Deciding to drive for DoorDash vs. Grubhub is a tough choice — both are in-demand delivery services and offer a flexible way to make extra cash. Show
To help you choose which is the best food delivery service to work for, we’ve broken down what prospective drivers need to know, including how DoorDash and Grubhub compare with pay, availability, drive requirements, and more.
Quick LinksWhat are DoorDash and Grubhub?In a lot of ways, DoorDash and Grubhub are very similar. They're both two of the most widely available and popular food delivery services, but there are small differences within each company that might make one a better choice for you. About DoorDashDoorDash was founded in 2013 and now delivers for over 340,000 local and chain restaurants in more than 7,000 cities across the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Japan. Customers can use DoorDash to order food from restaurants, grocery stores, and even get essential items from convenience stores. There are even some markets where you can order office supplies, gourmet cakes, pet food, and baby items. Looking for a flexible side hustle? DoorDash drivers make $15-$25/hour, can schedule hours or deliver when it's busy, and you can even bring a friend. Get started with DoorDash DoorDash Disclaimer: Actual earnings may differ and depend on factors like number of deliveries completed, time of day, location, and expenses. Hourly pay is calculated using average Dasher payouts while on a delivery (from the time you accept an order until the time you drop it off) over a 90 day period and includes compensation from peak pay, tips, and other incentives. About GrubhubGrubhub was founded in 2004 to provide an alternative to paper menus. They merged with Seamless in 2013 and were purchased by the Netherlands-based Just Eat Takeaway in 2020. Grubhub now delivers for over 300,000 restaurants in all 50 states. Grubhub processes more than 745,000 orders daily and has paid out over $4 billion in tips to drivers. DoorDash vs. Grubhub: Driver requirementsThese companies have similar requirements for drivers, but let’s look at the requirements for each. Here are DoorDash's driver requirements:
Here are Grubhub’s driver requirements:
It's worth mentioning that these are virtually the same requirements for other delivery services like Instacart and Shipt. Requirements to deliver alcohol You can be as young as 18 or 19 to deliver for DoorDash and Grubhub, but you’ll need to be 21+ to accept orders for alcohol. Because you must present your ID when picking up alcohol, you won't be fulfill orders if you are underage. The age restrictions for accepting orders with alcohol may limit your earnings. Background checks for DoorDash and Grubhub Another food delivery standard is the criminal background check that all drivers must submit to when applying to drive. The background check considers any criminal convictions that have happened in the past 7 years and looks into your driving record. Any of the following issues will be flagged and disqualify you:
The winner is... DoorDash wins by a small margin because drivers can be as young as 18 and there are slightly less stringent technical requirements for age and kind of phone. But overall, the driver requirements are nearly identical. DoorDash vs. Grubhub: Driver payDriver pay is one of the biggest factors in deciding who to drive for, and that makes a lot of sense — you want to know you’re making the most of your time. So let’s dive into how much each delivery service pays and how pay is calculated. DoorDash driver payYou can realistically expect to make $15-$25/hour working with DoorDash. You're paid per order, not a flat hourly rate. DoorDash has found that drivers get paid $23/hour while on delivery — this is the national average once you factor in tips and promotions. DoorDash Disclaimer: Actual earnings may differ and depend on factors like number of deliveries completed, time of day, location, and expenses. Hourly pay is calculated using average Dasher payouts while on a delivery (from the time you accept an order until the time you drop it off) over a 90 day period and includes compensation from peak pay, tips, and other incentives. Grubhub driver payBased on driver reviews, Grubhub drivers average $10-$23/hour. The range is because you're not paid per hour, but based on the size, time, mileage, and tip added to each order you fulfill. Now, let's take a look at how each service calculates pay: DoorDash pay modelDoorDash's new pay model was rolled out in 2019, and the biggest changes are that all drivers now have a guaranteed base pay amount and keep 100% of their tips. Here’s the new DoorDash driver pay model: Base pay is the guaranteed minimum drivers are