Australia’s top supermarket for 2026 revealed – and it’s not Coles or Woolies

Aldi has taken out Canstar’s Most Satisfied Customer award for a ninth year in a row, beating out Coles, Woolworths and IGA for the top spot.

This is despite Aldi accounting for just 9 per cent of the supermarket share in Australia, compared to Woolworths at 38 per cent and Coles at 29 per cent, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

The remaining 24 per cent is made up of IGA and other independent retailers.

Canstar surveyed 2738 Australians for their feedback on the supermarket they bought from most recently, and it was Aldi’s deals and specials that customers report being most impressed with.

Aldi earned five stars for overall satisfaction, deals/specials available, value for money, own-brand product quality, and store/website layout and presentation. The discount grocery retailer was awarded four stars for checkout experience.

Aldi lost stars for freshness of produce and meat and customer service, earning just three stars for each, and two stars for product range and stock availability.

Canstar.com.au consumer expert Eden Radford said Aldi shoppers leave a store feeling as though they have “secured a bargain, not just that they’ve paid the lowest price” which proved to be a winning formula for the German-owned brand.

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“Canstar’s research has also revealed the reality of the cost pressures facing so many households, but also how savvy they have become when it comes to stretching every grocery dollar,” Radford said.

“Supermarket loyalty is dropping, with nearly half of Aussies visiting two supermarkets to complete their regular grocery run, and 18 per cent visiting three or more stores.

“This latest research shows just how savvy and laser-focused Australian consumers have become, and it’s the supermarkets like Aldi that deliver genuine, uncompromising value at the register that will continue to win customer satisfaction.”

IGA took out second place in the Canstar awards, with the independent owned grocery chain earning four stars for overall satisfaction. Where IGA impressed shoppers the most was with freshness of produce and meat, customer service, checkout experience and stock availability, earning five stars for each of these categories.

Coles placed third on the list, followed by Woolworths, with both earning three stars for overall satisfaction.

Shoppers rated Coles higher than Woolworths when it came to deals/specials available, freshness of produce and meat, customer service, own brand product quality, checkout experience, stock availability and store/website layout and presentation.

Woolworths outperformed Coles when it came to value for money and product range.

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Aldi Australia has recently streamlined its core grocery line-up, cutting back on the number of items it sells in each category and simplifying its iconic middle of the aisle Special Buys. This follows reports Coles and Woolworths have recently been clawing back market share from Aldi.

A spokesperson for Aldi Australia told nine.com.au “we continually review our range to ensure it reflects what customers value most”.

“This streamlined approach allows our business to operate more efficiently and invest those savings directly back to customers through lower prices,” the spokesperson said.

“We remain unwavering in our focus on keeping prices low.

“This year we’ve invested in permanent price reductions across more than 300 products and in the last month, Aldi has made significant permanent price reductions across our award-winning meat range.”