I've never used a soap, but both creams I have tried have been great imo, they are Castle and Forbes Lime and Domenico Caraceni "1913". All the talk about the scent of the 1913 had me a little nervous but I have to say I really like the scent. Sorry these are not the cheaper alternatives you were looking for but both are great values afaic, with the 1913 being the better of the two.