If by "basically the same" you meant very different, then I agree!
Copied below is a post of mine from a while back with some of the differences.
And here is a link to a thread that I'm sure will be worth the read. I don't remember the details of the thread, but I've linked directly to what looks like a Grandma.
https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=40636.msg623864#msg623864I'll take another stab at this. There aren't precise definitions for the styles of pizza in NY, but there are norms. Key differences:
Thickness: Sicilian is significantly thicker than grandma, maybe 3x the thickness
Topping order: Sicilian is dough/sauce/cheese, while Grandma is dough/cheese/sauce on top. (Though "upside down" Sicilian does exist.)
Sauce: Sicilian is a rich sauce. It can be pre-cooked, have heavier seasoning and be thicker. Grandma sauce is more simple, from whole peeled tomato likely left chunky.
Sauce amount: Sicilian dough is covered in sauce like a normal pie, Grandma has sauce dolloped on top of the cheese.
Other seasoning: Grandma is often garlicy and generally is topped with fresh basil and grated cheese (although Umberto's where they claim to have invented the Grandma pie doesn't use fresh basil).
Pics below of what I believe to be a typical Sicilian and a typical Grandma slice (though without the basil). And a video of a Grandma pie being topped.