Best Cheap Pizza: Deals and Price Comparison

Americans eat a lot of pizza, and for good reason: It's tasty; it's convenient; and, most of all, it's relatively cheap. That said, if you're eating it a lot, you'll want to look for ways to slice that pizza bill even further. We've rounded up ongoing and limited-time deals and discounts at most major national pizza chains. We've also compared prices and more at the top four purveyors: Pizza Hut, Domino's, Papa Johns, and Little Caesars.

Deals and Discounts

Pizza Hut

Ongoing:

• $18 two medium one-topping carryout pizzas

• $30 Big Dinner Box with two medium pizzas, breadsticks, and pasta or wings

• $19 Dinner Box with one medium pizza, breadsticks, and cinnamon sticks

• $24 large three-topping pizza and Cinnabon mini rolls

• $28 two large one-topping carryout pizzas

• $38 two large one-topping pizzas

Available this month:

• $7 Melts

Check out Pizza Hut's coupons and offers page.

Domino's

Ongoing:

• $7 Mix and Match carryout or delivery of any two or more: medium two-topping pizzas, breads, boneless and bone-in chicken, pasta, sandwiches, salads, and desserts

• $8 for carryout only: all large one-topping pizzas, eight-piece wings, and Dip and Twists combos

• $20 Perfect Combo with two medium one-topping pizzas, 16-piece Parmesan bread bites, eight-piece cinnamon twists, and a 2-liter soda

Available this month:

• $11 large carryout pizza with up to five toppings

• $11 small gluten-free pizza with up to three toppings

• $11 medium two-topping handmade pan pizzas

• $7 three-piece chocolate lava crunch cakes

• $7 Loaded Tots

• $28 two large two-toppings pizzas and stuffed cheesy bread

Check out Domino's coupons and offers page.

Papa Johns

Ongoing:

• $14 large three-topping pizza

• $22 two large one-topping pizzas

• $17 large two-topping pizza and garlic knots or a 2-liter soda
  

• $7 Papa Pairings when you order two or more: medium one-topping pizzas, Papadias, breadsticks, garlic knots, chicken poppers, and desserts
  

• $24 Papas Trio with three medium three-topping pizzas

Available this month:

• $16 stuffed-crust specialty pizza
  

• $16 one-topping stuffed crust pizza and a bread side

• $8 Doritos Cool Ranch Papadia

• $13 XL New York style pizza

Check out Papa Johns' coupons and offers page.

Little Caesars

Ongoing:

• $6 classic cheese, sausage, or pepperoni pizza

• $7 Extra Most Bestest cheese, sausage, or pepperoni pizza

• $7 Slices-n-Stix pizza

• $9 Detroit-style cheese or pepperoni pizza

• $9 stuffed crust pepperoni pizza

Available this month:

• $7 pretzel crust cheese or pepperoni pizza

• $10 stuffed pretzel crust cheese or pepperoni pizza

• $11 Old World Fanceroni pepperoni pizza

Check out Little Caesars' coupons and offers page.

Papa Murphy's

Ongoing:

• $10 any large pizza with up to five toppings on Tuesdays

• $12 any family-size pizza with up to five toppings on Tuesdays

Available this month:

• $7 medium two-topping pizza

Check out Papa Murphy's coupons and offers page.

Jet's Pizza

Ongoing:

• $15 large one-topping pizza

• $11 small one-topping pizza

• $19 large specialty pizza

• $15 small specialty pizza

• $16 8 corner pizza

• $23 large one-topping pizza and a dessert or bread

Available this month:

• $7 Slice Combo with two deep dish slices and a 20-ounce drink

• $16 Triple-Roni pizza

Check out Jet's coupons and offers page.

Marco's

Ongoing:

• $8 medium one-topping pizzas

• $8 pizza bowls

Available this month:

• $7 medium one-topping pizzas with code MED699

• $3 off large specialty pizzas with code SPECIAL3 
  

• $22 two medium one-topping pizzas, cheesy bread, and 2-liter soda with code HD189

Check out Marco's coupons and offers page.

