each platform offers distinct features that can help you determine which one better suits your needs.

Before I share the unique features and benefits of each platform, I’ll explain how they do their business.

What Is Temu?

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Temu is a marketplace similar to Wish, offering incredibly low-priced products. This reflects their famous tagline, “Shop like a billionaire without being one.”

Thanks to its significantly cheaper products, it’s currently the number one free shopping app, even beating out e-commerce giants Amazon and Walmart.

What Is Wish?

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Just like Temu, Wish also offers a wide range of products at competitive prices and remarkable deals, including promotions, deep discounts, and bundle options.

While Temu and Wish’s vendors are mostly from China, the latter is an American company founded by former Google engineers.

One of the unique selling points of Wish is the personalized shopping experience, thanks to its use of algorithms that learn your preferences and online activities. As a result, it can give you a curated feed based on your taste.

Temu vs. Wish: A Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Although there are similarities between Temu and Wish — i.e., they are both marketplace platforms that allow Chinese sellers to offer their products to US consumers directly — they have notable differences in some critical features.

Website User Experience and Interface

Wish has a more minimalist design and a more straightforward interface compared to Temu. When the site first loads, it shows an array of discounted products with a white background.

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By contrast, Temu’s look is a bit similar to a typical Chinese ecommerce platform like TaoBao.com. Right after logging in, you’ll see colorful deals, clearance sales, and time-sensitive offers.

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Although both platforms have a user interface aiming to catch your attention, like huge discounts and flash products, Temu beats Wish in terms of navigation and user experience.

Temu’s interface makes it easy to navigate through different categories, while Wish only offers broad product categories without distinct subsections and headlines like Recently viewed and Trending.

Verdict
Temu has a more intuitive interface that allows for better shopping experience, whereas Wish’s minimalist web design falls short of giving smooth navigation.

Search Function

One of the biggest differences between the two platforms is the search option. Temu provides more tailored options during the search process. For instance, when searching for a t-shirt, the filter allows you to click on these options:

  • Price range

  • Star rating

  • Color

  • Size

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By contrast, Wish’s filter only lets you select the price range and star rating, making it more time-consuming to zero in on a product that meets your preference.

Even when you add specifications (i.e., color, size, and materials) to the search bar, the results are still not accurate. For example, when I typed in blue t-shirt, the search results still showed other colors.

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The convoluted search results extend to the pricing as well, as Wish’s default prices show the least expensive options. For this reason, the first thing you always see are the smallest sizes.

By contrast, Temu’s search options give you consistent pricing across different sizes, making it easier to find products you want to purchase.

Verdict
Temu is clearly the winner in terms of search function.

By contrast, Wish falls short of giving accurate search results, making it more time-consuming to zero in on the products you want to purchase.

Product Variety

With thousands of active sellers and growing, both platforms offer various categories to meet the diversified needs of customers.

However, Wish’s product offerings lean more toward utilitarian items for everyday needs, whereas Temu offers a wider selection of trendy and quirky fashion items, thanks to its large network of small businesses and sellers.

To give you an idea of each platform’s product variety, I entered cat cone collar in the search box and compare their results.

Temu’s search results are not only extensive but also accurate.

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Wish’s cat cone collar search results pale in comparison with Temu’s. Not only was the selection limited, many shown products were also irrelevant to the keywords.

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Verdict
Both offers a vast selection of products, but Temu carries more trendy and quirky fashion items. Overall, Temu has a wider product variety based on searc results.

Product Quality

The quality of products on Wish varies significantly despite claiming they have stringent requirements before a seller can enter their platforms.

You must review the product details, customer feedback, and store ratings before any purchase.

Also, be careful with counterfeit and knock-off products flooding many online shopping platforms, including Temu and Wish. Some of their sellers even copy product descriptions, photos, and keywords from the original Amazon listings.

Verdict
Both Temu and Wish have a strict seller application process to ensure that products on their platforms are of high quality. Nevertheless, you may still encounter shoddy sellers and product-related issues.

Pricing

Temu and Wish both offer more affordable prices than Amazon, Walmart, and other popular online marketplaces. However, Temu takes the lead in affordability, thanks to its use of technology and business model to optimize the supply chain.

With a highly optimized supply chain and direct consumer-manufacturer model, Temu offers more affordable prices than Wish and other competitors, especially for bulk orders.

Additionally, Temu offers Buy Now Pay Later service, which adds flexibility to your online shopping experience.

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Wish previously offered pay later payment option, but later removed it to streamline their business.

Verdict
Temu’s highly optimized supply chain allows to offer prices significantly lower than Wish and other competitors.

Sales, Discounts, and Promotions

In addition to lower prices, the two platforms also entice shoppers with time-limited offers, flash sales, and special discounts every few months, especially during the holidays or special events (e.g., the Fourth of July, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, etc.)

