Wendy's Vs McDonald's Burgers: Which Is Better?

Competition is the catalyst to innovation, and food is no exception. From the famous Cola Wars between Pepsi and Coca-Cola to the introduction of stuffed crust pizza in the 1990s, companies are constantly aspiring to the next level thanks to intense competition. While the drive to improve is prevalent industry-wide, it may shine brightest in the fast food burger sector.

Since early adopters such as White Castle (which is generally considered the first fast food burger chain) and McDonald's hit the scene, the U.S. has become home to numerous burger joints. One of the most popular chains joined the fray in 1969 when the first Wendy's opened in Columbus, Ohio. With a promise of fresh, never-frozen beef, which also happens to be shaped into square patties, Wendy's has grown into a bona fide competitor to the burger giant that is McDonald's. But which chain really makes the best burger?

In an effort to find out, I put three of each chain's burgers in a head-to-head competition: the McDonald's Cheeseburger against the Wendy's Jr. Cheeseburger, a Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe versus the Dave's Single, and Wendy's famous Baconator against a Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese. While I'm a burger fan, I have no particular allegiances to either of these restaurants, which meant I came in with an unbiased opinion on which burger chain would win out. I've had each of these burgers at least once before, so nothing on this list was a surprise. I chose the burgers I did because I believe they offered the best head-to-head comparison between McDonald's and Wendy's. Read on to find out which chain is home to the best burgers.

The core McDonald's burger lineup contains nine different options, including a classic hamburger and a cheeseburger. Both are single-patty burgers topped with ketchup, mustard, chopped onions, and pickle slices on a regular bun, with the latter obviously throwing in a slice of cheese for good measure. The McDouble takes a standard cheeseburger and adds another beef patty, while the McDonald's Double Cheeseburger improves on that recipe with an added slice of American cheese. All four of these sandwiches are served on classic, no-frills buns.

Next comes the Quarter Pounder family. As the name suggests, the patty is bigger than the standard burgers, but the toppings are nearly the same, with sliced onions instead of chopped onions and the use of a sesame seed bun serving as the only alterations. This burger also features two pieces of American cheese — one placed on top and another beneath the patty. There's also an option with bacon, aptly named the Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese, and a double, which adds another patty but keeps the cheese slice count at two. If you're feeling fancy, you can upgrade your Quarter Pounder to the Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe, which takes the same base and adds mayonnaise, tomato slices, and shredded lettuce.

Finally, there's the chain's signature creation: the Big Mac. While McDonald's has experimented with the iconic sandwich over the years, it's hard to beat the original building blocks of two beef patties, tangy Big Mac Sauce, pickles, lettuce, onions, and a slice of American cheese, layered between not two, but three sesame seed buns.

Wendy's has over a dozen burger options on its list — and more than a few on the secret menu– but thankfully, many are simply beefed-up versions of the originals. First up is the Jr. Hamburger, which features a square beef patty, pickles, sliced sweet onion, ketchup, and mustard on a sandwich bun. The Jr. Cheeseburger is the same with a slice of American cheese, and the Double Stack is simply a Jr. Cheeseburger with an additional beef patty. Meanwhile, the Bacon Double Stack is exactly what it sounds like — a Double Stack featuring applewood smoked bacon.

Next is the Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe, which adds sliced tomato, mayo, and lettuce to the original. The Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger is the same as the Deluxe, except for the addition of bacon and the curious choice to omit ketchup. If you're looking for a classic American cheeseburger, you'll want the Dave's Single. This sandwich is home to a ¼-pound beef patty, two slices of American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup, mayo, and pickles. Order a Dave's Double or Dave's Triple if you're extra hungry.

Of course, there are more bacon options in the Big Bacon Classic family. Also available in three sizes, this takes the same toppings as the Dave's collection and adds bacon. Finally, there's Wendy's signature behemoth: the Baconator and Son of Baconator. The former features two ¼-pound patties, six slices of bacon, and two slices of American cheese, with a bit of ketchup and mayo along for the ride. The Son of Baconator is a smaller version of the burger featuring the same ingredients lineup, just with smaller patties.

Is the classic cheeseburger the most exciting option? No, but I do think it offers the most basic framework on which to judge the quality of a chain's burgers. The McDonald's Cheeseburger is the byproduct of efficiency. The chain famously began pumping out sandwiches en masse assembly-line style, and this is evident in the simplicity of this burger.

The bun is soft and a little sweet, but nothing to write home about. The beef patty is cooked correctly, but again, not a standout in any way. Even the toppings are good, but not great. I like pickles, so if there's a potential frustration with the McDonald's Cheeseburger, it's that you get all of your pickles in a single bite rather than in a proper dispersion. 

Ultimately, this burger is small, but adequate. It's more of a snack than a meal. There's nothing wrong with it, but there's also nothing particularly exciting about it. It simply exists. For 300 calories and 720 milligrams of sodium — a number that feels relatively disproportionate to its size — you can find a better burger on most menus.

I don't know the economics of fast food cheeseburger sales, but in 2025, it feels like we can probably ditch the standard cheeseburger. Like the McDonald's version, Wendy's Jr. Cheeseburger is just fine. The pickle slices are a bit thicker and more savory than the sometimes paper-thin ones from McDonald's, which is a positive. Wendy's seems to use more sauce on its cheeseburger as well, which is another point in the chain's favor. The sliced onion is also more flavorful than McDonald's chopped onions, which I liked, but anyone who's even mildly onion-averse may not be quite as keen.

