Lowe's vs. Home Depot: We Compared Their Prices on Tools, Rentals, and More

Lowe’s and Home Depot carry thousands of similar home improvement items, but their prices and exclusive offerings often differ. While Lowe's price matches Home Depot for identical products, some brands — like Behr at Home Depot and Valspar at Lowe’s — are store-specific and can’t qualify for a price match. This makes it essential to compare prices for Lowe's vs. Home Depot when shopping for unique items at either store.

When it comes to savings, both Lowe's deals and Home Depot deals frequently include discounts on appliances, tools, lighting, and building supplies. Regular sales, markdowns, and coupons can significantly affect prices, so the better option often depends on the item and the available promotions happening at any given time.

Additionally, store policies and services might sway your decision. For example, Lowe's return policy may offer more flexibility for major appliance purchases. This guide highlights how the two stores stack up on deals, coupons, rewards, and policies to help you make an informed choice.

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Daily Deals: Both stores save you about 40% on average.

Both stores offer daily deals, but Lowe’s typically drops multiple "Deals of the Day," while Home Depot highlights one big sale at a time.

For example, Lowe's might offer up to 55% off houseplants, 25% off lighting, and 10% off kitchen cabinets all in one day. Home Depot, on the other hand, focuses on one “Special Buy of the Day," like up to 45% off select power tool kits.

Coupons: Lowe's coupons are easier to get than Home Depot's.

Subscribing to emails and texts is the easiest way to get coupons at Lowe’s and Home Depot. Both stores give you a free $5 off $50 coupon just for opting in. But in comparison, Lowe's gives you more opportunities to score free coupons.

You get a $5 off coupon just for joining their rewards program (MyLowe’s Rewards), which is free to sign up for online. Also, Lowe’s emails you a digital coupon book if you attend a free in-store workshop. The coupon book has about a dozen product-specific discounts for up to 50% off.

Once in a while, you’ll score a free coupon for attending certain in-store events, like Lowe’s Spring Workshop Series. In 2024, you got to take home a Lowe’s coupon for $10 off $75 if you registered and showed up for one of their in-store events.

Rewards: Only Lowe's has a free rewards program for everyday shoppers.

Lowe's launched the MyLowe’s Rewards program in early 2024. It’s free to join, but the membership has three tiers. The more you spend at Lowe’s per year, the more perks you get. Still, even free members get a lower free shipping minimum ($35 versus $45) and Lowe’s coupons via email, plus access to in-store freebies like the Mother's Day Flower Giveaway and the Fall Flower Giveaway.

Lowe’s and Home Depot both offer store credit cards, but don’t expect heavy rewards from either. With that said, the Home Depot credit card is slightly better because you get a full set of benefits. Lowe’s credit card requires you to pick one of three benefits.

Spring Sales: It's a toss-up depending on what you're buying.

Lowe's and Home Depot both drop competitive deals during their respective spring sales. But when you compare the best Lowe's SpringFest deals to the best Home Depot Spring Black Friday deals, you'll find lower prices at one store versus the other, depending on the item.

For example, Lowe’s usually has cheaper mulch, while Home Depot’s soil deals are tough to beat.

Best Spring Sale Prices at Lowe's vs. Home Depot

Paint Prices: Home Depot has cheaper quarts but Lowe's has cheaper 1-gallon and 5-gallon sizes.

Lowe's and Home Depot both carry a huge selection of paints, primers, stains, and finishes for indoor and outdoor projects. But when I crunched the numbers to see who has the cheapest paint, I found that Lowe's wins in this category for the 1-gallon and 5-gallon sizes, while Home Depot has cheaper quarts.

For example, one gallon of Glidden Essentials paint with an eggshell sheen is $22.98 at Home Depot, while the equivalent Lowe's Valspar 4000 paint is $1 cheaper per gallon.

But Home Depot wins for the most choices of paint brands and qualities to choose from, with 12 total options (versus eight options at Lowe's).

Cheapest Interior Paint Prices (Eggshell)

Tool Prices: Lowe's has cheaper entry-level power tools.

