The idea of getting groceries and meals delivered to your front door is more popular than ever. Because of this growing trend, many new delivery app companies (and jobs) are coming onto the scene. So I figured it was time to take a deep dive into these companies and help you figure out which is the best food delivery service to work for. I breakdown minimum job requirements, what they pay, and exactly how their business model works. I hope you find this information helpful in your job search.

Important Note: As you look through these delivery services keep in mind that you can work for more than one.

I’d actually recommend trying out more than one so you can see which works best for you and pays the best in your area.

1. Instacart

Instacart is an online grocery delivery service that has partnered with dozens of major stores like Costco, Safeway, Kroger, Publix, and Rite Aid to name a few.

Because of their reach, and continuing growth potential, they are one of the best food delivery services to work for.

• Minimum Age: 18 and must be eligible to work in the U.S.
• Car Requirements: Reliable vehicle, valid driver’s license, and car insurance.
• Phone Requirements: iPhone 5 or Android 4.4 (or newer)
• Other Requirements: Ability to lift 40-50 lbs
• Location: North America
• How Much Do Instacart Drivers Make: $20+/hr and you get paid on a weekly basis.
• Schedule: Flexible
• How to Apply: Just visit their In-Store Shopper page to sign-up.

How does Instacart work: Once you sign-up and download their app you’ll get a list of available jobs. You can then pick and choose the stores you want to shop at and can basically set your own hours.

Not sure about being a grocery shopper? Not a problem as you can also make money by ONLY delivering groceries. The cool thing about this is that you can score some fat tips that in-store shoppers won’t get.

Why Instacart is awesome: The best part about Instacart is that they are everywhere. Big cities, small towns, and rural communities. Their job reach is what puts them at the top of this list.

How Instacart could be better: I’ve been told payouts have decreased recently and workers are getting pinched.

Also, you stand the chance of getting booted from your shift if you decline too many jobs.

Instacart Hacks:

– If you want to get paid sooner you should use Instant Cashout and you’ll get paid immediately by having your pay transferred to a debit card. (shoppers only)

– As a driver, be picky about your Batches. Avoid $10 batches as the wear and tear on your vehicle is not worth the effort unless the delivery locations is really close to you.

– Politely ask your customers to rate your service as you’ll make extra money for every 5 star review.

– Want free groceries? If you show up at a front door and the customer says they already got their order from another driver, you’ll often have the option to keep the food for yourself.

See Also: Trader Joe’s Does NOT Offer Delivery – Do This Instead

2. DoorDash

DoorDash is a restaurant delivery service currently available in over 4,000 cities.

They call their drivers “Dashers” and it’s a pretty darn good gig with great flexibility.

Here’s how it all breaks down.

• Minimum Age: 18
• Car Requirements: Reliable car, scooter, or bicycle.
• Phone Requirements: Decent smartphone.
• Other Requirements: SSN and you must consent to a background check.
• Location: U.S., Canada, and Australia
• How Much Do DoorDash Drivers Make: I have a friend who delivers for DoorDash and he showed me his records. For 22 deliveries he made $205 (including tips) which came out to about $9.30 per delivery.
• Schedule: Very flexible.
• How to Apply: Visit their Become a Driver page.

How does DoorDash work: Once your background check is cleared, you can log-in to the DoorDash app and get immediate access to orders in your area.

You pick the job you want and DoorDash will tell you exactly what it pays.

Then head to the restaurant, pick up the chow, and delivery it to the address provided. You keep 100% of your tips.

Why DoorDash is awesome: DoorDash offers complete transparency. You know EXACTLY what the job pays ahead of time.

They also ENCOURAGE you to work at other delivery services like UberEats, Postmates, and GrubHub in addition to DoorDash.

They’re also awesome because they don’t care what your car (or scooter) looks like as long as it’s reliable.

How DoorDash could be better: They could help out more with outside costs like parking and road/bridge tolls.

DoorDash Hacks:

– DoorDash is NOT just restaurant deliveries. My friend who drives for them likes doing Walmart grocery pickups because the tips are SOLID. For 2 recent deliveries, DoorDash paid him $7.72 and the customer tips were $10.

– Be aware that when setting your schedule ahead of time popular time slots get booked quickly.

– Avoid restaurants that get backlogged quickly as you’ll end up spending most of your time waiting for them to get the order ready.

– Plan your routes ahead of time to avoid busy highways and city streets, especially during rush hour.

See Also: 22 Online Jobs for Teens That Pay REAL Money

3. GrubHub

GrubHub is one of the more recognizable names when it comes to food delivery services.

But is it one of the best food delivery apps to work for?

Let’s break down their service and see how they stack up to the competition.

