Online shopping has taken over. Gone are the days when you would head to the local Radioshack for all your tech needs. These days it's much easier, more convenient, and often even cheaper, to head to an online retailer like Amazon or Jet.
Of course, not every online retailer is the same — some are better than others. There are a few online retailers to head to if you're looking for tech — and they might be better than the other for certain situations. Perhaps two of the most famous are Jet, and of course, Amazon.
But which should you head to? Here are the pros and cons for Amazon and Jet, and what makes each service worth considering. To compare the pricing for the two websites, we've chosen a few products -- including the Samsung Galaxy S8, 10.5-inch iPad Pro, and TCL 32S305 TV.
Subscription: Amazon Prime costs $119 per year and offers free shipping on tons of items, access to Amazon music and video streaming services, and more.
What it offers: You can buy pretty much anything from Amazon. Well, anything except for competitive products from the likes of Google and Apple. Tech, clothing, accessories -- you name it, you can probably buy it from Amazon.
What it doesn't offer: Products like the Google Home, Apple TV, and Google Chromecast are in direct competition with the Amazon Echo and Amazon Fire TV — and as such the company doesn't list them on its website.
When it's cheaper: Based on the products we compared, it seems like most of the time, Amazon is the cheaper option. For both the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the iPad Pro, Amazon ended up being cheaper. Why? Well, there's a much larger range of sellers on Amazon than on Jet, so it's possible that the wider range of sellers can lead to more competition within the Amazon Store, and lower prices. The Samsung Galaxy S8 came in at $558+ for the 64GB model, which is around $40 cheaper than the Jet equivalent, while the 10.5-inch iPad Pro came in at $587+ — over $60 cheaper than on Jet.
Other info: Amazon Prime may cost more than Jet, but if you want benefits like access to Amazon Prime video, Amazon Prime Music, and more, then it may well be worth it for you. On top of that, Amazon generally offers a wider range of products, despite the few omissions in competitive areas.
JET
Subscription: Jet doesn't offer a subscription in the same way that Amazon does -- instead it'll simply give you free 2-day shipping on any order over $35. In other words, if you're not already an Amazon Prime member, you don't necessarily need to pay for quick and free shipping.
What it offers: Jet offers a range of products, including tech, but the selection doesn't seem to be quite as big as Amazon's. That's not to say it's a small store -- there are hundreds of products in each range of categories, so it likely still offers what you're looking for, or a very similar item.
What it doesn't offer: As mentioned, Jet is missing some things. We found that we couldn't find many recent flagship phones, nor many Amazon-specific products, like the Amazon Echo -- though accessories for those products were available.
When it's cheaper: Generally speaking, it seemed like Amazon was the cheaper option -- but that wasn't always the case. While both the Samsung Galaxy S8 and iPad Pro were more expensive on Jet, the TCL 32S305 TV was cheaper by around $30. Jet's real advantage seems to come in the form of other products -- like food items and everyday needs.
Other info: As mentioned, the real reason to go for Jet is that you're looking for things like food items and paper towels — but it's also a great way to get free shipping without having to pay for it. Any order over $35 offers free shipping, which is good news for those that don't want to pay for an Amazon Prime
Conclusions
Is Jet going to take Amazon out any time soon? Well, no. But that doesn't mean it isn't worth considering. We recommend comparing both sites for any item that you're looking for — but if you're not interested in doing the work, Amazon is probably still the way to go, especially if you don't mind the $119 Amazon Prime subscription.
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