McDouble Vs Double Cheeseburger: Is There Even A Difference?

McDonald's menu has changed a bit over the years, with some of the behind-the-scenes tweaks involving ongoing upgrades to the burgers (which seem to have been an improvement, by the way). The burgers still vary primarily by their sizes and, to a much lesser extent, the toppings. But if you look closely at the burger descriptions, you may notice that two of them are practically twins: the McDouble and the Double Cheeseburger. Are these the exact same thing? Well, no. There is one very slight difference: The former contains but a single slice of cheese, while the latter has two.

McDonald's makes no secret that the burgers are similar. In fact, it addresses this issue on its website and gives the same explanation we've provided. No smoking gun here. But which one is a better bargain? That depends. One of the burgers holds a regular spot on McDonald's value menu (which comes in fifth on our list of the top 14 fast food budget buys), while the other one has been featured in the occasional meal deal.

The McDouble wasn't a Double Cheeseburger clone when it was first introduced in the '90s, since its presentation had no cheese, but instead just two patties, lettuce, and tomato. But over the years, it's morphed into a slightly less cheesy version of the Double Cheeseburger, and in 2008, took over the dollar menu spot vacated when the latter's price soared to a whopping $1.19. But since you can no longer get much of anything for a buck at Mickey D's, the McDouble occupies a spot on what is now called the $1 $2 $3 menu. At a $3 price point, is it still a better deal than the double cheeseburger? That may depend on the day or the other items in your order.

While the Double Cheeseburger may now cost over $4, it has been featured in value-priced bundles that knock down its price, such as 2024's 5.49 meal deal that included McNuggets, fries, and a drink. McDonald's has even been known to sell them for just 50 cents if ordered in-app, a bargain they offered in 2024 on National Cheeseburger Day (which is September 18, in case you want to add it to your Google Calendar) and repeated on December 16 of that same year. Both burgers are also currently featured in some of the new McValue deals. The Double Cheeseburger is listed as a buy-one-get-one for $1 item, while the McDouble is packaged with small fries, a small drink, and four McNuggets in a $5 meal deal expected to last through summer 2025.