Round Table

Ongoing:

• $33 meal deal with large one-topping pizza and appetizer
  

• $43 large deal with large specialty pizza and appetizer

Available this month:

• $5 medium one-topping pizza when you buy a large or extra large specialty pizza

• $8 sides

• $9 four-topping personal pizza and soda

• $10 carryout family garden salad

• $22 large Hawaiian pizza

• $25 large Maui Zaui pizza

• $28 two medium one-topping pizzas

Check out Round Table's coupons and offers page.

Hungry Howie's

Ongoing:

• $12 large pepperoni duo pizza

• $7 mix and match when you buy two or more: flatbread pizzas, medium pizzas, Howie Bread, subs, salads, or a four-pack of soda

• $7 small two-topping pizza

• $12 large two-topping pizza

• $10 large carryout one-topping pizza

• $19 two medium one-topping pizzas and Howie Bread or a 2-liter soda

• $25 two large one-topping pizzas and Howie Bread

Available this month:

• $10 '73 Classic large pizza

• $12 large one-topping deep dish pizza

• $16 Double Topper extra large two-topping pizza

Check out Hungry Howie's coupons and offers page.

Chuck E. Cheese

Ongoing:

• $22 for two large one-topping pizzas on Tuesdays

• $19 large cheese pizza
  

• $16 medium cheese pizza

• $10 personal cheese pizza

Available this month:

• $20 Pizza & Play Weekdays with a personal cheese pizza and 30 Play Points

• $34 Alpha package for veterans with one large one-topping pizza, four drinks, and 45 Play Points

• $58 Bravo package for veterans with two large one-topping pizzas, four drinks, and 100 Play Points

Check out Chuck E. Cheese's coupons and offers page.

Cicis

Ongoing:

• $11 one-topping deep dish pizza

• $13 giant one-topping pizza

• $13 one-topping stuffed crust pizza

Available this month:

• $27 popper party pack with two giant one-topping pizzas and buffalo chicken, jalapeño, or pepperoni poppers
  

• $28 classic party pack with two giant one-topping pizzas and cinnamon rolls or cheesy garlic bread

• $34 wing party pack with two giant one-topping pizzas and 10 boneless or bone-in wings

• $50 28-inch Piezilla pizza

Check out Cicis' coupons and offers page.

Old Chicago

Ongoing:

• $20 two medium two-topping pizzas

• $30 Party Pack for four with a starter, any large pizza, and a 6-inch Big Cookie
  

• $60 Party Pack for six with a starter, two large pizzas, and a 9-inch Big Cookie

Available this month:

• $100 Pizza Party to Go with a salad platter, three large specialty pizzas, and two Big Cookies
  

Check out Old Chicago's coupons and offers page.

Blaze Pizza

Ongoing:

• $12 11-inch build-your-own pizza

• $20 large build-your-own pizza

Available this month:

• $22 cheesy bread bundle with two-topping large pizza, cheesy bread, and two 20-ounce drinks
  

• $12 Party of One special with 11-inch one-topping pizza and regular drink when you pick it up

• $12 one large one-topping pizza when you order online

• $26 BFF bundle with two 11-inch pizzas, two fountain drinks, and two desserts

• $27 for two large two-topping pizzas when you order online

Check out Blaze Pizza's coupons and offers page.

Hungry for more? Check out these surprising facts about pizza, America's favorite comfort food.

Choosing the Best Pizza Chain

We examined the nation's largest pizza chains — Pizza Hut, Domino's, Papa Johns, and Little Caesars — focusing primarily on price and including deals that can shrink the cost of regular menu items. We also looked at the variety of offerings, convenience, and rewards programs. Although we took into account a large-scale customer survey that considers overall quality, as well as a previous Cheapism taste test of the four biggest pizza chains, taste is generally too subjective to be a major factor.

In the final analysis, Domino's took the cake (or, should we say, the pie) for convenience, variety, and value, undercutting the two biggest competitors, Pizza Hut and Papa Johns. For the cheapest pizza, order from Little Caesars, but you'll have to settle for a lot fewer options than most other chains have on their menus. 

