Head-to-head
Alibaba vs AliExpress
Same formula. Same 8 dimensions. No thumb on the scale. Here's how these two dropshipping suppliers stack up on SupplierSpy's transparency-weighted benchmark.
Alibaba
B2B marketplace. Wholesale first, dropshipping second.
#12
74/100
Wholesale-FirstParent on NYSE
VS
AliExpress · winner
100M+ products. The dropshipping OG.
#8
80/100
Huge CatalogParent on NYSE
Overall winner
AliExpress takes it — #8 at 80/100 vs #12 at 74/100. That's a 6-point gap, with AliExpress winning 6 of 8 dimensions to Alibaba's 0 (2 tied). 100M+ products. The starting line for most dropshippers. Shipping is slow unless you pay for premium tiers.
Key stats, side-by-side
💰 Pricing
Alibaba:
Free plan
Starts Per-order / minimums apply
Free plan
Starts Per-order / minimums apply
AliExpress:
Free plan
Starts Per-product
No platform fee. Prices are retail-marked versions of wholesale.
Free plan
Starts Per-product
No platform fee. Prices are retail-marked versions of wholesale.
🚚 Shipping origins
Alibaba:
China · Global manufacturers
China · Global manufacturers
AliExpress:
China primarily
China primarily
🏛️ Business disclosure
Alibaba:
Public via parent (Alibaba Group)
Public via parent (Alibaba Group)
AliExpress:
Public via parent (Alibaba Group)
Public via parent (Alibaba Group)
🌍 HQ country
Alibaba:
China
China
AliExpress:
China
China
Dimension-by-dimension
Alibaba
AliExpress
68
Pricing transparencyweight 18
72
✓
82
Business transparencyweight 16
82
62
Shipping clarityweight 12
70
✓
74
Public reviewsweight 20
80
✓
100
Product rangeweight 10
100
85
Access & onboardingweight 10
95
✓
60
Support track recordweight 8
65
✓
55
Store integrationsweight 6
80
✓
Higher score highlighted in cyan. Full methodology at /how-we-score.