This is a comparison between Grubhub, DoorDash and Uber Eats, which includes expected earnings, the volume of orders you can receive, app functionality, and food delivery sales data.
Introduction
We all are living in a time where it’s important to have more than one stream of income. So the question then is: “Which avenue should I take to make extra income?” One avenue is being a food courier for a food delivery service.
Three of the biggest food delivery services include Grubhub, DoorDash, and Uber Eats. But the questions you may be asking yourself are:
- Should I work for DoorDash, Grubhub, or Uber Eats?
- How much money can I make from delivering food?
- Is it even worth it for me to deliver food?
I was once asking myself the same questions. So the information I’m sharing with you will shed more light on what to expect from the job.
Who is This Information For?
This information is for anyone who wants to know the differences between Grubhub, DoorDash, and Uber Eats. This is also for anyone who needs to make a little extra money to use towards the following:
- To supplement their income
- To pay off debt, including credit cards, loans, car notes
- For extra money to use towards investing
- To purchase necessities including food, clothes, and household goods
- To save up for vacation, fund your children’s college, or purchase a home
- Capital towards starting a business or a freelancing career
So there are many reasons to do food deliveries. So if you’re in this category, you have come to the right place.
My Previous Comparison Video
Several years ago I did a similar comparison video titled Uber Eats vs Postmates vs DoorDash – Which One Pays You the Most Money?? During that time, each food delivery service’s pay structure, app interface, and popularity were different from where they are now.
During that time I didn’t work for Grubhub. You can view that video down below:
For this updated comparison I didn’t include Postmates because Uber is now the owner of that company, in which case all orders from Postmates are delivered by Uber Eats drivers.
Plus, I didn’t have a lot of luck with Postmates in my area (Sacramento CA). I didn’t receive a lot of orders from them and customers didn’t tip well. So I left them out.
Points to Cover in This Comparison
The points I’m covering in this Grubhub vs DoorDash vs Uber Eats comparison article are:
- Average amount of money made per order
- The volume of orders received
- App functionality for all three food delivery services
Keep in mind that the average money made per order, the volume of orders, and app usage are based on my personal experience.
Your experience with working for Grubhub, DoorDash, and Uber Eats will likely be different. However, I’m giving you insight on how much money can be made realistically, and what you can expect when working for a food delivery service. So let’s begin.
Average Amount of Money Made Per Order
The amount of money made per order is determined by a number of different factors. Some of those factors can include:
- The size of the order
- The complexity of the order (i.e. custom orders and special meal requests)
- Total distance driven to pick up and deliver the food to the customer
- Peak pay and limited-time cash bonuses
- Regional areas of the city you deliver for
- How much the customer tips
So the amount of money made per order can differ. Once you complete a sizable amount of deliveries, you can tell how much money on average you have generated per order.
For me, the average amount of money I made per order from Grubhub, DoorDash and Uber Eats differed.
As you can see, with Grubhub, the average amount I made per order was higher than DoorDash and Uber Eats. The reason was that I accepted orders that ranged between $8.00 to $14.00+ and weren’t a long-distance drive (10 miles total or less).
I usually received more orders with higher earnings in Grubhub than DoorDash and Uber Eats. A big reason why was because Grubhub customers tipped higher than the other services.
Another reason was that, where DoorDash and Uber Eats customers made small orders, Grubhub customers would place larger orders or purchase from a high-end restaurant.
The highest earnings I’ve received for one order through Grubhub was $26, DoorDash was $20, and Uber Eats was $16.
Amount of Orders Received
Even though several food couriers deliver food, some acquire food delivery offers back to back while others struggle to get an offer consistently. Here are some factors that determine the volume of orders you’ll receive:
- How active you are in delivering food
- The number of orders you accept and decline
- Your account rating (based on customer satisfaction)
- The areas you work within your city
- The time of day you deliver food
- If you add yourself to the food delivery schedule (DoorDash and Grubhub)
To get the most out of working for these food delivery services, you have to work consistently, be in the areas of your city where the highest amount of orders are being placed, keep customers satisfied by delivering their food on time, etc.
These factors will show that you’re reliable. Thus, you’ll land consistent work and reap the benefits.
Whenever I delivered food, I did so in the evenings 90% of the time and would work 4-5 hours or more. The volume of orders being placed is higher during the evenings, the weekends, during fall/winter, and on some holidays.
Within 4-5 hours of working, I would complete 6-8+ orders on average. However, sometimes I completed more orders (around 11+), depending on the distance of the orders, how quickly restaurants would have the order ready, and the amount of traffic on the road.
Here’s how long on average it would take for me to complete food deliveries for each service:
- 30-35 minutes on average to complete Grubhub orders
- 25-30 minutes on average to complete DoorDash orders
- 30-40 minutes on average to complete Uber Eats orders
Due to the amount I made on average per order, and the volume of orders I’d receive, I would make $11 an hour on a bad day, and around $15 an hour on a decent day.
During the weekends, peak pay periods, and from good luck, I would make $20-$22 an hour. The highest I’ve made per hour was $25. The amount of money I made per hour excluded the cost of fuel, car maintenance, car insurance, etc.
