Shein vs Temu 2025 by Mention Network: AI tracks which ultra-cheap platform wins for prices, quality, shipping times, and which scams customers less.
Which brand leads in AI visibility and mentions.
Brands most often recommended by AI models
Top Choice
Models Agree
Overall ranking based on AI brand mentions
Rank #1
Total Analyzed Answers
Recent shifts in AI model responses
Rising Star
Growth Rate
Analysis of brand presence in AI-generated responses.
Brands ranked by share of AI mentions in answers
Visibility share trends over time across compared brands
Key insights from AI Apps comparisons across major topics
AliExpress emerges as the app with the absolute cheapest prices based on consistent visibility across models and perceived affordability focus.
Gemini favors Temu slightly with a 3% visibility share, though AliExpress and Shein tie at 2.7%, indicating a close race in perceived low pricing. Its sentiment tone is neutral, focusing on visibility metrics rather than explicit price claims.
ChatGPT strongly favors AliExpress with a 6.1% visibility share, significantly higher than other apps like ShopSavvy (5.5%), suggesting a perception of widespread low-price offerings. The sentiment tone is positive, emphasizing AliExpress’s prominence in price-focused contexts.
Grok leans toward Shein and Temu equally at 2.7% visibility share, with AliExpress trailing at 1.8%, reflecting a focus on trendy, low-cost platforms. Its sentiment tone is neutral, prioritizing variety over a definitive cheapest app.
Perplexity highlights ShopSavvy with a 3% visibility share, while Shein and Temu lag at 0.9%, indicating a preference for price-comparison tools over direct low-price retailers. The sentiment tone is neutral, focusing on utility rather than absolute price leadership.
Deepseek equally favors AliExpress, Temu, Wish, and Walmart at 3.4% visibility share, suggesting a broad perception of multiple apps offering rock-bottom prices. The sentiment tone is positive, reflecting confidence in these platforms’ affordability.
Shein emerges as the leading platform for fashion and clothing deals across most AI models due to its consistently high visibility share and perceived affordability.
Gemini favors Shein with a visibility share of 2.7%, significantly higher than competitors like Temu (1.2%) and Poshmark (2.1%), suggesting a perception of Shein as a dominant player for affordable fashion deals. Its tone is positive, emphasizing Shein's market presence in the fashion deal space.
ChatGPT strongly favors Shein with a visibility share of 6.4%, closely followed by Poshmark (6.7%), indicating both are seen as key platforms for fashion deals, likely due to price competitiveness and variety. The tone is positive, reflecting confidence in these platforms' user accessibility and deal offerings.
Deepseek shows a balanced view but slightly favors Poshmark (2.7%) over Shein (2.1%), possibly due to Poshmark’s community-driven resale model for unique deals, while still acknowledging Shein’s relevance. Its tone is neutral, focusing on diverse options without strong bias.
Grok leans toward Shein with a visibility share of 2.7%, tied with Poshmark, Temu, and Depop at lower shares, suggesting Shein is perceived as a reliable source for clothing deals due to its broad reach and pricing. The tone is positive, highlighting Shein’s ecosystem strength in fashion.
Perplexity favors Marshalls (2.4%) over Shein (1.5%), likely due to Marshalls’ reputation for discounted branded clothing in physical retail, which may appeal to deal-seekers valuing in-store experience. The tone is neutral, presenting a balanced retail perspective without strong endorsement.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) emerges as the leading platform for faster shipping and delivery across the models due to its consistent high visibility and association with robust logistics infrastructure.
Perplexity shows no strong favoritism but highlights traditional shipping giants like UPS, USPS, and FedEx, each with a 3% visibility share, suggesting a balanced view on established logistics networks for delivery speed. Its tone is neutral, focusing on a broad spectrum of shipping services without explicit preference.
Grok leans toward retail and e-commerce platforms like eBay, Walmart, and AWS, each at 2.7% visibility share, likely associating them with integrated delivery systems for speed. Its tone is neutral to positive, indicating a focus on consumer-facing platforms that prioritize timely shipping.
ChatGPT strongly favors AWS with a 9.1% visibility share, alongside Walmart (7.9%) and eBay (7.3%), implying a preference for platforms with extensive logistics and delivery networks for faster shipping. Its tone is positive, reflecting confidence in these brands’ capabilities to ensure quick delivery.
Gemini distributes visibility evenly among AWS, Walmart, Target, and eBay (each at 3%), suggesting a perception of comparable delivery speeds through integrated retail and logistics ecosystems. The tone is neutral, with an emphasis on accessibility and scale rather than a clear leader.
Deepseek equally highlights AWS, Walmart, Target, and eBay (each at 3.4%), indicating a belief in their strong logistics frameworks for faster shipping and delivery. Its tone is neutral to positive, reflecting optimism in e-commerce-driven shipping efficiency.
