Tide vs Gain: Which Cleans Better in My Lab Test

By Zach Pozniak, VP of Operations at Jeeves of Belgravia New York and fourth-generation dry cleaner · @jeeves_ny

Last reviewed October 2026 · scores from my lab testing, July 2025 to August 2026 · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Tide Odor Refresh liquid is out of stock on Amazon, so its links go to the pods version; the score is for the liquid I tested.

The scores, side by side

Every number here comes from my own lab testing, scored against Tide Hygienic Pods ↗ at 100 and washing with water alone at 1.

I have not scored any Gain pods for cleaning, so the pod and tile rows are Tide's alone. The scores measure stain removal only. Price, ingredient safety and fragrance are separate, and they matter a lot in this matchup.

Same company, different jobs

Tide and Gain are both made by P&G. Back in 2022 I described the lineup like this: Tide is their high quality detergent, Gain is the middle-of-the-road daily driver, and Era is the cheap value brand. When I tested regular Gain in 2025, that still held. Gain is Tide's little sister: a step below Tide on performance, but basically the same product with a different perfume.

Gain Plus ↗ changed that. P&G combined Gain's Plus Oxi, Odor Defense and All Day Scent into one formula, and it scored 95.2, the second-best liquid I have ever tested. That puts it above Tide Original ↗ and less than two points behind Tide Odor Refresh ↗. It is just P&G doing P&G things and continuing to dominate my rankings.

Cleaning: Tide edges it at the top

If you only care about stain removal, Tide still holds the top two spots between these brands: Tide Hygienic Pods ↗ at 100 and Tide Odor Refresh ↗ at 96.9. Gain Plus ↗ is close behind and ahead of Tide Original ↗. Regular Gain at 64.8 is well behind every Tide here.

Tide Hygienic Pods ↗ clean great, but I don't use them because there is too much product in each one for me. They are for big, really dirty loads. My full write-up of the top Tide liquid is in my Tide Odor Refresh review, Tide's tile has its own Tide evo review, and the Gain side is in my Gain review.

Price: Gain is cheaper

Gain Plus ↗ costs about 12 to 15 cents a load depending on the size you buy, and regular Gain is a little less expensive than that. Tide Odor Refresh ↗ costs about 22 cents a load. So Gain Plus gets you within two points of the best liquid I have tested for noticeably less per load.

Fragrance: the real difference

Gain is all about scent. Gain Plus ↗ is extremely fragrant, and it's for people who want their clothes to smell like laundry detergent. Regular Gain is a bit heavy-handed with the perfume too, so if you have sensitive skin you are probably going to have a bad time with either.

Tide Odor Refresh ↗ goes the other way. It only comes free and clear, with no perfume or dye, and that is the main reason it is my everyday detergent. I scored it 7 out of 10 for ingredient safety. My free and clear picks go further down that road.

Pods: how fast they dissolve

I haven't scored Gain pods for cleaning, but I have raced them. In my 2022 test of nine pods, Gain took bronze at 1 minute 52 seconds in cold water and 17 seconds in hot. Tide finished fifth at 2 minutes 32 seconds in cold, but only 9 seconds in hot. That is a dissolving race, not a cleaning test, and I said at the time not to take it super seriously. If pods leave residue in your machine, see my guide to pods that won't dissolve.

Which should you buy?

If neither brand is a must for you, my tested laundry detergent rankings cover everything I have scored, including Ariel 2X powder ↗ at 102.4, the top of the board, and Persil Advanced Clean ↗ at 87.2, which I cover in my Persil review.

How I test

I use the AISE industry-standard method that the big testing labs use. Cotton swatches get 18 different stains across five categories, including artificial body oil, and are washed in cold, warm and hot water. Then I read each stain with a spectrometer before and after, and the colour difference tells me how much of it came out. I don't judge by eye, because eyes are unreliable. Every score on this page went through the same process.

Frequently asked questions

Is Tide better than Gain?

On cleaning, Tide's best products are slightly better. In my lab testing Tide Odor Refresh ↗ scored 96.9 and Gain Plus ↗ 95.2, against Tide Hygienic Pods ↗ at 100 and water alone at 1. But Gain Plus beat Tide Original ↗ (92.7), and regular Gain (64.8) is a step below every Tide I scored.

Are Tide and Gain made by the same company?

Yes, both are P&G brands. Regular Gain is basically the same product as Tide with a different perfume, and a step below it on performance.

Is Gain cheaper than Tide?

Yes. Gain Plus ↗ costs about 12 to 15 cents a load depending on size, and regular Gain is a little less. Tide Odor Refresh ↗ costs about 22 cents a load.

Which is better for sensitive skin, Tide or Gain?

Tide Odor Refresh ↗, because it only comes free and clear. Both Gains are heavily perfumed, and with sensitive skin you are probably going to have a bad time with them.

Is Gain Plus better than Tide?

It is better than Tide Original ↗: 95.2 against 92.7 in my testing. It is slightly behind Tide Odor Refresh ↗ at 96.9 and Tide Hygienic Pods ↗ at 100.

Bottom line

The gap between these two brands has nearly closed at the top. Pick by smell: Tide Odor Refresh ↗ if you want the cleanest result with no fragrance, Gain Plus ↗ if you want a scented wash that cleans almost as well for less money.