Unfortunately, this burger is just less flavorful than McDonald's, and its nutritional information may give us a hint as to why. From a size perspective, these sandwiches are very similar, but the Wendy's Jr. Cheeseburger clocks in at 280 calories, which is 20 fewer than the McDonald's version. The sodium is lower, too, at 660 milligrams. Too much sodium is obviously not a good thing across a full diet, but in the world of fast food, salty is expected. However, salt often means flavor, and because of this, McDonald's gets the edge in the classic cheeseburger race, even if these burgers still rank as my two least favorite on this list.

Now this is a burger. Maybe it's the sesame seed bun adding an air of superiority, or perhaps it's because I need to actually open my mouth to take a good bite, but the Quarter Pounder feels like what the most basic of American cheeseburgers has shifted to become over time. To better align with the loaded toppings of Wendy's Dave's Single, I went with the Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe and came away with two conclusions. First, it's messy. Shredded lettuce and the sauce trio were spilling from between the buns before I took my first bite. If you're on the go, make sure you're armed with plenty of napkins. The second takeaway is that the added toppings really do elevate this deluxe version of the Quarter Pounder.

The double slices of cheese are a lovely touch, and the veggies are crisp and fresh. I wish McDonald's opted for leaf lettuce rather than shredded, as the whole pieces hold up inside a hot sandwich for longer. Still, it's hard to have many complaints about the Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe. It's the new standard for a classic fast food burger, and it's a vastly underappreciated burger in the McDonald's lineup.

Named after the franchise's famous founder, the Dave's Single is Wendy's answer to McDonald's Quarter Pounder. The patty size is the same, and the toppings line up nearly one-for-one with a few minor differences. First, Wendy's doesn't use mustard on the Dave's Single at all locations. The lack of a mustardy tang takes a little bit away from the overall flavor profile, but it's not a dealbreaker. The lettuce is also full leaf, rather than shredded, giving it more longevity than the McDonald's version.

Wendy's also has a slight edge in the beef department. The square patties are juicier than their round counterparts. However, they're still not quite satiating enough in this burger, in my opinion. I've done a lot of head-to-head reviews, and this is one of the more difficult ones because there really is nothing bad about either of these burgers. For my money, I'll take a Quarter Pounder Deluxe over a Dave's Single, but I'm not sure I can make a super convincing case to back up that choice. Both are good burgers, leaving the bacon-centric sandwiches as the main differentiator between these iconic chains.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. It's a saying presented to an untold number of college graduates as they prepare for job interviews, but not something I expected to relay to the king of breakfast meat. Obviously, bacon is the star of the Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese, which makes it all the more disappointing that the bacon is actually the weakest element of this sandwich.

My wife joined me in sampling the burgers for this review, and we both had the same critique after our first bites: The bacon flavor is overly intense and almost artificial. I've noted before that for all the things it does well, bacon is simply not McDonald's area of expertise. The rest of the Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese is great. Unlike the deluxe option, the toppings are the classic pickles, ketchup, mustard, and sliced onions. The bun is great, it's cheesy, and the sauce combo is great, but the bacon just ruins everything. It's a disappointing effort from the Golden Arches. 

Listen, if your name is Baconator, you clearly take pride in your bacon. Where McDonald's occasionally ventures into the salty strips, Wendy's has cornered the market. I opted for the smaller version of the burger, the Son of Baconator — primarily because I needed to try six burgers at the same time, and I honestly can't imagine what would compel anyone to order a full-sized version of this sandwich. It's a lot of meat.

The bacon is good, which is the main priority here, but the sandwich isn't without its faults. First, it needs more sauce. While the beef and bacon are plenty juicy in their own right, it's just a lot of protein without much else save for a few slices of American cheese, a squirt each of ketchup and mayo, and two buns that feel more structural than anything. I need sauce between each layer, or maybe an accompanying signature dipping sauce to help break up the meat monotony of each bite. Still, the Son of Baconator is a massive upgrade over the Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese. It has better flavor and, most importantly, it brings home the bacon.

McDonald's and Wendy's have earned their places at the top of the fast food hierarchy. From solid, no-frills cheeseburgers to bacon-layered behemoths, these chains know how to construct a sandwich. The final tally was McDonald's two, Wendy's one, but the final results were much closer. If given the choice between the two chains, my decision might hinge on whether the McDonald's ice cream machine is working that day (even if it is hard to compete with the siren song of the Wendy's Frosty).

If you need a snack, a classic cheeseburger from either establishment will do just fine, though I prefer McDonald's when push comes to shove. As for a standard, beefier burger, the Deluxe Quarter Pounder with Cheese is what baby burgers dream to be when they grow up, but if you're craving bacon, Wendy's is unquestionably the right call, whether that's the original Baconator or its slightly smaller offspring.

To determine a winner between McDonald's and Wendy's, I picked up both orders in quick succession and brought them straight home to conduct a taste test while they were still fresh. The restaurants were less than five minutes apart, so all the food was still hot when I dug in.

My evaluation was based on taste, texture, and each restaurant's chosen ingredients for their respective burgers. This included everything from buns to toppings to the all-important beef at the center. Neither McDonald's nor Wendy's was aware of this review when preparing the food.