The food delivery business has a growth rate that can only be called extraordinary. After reading the stats, I am saying that as of 2021, this is a $28 billion industry and is only expected to grow. With the world shifting towards food delivery services, more and more opportunities are showing up for people who want to work in this business. The two big names that pop up when we talk about food delivery apps are Instacart and Doordash.
With the food delivery market being on the rise and in demand for people, it is an excellent opportunity for drivers to earn more money. People, and by people, I mean shoppers, can make a lot of money by delivering food and groceries to people’s homes. But that leaves one with the looming question of Instacart Vs. Doordash: which is better for drivers?
But before we go on a pro-and-con spree of the two, first, let’s read some things about these food delivery apps. This will help us better understand these apps and their services and choose which is better for drivers.
What Is Instacart?
Instacart, as I said, is an on-demand online grocery delivery service. It was founded in 2012 and has only grown ever since. It went public in 2022. The service delivers across 5,500 cities across the United States and Canada. It also has an extensive customer base estimated to be an army of 9.6 million active users. Instacart works with and for over 600 partners, including some big names like Kroger, Costco, Target, and Aldi.
Instacart offers an easy interface for users and a quick delivery. Customers add their groceries into their cart online or through their app. Then they have two options; pick up the packaged orders from the store or get them delivered directly to their homes. Many offers help you save money, and many people use online discount codes.
Based on the two purchase options Instacart provides, you are left with two options if you want to be an Instacart driver:
- In-Store Shopper: This follows orders that need to be picked up from the store. The in-store shoppers are responsible for shopping and packaging the orders the customers pick up from the store. It is okay to call the in-store shopper, a part-time Instacart employee. You can consider it a side-hustle as the working hours are limited to 29 hours/ week. It’s okay if you don’t own a vehicle because, as an in-store shopper, you won’t be needing one.
- Full-Service Shopper: This is the one for the home deliveries and is more of a full-time job. You’ll be shopping and then delivering the said grocery packages to customers. The good thing about being a full-service shopper is picking the hours you are comfortable working. However, you’ll have to make deliveries, so you’ll need a car. It would help if you were well-versed with your local area and the grocery stores.
You can’t have the best of both worlds and work as both. Of course, you can only pick one. However, you can switch after six months if you have good feedbacks.
What Is DoorDash?
DoorDash was founded in 2013, a year later than Instacart, as an on-demand food delivery service. With steady growth, it now delivers in around 7,000 cities in the United States, Canada, and Australia. Although it has most of its market, nearly 60% of it, in the U.S., It delivers from 300,000+ restaurants, including some biggies and oldies in the food business like Wingstop, Five Guys, Chick-Fil-A, and Wendy’s. DoorDash gives you the best of food and offers with their deals and doordash promo codes.
In addition to the food delivery service, Doordash has expanded in the grocery delivery business. It partnered with Albertsons, a grocery store company, in 2021 and started delivering groceries from leading stores, including 7-Eleven, Safeway, CircleK, and Casey’s
General Store. If you become a delivery courier for DoorDash, you’ll be called a Dasher. For the mode of delivery, you can use any vehicle you own, including a scooter, bicycle, or car.
As far as working hours are considered, Dashers can log in to the DoorDash app at their ease and check available orders. They also have the privilege to schedule blocks of time to work, and they can do that a week in advance. As DoorDash delivers food and groceries both, you can earn money by being a grocery shopper or picking and providing takeouts.
Instacart Vs. DoorDash: Which Is The Best For Drivers?
Now that we know more about both the services let’s find which is the better for drivers in terms of services and money. Let’s go!
Parameters
DoorDash
Instacart
Availability
More than 7000 cities in the USA, Canada, Australia, and Japan.
In more than 5500 cities in countries USA and Canada.
Requirements
- Should be an adult, at least 18 years old
- Consistent access to recent smartphones to accept orders.
- Any car, scooter, or bicycle along with a valid driver’s licence.
- Auto insurance for the vehicle they own.
- Social Security number if delivering.
- Should be an adult, at least 18 years old and 21+ years to accept orders with alcohol.
- Consistent access to and be able to use a recent smartphone effectively.
- Full-service shoppers need a vehicle. In-store shoppers need to worry about the commute to the store.
- Eligible to work in the United States.
- Ability to lift a heavy object to 50lbs.
Pay
$15-$25/hour
$15-$20/hour
Key Features
- Can schedule hours in advance or deliver the app anytime is busy
- Let’s bring a friend along when providing food.
- Largest delivery market share in the U.S (about 60%).
- Working opportunity for people who don’t have a car and can’t do deliveries.
- Delivery service available in thousands of cities
- Ability to decline and accept orders.
Final Verdict
Now that we have drawn a comparison, I think we can conclude. Even though both options are great, I guess DoorDash is a better option for drivers as it offers higher per-hour pay and more flexible hours. It also includes both food and grocery delivery service.
This was all from my end regarding this mini-debate. Let me know if you found the battle of the food apps any good. I’ll take your leave and see you next time. Happy shopping!
