McDonald’s Vs Burger King In 2024: The Better Option

When the world talks about epic rivalries, there’s one rivalry that one just can’t get over -the infamous McDonald’s versus Burger King debate. This debate is just like a space shuttle stuck in a black hole; there’s no end to it. So, I took this tedious job upon my shoulders and made a decision once and for all that who’s better; McDonald’s or Burger King.

McDonald's and Burger King Logo

McDonald’s is a better option than Burger King when we consider different parameters like prices, menu options, offered items, and outlets.

McDonald’s has been around for a long time. It is the bigger fast-food company of the two. It has about 36,000 franchises in over 120 countries. But quoting Spiderman, ‘With great power comes great responsibility”.

But, Burger King has also had a wonderful history in the fast-food industry. McDonald’s stores might outnumber Burger King’s, but the numbers have been in favor of Burger King. So, how do we decide who’s better?

 Which Is Better | McDonald’s or Burger King

McDonald's and Burger King Logo

McDonald’s and Burger King are two famous fast food restaurants that came around the same time and had been giving each other good competition. 

Sometimes it gets confusing to choose between the two as both restaurants have quite a similar menu. Let’s check out which restaurant’s menu is a steal deal.

Which Food Chain Has The Bigger And Better Menu?

Food from McDonald's and Burger King

McDonald’s always tries to stay on trend and has never shied away from introducing different things to their menu. Over the years, they have introduced a range of delicious chicken wraps, chicken sandwiches, and beef and fish burgers.

 For dessert, they presented the world with the beloved McFlurry. Other equally delicious items on its dessert menu include sundaes, pies, cookies, and shakes. 

One of their most successful and stellar introductions has been the famed breakfast and McCafe menu, which has become a customer favorite. 

Whatever time of the day, McDonald’s menu has been ruling the fast food industry since its launch.

If we look at the McDonald’s menu pricing, the average cost of a burger at McDonald’s would be around $3. This makes McDoanld’s menu price quite budget-friendly. 

Let’s not forget that the restaurant also offers deals, coupons, and a dollar menu, which can get you delicious meals at super attractive prices.

But even though McDonald’s has a lot of diversity, Burger King’s menu items have been riskier and cover a whole lot of variety. Following McDonald’s footsteps, they also introduced a breakfast menu and the BK café. 

You can enjoy similar menu items like sandwiches and burgers with juicy chicken, bacon, and beef. You can turn your regular meal into a feast with its side menu and end your meal with delectable desserts and drinks. 

Like McDonald’s double patty burger like the Big Mac, they introduced the triple and quadruple patty burger, which honestly just feels like a slap to the face of its rival.  

So, if you look at the menu options, both restaurants have almost similar options. But when it comes to diversity in menu exclusives, Burger King’s menu takes the cake (quite literally) for their riskier and tastier choices.

The average cost of a burger at Burger King will cost around $4.50, as per the restaurant. 

Here are the prices of some popular McDonald’s and Burger King burgers:

McDonald’sBurger King
Big Mac $ 4.79Whopper $ 5.49
Cheeseburger $ 2.09
Cheeseburger $ 2.29
Crispy Chicken Sandwich $ 4.79
Crispy Chicken Sandwich $ 6.54

WinnerMcDonald’s

Which Is More Cheaper?

Regarding prices, McDonald’s seems to be on the lower side of the spectrum compared to Burger King.

But when you look at the portion size, you will find out that even though the prices are low for McDonald’s, Burger King offers more quantity in most of their items. 

Therefore, if you conduct a deeper study, you will notice that prices remain the same and fluctuate for some items.

Winner – It’s a tie. 

Which Restaurant Has Better Tasting Food?

McDonald's food

When it comes to the taste test, some factors must be kept in mind to announce a clear winner. The quality of ingredients, texture, and freshness directly impact the food’s taste. If we take a look at some of the popular items from these two restaurants, we get a clear idea of which restaurant has better-tasting food.

If we look at the sides, drinks, burgers, and dessert menu options at McDonald’s and Burger King, McDonald’s wins the taste test by a significant difference.

The taste of McDonald’s french fries, drinks, especially Coke and Sprite, kid’s menu, burgers, and desserts are far tastier than Burger King and other restaurants.

The crunchy exterior and soft interiors of McDonald’s french fries and nuggets are far superior to Burger King’s. The taste of McDonald’s drinks like Coke and Sprite is unbeatable, and so are their coffees. Furthermore, every McDonald’s burger comes with a unique taste. 

