Which is better, Walgreens or CVS?

Asked by: Alexandra Wisozk  |  Last update: August 5, 2025
Score: 4.6/5 (11 votes)

When comparing CVS vs. Walgreens, customer reviews indicate that Walgreens is the better pharmacy. However, other factors, such as cost and rewards programs, give CVS a competitive edge, putting it slightly ahead of Walgreens in these areas.

Is CVS better than Walgreens?

Both Walgreens and CVS are excellent choices when it comes to filling a prescription. Prices are very competitive, so it really comes down to convenience factors such as location availability or extra services and rewards offered by either store.

What is the best pharmacy to use?

Good Neighbor Pharmacy ranks highest among brick-and-mortar chain drug store pharmacies for an eighth consecutive year, with a score of 775. Good Neighbor received top scores in all study dimensions, including "level of trust with pharmacy." Health Mart (729) ranks second and Rite Aid Pharmacy ranks third (650).

Does CVS or Walgreens have better photo quality?

For online ordering, we suggest Walgreens over CVS. While Walgreens pick up is consistently reliable, we recommend ordering online for higher quality prints. Walgreens local labs use DNP Photo Paper and what's known in the industry as "Dye-sublimation" printing.

Is Walgreens a preferred pharmacy?

Filling your prescription at a preferred pharmacy can help you save on the cost of copays, so make sure your pharmacy is in your plan's preferred network when you enroll. Walgreens is a Preferred Pharmacy for many plans! To learn more about Medicare from Walgreens, visit Walgreens.com/Medicare.

Why Walgreens And CVS Are Shutting Down Thousands Of Stores

34 related questions found

Why is Walgreens pharmacy more expensive?

Brick-and-mortar pharmacies like Walgreens and CVS need to pay additional charges to insurers and middlemen, which can hike the overall prescription price.

Is CVS a preferred pharmacy?

CVS Pharmacy® is preferred with some Medicare Part C and/or D plans, does not endorse any particular Medicare plan, and does not receive compensation of any kind from plan sponsors or other third parties related to enrollment in a Medicare plan.

Why are my pictures blurry at Walgreens?

We recommend that you always double-check the image preview before submitting an order. Why is my photo print blurry? If your image is small, it may have to be stretched to fit the print size you have ordered. We recommend that you submit high-quality images with high resolution, especially when ordering large prints.

Does CVS do high-quality prints?

No matter how you prefer your printouts or copies to appear, CVS Photo can give you the professional results that you desire. You can print in black and white or in full color on high-quality paper for a reasonable price.

Is Walgreens or CVS cheaper for passport photos?

You can get passport photos for $14.99 at Walgreens or $16.99 at CVS, but these are not the cheapest places.

Does it matter which pharmacy you go to?

Some health plans also have preferred in-network pharmacies which the health insurance company usually has agreements with to provide medication at an even more discounted price. Make sure you are getting your prescriptions filled at an in-network or preferred in-network pharmacy to keep your costs lower.

What pharmacy has the best quality drugs?

Following Good Neighbor Pharmacy, which ranked highest among brick-and-mortar chain drug store pharmacies for a seventh consecutive year, with a score of 793, is Health Mart (770), which ranks second, and Rite Aid Pharmacy, which ranks third (680).

Which pharmacy brand is best?

List of Top 10 Pharmaceutical Companies in India
  • Cipla.
  • Dr. Reddy's Laboratories.
  • Divi's Laboratories.
  • Aurobindo Pharmaceuticals.
  • Abbott India.
  • Lupin Limited.
  • Torrent Pharmaceuticals.
  • Zydus Cadila Healthcare.

Why is Walgreens always next to CVS?

By being next to each other, they create a one-stop hub for consumers who need to fill prescriptions, buy health essentials, or grab some snacks and toiletries. Their competitive proximity often leads to both businesses thriving rather than one knocking the other out.

What is CVS best known for?

CVS Health Corporation is an American for-profit healthcare company that owns CVS Pharmacy, a retail pharmacy chain; CVS Caremark, a pharmacy benefits manager; and Aetna, a health insurance provider, among many other brands. The company is the world's second largest healthcare company, behind UnitedHealth Group.

Why is Walgreens and CVS closing?

Walgreens and other chains overexpanded during the 1990s and 2000s to drive out competitors and draw more customers. They are now shutting down because of shifting consumer habits, competition and changes in the pharmacy industry.

Who has better quality pictures, CVS or Walgreens?

Despite this premium, the quality of our CVS test prints is less consistent than what we got from Walgreens, which is our Editors' Choice winner for local-pickup one-hour photo printing. If you don't need same-day printing, our top pick for photo printing quality is Nations Photo Lab.

What does CVS stand for?

The first Consumer Value Stores (CVS) store started in Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1963. Ralph Hoagland and the Goldstein brothers Sidney and Stanley started the company as an offshoot of their business Mark Steven, Inc., which helped retailers manage their health and beauty lines.

Is Walmart or CVS better for photos?

Walmart is the best photo lab for local pick up. They've recently started using a type of lab called a "dry lab" which produces extremely vivid images. Walmart's one-hour turnaround is also the quickest when compared to other local options like CVS, Walgreens, and Office Depot.

Is Walgreens photo good quality?

Walgreens Photo offers a good selection of print sizes, and its print quality bests the other pharmacy photo provider, CVS Photo. You do pay more for the convenience, however. Regardless, for same-day photos, Walgreens Photo is our Editors' Choice winner for same-day delivery.

Are CVS photos blurry?

We always check the photo resolution before you order a product. If we think the photo isn't large enough to meet the CVS Photo standard, you'll see a warning telling you that the image resolution is too low and so the printed image may appear blurry or pixelated.

Why do my iPhone pictures look bad when printed?

Instead of a smooth and sharp image, it will look fuzzy because the blocky pixels are too large. So the smaller you print your photo, the sharper, smoother and better quality it will look. The larger you print your photo, the more compromises you have to make in terms of image quality.

Is Walgreens or CVS doing better?

CVS is at least still profitable, and with a more diversified business, it also has more options to consider when looking at the long term. It faces a lot of uncertainty, but it looks like a far better buy at this point than Walgreens.

Is Walgreens a preferred or standard pharmacy?

Walgreens offers low-cost copays as a Preferred Network Pharmacy with many plans.

Is Walgreens of CVS cheaper?

Is Walgreens More Expensive Than CVS? CVS is typically less expensive than Walgreens. That said, certain items at Walgreens do ring up cheaper, so it's important to compare prices individually when searching for a better deal.