8 Fast-Food French Fries Ranked From Worst to Best
McDonald’s takes the crown in a 2026 survey of fast-food fries, but the race behind the Golden Arches gets surprisingly tight. Five Guys and Chick-fil-A finish almost neck and neck, while curly fries, Cajun seasoning and skin-on potatoes all earn places among the eight highest-rated chains. Apparently, there is more than one way to win over someone with a trip to the takeout bag.
This countdown follows the order published by payment-processing company High Risk Pay, which surveyed 2,544 people across all 50 states. Participants scored fries from 20 chains on a scale of one to 10, rating only those they had personally tried. We are counting its top eight backward, so “worst” means lowest-ranked among these finalists, not the worst fries in America. This is a survey, not a blind taste test or a claim that every location delivers the same experience.
The bottom three finalists
In-N-Out Burger — 5.8/10
In-N-Out starts this countdown with a preparation method worth noting: the chain says it cuts its potatoes individually in stores and cooks them in sunflower oil. Freshness, however, does not automatically settle the crunch debate. Delish food writer Gabby Romero placed In-N-Out last in her separate February 2026 ranking, describing the fries as “consistently limp and a little too soft.” That is her assessment, not a universal verdict. In this survey,In-N-Out still finished eighth among 20 chains, sharing its rounded score with lower-placed Shake Shack and Culver’s.
Popeyes — 5.9/10
Popeyes brings Cajun seasoning to a contest where several competitors stick closer to potato and salt. Whether that extra flavor helps depends heavily on the eater. Allrecipes editor Bailey Fink put Popeyes last in her April taste test, finding its seasoning too herbal, while Mashed writer Steven Luna placed it fifth in July and praised the flavor without ketchup. Those sharply different reactions make seventh place here especially interesting: the same seasoned fry can be somebody’s highlight and somebody else’s reason to choose another side.
Checkers/Rally’s — 6.0/10
Checkers and Rally’s edge ahead with seasoned fries that have also attracted strong praise from individual food writers. In her 2024 tasting, PureWow food editor Taryn Pire described their contrasting textures as “super soft and fluffy on the inside yet superbly crunchy on the outside.” Romero went further, making the chain her No. 1 in 2026. The survey’s sixth-place finish is less dramatic, but it illustrates the difference between a critic’s favorite and a larger group’s average: bold seasoning can earn devoted fans without winning the overall vote.
The middle brings personality
Wendy’s — 6.1/10
Wendy’s lands in fifth with its skin-on, sea-salted fries, which received a 2021 recipe overhaul intended to improve their hot-and-crispy performance. The chain also won Allrecipes’ April 2026 tasting, beating McDonald’s on that occasion. That result gives Wendy’s supporters something substantial to point to, even though the survey puts it below four competitors. Its position here is not a consolation prize: it is the highest-rated straight-cut option outside the top two, ahead of both seasoned challengers immediately below it.
Arby’s — 6.3/10
Arby’s takes fourth, with its seasoned curly fries offering a welcome change of shape. Fink preferred the curly version to Arby’s crinkle-cut fries, noting the crispness of the tightly curled pieces, although she wanted more salt and liked them better with ketchup. The survey’s strong showing extends beyond its national average: Arby’s earned the highest fry rating in Alaska and Oregon. That gives the spirals a respectable argument against anyone insisting a proper fast-food fry must be straight, skinny and served in a red carton.
Chick-fil-A — 6.7/10
Chick-fil-A’s waffle fries claim third place, narrowly missing second despite matching Five Guys’ rounded score. Romero praised their potato flavor and the surface area available for crispness and sauce dipping, while Fink also ranked them third in her tasting. Those are separate opinions, but both support the waffle fry’s strong standing in the survey. Chick-fil-A additionally finished first in Delaware and Utah, demonstrating that this distinctive shape has enough appeal to beat the national winner in at least some state-level results.
Related: McDonald’s Expands Protein-Focused Menu as Consumer Preferences Change
The two fries to beat
Five Guys — 6.7/10
Five Guys takes the runner-up spot by just 0.01 points over Chick-fil-A before rounding, a genuinely close finish, not a sweeping victory. Its boardwalk-style fries are cooked in peanut oil, with regular and Cajun-seasoned versions offering different approaches. Pire made Five Guys her top pick in 2024, praising the skin-on potatoes and generous portions. Other reviewers found them heavier or less crisp than they prefer, so second place shouldn’t be mistaken for unanimous agreement. What it does show is that respondents rated this substantial style almost as highly as the waffles.
McDonald’s — 7.3/10
McDonald’s wins with a clear lead over the two nearest contenders, and familiarity helps: 99.7% of respondents said they had tried its fries. The survey cannot establish that familiarity caused the victory, but it does make this a widely experienced entry. The thin-cut fries also performed strongly in separate tastings, placing second for both Fink and Romero. Crunch, salt, and a softer potato interior featured in those reviewers’ praise, the familiar combination that keeps these fries near the top even when another chain wins.
The result does not make McDonald’s an undisputed champion across every ranking. Different tasters, batches, and methods produce different winners, as Wendy’s and Checkers/Rally’s demonstrate. Still, this particular survey gives the Golden Arches a convincing first-place finish, while the tiny gap between Five Guys and Chick-fil-A leaves plenty of room for argument. As the report puts it, “French fries may seem simple, but the results show just how much variety exists in one of fast food’s most familiar menu items.” Pass the ketchup and let the debate begin.
