Difference Between Amazon and Amazon Prime

By: | Updated: Jan-8, 2024
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When was the last time that you bought something from Amazon? If you are an avid shopper, then you might have bought something from Amazon in the past. If you are not, then you might have heard about Amazon and its famous brand name. The main reason why Amazon is so popular is because of the fact that it offers a wide range of products at very affordable prices.

When it comes to online shopping, Amazon is the most popular online store. It has been in business for over 20 years and has gained a lot of popularity. Amazon Prime, on the other hand, was launched in 2005 as an extension of Amazon’s free shipping service. In order to qualify for this service, customers must pay a monthly fee.

Summary Table:

Amazon Amazon Prime
Amazon is a marketplace Amazon Prime is an annual subscription
 

Amazon is free to register and use and does not require a membership

Amazon Prime is a membership program that costs $139 per year or $14.99 per month
If you are not a member, Amazon offers a service called “Prime Now” that delivers products within one hour of purchase for $7.99 per item or $14.99 per order Amazon Prime members get free two-day shipping on most items.

Amazon Prime offers many benefits to its members including free two-day shipping on millions of items sold by Amazon, access to thousands of movies and TV shows through Prime Video, and access to thousands of books through the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library. Amazon Prime is one of the best services that Amazon offers to its customers. It allows users to enjoy free shipping on many items purchased from Amazon. This means that if you buy something from Amazon, then you will get free shipping as well.

But what is the difference between Amazon and Amazon Prime? Aren’t they the same? In this article, we will compare the two and explain the differences between them.

Difference Between Amazon and Amazon Prime

Definitions:

What is Amazon?

Amazon is an online shopping website that offers millions of products at the lowest prices. It was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post and other companies. Amazon has expanded to become one of the largest online retailers in the world starting from selling books to selling groceries.

Currently, Amazon is the second largest online retailer in the world, after Alibaba. Amazon also has a subsidiary called Amazon Web Services (AWS), which provides cloud computing services to other companies.

What is Amazon Prime?

Amazon Prime is an annual membership program that offers free two-day shipping on millions of products and unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows. It costs $139 per year for a single user or $14.99 per month for a family plan with up to four users. The membership is available in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Amazon Prime is also available in the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, and Japan.

Amazon Prime also offers a free trial to anyone who has a valid credit card. A customer has all the same benefits as a paid member for the 30-day trial period. The customer can decide to upgrade to a  paid membership or to cancel their membership. If they don’t cancel, the membership upgrade is done automatically using the customer’s credit card. In addition, the Amazon Prime membership automatically renews each year.

Those who have an Amazon Prime membership can also share their membership benefits with four other family members (in the same household).

​​What are their similarities?

Both are a part of the Amazon family.

Firstly, both Amazon and Amazon Prime are a part of the same family. The only difference is that Amazon Prime is an annual subscription whereas Amazon is a marketplace.

Both are part of the same marketplace

Secondly, both Amazon and Amazon Prime are part of the same marketplace, Amazon.

Both offer shipping options

Thirdly, both Amazon and Amazon Prime offer shipping options. They both have their own shipping options. The key benefit for Amazon Prime is their free shipping option.

What are their differences?

Although they are both part of the same company, they are different in many ways.

The price

Amazon Prime is a membership program that costs $99 per year. You can cancel the membership at any time, but you will be charged for the next year. Amazon Prime members get free two-day shipping on most items and access to streaming video and music.

Amazon Prime is available in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Germany, Austria, Japan, Spain and other countries. It is not available in all countries where Amazon operates stores or sells products online.

Amazon on the other hand is free to register and use and does not require a membership. It earns money from the commission of third-party sellers.

Free shipping

Amazon Prime members get free two-day shipping on most items. This is if you subscribe to the program.

If you are not a member, Amazon offers a service called “Prime Now” that delivers products within one hour of purchase for $7.99 per item or $14.99 per order (depending on your location). You can also use this service to get same-day delivery in select cities and towns in the United States, Canada and Mexico for an additional fee.

Amazon Prime Video

Amazon Prime members get access to a selection of movies and TV shows for free, with the exception of some children’s programming. The selection is not as extensive as Netflix or Hulu, but it is growing. Amazon also offers a separate streaming service called “Amazon Channels” that offers a variety of content from other companies such as HBO, Showtime and Starz. It costs $8 per month or $80 per year.

Amazon Music Unlimited

Amazon Prime members get access to a selection of music for free, with the exception of some children’s programming. The selection is not as extensive as Spotify or Apple Music, but it is growing. Amazon also offers a separate streaming service called “Amazon Channels” that offers a variety of content from other companies such as HBO, Showtime and Starz. It costs an average of $8 per month or $80 per year.

Amazon Prime Members Read for Free

Amazon Prime memberships also include access to digital ebooks and magazines. The service offers free access to sample titles available in Kindle Unlimited (another service offered by Amazon, but not included in Amazon Prime).

In addition, with a Prime membership, it’s possible to borrow and read ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines. Members can read across their devices, including their Kindles, computers, smartphones, and more.

With this service, it’s possible to choose new ebooks, audiobooks, comics, and magazines until the borrowing limit is reached. To read new content, it’s necessary to return one to download the new choice. Plus, the downloaded content remains in the member’s Kindle library as long as they remain a Prime member.

Amazon Prime Day

We can’t forget to mention Amazon Prime Day! Prime Day is an annual sales event that offers exclusive deals to Prime members. Prime Day is usually in July and lasts for 48 hours.

There’s another big sale day in October called Big Deal Days. This offers a wide range of items at amazing prices for Prime members.

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