Cheapest laundry detergent in Switzerland: the price-per-wash buying guide

Laundry detergent is one of those quiet household costs that adds up over a year, and the headline price on the shelf almost never tells you what a wash actually costs. A big bottle can look dear next to a small box and still be cheaper to use, because what matters is the price per wash, not the price per pack. In Switzerland you can buy detergent at every chain and discounter, in powder, liquid and capsule formats, as branded products like Persil, Ariel and Total or as own brands like M-Budget, Prix Garantie, Oecoplan, Aldi's Tandil and Lidl's Formil. This guide explains how to find the cheapest option that still washes well, and how to compare like with like.

Sources checked May 2026: Swiss consumer-test publications K-Tipp, Kassensturz (SRF) and saldo for blind detergent tests across powder, liquid and capsule formats and for own-brand results; the retailers' own published assortments and pack sizes (Migros, Coop, Aldi, Lidl, Denner, Otto's); and international consumer bodies (UFC-Que Choisir, Altroconsumo) for format comparisons. Specific prices, pack sizes and promotions change constantly, so this guide explains how to judge value rather than quoting figures that go stale; check live prices and the price per wash in the Rappn app.

Rappn is the only neutral grocery price comparison app in Switzerland, with no commercial agreements with any retailer or brand. We are not paid by Coop, Migros, Aldi, Lidl, Denner, Aligro or Otto's, nor by Persil, Ariel or any detergent maker, to rank them, and nothing below is sponsored.

The only number that matters: price per wash

The single most useful habit when buying detergent is to ignore the pack price and work out the price per wash. Every pack states how many wash cycles it is dosed for, so you simply divide the price by that number of washes. A 50-wash bottle at one price and a 20-wash box at another are impossible to compare any other way, and the bigger or more expensive-looking pack is often the cheaper one per load. Capsules make this trickier because the convenience is baked into the price, and powder is usually the lowest cost per wash because you control the dose. Get into the habit of reading the wash count, and you will see through a lot of shelf-edge illusions.

Powder, liquid or capsules: which format to buy

Format changes both the price and the result, so it is worth matching the format to the job rather than buying on habit. Swiss and international consumer tests broadly agree on the trade-offs below.

Own brand vs branded: where the savings really are

The biggest lever on a detergent bill is usually switching from a name brand to an own brand. Branded heavyweights like Persil, Ariel and Total are reliable and heavily advertised, but the own-brand lines from the Swiss chains, M-Budget at Migros, Prix Garantie and Oecoplan at Coop, plus discounter brands such as Aldi's Tandil and Lidl's Formil, cost noticeably less per wash. Swiss and European consumer testers, including K-Tipp, Kassensturz, saldo, the FRC, UFC-Que Choisir and Altroconsumo, repeatedly find that several discounter and own-brand detergents wash as well as or better than far pricier branded products in blind tests, with powder formats generally leading on stain removal. The practical takeaway is that trading down is frequently a free saving, especially on everyday loads. For a wider view on stretching the budget, see our guide to the cheapest supermarket in Switzerland.

Promotions, pack size and the eco question

Detergent is a classic promotion item, so the cheapest detergent this week is often whichever brand is on a deep Aktion, not the one that is normally cheapest. Large packs usually cut the price per wash further, but only buy a giant box if you have the space and will actually use it before it cakes or the fragrance fades. On the eco side, concentrated detergents, refill pouches and ecolabel powders can lower both cost and packaging, though some testers note that the gentlest ecological formulas can be a touch weaker on stubborn stains, so match them to lightly soiled loads. If you compare total household value rather than a single product, our best value supermarket guide weighs price against quality across the shop.

How to find the cheapest detergent today

Because formats, pack sizes and promotions all move at once, no static article can tell you the cheapest detergent for your machine this week. Live prices can. This is exactly what Rappn does: you search a product, for example a heavy-duty powder or a pack of capsules, and see every active offer across Coop, Migros, Aldi, Lidl, Denner, Otto's and Aligro at once, with the discount and the store. The unit price, per kilo, per litre or per wash, sits next to the shelf price, which is the only honest way to compare a big bottle against a small box. Everything is filtered to your canton, and you can set an alert so you are told the moment the detergent you buy regularly drops in price. It is free, and it has no commercial deal with any retailer or brand. If you tend to stock up, our guide to bulk buying in Switzerland pairs naturally with detergent.

So what is the cheapest laundry detergent in Switzerland?

The neutral answer: for most households it is an own-brand or discounter powder bought in a larger pack and dosed correctly, with the lowest price per wash, topped up by whatever branded detergent happens to be on a strong promotion that week. Capsules cost more per wash and are worth it only if you value the convenience. There is no detergent that is "always cheapest", and the only way to know which one wins your basket this week is to compare the live offers and the price per wash side by side. That is the whole reason Rappn exists.

Last reviewed: May 2026. Prices, pack sizes and promotions change constantly; this guide is updated as the Swiss retail landscape shifts.