Marks & Spencer vs Zalando

Updated November 2026 · AppBreakup editorial

Marks & Spencer

British retailer selling clothing, lingerie, beauty, homeware, flowers and food online and in stores.

Free

Visit Marks & Spencer Marks & Spencer profile

Zalando

European online fashion store selling clothes, shoes, beauty and designer brands, with free returns.

Free

Visit Zalando Zalando profile

The short answer

Marks & Spencer suits UK shoppers who want dependable basics, underwear, homeware and food from one familiar retailer, with free next-day click and collect at its stores. Zalando suits shoppers across Europe who want thousands of fashion and shoe brands in one basket with easy returns. The biggest difference is range: M&S sells mainly its own label, Zalando is a multi-brand fashion store.

Marks & Spencer or Zalando: our take

Both are free to shop, with apps on iOS and Android and a website, and both offer free returns on online orders. They overlap mainly on clothing for UK shoppers, but they are built differently.

Marks & Spencer is a British high-street retailer selling its own clothing, underwear and lingerie, school uniform, homeware, flowers and gifts, plus a growing list of outside brands. Online orders can be collected free the next day at UK stores, and delivery is free on orders over £75. Its Sparks loyalty scheme is free and gives personalised offers, money-back rewards, a birthday treat and charity donations. Grocery delivery runs through Ocado rather than the M&S app. The styles are classic rather than trend-led, aimed at a broad, mostly British audience.

Zalando is a Berlin-based online fashion store founded in 2008, selling clothing, shoes, sportswear, accessories, beauty and designer labels from 7,000+ brands across 29 countries, alongside its own private labels. It is known for long return windows and free returns, and it runs Zalando Lounge, a members-only outlet for discounted older stock, plus a paid Zalando Plus membership with faster delivery in some markets. Free delivery depends on a minimum basket that varies by country. It has no stores to collect from and does not sell food or homeware in the way M&S does, and prices on big brands are often no lower than the brands' own sites.

Pick M&S if you want reliable everyday basics, underwear or school uniform, like collecting from a local store, or want loyalty rewards you can also spend on food. Pick Zalando if you want to compare many fashion and shoe brands in one place, follow trends more closely, or shop outside the UK in Europe. Many UK shoppers use M&S for basics and Zalando for branded fashion.

Choose Marks & Spencer if…

UK shoppers who want dependable basics, underwear and food from one high-street name
Free next-day click and collect at UK stores
Free returns on online orders

Choose Zalando if…

Shoppers in Europe who want many fashion and shoe brands in one place with easy returns
Very wide range of brands across fashion, shoes, sport and beauty
Free returns and a 30-day return window in the UK

What is Marks & Spencer?

Marks & Spencer, usually called M&S, is a long-established British high-street retailer known for everyday clothing, underwear and lingerie, school uniform, homeware, flowers and gifts, plus its own-label food. Its website and app sell clothes and home goods from M&S and a growing list of outside brands, with delivery or free click and collect at its UK stores; grocery delivery runs through Ocado rather than M&S's own site. Sparks, its free loyalty scheme, gives personalised offers and money-back rewards that you spend at M&S, plus a birthday treat and charity donations each time you scan. Shopping is free; you only pay for what you buy, with free delivery above a minimum spend. It suits UK shoppers who want reliable basics and quality food from one familiar name. The range is aimed at a broad, mostly British audience, so it is less fashion-forward than younger online stores.

What is Zalando?

Zalando is a Berlin-based online fashion retailer that started as a shoe shop in 2008 and now sells clothing, shoes, sportswear, accessories, beauty and designer labels across European markets. It stocks thousands of outside brands, from high-street names to premium labels, alongside its own private labels, and it is known for long return windows and free returns in most countries. Zalando Lounge is its members-only flash-sale outlet, and Zalando Plus is a paid membership with faster delivery in some markets. Shopping is free: you pay for what you buy, and delivery is free above a minimum order value that varies by country. It runs on the web and in iOS and Android apps. It suits shoppers in Europe who want a big department-store range online in one basket, rather than ordering from each brand's own site. Since buying ABOUT YOU, Zalando owns a second large fashion store as well.

Side by side

Attribute	Marks & Spencer	Zalando
Pricing	Free	Free
Open source	No	No
Self-hostable	No	No
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, iOS, Android
Best for	UK shoppers who want dependable basics, underwear and food from one high-street name	Shoppers in Europe who want many fashion and shoe brands in one place with easy returns
Status	Active	Active