paid per order. It varies by order and ranges from $2-$10. Drivers see this amount in the Dasher app before accepting an order, and you always keep 100% of this amount. Promotions give you opportunities to increase your earnings. There are Peak Pay times when certain delivery areas in the Dasher app light up red with a plus dollar amount, which is the additional amount you’ll earn on top of the base pay. This is typically between $1-$4 extra per delivery. Challenges are currently in beta mode, and can be things like “complete X number of deliveries in a set amount of time”. If you complete the challenge, you’ll receive bonus pay. Dashers can earn challenge bonuses on top of Peak Pay. Customers can add tips after the delivery is completed, and you keep 100% of your DoorDash tips. Grubhub pay modelGrubhub uses a slightly different formula, and they’ve also made tweaks to driver pay over time. The new model has no base order amount, but it now accounts for mileage and time for driving and waiting. Here’s what the new Grubhub formula factors into driver pay:
All of those variables vary by market — demand for drivers, location, and ease of delivery. You also get to keep 100% of the tips you make. You can see below how Grubhub’s new pay model helps drivers earn more. The winner is... DoorDashWhen it comes to DoorDash vs. Grubhub for driver pay, DoorDash edges ahead. Not only is it's national average $23/hour, but they also offer promotions to boost your pay. Both DoorDash and Grubhub have experienced significant growth over the past few years, especially after the start of the pandemic in 2020. So let’s take a look at where you can find DoorDash and Grubhub now. DoorDash availability DoorDash now operates in more than 7,000 cities across the United States, Canada, Australia, and Japan. It’s available in all 50 U.S. states, plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Overall, DoorDash holds the largest market share for food delivery services, and they’ve held that standing since about 2019. They hit 58% of total U.S sales in January of 2022 according to Bloomberg Second Measure, with Grubhub at only 15%. Grubhub availability Grubhub is available in more than 4,000 cities throughout the U.S. serving over 300,000 local restaurants and nationwide chains. It’s also available in the U.K., Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands. The winner is... DoorDashWhile you can find Grubhub and DoorDash in almost every city in the U.S., customers choose DoorDash more consistently over Grubhub. DoorDash vs. Grubhub: Scheduling hoursWhile some delivery apps like Uber Eats don’t give you the option to schedule hours, both Grubhub and DoorDash let you plan your driving hours in advance. This is a nice option for people who have a predictable work schedule and want to deliver as a side hustle. Scheduling with Grubhub Grubhub asks that you only schedule blocks of hours you know you can fill and drop blocks as soon as you know you can’t work them. The app reserves the right to restrict your scheduling access to regularly drop blocks within 72 hours in advance. Grubhub gives drivers who schedule in advance priority access to deliveries, which can help you plan your week and make more cash. But you can also log in if you have any free time, and see if there are deliveries in your area. Scheduling with DoorDash DoorDash lets you schedule time anywhere from a week in advance to an hour beforehand, and the meal times are the busiest. This ensures that there are enough deliveries to go around for all drivers. For unscheduled delivery hours, you can use the Dash Now option. The in-app map will light up in red for places with a high enough need for additional drivers. The winner is... TieBoth apps let you either schedule hours in advance or take deliveries when you have extra time. DoorDash vs. Grubhub: Accepting or rejecting ordersOne debate among the food delivery community is whether to accept all orders or reject ones that don’t pay well. The thinking is that why would you accept orders that aren’t worth your time? However, food delivery services have a history of penalizing drivers who don’t accept every single order. Neither company has official policies on the percentage of orders you need to accept, but both DoorDash and Grubhub offer incentives to keep your acceptance rating high. DoorDash doesn’t have a minimum acceptance rate, but you’ll need to have an acceptance rate of at least 70% if you want to qualify for its Top Dasher program. The benefit is that you can “dash anytime,” regardless of whether it’s busy or not. Grubhub offers a tiered program that has three levels: Partner, Pro, and Premier. The main perk of moving up is access to scheduling