If you’ve heard of Grove Collaborative, you may be be wondering: Grove Collaborative or Amazon Subscribe & Save? What’s the difference? Is one option better than the other? 

(if you’re interested in buying natural food groceries online too, you might enjoy this post: Where to Buy Natural Food Online Groceries (& promo codes) )

I was first introduced to Grove Collaborative through the Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle last year, but to be honest, I didn’t get how it worked, I already used Amazon Subscribe & Save for most stuff, I wasn’t interested in buying premium home cleaning products, and I didn’t take advantage of the free product bonus offered in last years bundle. I’ve never been Miss Suzy Homemaker, so I’ve never been partial to cleaning products. I mean, isn’t the cheaper option just as good as the fancy “natural” products? And um, it’s not like I clean my house everyday or anything, so I wasn’t super concerned about potential safety concerns using chemicaly products.

However, in April, when the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle came around, I decided to try Grove Collaborative out. 

What I did not expect though, is how much KP would love the natural cleaning supplies I got! Hah, I guess I always knew he had a fondness for specific laundry detergents, but I had no idea he would be excited over cleaning products. When he got downright giddy over the new Mrs. Meyers Honeysuckle dish soap, I knew that we may never be going back to conventional dish soap – or other cleaning supplies – again. And I did have to agree, this new stuff smelled, not sterile and chemical, but well, pleasant and happy. Ha ha, and while “it makes me happy” may not be be an adequate assessment of a products efficacy… hey, if these new products somehow  get me to clean the bathroom more often, then I consider that a HUGE WIN.

It may have taken us awhile to make the switch to more natural cleaning supplies, but now that we have, the question now is: Which is more affordable and a better service? Is there abenefit to using Grove over Amazon, or vice versa?

Personally, I use both services. Amazon for some products, and Grove for others.

Amazon Subscribe & Save Basic Info:
– You search for products offered through the Amazon S&S program and add them to your monthly delivery.
– Can choose from thousands of products and brands including cleaning supplies, toiletries, pantry food items, baby items, etc.
– You can set each product to be delivered once every 1-6 months, and then change the frequency as needed.
– Shipping is free. (though if you’re a Prime member, note that S&S has a slower shipping speed than the usual 2-day delivery)

Grove Collaborative Basic Info:
– You can either purchase items on a one-time basis, or you can add them to a monthly delivery service.
– Grove only offers natural products that keep your body and home clean. This includes cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, face and skin products, and baby products.
– While you can only set items to ship on monthly basis, you can go in each month and skip individual products that you may not need replenishing yet.
– Shipping is free if you are a VIP member, otherwise it’s $2.99. (and since they ship out of California, I typically get my shipments within a couple days). VIP Membership is $19.99/yr and also includes 5 full-sized products as free gifts each year.

So what’s the best option for you: Grove Collaborative or Amazon Subscribe & Save?

Here’s some examples of what to buy from which service (note that the below listed prices may change, but are current as of this writing):
Mrs. Meyers Dish Soap 16oz., Honeysuckle
Grove: $3.89 each
Amazon S&S: $8.16/3pk = $2.72 each

However, if you were partial to another flavor of the same dish soap, say Geranium, then the comparison would instead look like this:
Grove: $3.89 each
Amazon S&S: $14.38/3pk = $4.79 each

Mrs. Meyers Multi-Surface Concentrate 32oz., Basil
Grove: $8.99 each
Amazon S&S: $11.24/2pk = $5.62 each
However, if you want just one bottle, not two:
Grove: $8.99 each
Amazon S&S: $9.99 each

Acure Organics All Better Balm, 1.75 oz
Grove: $9.95
Amazon (not offered S &S): $13.72

So as you can see, while both Grove Collaborative and Amazon Subscribe & Save offer similar subscription services for natural cleaning and personal care supplies, neither one may be the perfect fit for you; it depends on what you are looking for.

Amazon Subscribe & Save may be best for you if:
– you’re already a S&S user
– you don’t want to acclimate yourself to a new website or product lines
– you don’t necessarily care about always using the highest quality, natural, or sustainable products
– affordability is more important to you than scent or flavor or brand name
– you like to buy in bulk in order to maximize savings

Grove Collaborative may be best for you if:
– you want to start using natural cleaning products but don’t know where to start
– you get overwhelmed with all the choices on Amazon and want a smaller, curated list of suggestions that you know you can trust
– you’re committed to using natural, eco-friendly, and sustainable products whenever possible
– you have room in your budget to “splurge” on quality products, knowing that with the higher-quality that a smaller amount usually lasts farther and longer
– you don’t want to have to buy in bulk in order to reap savings
– you want the option of particular scents or flavors that Amazon doesn’t offer

If you were on the fence between the two, I hope this helped you make up your mind! Feel free to leave me a comment and let me know if you’ve tried Grove and/or Amazon for your natural cleaning products and if you have a preference either way.

 You might also like the post: Where to Buy Natural Food Online Groceries (& promo codes)