• Minimum Age: 19
• Car Requirements: Reliable vehicle, driver’s license, and car insurance.
• Other Requirements: Lift 50 lbs, speak English fluently, have SSN, must pass a background check.
• Phone Requirements: iPhone (iOS 11 or later) or Android (5.0 or later).
• Location: Located in over 4,000 cities and towns in the U.S.
• How Much Do GrubHub Drivers Make: Up to $20/hour + 100% of your tips.
• Schedule: Flexible
• How to Apply: Visit this page to apply

How does GrubHub work: Once approved you’ll get some cool gear like car decals, warming bags, and other SWAG to help with your gigs.

You then use their app to make your schedule and hit the road and start your deliveries.

No previous delivery experience is necessary as they have an in-depth online onboarding program that walks you through everything you need to know.

Why GrubHub is awesome: The ability is set your own schedule is great and the GrubHub app makes it super simple and user friendly.

In many cities GrubHub has a guaranteed minimum hourly wage whenever you’re on the clock so you’ll always make at least minimum wage.

You’ll even get paid if you log on and there aren’t any current orders to be picked up.

This minimum wage is available to workers who maintain high attendance rates and low block drop rates.

How GrubHub could be better: They could get rid of fluctuating pay depending on things that are out of the driver’s control.

They are notorious for fluctuating pay based on weather, how busy they are, and how many drivers are clocked in.

GrubHub Hacks:

– Check with your auto insurance company as many will cover GrubHub drivers for part-time work BUT require you to up your policy for full-time driving.

– Take advantage of Instant Cash Out via Chase bank. Just connect a Chase checking account and get paid within a minute or two with NO fees. Other banks will hit you with a $.50 fee per transaction.

4. Shipt

Shipt is a popular grocery delivery service specializing in quick turnaround from order to delivery.

They even offer same day delivery from stores like Target, Publix, Meijer, Kroger, and H-E-B.

• Minimum Age: 18
• Car Requirements: 1997 or newer vehicle, valid driver’s license, and car insurance.
• Phone Requirements: iPhone (iOs 10 or newer) or Android (5.1 or newer)
• Other Requirements: Knowledge of produce selection, can lift 40 lbs
• Location: United States
• Pay: Up to $22/hr
• Schedule: Flexible
• How to Apply: Visit their Become a Shopper page to apply.

How does Shipt work: Shipt shoppers can work full-time or part-time. Once you get through the interview and application process you use their app to pick the jobs you want and get paid upon completion.

Why Shipt is awesome: They allow you to build your schedule in advance which is a great way to plan your work week. The flexibility piece is awesome with Shipt.

Also, they pay enough to make up for gas and still make more than minimum wage.

Shipt also has a good reputation for keeping their app updated to eliminate glitches that cost you time (and money).

How Shipt could be better: It would be great if they reimbursed for gas costs and time spent traveling between jobs on each delivery gig.

Shipt Hacks:

– Don’t accept more jobs than you can reasonably handle. If you overbook, you’ll end up on hold waiting to tell a customer service rep that you need to drop a job.

– Be polite and courteous and you’ll get some FAT tips. This is especially true during COVID-19 as folks are grateful for your service.

5. Uber Eats

Uber has expanded beyond ride sharing and now delivers food via Uber Eats. Here’s how it all breaks down.

• Minimum Age: 16 for car delivery, 19 for scooter deliver, 18 for bike delivery.
• Car/Scooter Requirements: Valid driver’s license, registration, and insurance.
• Phone Requirements: iPhone or Android
• Location: Over 6,000 cities across 45 countries.
• Pay: You’ll get paid a pickup fee + distance traveled from pickup to drop-off + time from pickup to delivery + drop-off fee. Uber then takes a 25% cut of each order. You get to keep 100% of your tips.
• Schedule: Flexible
• How to Apply: Sign-up on the Deliver with Uber page.

How does Uber Eats work: Once you get approved as a delivery person you get to set your own schedule and work when it’s convenient.

Why Uber Eats is awesome: I love how they let you deliver with a car, scooter, or bike. Depending on where you live they even let you make deliveries on foot.

Also, there footprint in over 60 countries makes it a great draw as you can move pretty much anywhere and pick up right where you left off.

How Uber Eats could be better: They need to be more transparent and show drivers ALL of the payout information upfront. Not just an estimate of earnings.

Uber Eats Hacks:

– Take advantage of the Back-to-Back Delivery feature in the app. The app will send you another delivery request while you complete the existing delivery which greatly increases your efficiency and money earned.

– Be sure to sign up for Instant Pay and cash out your earnings whenever you want, up to 5 times per day.

See Also: 11 Work From Home Jobs That Pay $12+ Per Hour

6. Postmates

Postmates is a delivery service specializing in restaurant as well as small item deliveries from local stores.