Grubhub, DoorDash, and Uber App Functionality
Grubhub Mobile App
Pros
- Very smooth app performance. The smoothest of the three
- Good breakdown of earnings for each offer, including tips
- App navigation is pretty straightforward. Can easily switch between menus
- Pings a new offer when you’re close to dropping off an existing food order
Cons
- Doesn’t show the best routes to go to the restaurant and the customer
- You have to call customer support to cancel an offer that you no longer can fulfill
- They offer no referral program for bringing in new drivers
DoorDash Mobile App
Pros
- Shows the best routes to get to a restaurant and to the customer
- A great breakdown of all earnings for an offer, including driving distance and tips
- Navigating through the app is user-friendly
- Can put your status on standby if you need a quick break from working
Cons
- Has periodic glitches and lag issues
- Cities are broken down into multiple regions, and can only accept offers within the zone of a region you’re in, limiting the distance of where you can receive orders
- Doesn’t provide a new offer whenever you’re close to delivering an existing order
Uber Mobile App
Pros
- All orders are prepaid by the customer
- You’re not limited to regions within a city to receive orders
- Provides estimated time to arrive at your destinations
- Has Night Mode, making it easier on the eyes when driving at night
Cons
- Full earnings for an order is determined by how much a customer is willing to tip after the food has been delivered
- Some food delivery offers require more than 10 miles of driving to complete
- Reviewing customer’s notes and requests within an order can sometimes be a pain
All three apps have their strengths and weaknesses. However, Grubhub, DoorDash, and Uber all do their best to improve their apps.
One thing all three food delivery apps have in common is that they allow you to seamlessly communicate with customers. As a food courier, you want to contact customers for reasons including:
- For clarification of any special needs the customer has on their custom order
- If they need any sauces, salt and pepper, and any utensils
- To find out what flavor drink they want
- If you’re running late to deliver their order
- If the restaurant is taking longer than expected to prepare the food
- Whenever a customer doesn’t include the gate code or their apartment number
This is very important so that customers know they’re talking to a human being that cares. If you keep in communication with customers, that’ll increase the odds of receiving larger tips.
Which Food Delivery Service Should I Choose?
Now comes the ultimate question: “Which food delivery service should I work for?” There are different factors to consider when choosing one to work for. They include:
- How popular a food delivery service is in your location
- How many other food couriers operate in your area
- If they are in need of new food couriers in your area
- If you’re looking to deliver food on the side or make this a full-time gig
- From experiencing them yourself
From my personal experience between using Grubhub, DoorDash, and Uber Eats, I choose Grubhub hands down. My reasons for favoring Grubhub over the others are:
- Customers have tipped higher through Grubhub than DoorDash and Uber Eats
- The average amount of money I’ve made per order was the highest
- The highest volume of orders I’ve received due to Grubhub’s popularity in my city
- The app performance is smooth and easy to navigate
In my last comparison that I made three years ago I recommended DoorDash. But now due to its increased popularity, and the lower barrier of entry to become a food courier for them compared to Grubhub and Uber Eats, the competition is more steep. That means a lower volume of orders to receive.
Again this is from my own experience, and so you may experience a different outcome.
If you live in any of the major cities from the data that I’ve shown, it’s a good idea to go with one of the food delivery services that has the largest pool of food delivery sales in your area. Or, I would try all three of them. Try them all out for about one month and see which one you enjoy working for the most.
If you are certain you want to deliver food to hungry customers, you can sign up to become a food courier for any of the services:
The Requirements for Becoming a Food Courier
If you want to become a food courier, here’s what you need:
- Must be 18 years of age or older
- Must have a valid driver’s license
- Must have a clean driving record
- Own a motor vehicle
- Need car registration and proof of insurance
- Some experience in doing food deliveries is a plus
It’s a good idea to also check and see which food delivery service or if any also allow you to deliver food using a bicycle. After signing up to work for DoorDash, Uber Eats, or Grubhub, You will have to go through their process, which usually includes a background check, filling out a W-9 form, providing your vehicle details, etc.
Once you’ve been accepted, should you have signed up for DoorDash or Grubhub, they’ll mail you a debit card, which you will use to purchase certain orders at the restaurants you drive to.
Some orders will already be paid for by the customer when they placed the order through the app. With those orders you just have to pick up the food and leave.
Other orders will require you to make the purchase yourself when you arrive at the restaurant. Thankfully, the debit cards Grubhub and DoorDash give you always contain the amount of money needed to place the order. You’ll never have to use your own money to order food for the customer.
Whichever food delivery service you go for, you should always invest in an insulated bag to keep food warm or cold. They all offer a small bag for around $4.99. But based on my experience, it’s best to invest in a bigger bag in the event orders are too large or if you find yourself delivering more than one order.
But once you’re in the system of whichever service you choose to work for, you can download their perspective app, and start making some money.
If you’re a new food courier who has questions, or an existing food courier who’s making a living, and has tips that you want to share, please share in the comments below.