Only a few tool brands overlap at Lowe's and Home Depot, and each store sells tool brands that the other doesn't. While some are exclusive brands, others are simply sold at one store versus the other, so it's largely a matter of brand preference when deciding where to shop.

Lowe's sells good entry-level brands like Skil and Craftsman, while Home Depot's most affordable tools are Ryobi and Ridgid. When I compared prices on the cheapest tools at either store, I found that Lowe's entry-level tools are typically about $15 - $30 cheaper than Home Depot's.

Cheapest Tool Prices at Lowe's vs. Home Depot

Tool Rentals: Lowe's has cheaper tool rentals.

Both stores have about the same selection of rental tools and equipment for rent, including lawn mowers, chainsaws, pressure washers, and power tools. But there are some significant differences when you look at the price of Lowe's rentals vs. Home Depot rentals.

For the tool categories we checked, Lowe's has cheaper prices for 4-hour and 24-hour tool rentals. In most cases, renting from Lowe's instead of Home Depot could save you anywhere from $1 - $12.

Tool Rental Prices Compared (4-hour to 24-hour rental)

Prices quoted are from Home Depot and Lowe's locations in Central Florida.

Truck Rentals: Lowe's gives you more time for a $19 truck rental, but Home Depot has cheaper 24-hour rentals.

Lowe’s beats Home Depot with their $19 pickup truck rental if you look at the cost per minute. For example, with Lowe's you get 90 minutes for $19 ($0.21 per minute), while Home Depot gives you 75 minutes for $19 ($0.25 per minute). Home Depot has cheaper prices for a 24-hour pickup truck rental, though, beating Lowe's by $10.

But keep in mind that you can only rent pickup trucks from Lowe’s. Home Depot has larger box trucks and cargo vans available for rent, in addition to the standard flatbed trucks.

KCL TIP: Lowe’s gives you a Chevy pickup truck that carries up to 2,200 pounds in its flatbed. Home Depot gives you a Ford pickup truck that can carry up to 3,000 pounds in its flatbed. Depending on what you’re hauling, this could be a game-changer.

Delivery Options: Home Depot has more free delivery options than Lowe's.

Both Lowe’s and Home Depot offer free local delivery in eligible areas. But only Home Depot can promise it’ll arrive in 1 - 2 days. As you browse items on HomeDepot.com, you can filter your search by “Free 1 - 2 Day Delivery” to see eligible items.

You can filter by “Fast Delivery” on Lowes.com, but not all items will arrive within two days.

Also, Home Depot removed their $45 free shipping minimum for online orders, but Lowe's still exists. You can now get free standard shipping on all HomeDepot.com orders, but they do have some product exclusions.

Both stores used to offer free appliance delivery on orders of $396 or more, but they both changed their policy at the start of 2024. Now, Lowe's and Home Depot both charge a $29 fee for major appliance deliveries unless there's a special promotion.

Return Policies: Lowe's is more lenient with major appliance returns.

You’re probably not surprised that Lowe’s return policy and Home Depot’s return policy are similar, with a 90-day window for most items and a 365-day window for trees, shrubs, and perennials.

However, Lowe’s policy is more lenient for major appliances, offering a 30-day return window on unopened items, while Home Depot sticks to a strict 48-hour return policy.

Lowe's vs. Home Depot: Which One Is Better?

So which is the better choice: Lowe’s or Home Depot? It really comes down to what you need and where you want to save. If you're DIYing on a budget, Lowe’s is a solid choice for cheaper entry-level tools, tool rentals, and truck rentals. Plus, they're the only option with a free rewards program for everyday shoppers, plus access to more coupons.

But if you’re after a broader selection of paint or better delivery options, Home Depot might be the way to go. Both stores offer solid deals and value — it’s just about picking the one that fits your project and priorities the best.

Related Reading:

• Lowe's Shopping Hacks To Save More

• Best Home Depot Shopping Hacks

• Sam's Club vs. Costco: Who Is Cheaper?