Price Comparison

Pizza

Sides and Drinks

_{Note: These are 2022 menu prices from restaurants in southeastern Wisconsin. Prices are subject to change and may vary by location.}

Domino's: Best Value

Photo credit: J. Michael Jones/istockphoto

Pros:

• Competitively priced.
• Robust slate of deals can lead to big savings for families who order strategically.
• Wide range of hoagies, sandwiches, and salads broaden the appeal for lunchtime or customers who may not want pizza.
• Easy-to-use website includes a minute-to-minute order tracker and the ability to schedule orders up to three weeks in advance.

Cons:

• Some of the best deals are limited to carryout.
• Middling marks in most categories, including speed, quality, and service, in a large Market Force survey. 

Takeaway: Domino's has occupied a niche as the king of pizza delivery for a few years now. It's done so by dropping prices, introducing deals, updating its menu, and upgrading its services to better suit anyone who wants ordering a pizza to be ultra-quick and nearly effortless (including the ability to place an order via multiple smart tech devices). With an everyday value price of $8 for a large three-topping pizza, a menu that aims to please everyone in the family, and plenty of special offers to bring the total cost down if you're hosting a party for the big game, Domino's spot at the top seems well-earned.

Pizza Hut: Most Expensive

Photo credit: Pizza Hut/Yelp

Pros:

• With more than 6,500 locations, it's the largest pizza chain in the country. Some restaurants still offer dine-in options and popular pizza buffets.
• Solid menu variety, including pasta, sandwiches, salads, desserts, and a wide range of pizza customization options.
• Large slate of deals, including $11 for a large one-topping pizza or $12 for a medium three-topping pizza.
• Easily beat out Domino's, Papa Johns, and Little Caesars in an earlier Cheapism taste test.

Cons:

• The priciest in our comparison.
• Poor marks for speed, value, cleanliness, and healthy options in the Market Force consumer survey.

Takeaway: As the official pizza sponsor of the NFL (a lucrative title that formerly belonged to Papa Johns), Pizza Hut is poised to become more ubiquitous than ever. Hopefully, that translates into more compelling deals for sports fans, as the chain's regular prices are nothing to write home about. Still, "The Hut" boasts a wide-ranging menu and consistently tasty pizza. The fluffy, buttery goodness of the brand's trademark pan crust has long been a crowd-pleaser.

Little Caesars: Cheapest Pizza Chain

Photo credit: Little Caesars

Pros:

• Lowest prices on pizzas by far.
• With more than 4,100 U.S. locations, chances are there's a Little Caesars nearby.
• $5 lunch combo is a cheap, convenient option for on-the-go pizza lovers.
• After a 20-year hiatus, the chain is again offering delivery at most locations.

Cons:

• Ingredient choices for custom pizzas and menu options beyond pizza, such as sides, salads, and desserts, are limited or nonexistent.
• Poor marks for food quality, staff friendliness, atmosphere, and healthy options in the Market Force study; ranked lowest in Cheapism's taste test.

Takeaway: If you want a pizza dinner on the cheap, Little Caesars is hard to beat. Just $6 buys a large cheese or pepperoni pizza, and even premium options such as five-meat, Hawaiian, or supreme pizzas don't cost more than $15. Online ordering and "pizza portal" pickup help minimize in-store waiting, and a return to delivery gives customers an option they didn't have before. But the low prices come at a cost: There's no rewards program and little variety beyond the basics.

Papa Johns: Most Variety

Photo credit: Papa Johns

Pros:

• Wider range of specialty pizzas than most chains, including lighter choices, local favorites, and "gourmet" options.
• Easy-to-use website offers text alerts and lets customers schedule orders up to three weeks in advance.
• Robust rewards program allows frequent customers to earn points that can be redeemed for a wide range of menu options.

Cons:

• Smaller slate of deals than major rivals Pizza Hut and Domino's.
• Low-to-middling marks in most categories, including value, speed, quality, and service, in the Market Force study.

