Ace Hardware
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy for DIY homeowners needing quick parts, paint, and helpful local service.
New check
Comparison
Ace Hardware vs Lowe's
Ace Hardware and Lowe's both land on Depends.
Lowe's
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Fine for DIY homeowners buying tools, appliances, and materials . use the price guarantee and check your receipts.
| Compare | Ace Hardware | Lowe's |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Depends |
| Best for | DIY homeowners needing quick parts | DIY homeowners |
| Who it's not for | Contractors needing bulk lumber | Contractors needing consistent bulk pricing and delivery |
| Privacy | One 2023 corporate incident reported; no newer public findings in sources reviewed.⁵ | No public software CVEs; real incidents were vendor breaches and account takeovers, not Lowe's core platform. |
| Support quality | Forbes honoree, but delivery gripes persist | Recurring service and fulfillment complaints across review sites |
| Public sentiment | Reddit and review sites praise helpful staff at good locations but repeatedly slam delivery and rising prices versus big-box.¹ | Reviews are mixed: shoppers enjoy browsing and pricing but report uneven service, fulfillment, and store-to-store quality.13 |
| Biggest gotcha | Antitrust suit alleges sales-data-driven price increases⁴ | Verify scanned prices at checkout . state AGs have penalized Lowe's for overcharging. |
Pick Ace Hardware when
- DIY homeowners needing quick parts
- Paint and small-project shoppers
- Neighborhood convenience runs
When Ace Hardware is not a fit
- Contractors needing bulk lumber
- Price-only shoppers
- Full renovation material runs
- B2B software buyers . it is a store, not software
Pick Lowe's when
- DIY homeowners
- Appliance buyers who price-match
- Pros wanting credit and business resources
- Military and NAHB members
When Lowe's is not a fit
- Contractors needing consistent bulk pricing and delivery
- Big installation projects needing dependable support
- Privacy-sensitive shoppers wary of surveillance data sharing
- Anyone who won't verify receipts and scan prices
Sources
- Ace Hardware Reviews | Trustpilottrustpilot.comreview
- Ace Delivery Absolutely Sucks . Redditreddit.comreview
- Is Ace more expensive now? . Redditreddit.comreview
- Ace Hardware accused of using store sales data to jack up pricesnews.bloomberglaw.comnews
security
- Ace Hardware Ranks Among Top Brands on Forbes 2026 Best Customer Service Listnewsroom.acehardware.comofficial
- 10 Things You Didn't Know Ace Hardware Sellsbobvila.comreview
- Ace Hardware Q2 2026 resultsnewsroom.acehardware.comnews
- Lowe's Lowest Price Guaranteelowes.comofficial
- Lowe's Credit & Lease-to-Own Centerlowes.comofficial
- Lowe's Everyday Military Discountlowes.comofficial
- Lowe's Incentivized Reviewer Programlowes.comofficial
- Read Customer Service Reviews of lowes.com . Trustpilottrustpilot.comreview
- Lowe's Reviews . ConsumerAffairsconsumeraffairs.comreview
- r/Lowes community reviewsreddit.comreview
- Lowe's Security Rating . UpGuardupguard.comsecurity