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E-Commerce · head to head

Depop vs Temu

Depop logo

Depop

E-Commerce

Fashion resale marketplace popular with younger sellers, owned by Etsy, with a per-item plus percentage fee

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Temu logo

Temu

E-Commerce

Ultra-low-cost general merchandise marketplace owned by PDD Holdings, parent of Pinduoduo

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Depop the 2024 shift away from a flat 10 percent fee increased the effective cost per sale for sellers moving high volumes of low-priced items, a group that was previously well served by the app.; Temu temu is owned by PDD Holdings, the same corporate group behind Chinese app Pinduoduo, and security researchers and app reviewers have raised documented concerns about the scope of data and device permissions the apps in this family request.
  • They diverge on capability: Depop covers Curated seller shops, Temu covers General merchandise marketplace.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Depop and Temu actually diverge.

Attributes where Depop and Temu differ
AttributeDepopTemu
Pricing modelFree to list; percentage plus per-order seller fee, separate payment processing feeFree to browse and use; pay per order, heavy promotional discounting

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (iOS, Android, Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (E-Commerce).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Depop

  • Curated seller shops
  • Social discovery feed
  • Per-order seller fee
  • Depop Payments
  • Offers and bundles
  • Boost and promoted listings

Only in Temu

  • General merchandise marketplace
  • Direct-from-manufacturer shipping
  • Gamified discounts and referrals
  • Free returns window
  • Aggressive coupon stacking
  • Temu app-only pricing

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Depop

  • A younger seller building a curated vintage or streetwear shop with a distinct aesthetic identitynot Temu
  • A buyer who discovers items through a social-style feed rather than direct searchnot Temu
  • A seller moving higher-priced individual pieces where the current fee structure is more favourable than the old flat ratenot Temu
  • Someone who wants social features like likes and follows as part of the buying and selling experiencenot Temu

Temu

  • A budget shopper buying low-cost, non-critical goods where a long shipping wait is acceptablenot Depop
  • Someone comparing Temu against Shein and Amazon Shopping on price for a specific item categorynot Depop
  • A buyer who has reviewed the documented data permission and product safety concerns and decided price still outweighs themnot Depop
  • A shopper in a market where changing customs thresholds mean checking for added duty before orderingnot Depop

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Depop

  • The 2024 shift away from a flat 10 percent fee increased the effective cost per sale for sellers moving high volumes of low-priced items, a group that was previously well served by the app.
  • Payment processing is a separate fee on top of the per-order seller fee, so the total deduction from a sale is not fully captured by the headline percentage alone.
  • Discovery leans heavily on an algorithmic social feed, so newer sellers without an existing following can find it harder to get visibility without paying for Boost promotion.
  • As an Etsy subsidiary since 2021, Depop's roadmap and fee decisions are set within a larger public company strategy rather than independently, and past fee changes reflect that broader commercial pressure.
  • Buyer protection and dispute resolution for item condition or authenticity issues rely on Depop's own policies, which are less standardised than the seller-rating-driven trust systems on some competitors.

Temu

  • Temu is owned by PDD Holdings, the same corporate group behind Chinese app Pinduoduo, and security researchers and app reviewers have raised documented concerns about the scope of data and device permissions the apps in this family request.
  • Consumer safety testing by regulators and watchdog groups has flagged some products sold on Temu for exceeding legal limits on substances such as lead in specific items, similar to findings on other ultra-low-cost marketplaces.
  • Regulators in the EU and US have investigated or fined Temu over misleading discount claims and dark pattern design, including inflated reference prices used to make discounts look larger than they are.
  • Shipping times are long by mainstream e-commerce standards, commonly one to two weeks or more, and buyer recourse for a delayed, missing or damaged order is limited compared with domestic retailers.
  • Changes to duty-free import thresholds in the US and EU have added customs fees to some orders, eroding the headline low price advertised at checkout.

Pricing, plan by plan

Depop

Free
  • SellingFree
    • Percentage-based fee on sale price plus a small fixed per-order fee
    • Separate payment processing fee applies on top
    • Sellers should check current published rates, as the fee structure changed from a flat 10 percent in 2024

Temu

Free
  • Pay per orderFree
    • Individual item prices frequently under 10 USD before discounts
    • Standard shipping typically 7 to 15 days
    • Customs duties may apply depending on destination country and order value

Which should you pick?

Choose Depop if

  • You need curated seller shops.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want social discovery feed.
Depop review

Choose Temu if

  • You need general merchandise marketplace.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want direct-from-manufacturer shipping.
Temu review

Questions people ask

Is Depop or Temu better?
Neither clearly leads. Depop starts at Free and Temu at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Depop or Temu?
Depop starts at Free and Temu at Free.
Does Depop or Temu run on more platforms?
Both run on iOS, Android, Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Depop for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Depop best used for?
Depop is most often used for a younger seller building a curated vintage or streetwear shop with a distinct aesthetic identity, a buyer who discovers items through a social-style feed rather than direct search, a seller moving higher-priced individual pieces where the current fee structure is more favourable than the old flat rate, someone who wants social features like likes and follows as part of the buying and selling experience. Of those, a younger seller building a curated vintage or streetwear shop with a distinct aesthetic identity and a buyer who discovers items through a social-style feed rather than direct search are not what Temu is typically brought in for.
What can Depop do that Temu cannot?
Depop covers Curated seller shops, Social discovery feed, Per-order seller fee, Depop Payments. Temu covers General merchandise marketplace, Direct-from-manufacturer shipping, Gamified discounts and referrals, Free returns window.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Depop: Is Depop seller fee still a flat 10 percent?

No, Depop moved to a percentage plus small fixed per-order fee structure in 2024, replacing the earlier flat 10 percent rate.

Temu: Who owns Temu?

Temu is operated by Whaleco Inc., a subsidiary of PDD Holdings, the parent company of the Chinese shopping app Pinduoduo.

Depop: Who owns Depop?

Etsy, which acquired Depop in 2021 for 1.625 billion dollars.

Temu: Is Temu safe to use in terms of data privacy?

Security researchers have flagged the scope of permissions requested by Temu and related PDD Holdings apps as a documented concern; the company disputes characterisations of its apps as malicious.

Depop: Does Depop charge for payment processing separately?

Yes, Depop Payments carries its own fee in addition to the per-order seller fee.

Temu: Are Temu products safe?

Consumer safety testing has found some specific products exceeding legal limits for substances such as lead, similar to findings reported on other ultra-low-cost marketplaces; safety varies by product.

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