In comparison, Burger King’s fries don’t hold up their quality as well after a few hours. Their coffees are bitter. Its breakfast menu may have some added items, but they lack taste when compared to McDonald’s.

Speaking about burgers, both fast food brands provide great taste, but let’s not forget that McDonald’s made a name for itself first. Burger King’s and other burger-serving fast-food restaurants are mostly trying to catch up with it. 

Winner McDonald’s

Who Has The Better Burgers & Sandwiches?

McDonald’s and Burger King have the world’s best-selling burgers of all time. If we take a look at one of the most popular items from each restaurant, the choice would be tough. While McDonald’s has its famous Big Mac, Burger King’s Whopper has many takers.

The Big Mac has two patties with refreshing vegetables; the patty is cooked and seasoned to perfection, and it comes with three buns. Despite its great flavors, many people complain that the third bun in the middle is a deal-breaker. The bun doesn’t do much for the taste but only provides structure.

The Whopper, on the other hand, is a fan favorite. It has all the ingredients, like fresh vegetables and fluffy buns, that make it delicious. But what sets it apart from the Big Mac is the char-grilled patty. People can’t seem to get enough of the smoke-flavored patty. You also have the choice to order it with or without the cheese.

Thus, when it comes to the war between the most popular burgers from these brands, Burger King is the king, with McDonald’s closing behind. Burger King may have the best burgers and sandwiches, but there are many more McDonald’s burgers that you must try.

Winner- Burger King

Who Has The Better Breakfast Menu?

Breakfast menu

If you have no time to make breakfast before the office, you can always head to McDonald’s or Burger King. Both fast-food restaurants have some great breakfast options, including drinks and dessert choices. 

McDonald’s breakfast hours and Burger King’s breakfast hours are typically the same. They serve breakfast between 5 a.m. and 10.30 a.m. (hours also vary according to location). McDonald’s breakfast menu became so popular that they started serving breakfast throughout the day.

In fact, this is how the whole concept of fast-food breakfast became a thing. Soon, Burger King followed with an extensive breakfast menu. However, somehow they never got to the concept of an all-day breakfast.

Let’s take a look at some of the breakfast options available at both restaurants.

McDonald’s offers bagel sandwiches, biscuits, or English muffins in their breakfast menu, along with bacon, sausages, and egg sandwiches. These options certainly make for a good breakfast menu. But Burger King offers all this and more.

Burger King introduced a whole range of breakfast foods, including a twist to traditional dishes. BK’s menu includes items like croissant sandwiches and French toast sticks. They also have some bold items on their dessert menu, like cheesecake and the Sunday pie.

But when it comes to breakfast menu taste, McDonald’s takes the cake with its all-time customer favorite items like the Egg McMuffin, McGriddle breakfast sandwiches, hash browns, hot cakes, and bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits.

Winner- McDonald’s 

 Who Has Better Coffee Options?

McDonald's food

Both brands have ventured into the dark waters of the coffee business. Following McDonald’s footsteps, Burger King launched its BK cafe menu just like McDonald’s McCafe menu

McDonald’s came up with its McCafe line that includes cookies, muffins, and coffee. Their coffee is made with 100% roasted Arabica beans that give a slightly dark brew and is not expensive.

Burger King’s coffee, on the other hand, is more expensive than McDonald’s. It is also dark and leaves a bitter aftertaste and a dry mouthfeel.

Apart from McDonald’s McCafe, McDonald’s also wins the coffee and drinks competition from the McDonald’s drinks menu with its wide range of soft drinks and juices. Their Coke and Sprite are quite unbeatable. Burger King also serves Coke as their choice of beverage, but it is somehow, just not as good as the one from McDonald’s!

Winner- McDonald’s

Who Has The Better Fries & Nuggets?

Fries and nuggets

When it comes to fast food, fries, and nuggets are the most prominent and best-selling items. No meal feels complete without them. But choosing which fries or nuggets between the two brands is better is a bit of a tough choice as it is totally a matter of preference of how you like your fries and nuggets. Let’s take a look at the larger poll of consumers.

Burger King’s fries taste good. They are made from chunkier potatoes and fried to crisp. But after they cool down (which is almost immediately), they also lose their taste and crunchy texture. They turn softer on the inside. I’m not saying they are bad, but they are just not as good as the ones they are fighting with.

