The pods cost about 6x as much per load as powder. So, even if they had equal cleaning performance, economically the powder would come ahead. As it turns out,

The pods cost about 6x as much per load as powder. So, even if they had equal cleaning performance, economically the powder would come ahead. As it turns out, the 1/6th-as-expensive powder does an even better job than the pods, making the powder an even more obvious choice (Unless you really value the handling convenience of using a pod and were willing to accept poorer results at a higher expense)