To enjoy rock-bottom prices on Wish and Temu, time your shopping during the flash sales when products cost 15% to 80% less than their original price. The event lasts just a few hours.

Temu’s excellent search function makes it easy to find heavily discounted items and flash sales products. Simply type in keywords such as flash sales and super discount and you’ll see recommendations.

Here, I entered flash deals for women in the search box and came up with these recommendations:

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Using the same key phrase flash deals for women, Wish gave me a list of irrelevant search results.

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Verdict
Both platforms offer flash sales and special discounts every few months, especially during the holidays.

However, Temu’s layout and search function make it easy to take advantage of its regular flash sales and heavily discounted products.

Shipping

Temu includes free shipping on almost all orders (especially domestic orders) as part of their strategy to entice customers. For orders above $129, express shipping is eligible for free delivery.

TemuWish
Shipping time for domestic ordersAbout a week15-30 days
Shipping time for international orders15-30 days15-30 days
Shipping feeFree on most domestic deliveries and orders above $129Shipping fees depend on the destination
Late deliveries$5 credit for standard shipping or $13 credit for express shippingMoney-back guarantee for all late deliveries
Return shipping feeFreeIn some cases, customers pay for it.

For Temu domestic orders, they typically arrive within five to eight days, whereas international deliveries often take seven to 30 days, depending on the destination.

One good thing is if they arrive late, you’ll receive a $5 credit (standard shipping) or a $13 credit (express shipping).

On the other hand, Wish does not offer free shipping. Each vendor implements their own shipping cost, which depend on their location and delivery destination.

However, the marketplace at least offers a money-back buyer guarantee on orders that don’t arrive within the Refund Eligible Date.

Wish orders are typically processed and shipped within a few weeks, around 15 to 30 days.

Verdict
Temu offers a free shipping fee, which you won’t find on Wish. Temu also has a faster shipping estimate time, especially for domestic orders.

Return and Refund Policies 

Temu’s refund policy allows returns and refunds within 90 days from the order delivery date, while Wish only offers 30 days.

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Temu also offers free return shipping and faster refunds, which typically take five to 14 days. To get your refunds, you can choose Temu credits or ask the platform to return them via the original payment method.

On the other hand, Wish states that customers may be responsible for the return shipping fees, depending on the items.

For refunds, it takes up to ten business days for Wish to process them and send them to your original form of payment.

Wish has a money-back guarantee policy applies to all deliveries. So if your package does not arrive by the Refund Eligible Date mentioned in your order history, you can request for a refund within 30 days.

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Verdict
Temu has a more generous return and refund policies than Wish.

Customer Support

Temu offers phone and email support and allows shoppers to talk to sellers directly, whereas Wish only has email support to resolve any concerns.

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Although Temu offers more flexible customer support, many customers have complained about its not-so-responsive customer service team.

Wish’s customer service support also received some negative reviews online.

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Verdict
Temu offers multi-channel customer service support, whereas Wish’s falls short in this department.

Business Model

Temu and Wish have the same business model, i.e., an e-commerce platform where Chinese suppliers offer their low-cost products to US consumers directly.

Also, they are both an online marketplace, meaning they don’t sell their own goods.

To entice new customers, both e-commerce platforms offer generous discounts regularly. For instance, Wish rewards a 15% discount on your first order and up to 50% off coupon when you download its app.

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However, Temu is a bit more generous with its welcome sign-up bonus worth $20 and a special discount for Campus Ambassadors and Influencers.

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If you invite friends and share the Temu app on your social media, the marketplace also gives you unlimited commission and exclusive deals.

Verdict
Both platforms take price war to the next level. However, Temu is a bit more generous with its sign-up bonus, referral commission, and exclusive deals.

Temu vs. Wish: Which One Should You Use?

In terms of discounted prices and overall online shopping experience, Temu is clearly the winner. These are the other reasons why the marketplace is often a better choice than Wish.

  • Wider production selection

  • Better customer support

  • No shipping fees on eligible orders

  • Better navigation, search function, and layout

The Pros and Cons of Using Temu and Wish

✅Pros❌Cons
TemuWide range of goods

No shipping fee on eligible orders

90-Day return policy

Easy-to-use search function

Fast shipping

Buy Now Pay Later service
Potential scams

Risk of buying knock-offs and counterfeit goods

Environmental impact of shipping goods
WishUser rewards system

Large selection of products
Longer shipping times

No free shipping options

Not-so-organized website layout

The Pros of Temu

  • Temu offers a wide range of goods, especially electronics and tech accessories.

  • You can enjoy more savings thanks to free shipping on eligible orders.

  • It offers a more generous return policy.

  • It has an easy-to-use search function and a pleasant layout, making it a breeze to do your online shopping.

  • Temu’s fast shipping allows you to receive domestic orders within a week.