and high-dollar orders. All drivers start as Partners, which means you have third-ranked access to when you schedule your hours in the app. You’ll need an acceptance rate of at least 90% to reach Pro and 95% to reach Premier. Your rating is based on your delivery stats over the past 30 days, and new drivers must complete 20 deliveries to receive a level. The winner is... DoorDashDoorDash has a lower threshold for its rankings potentially giving more drivers access to Top Dasher status. But with either app, new drivers should be accepting as many orders as possible if they want to have priority access to scheduling and accepting large orders. DoorDash vs. Grubhub: Getting paidDoorDash pays Dashers every week on Friday using direct deposit. Most drivers report that money hits their bank account on Wednesdays. If you want your cash ASAP, you can use Fast Pay for $1.99 to cash out immediately. You can also sign up for the free DasherDirect card, DoorDash's prepaid business Visa card, and get no-fee instant deposits that automatically show up in your account right after every delivery. Grubhub uses a similar payment process, with payments sent out on Thursday via direct deposit, and arriving in driver’s accounts 3 to 5 days later. Or, you can use Instant Cash Out to get paid early. It costs $0.50 for each payment processed this way. The winner is... TieWhile Grubhub gives you a less expensive early payment option, you can sign up for DoorDash's DasherDirect card and get paid instantly. DoorDash vs. Grubhub: Driver supportIn the past couple of years, DoorDash, Grubhub, and other services have started finding ways to better support their drivers navigate crises. Here's what you can expect: DoorDash driver support:
Grubhub driver support:
Grubhub also offers an affordable health services plan through UnderWing health. It’s $20/month for drivers and includes board-certified doctor visits via phone or video, no-cost prescription coverage for common ailments, and mental health services. Alternatives to DoorDash and GrubhubIf neither Grubhub nor DoorDash sounds like your thing, there are a two other on-demand food delivery services that we highly recommend, and the reality is that you can drive for more than one service at a time:
The final word: Is DoorDash or Grubhub better?Both companies give you a flexible and easy way to make extra cash in your spare time. That’s great if you're looking for a side hustle to pay down your consumer debt, supplement your income, save up for a downpayment on a house, plan for retirement, and more. Of the two, DoorDash is the obvious winner for us when we compare pay, availability, and driver requirements. There’s also the fact that DoorDash holds a much larger market share suggesting that they’re the more popular choice for customers. FAQsWhich is cheaper, DoorDash or Grubhub? +- DoorDash and Grubhub are about the same for customers. They both offer promotions that can make them more affordable, like DoorDash’s $0 delivery fee for first time customers. How is Grubhub different from DoorDash? +- Grubhub has a much smaller market share compared to DoorDash, and customers can order fewer types of items. Does Grubhub or DoorDash make more money? +- DoorDash has a higher national average pay than Grubhub, and it’s not uncommon for DoorDash drivers to make $100/day. What pays the most DoorDash Uber Eats or Grubhub?If you've been looking to optimize your deliveries, choosing the right delivery platform is vital. Overall, Grubhub generally pays the most on average of all the delivery teams. However, to make even more from your drives, we recommend using the Para app.
Does Uber Eats pay more than DoorDash?DoorDash Pay
According to this data, DoorDash pays more than Uber Eats and is therefore a better gig job if you want to make as much money as possible. It's also worth noting that DoorDash is the most popular food delivery app in North America, so it has more market share than Uber Eats.
Is it better to be a DoorDash driver or Uber Eats?There are two small differences between Uber Eats and DoorDash driver requirements, and it comes to age and method of delivery. If you want to deliver by foot and live in an eligible city, Uber Eats is the clear choice. However, if you are 18 and want to deliver by car or scooter, then DoorDash is your winner.
Does Grubhub pay more than DoorDash?Generally speaking, DoorDash drivers make less per hour than Grubhub drivers. A DoorDash driver makes $13.11, and Grubhub drivers average $18.46. The average hourly pay rate is determined by figuring out the average Dasher payouts from when the order is accepted to when it's dropped off over a 90-day period.
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