Prime Day vs. Walmart Deals vs. Best Buy's Techtober: Who Has the Best Tech Deals?
Amazon Prime Big Deal Days isn't the only big sale this week. See how Amazon's best tech deals compare to its rivals.
Amazon Prime Big Deal Days 2026 kicked off today — but so did a bunch of competing sales events from Amazon's major rivals. So, if you're looking to save on any big-ticket tech purchases on your wish list, now is a great time to find a deal. The trick is figuring out exactly which retailer's sale you should be shopping.
Ultimately, you should check prices across multiple retailers for whatever you are buying to find the best deal. But, as you'll see below, you also need to read the product pages closely.
In some cases, for example, the bundle deals vary in exactly what you're getting in the bundle at each retailer. In other cases, opting for the lowest price might mean taking a risk by buying from a third-party seller. So read through to find out what you might be trading by choosing one retailer's deal over another.
From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance
Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
Save $100 on Arlo Pro 6 Home Security Cameras
If you're looking for DIY home security upgrades, the Best Buy three-camera bundle is the best deal if you're starting from scratch. It comes with a charging station and four rechargeable batteries.
Neither Amazon nor Walmart offer a bundle like this. The deals I've listed below for comparison are for the cameras themselves. If you went with either of these options, you would still need to buy a charging station and any spare batteries you might want.
With that said, if you already have a couple of Arlo cameras and a charging station, the camera-only deals at Amazon could be a better deal for you. There, you're getting four cameras for $190 compared to just three cameras for a little over $180 at Walmart. That's a full extra camera for just $10 more.
- Get three Arlo Pro 6 cameras with charging station and four batteries for $199.99 at Best Buy
- Get four Arlo Pro 6 cameras for $189.99 at Amazon
- Get three Arlo Pro 6 cameras for $180.98 at Walmart
Save 36% on the Yale Assure Lock 2 Fingerprint Keypad
Boost home security without having to remember lock codes with the Yale Assure Lock 2. It comes with a fingerprint scanner so you can just scan and open. But there's still a keypad so you can provide custom codes for visitors.
Right now, the Walmart option is $2 cheaper than Best Buy for what appears to be the same device — albeit only in satin nickel. If you look closely at the listings, the models are also slightly different.
At Best Buy, the model is YRD420-F-WF1. At Walmart, it's listed as YRD430-F-WF1. In reviewing the product descriptions for both, I can't find any meaningful differences between them.
So it's going to come down to your style preference. You can find three different finishes at Best Buy, all on sale for the same $189 price. At Walmart, only the satin nickel finish is on sale.
- Get the Yale Assure Lock 2 Fingerprint Keypad for $187 at Walmart
- Get the Yale Assure Lock 2 Fingerprint Keypad for $189.99 at Best Buy
- Get the Yale Assure Lock 2 Fingerprint Keypad for $230 at Amazon
Save $110 on the Vantrue N4 Pro Dash Cam
A dash cam is one of the best investments you can make for your car. In an accident, the video evidence will be crucial in determining who is at fault. In a hit and run, you'll have video evidence to help the police find the driver so you can file a claim.
While the price tag on the Vantrue N4 Pro dash cam looks lowest at Walmart, there is an important catch. The kit doesn't come with the 128 GB memory card that you're getting when you buy it from Best Buy. There also doesn't appear to be an option to have it professionally installed, which you can do at Best Buy for an added fee.
The same applies to the Amazon deal. There's no memory card included and professional installation doesn't seem to be an option. It's also not as deeply discounted.
- Get the Vantru N4 Pro with a 128 GB memory card for $269.99 at Best Buy
- Get the Vantru N4 Pro without a memory card for $265.99 at Walmart
- Get the Vantru N4 Pro without a memory card for $299.99 at Amazon
Get $400 off on the Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1 Vacuum and Mop
At Best Buy, the Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1 vacuum and mop is on sale for $599.99 and the "comparable value" is listed at $999.99. That means you're saving $400. At Walmart, you'll pay about the same price, but it is sold by a third party seller rather than Walmart. With the price being equal, your best bet is to go for Best Buy where you can buy it directly from the retailer.
You'll notice that Amazon is listed at about $200 below the price offered at either Best Buy or Walmart. But that model is slightly different. It's an AV2800ZE compared to the RV2820ZE at Best Buy.
From the best I can gather, the AV refers to models packaged and sold exclusively by Amazon while the RV refers to the retail model sold directly by Shark and by certain retailers (like Best Buy).
What differences exist between a 2800ZE and a 2820ZE are unclear, but the $200 price difference suggests there's something different. For what it's worth, the AV2820ZE at Amazon is selling for over $680 and only available from third party sellers.
- Get Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1 for $599.99 at Best Buy
- Get Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1 for $599 at Walmart (from a third party seller)
- Get Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1 for $399.99 at Amazon (but confirm the features you want are there as the model number is different)
Get 54% off the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook
If you're looking for a budget-friendly yet reliable laptop, there are a lot of great deals right now, especially at Best Buy. This Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook, for example, is on sale for just $189 at Best Buy. That's over half off of the comparable value of $419.
That's by far the best price across all three retailers and it's the only option that isn't sold by a third party seller.
- Get the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 for $189 at Best Buy
- Get the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 for $237.97 at Walmart (from a third party seller)
- Get the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 with 512 GB of external storage for $332.49 at Amazon (from a third party seller)
Save $70 on the Apple AirPods Pro 3
Right now, you can save $70 on a new pair of Apple AirPod Pro 3 headphones at Amazon, Walmart and Best Buy. All three retailers ship and sell the popular headphones directly so you aren't dealing with a third party seller no matter where you buy.
If you know you're going to grab these, add them to your cart wherever you prefer to shop — or wait until you browse other deals and just add them to your order after you decide which sale you're shopping.
- Get Apple AirPods Pro 3 for $179 at Amazon
- Get Apple AirPods Pro 3 for $179 at Walmart
- Get Apple AirPods Pro 3 for $179.99 at Best Buy
Save 50% on the Beats Studio Pro
The story for Beats Studio Pro is similar to the AirPods. They are 50% off at all three retailers. And you are buying directly from the retailer in all three cases.
The one caveat: if you prefer the matte white style (or you aren't picky about color), that one is available for an even deeper discount at Walmart right now. You can get a pair there for just $119.
- Get Beats Studio Pro for as low as $119 at Walmart
- Get Beats Studio Pro for $149.95 at Amazon
- Get Beats Studio Pro for $149.99 at Best Buy
Related content