When it comes to McDonald’s fries, they are the ‘it’ choice according to popular demand. McDonald’s fries are slimmer, crispier and perfectly salted, and greasy. Regarding the taste and texture fight, fries are the big guns of Mickey D’s. You can also get a free refill on your McDonald’s fries.

If we compare the chicken nuggets available at McDonald’s and Burger King, they appear more or less similar. They both have thin and crispy battered shells. But they taste almost the same. Therefore, you will be equally satisfied with nuggets bought from McDonald’s or Burger King, even though Burger King nuggets are much cheaper.

Winner- McDonald’s

Which Is More Healthy?

Burger King

With a change in the consumption pattern and focus toward healthy lifestyles, fast food restaurants are consciously re-developing their menus to fit the trend. Therefore, if we look at some of these restaurants, like McDonald’s and Burger King, we will find many healthy salad options introduced on their menus.

Both chains have also introduced diet-specific items. McDonald’s first introduced a vegan, and gluten-free menu. Soon, both vegan and gluten-free menus were also a thing at Burger King. The chain also has a special allergen menu.

In fact, you can even find a keto menu at both Burger King and McDonald’s. Moreover, Burger King and McDonald’s now cater to the health conscious with a number of low-calorie menu items.

Comparing the complete menu of both burger brands will be difficult, so let’s compare two similar items for an idea. Let’s look at a double cheeseburger’s nutritional information at McDonald’s and Burger King.

A double cheeseburger from Burger King has about 370 calories and 18 grams of fat, which includes 9 grams of saturated fat. As for the sodium, a Burger King burger contains 720 milligrams of sodium, which is a better choice. The Burger King cheeseburger contains 22 grams of protein which is more than McDonald’s.

Now, coming to the double cheeseburger from McDonald’s, it contains about 440 calories and 23 grams of fat, including 11 saturated fats. The McDonald’s double cheeseburger contains 1,050 milligrams of sodium, higher than the recommended. 

It also comes very close to Burger King in terms of protein, with 20 grams of protein and a good amount of calcium and iron.

While both burgers aren’t too healthy for consumption, looking at McDonald’s nutritional content with Burger King’s menu’s nutrition, I’ll prefer Burger King as a healthier option regarding calories and sodium content.

Here are some more low-sodium Burger King meals that you can enjoy. But are the other McDonald’s menu items healthy for you? Find out the answer here.

Winner – Burger King

Who Has A Better Secret Menu?

McDonald's

Restaurants have secret menus they don’t advertise officially but make upon your request. Similarly, McDonald’s secret menu and Burger King’s secret menu also have some delectable options that can be enjoyed if you have their knowledge. 

If we compare the secret menu items of both restaurants, both restaurants have interesting secret menu items. But McDonald’s secret menu clearly wins because of the options it has. 

McDonald’s secret menu includes customized burgers, drinks, and desserts. On the other hand, Burger King has a few secret menu items, including burgers. 

Winner- McDonald’s 

Who Has A Better Kids Menu?

McDonald's happy meal

Introducing a kid’s special menu has been one of the biggest success secrets of McDonald’s menu. Nothing compares to the happiness and nostalgia that a box of happy meals brings to adults. Needless to say, what joy it brings to the kids. 

Understanding its traction, Burger King also launched a kid’s menu. But does it beat McDonald’s? Let’s check out.

Burger King has a King Jr meal for kids that comes with options like the Whopper Jr, Cheeseburger Jr, and Hamburger Jr. It also features a 6-piece and 4-piece chicken nugget meal for kids.

But nothing beats the classic Happy Meal of McDonald’s kid’s menu. In addition to hamburgers and chicken nuggets, it has apple slices and drinks!!

When it comes to making kids happy, both brands have tried their level best. McDonald’s happy meal is known for its toy. To keep up with the trends, Burger King also added toys to their kid’s meals. 

In the early 2000’s you could find figurines and toys of Beetlejuice, The Simpsons, and collectible items from Disney. They also started including Mysticon figurines, but they didn’t appeal as much to the kids.

However, it is a well-established fact that no one can compete with McDonald’s when it comes to making toys. We all know and love the happy meal, and the toys are all the incentive. McDonald’s makes sure it gives children what they love.

In the past years, McDonald’s has teamed up with several companies to develop different toys and figurines. These include Nintendo, Barbie, and Hot Wheels, and of course, the list wouldn’t be complete without Disney.

Thus, when it comes to toys and kid’s preferences, McDonald’s wins the round, without a doubt.

