# Sainsbury's vs British Essentials

Sainsbury's and British Essentials both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of British Essentials's written reviews are positive against 30% of Sainsbury's's. Sainsbury's's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (765 vs 229). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Sainsbury's against 4.9 for British Essentials. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 765 and 229 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 30% of Sainsbury's's written reviews are positive against 100% of British Essentials's.

Sainsbury's ships an update every 2 weeks, British Essentials every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 19, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sainsbury's | British Essentials |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (765 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sainsburys/id1086056964/reviews) | **[4.9 (229 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/british-essentials/id6477825501/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **765** | 229 |
| Positive reviews | 29.5% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 110 MB | 60 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **14.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sainsbury's](https://appshunter.io/developer/976550044) | [B.E. ESSENTIALS LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1730722064) |

## What reviewers say

### Sainsbury's

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sainsburys/id1086056964)

Shop for over 30,000 grocery products from your phone. Browse, search, create orders, and collect rewards. Choose home delivery or in-store collection across the UK.

**Highlights:** Browse and search 30,000+ products, Create and edit grocery orders, Link Nectar card for rewards, Access offers and deals, UK-wide home delivery, Click & Collect from stores

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Convenient shopping
- 👍 Easy to use app
- 👍 Excellent delivery service
- 👍 Friendly and helpful delivery drivers
- 👍 Great for online shopping

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes and glitches
- 🐛 Unavailable items and substitution issues
- 🐛 Difficulty logging in and accessing account
- 🐛 Checkout and payment problems
- 🐛 Missing or unreliable features

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes during checkout
- Unable to add payment methods
- Nectar card integration issues
- Delivery address changes unexpectedly
- Items disappearing from basket

**Requested features**

- Add notes for item substitutions
- Improve search and browsing experience
- Integrate Nectar card and points management
- Provide delivery tracking and status updates
- Allow saving and reordering of previous orders


### British Essentials

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/british-essentials/id6477825501)

Discover and purchase a wide array of authentic British food and drink items from around the world. This app offers global accessibility to classic British groceries, exclusive deals, and a user-friendly shopping experience, all while supporting UK producers.

**Highlights:** Extensive selection of British groceries, Worldwide shipping, User-friendly interface, Authentic UK products, Exclusive app offers and discounts, Personalized product recommendations, Fast and reliable shipping

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sainsbury's free?

Sainsbury's is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is British Essentials free?

British Essentials is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Sainsbury's or British Essentials?

British Essentials is rated higher. Sainsbury's averages 4.8 out of 5 from 765 ratings, while British Essentials averages 4.9 from 229 ratings.

### Do Sainsbury's or British Essentials have ads?

Both Sainsbury's and British Essentials show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Sainsbury's or British Essentials?

Sainsbury's ships an update every 2 weeks, and British Essentials every 3 months. Most recently, Sainsbury's was updated on October 19, 2026 and British Essentials on October 19, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*