Head-to-head.
The questions people actually search for — McDonald's vs Burger King fries, Five Guys vs In-N-Out — deserve direct answers. Here they are.
McDonald's vs Burger King
The two biggest QSR chains on Earth. McDonald's has the iconic taste and the beef-flavor asterisk. BK has the cleaner ingredient list and rice-flour coating. Who wins on what.
COMPARISON · THE PREMIUM FRYFive Guys vs In-N-Out
Two all-green chains, two different philosophies. Peanut oil vs sunflower oil. Fresh-cut potato vs Kennebec. Which hand-cut fry is the hand-cut fry?
COMPARISON · CHICKEN KINGSChick-fil-A vs Popeyes
Waffle Fries vs Cajun Fries — and a striking difference in fryer policy. One is all-green, one is caution. The same ingredient philosophy leads to opposite verdicts.
COMPARISON · THE FLAVOR DEBATEWendy's vs Arby's
Natural-cut sea salt vs curly-fried-wheat-batter. One brags about its potato; the other about its seasoning. Two radically different fry ideas, both fairly celebrated.
COMPARISON · MIDWESTERN CRINKLECulver's vs Steak 'n Shake
The two Midwestern crinkle-cut icons. Culver's stays with vegetable oil; Steak 'n Shake switched back to 100% beef tallow in January 2025. Same cut, different philosophies.
COMPARISON · REGIONAL ICONS THREE-WAYWhataburger vs In-N-Out vs Portillo's
Three regional chains, three fiercely loyal fan bases, three completely different fry programs. Texas, California, and Chicago walk into a fryer — only one comes out all-green.
COMPARISON · INGREDIENT COUNTSHow many ingredients are in fast food fries?
From Shake Shack's 2 to Taco Bell's 25, the spectrum is enormous. A 19-chain comparison ranked by ingredient count, with the methodology spelled out and per-chain notes on every entry.
COMPARISON · OIL INDEXWhat oil does each fast food chain fry in?
The sitewide cooking oil index for all 60 chains, grouped by oil family — peanut, sunflower, beef tallow, canola, vegetable blend. The reference for "what oil does X use" questions.
COMPARISON · THE SEASONING QUESTIONWhich fries have added sugar?
Why Wingstop's seasoned fries taste sweet, how much sugar is actually in Taco Bell Nacho Fries, and the six chains with sugar in the seasoning blend vs the forty-eight with none. A seasoning-level breakdown.
COMPARISON · ONE CHAIN, TWO FRIESArby's crinkle vs curly
Same chain, same fryer, two meaningfully different fries. One contains wheat; one doesn't. The nutrition gap is huge (70% more calories, 2.5x more sodium on the curly). Why the choice matters and who should pick which.
For systematic cross-chain views across nutrition metrics, see Rankings.