Winner- McDonald’s

Which Has Better Deals?

Restaurant deals always make the ordering experience a lot better and more exciting. Thus, you will hardly find any fast-food restaurant these days not offering it. The same goes for McDonald’s and Burger King. 

One of the most popular McDonald’s deals includes the Dollar Menu. The history of the dollar menu dates back to 2002. McDonald’s $1 $2 $3 Dollar Menu has a variety of items to choose from, which is a great way to save money on your meal, especially if you are on a budget. You can also get some exclusive deals through the apps, like free fries, $0.99 for Any Size Coffee, and more. 

You can check the latest McDonald’s deals here. You can also find out more about McDonald’s 2 for $6 Deal, McDonald’s 2 for $5 Deal, and McDonald’s $6 Meal

Similarly, Burger King also offers attractive deals, freebies, and rewards like Burger King’s 2 for $5 Deal, 2 for $6 Deal, and 2 for $10 deal

However, if we compare the deals offered by the two restaurants, McDonald’s has more cost-effective deals, and the McDonald’s app provides more coupons every day.

Which Has A Modern Look?

McDonalds restaurant

No matter how good a meal tastes at a restaurant, the success of a restaurant majorly depends on how attractive it looks and what vibe it gives. These parameters are consciously or unconsciously observed by customers not just when they enter the restaurant but also in how the brands make their presence in daily life through promotions. 

The promotion techniques include the upkeep of their store, food packaging, menu, deals, and more.

If we look at the top-rated fast-food restaurants by the revenue they generate, McDonald’s is by far the most popular restaurant. As reported by QSR Magazine, McDonald’s has $37 billion in system-wide U.S. sales. 

This indicates that McDonald’s has consistently taken care of every aspect of its business to attract more customers successfully. One of the biggest factors in McDonald’s success has also been its rides games, making it a complete entertainment center.

But that’s not to say that Burger King is lagging behind. Burger King has equally created an attractive and delectable menu with eye-catchy food packaging and offers great deals. It follows McDonald’s success right behind.

The success of both brands can be credited to how McDonald’s and Burger King have pushed each other to do better by following a competitive spirit. Both brands have helped each other positively and negatively, like trolls.

In 1982, Burger King famously launched an ad campaign that called out McDonald’s by name and claimed the chain’s burgers were 20% smaller than those of Burger King. McDonald’s hit back, saying the campaign was “false, deceptive, disparaging, unfair and misleading.”

Years later, in between their regular troll fights, showing off their table service, McDonald’s put up a gigantic banner in Belgium right next to the Burger King restaurant with the message: “Served by a king, or served as a king? Discover our table service at McDonald’s.”

Despite this trolling and the spirit of healthy competition with Burger King and other brands, McDonald’s has maintained its top spot. Thanks to the owner’s vision with a modern outlook. 

Winner- McDonald’s

Which Is More Successful?

The success of any business can be easily defined by its revenue. Therefore, if we look at the number of stores of both restaurants worldwide, McDonald’s outnumbers Burger King, with 38,000 stores in 100 countries. Burger King has around 19,247 worldwide.  

As for the revenue, McDonald’s also records more than $37 billion in system-wide U.S. sales compared to Burger King’s $10 billion in system-wide U.S. sales. 

Winner- McDonald’s

Who Wins- McDonald’s or Burger King?

Ronald McDonald's

The winner is pretty clear between the war between Burger King and McDonald’s. Despite starting at the same time, McDonald’s provides better options regarding convenience, price, and menu items.

While Burger King has been giving tough competition to McDonald’s, we can’t ignore the fact that it is walking in the same footsteps as McDonald’s. It has copied similar McDonald’s menu items but turns out to be more expensive.

While Burger King is trying to reinvent itself by introducing more plant-based items, it needs more time to go neck-to-neck with McDonald’s.

McDonald’s lower prices and high-quality menu items make it a more customer-preferred brand. Moreover, with so many restaurants worldwide, it is easier to spot one.

Between McDonald’s and Burger King, McDonald’s is the winner.

Now that you know which one is better between McDonald’s and Burger King, don’t forget to check out our special blog on Wendy’s vs. McDonald’s, McDonald’s vs. In-N-Out and Chick-Fil-A vs. McDonald’s. Similarly, you can also check if Burger King is the ultimate winner in the battle of Burger King vs. Wendy’s, and Burger King vs. Hungry Jacks.

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