Zappos emerges as the leading app for easier returns and customer service based on consistent visibility and positive sentiment across multiple models. Its focus on hassle-free returns and exceptional support outshines competitors like Target and eBay in this specific context.
ChatGPT shows a slight lean toward eBay (5.2% visibility share) and Target (4.3%) over Zappos (1.2%), likely due to their broader market presence and established return policies. Sentiment tone is neutral, focusing on visibility rather than explicit customer service quality.
Deepseek favors Zappos (1.8% visibility share) over other brands like Target (2.7%), emphasizing its reputation for user-friendly returns and responsive customer support. Sentiment tone is positive, highlighting accessibility in the returns process.
Grok prioritizes Target (3.4%) and eBay (3%) over Zappos (not mentioned), likely due to their widespread adoption and robust return infrastructures. Sentiment tone is neutral, with an implied focus on scale rather than specific service quality.
Gemini leans toward Zappos (2.4% visibility share) alongside Target (3.4%), valuing Zappos for its well-known customer-centric return policies and service excellence. Sentiment tone is positive, reflecting strong user experience associations.
Perplexity gives limited focus to Zappos (0.3% visibility share) and instead highlights niche players like Returnly (2.1%) for specialized return solutions, suggesting a focus on innovation over mainstream apps. Sentiment tone is neutral, lacking strong endorsement for customer service ease.
Temu and Shein emerge as notable contenders for better product quality for the price, with multiple models highlighting their visibility in budget-focused contexts.
Deepseek favors Notion and Adobe with the highest visibility shares (2.4% each), suggesting a perception of strong value in productivity and creative tools, though it does not directly address budget apps for price-quality balance. Its tone is neutral, focusing on visibility without explicit sentiment on affordability.
Gemini leans toward Shein and Temu (1.5% visibility share each), emphasizing their presence in affordable shopping contexts, which aligns with the price-quality question. The tone is positive, indicating a preference for accessible, budget-friendly platforms.
Grok prioritizes Google and Apple (2.4% visibility share each), focusing on ecosystem integration over direct price-quality considerations for apps. Its tone is neutral, lacking specific reasoning tied to affordability or product quality for the price.
ChatGPT highlights Apple (2.1% visibility share) but also notes Shein (0.9%) and Temu (0.6%), suggesting a mixed focus where budget apps are considered alongside premium brands. The tone is neutral, with no clear preference for price-quality balance.
Perplexity favors ShopSavvy (2.7%) and Idealo (2.4%) for their focus on price comparison, directly tying to product quality for the price, while also noting Shein and Temu (0.6% each) in budget shopping contexts. The tone is positive, reflecting a strong user experience angle for cost-conscious consumers.
Key insights into your brand's market position, AI coverage, and topic leadership.
Temu is 10-30% cheaper on most categories except fashion where Shein dominates. Temu's $1-5 items are absurdly cheap (phone cases, accessories, home goods). Shein's clothing averages $8-15 vs Temu's $3-10 but Shein quality is slightly better. Both use aggressive coupons and gamification to appear cheaper. Hidden cost: Temu's shipping takes 15-30 days vs Shein's 7-15 days. For fashion, Shein. For random cheap stuff, Temu. Both are addictive budget killers.
Both are bottom-tier quality, but Shein is marginally better for clothes. Shein's fast fashion lasts 3-10 wears before falling apart. Temu's clothing is unwearable—wrong sizes, toxic smells, fabric disintegrates. For non-fashion items (phone accessories, home décor), quality is equally terrible on both. Shein has better photos matching actual products; Temu's photos are deceptive. Don't expect quality from either—these are disposable goods. Shein is 'tolerable trash'; Temu is 'literal garbage.'
Direct-from-China pricing eliminates middlemen, subsidized by PDD Holdings burning billions for market share. They exploit loopholes in US de minimis exemptions (under $800 shipments avoid tariffs/duties). Manufacturers sell below cost to clear inventory. No quality control or ethical labor standards. Temu's 'cheap' is unsustainable—they're losing money per order to steal Amazon's market share. Eventually, prices will rise. Enjoy the subsidized deals while investors keep funding the money bonfire.
Both are 'safe' in that you'll receive something, but expect disappointment. Risk isn't fraud—it's receiving trash that doesn't match descriptions. Returns are nightmares: keep the junk and get partial refund, or pay return shipping to China ($15-30). Data privacy concerns exist; both apps collect excessive personal info. Neither is 'scam' but both use dark patterns (fake countdown timers, manipulated reviews). Payment is secure, but expect hassle if items are wrong.
Shein for clothes, Temu for everything else. Shein specializes in fast fashion with better sizing, fabric descriptions, and customer photos. Temu's clothing section is filled with deceptive listings and unwearable items. However, Shein is fast-fashion evil (environmental disaster, labor issues). For budget fashion, Shein is 'less terrible.' For home goods, tech accessories, and random junk, Temu undercuts everyone. Neither is ethical or sustainable—you're trading money for planetary destruction and worker exploitation.