I ranked double cheeseburgers from 13 fast-food chains. A $5.90 burger beat the pricier competition.

For a definitive ranking, I tried practically every fast-food double cheeseburger on the market to determine which was best in terms of taste and value.

I tried double cheeseburgers from McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, Shake Shack, White Castle, Whataburger, P. Terry's, Five Guys, Cook Out, Checkers, Sonic, 7th Street Burger, and In-N-Out.

With National Cheeseburger Day on September 18 approaching, chains are rolling out limited-time deals to celebrate — McDonald's, for example, is giving away free double cheeseburgers with a $1 purchase. So it's a fitting time to see which fast-food double cheeseburger actually comes out on top.

My least favorite double cheeseburger was from Burger King. It cost me $4.69.

It comes with two of the chain's beef patties, American cheese, pickles, mustard, and ketchup on a sesame-seed bun.

This burger was super filling, but I liked the other burgers I tried more.

Right away, I tasted the thick beef patties. The burger had traveled about 15 minutes from my local Burger King to my apartment, but the meat was still juicy, and the cheese was nicely melted.

The pickle slices were thick and crunchy, and I enjoyed the sesame-seed bun, which added a satisfying textural element. However, I thought there was just a little too much ketchup, which will likely vary depending on who's making your burger that day.

Next was Wendy's double cheeseburger, which the chain calls a Double Stack. I ordered it for $4.86.

It was about the same price as McDonald's and Burger King burgers, though it landed squarely in the middle in terms of value.

A Wendy's double cheeseburger comes with two junior-size hamburger patties, American cheese, ketchup, mustard, pickles, and sweet onion.

The toppings looked a little stingy, and they were clustered in the middle of the sandwich. I would have liked to see them more spread out.