  • The Buy Now Pay Later service allows you to buy items on credit without a credit card.

The Cons of Temu

  • Potential scams and shoddy sellers are still an issue.

  • The risk of buying knock-offs and counterfeit goods is high, despite efforts to eliminate or penalize shoddy sellers.

  • Temu relies heavily on shipping, which is a major cause of air pollution.

The Pros of Wish

  • It has a user rewards system that gives points (convertible into discounts) when you complete various activities within the app.

  • It has a large selection of products to meet your everyday needs.

The Cons of Wish

  • It takes slightly longer to receive your Wish orders.

  • There are no free shipping options because each seller sets up their own shipping rates.

  • It has a not-so-organized website layout that makes it tricky to find products you’re looking for.

What Are Some Alternatives to Temu and Wish?

If product quality is more important to you than snatching items with incredibly low prices, these are some alternatives to Temu and Wish you want to consider.

Temu vs. Wish vs. Amazon

Temu and Wish are purely marketplaces, meaning they don’t sell any listed products.

By contrast, Amazon is both a marketplace and retailer, allowing them to resell goods and carry their own private label brands.

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As a purely marketplace platform, Temu and Wish usually don’t carry popular brands like Nike or Apple, which you can easily find on Amazon.

Amazon also sells a vast selection of high-quality products, although you’ll also find items with meager prices here, as well.

If you find popular fashion and electronic brands on Wish or Temu, they’re likely knock-offs and counterfeit products.

These are the other key differences between these popular ecommerce platforms:

  • Amazon has a larger selection of products than Temu and Wish, although Temu has a wider assortment of tech accessories.

  • Amazon has consistent and good quality products in general.

  • Amazon offers more features and services, including Prime Shipping.

  • Amazon offers better customer service than Temu or Wish.

  • Temu is a Chinese company with a US-based office, while Amazon and Wish are bona fide US companies.

  • Amazon offers a superior online shopping experience with its customer service and fewer potential shipping carrier delays.

Temu vs. Wish vs. AliExpress

Unlike Temu, which only caters to end-consumers, AliExpress is a business-to-business and business-to-consumer platform, making it ideal if you’re an online store owner who needs bulk purchases at reasonable prices.

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AliExpress is a sister company of the multinational commerce group Alibaba, which focuses more on wholesale transactions.

However, AliExpress also deals with B2B dealings, as it’s also popular among resellers and dropshippers. Unlike Alibaba, it doesn’t impose a minimum order quantity.

Meanwhile, Wish also has a B2B version called Wish Wholesale. It has gained popularity for resellers and dropshippers, as well.

Here, you can find various suppliers, manufacturers, and wholesalers offering heavily discounted prices.

Wish vs. Temu vs. Walmart

Temu has managed to undercut the prices of major US retailers, including Walmart. Nevertheless, Walmart’s website and store have their own merits, such as free returns within 90 days and expedited shipping for eligible orders.

If you’re a frequent Walmart shopper, consider signing up for its paid subscription service that offers these benefits:

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  • Same-day delivery on eligible orders

  • Early access to Black Friday-style events

  • Free returns from home

  • Subscription to Paramount Plus and Pluto TV

  • Gas discount at around 14,000 locations

  • Monetary rewards for shopping

Walmart also offers price matching, frequent promotions, and significant discounts.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is Temu the New Wish?

No. They are two different companies that share a similar business model and goal: to offer end-consumers products at absurdly low prices.

Is Wish Now Temu?

No, these two platforms are different marketplaces, although they have a lot of similarities. For one, they both offer low-cost products mainly sourced from China.

However, Temu is gaining popularity for quirky fashion items while Wish has fashion accessories, home decor, beauty products, and more.

Is Temu Better Than Wish?

Yes. Temu is better than Wish in terms of current market prices and search functions.

Why Is Temu Popular?

Temu’s main appeal is the cheap prices and frequent promotions and discounts that appeal to budget-conscious shoppers. Its popularity also stems from its user-friendly navigation and extensive product selection.

Where Is Temu Located?

Although Shanghai-based PDD Holdings owns Temu, the fast fashion shopping app has a headquarters in Boston. Around 95% of its products are from Chinese vendors.

Is Temu Safer Than Wish?

In terms of safety and reliability, both platforms take customer concerns seriously. Despite their attempts to give you an excellent shopping experience, you may still find counterfeit goods and shoddy suppliers.

So, always review the seller’s ratings and customer feedback to avoid scams and knock-offs. Also, make sure you understand the terms and conditions on each site.

Is Temu a Chinese Company? 

In essence, yes. China-based company PDD Holdings owns Temu.

The Bottom Line

In general, Temu offers lower prices, a better shopping app and site navigation, and faster shipping than Wish.

However, the differences in other aspects like product quality and overall shopping experience are fairly negligible.

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