Takeaway: Papa Johns aims for a customer who wants more menu variety from the local pizza chain. Of course, whether the chain meets that goal depends largely on taste buds, but it does offer some more highbrow choices, including an "ancient grains" gluten-free crust; some pies with 300 or fewer calories per slice; and, most recently, papadias — flatbread-style pizza sandwiches available in around five flavor options. 

What We Considered

Price

To compare costs across chains, we surveyed regular menu prices for three large, hand-tossed pizzas — pepperoni, cheese, and veggie — a large order of breadsticks, and a 2-liter bottle of soda.

Not surprisingly, Little Caesars, which has staked its business on everyday value, had the lowest total by far: $28.72. If you're feeding a family of five, that works out to about $5.74 a person. The tradeoff for the lower price is that Little Caesars doesn't offer much menu variety.

Photo credit: jetcityimage/istockphoto

The cheapest traditional delivery joint was Papa Johns, at $53.45. Heavy hitters Domino's and Pizza Hut were the priciest chains on our list, at $55.45 and $59.98, respectively. Divided among a family of five, that's nearly $12 a head at Pizza Hut, more than double what the same meal would cost at Little Caesars.

Of course, with a couple of exceptions, pizza chains run frequent deals to lure customers, and it's rarely necessary to pay full price. Would-be diners should check discounts at the top of this page before ordering online. 

Menu Variety

While pizza chains have more limited menus than other restaurants, some still stand out for offering more options. A close look at the chains' menus shows that Domino's offers the most choices for customers who want something besides pizza. Highlights include five pasta entrees, seven hoagies and sandwiches, and four kinds of specialty chicken bites. Domino's also offers a couple of salads for anyone who wants to eat a bit lighter. Along with Pizza Hut and Papa Johns, Domino's caters to anyone with a sweet tooth, offering a handful of dessert choices.

Photo credit: J. Michael Jones/istockphoto

All the chains we researched allow customers to build their own pizzas, but some offer more customization options than others. Pizza Hut and Domino's offer plenty of options for creating your own pie, from crust to cheese to toppings. On the other end of the spectrum, Little Caesars offers only traditional red sauce, and is the only chain in the group that does not offer gluten-free pizza.

Convenience

All the chains we researched have relatively user-friendly websites, most of which allow customers to save their addresses and favorite orders for speedier checkout in the future. Still, some chains make it easier to dig in than others.

Domino's is in its own league when it comes to streamlined ordering. On its website, customers can save frequent orders, schedule orders up to three weeks in advance, track the progress of an order, and even easily place orders to "pizza hotspots" such as parks and schools where logistics can be tricky. But that's not all: Once you set up an "Easy Order" and file your go-to favorite, you can summon your meal on demand using Google Assistant or Amazon's Alexa, order during a commercial break on a Samsung smart TV, or simply tweet or text a pizza emoji to Domino's. The company has even rolled out a zero-click app: Open it and your order is placed automatically after a 10-second countdown.

Photo credit: jax10289/istockphoto

Finally, Little Caesars increased its convenience score by reintroducing delivery in 2020 after a 20-year hiatus.

Rewards Programs

Though not a major factor in our analysis, rewards can be a nice bonus for customers who find themselves ordering relatively frequently. 

At Pizza Hut, every $1 spent earns rewards members two points, and 200 points can be redeemed for a free medium two-topping pizza. That means you have to spend at least $100 to get free pizza. Rewards members are also promised insider access to special deals.

Domino's does things slightly differently, awarding 10 points for every order of at least $10, then offering a free medium two-topping pizza once you've earned 60 points. That means you can earn free pizza by spending as little as $60 (although an average order is closer to $20, so realistically you could be spending $120 or more to get that medium pizza prize). 

Papa Johns awards one point for every $1 spent, and you get $10 in "Papa Dough" for every 75 points earned. Considering that even the most basic pie is between $14 and $17, you'd have to spend about $150 before cashing in your rewards for pizza.

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