• Minimum Age: 18
• Car Requirements: Reliable vehicle or bike, valid driver’s license, and car insurance.
• Other Requirements: SSN, must pass a background check.
• Phone Requirements: iPhone or Android
• Location: 20 major cities in the U.S.
• Pay: $14-$18/hour + 100% of your tips.
• Schedule: Flexible
• How to Apply: Visit this page to apply

How does Postmates work: Similar to DoorDash and Uber Eats, Postmates allows you to get paid to deliver food. 

Why Postmates is awesome: Completely your own boss, total flexibility as you make your own hours.

You can get instant payment and cash-out every day if you like, but be aware that they charge you $0.50 for every cash-out.

How Postmates could be better: Even though they’ve been around for over 8 years, it’s currently only available in 20 major cities in the United States.

Also, they don’t let drivers create shifts, you just log-in to the app when you want to work. This is fine, but many people like to create shifts and develop a schedule.

It would be nice if Postmates at least had “shift creation” as an option.

Postmates Hacks:

– Many drivers make more on tips than there base salary. So be polite, make sure you pack the napkins, forks, and ketchup and you’ll score tips.

– Drive to more affluent neighborhoods (if possible) and do your deliveries there as your tips will be MUCH BETTER.

7. Burpy

Burpy specializes in deliveries from Costco, Walmart, Kroger, Whole Foods, H-E-B, Target, Petco, Tom Thumb, Sprouts, and Albertsons.

• Minimum Age: 18
• Car Requirements: Reliable car, license, and insurance.
• Phone Requirements: Recent iPhone or Android.
• Other Requirements: Must be able to lift 30 lbs and pass background check and training sessions.
• Location: Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin and Houston
• Pay: Up to $25/hour
• Schedule: Flexible
• How to Apply: Visit their Become a Shopper page.

How does Burpy work: After you apply you’ll be contacted for an interview and if you’re a good fit you’ll get trained and start picking and delivering groceries.

Why Burpy is awesome: Since you’ll be doing the shopping AND delivery you can really give great customer service which can lead to BIG tips. Many employees at Burpy say they earn well over $25 per hour when including their tips.

How Burpy could be better: They are only in Texas as of this publication date. So while the service has great potential, they just are not in enough areas to be ranked any higher on my list.

8. Caviar

Owned by DoorDash, Caviar is a restaurant delivery service with a bend towards higher-end dining establishments.

• Minimum Age: 18 (must have 2 years driving experience)
• Car Requirements: Car, truck, bike, scooter, or motorcycle is fine.
• Phone Requirements: Recent iPhone or Android.
• Other Requirements: Must pass background check.
• Location: Currently in 28 markets across the U.S.
• Pay: Up to $25/hour + 100% of tips
• Schedule: Flexible
• How to Apply: Visit their Become a Courier page.

How does Caviar work: Complete the application process and orientation and you’ll be delivering meals in no time.

Just use their app to pick the gigs you want to take. The cool part is that the app will show you what you’ll earn as well as pickup and drop-off locations before you accept the delivery.

Why Caviar is awesome: The pay scale with Caviar on average is higher than many other restaurant delivery services.

You also have the option for instant payments which is a nice feature.

How Caviar could be better: It’s just not in enough markets to make it very high on my list.

If you live in the San Francisco bay area, Dallas, Chicago, Portland, Manhattan, or Boston you should definitely check it you though.

Caviar Hacks:

– Be flexible and try and work during lunch and dinner hours so you can maximize your time and earnings.

See Also: Retailers That Offer a $12+ Hourly Wage with Benefits

9. Eaze

Eaze is definitely different than all the rest as they specialize in the home delivery of cannabis and cannabis related gifts in California.

If you’re interested in delivering for them here is what you need to know.

• Minimum Age: 21
• Car Requirements: Vehicle that is 2005 or newer model. Must have current insurance and registration with your name on it.
• Other Requirements: Must consent to criminal background check.
• Location: California (mainly the SF Bay Area, Sacramento, and southern California)
• Pay: $18-$26/hour
• Schedule: Flexible
• How to Apply: Visit the Drive with Eaze page to apply.

How does Eaze work: Eaze doesn’t actually sell the cannabis, they just facilitate the delivery from a licensed retailer to the customer.

You don’t actually work for Eaze, you work for your local licensed cannabis retailer that uses Eaze technologies to fulfill deliveries.

Why Eaze is awesome: As a driver for Eaze you get an hourly rate PLUS mileage reimbursement. They are the only delivery service on my list that pays you back for your mileage.

How Eaze could be better: There is inherent risk making cannabis deliveries as you’re carrying a product with a high resale value. This seems like a good job for a retired police officer or former military member.

10. Favor

Favor is cool hybrid delivery service that delivers not only restaurant meals, but also groceries, dry cleaning, screwdriver sets, pretty much anything you need.

They call themselves personal assistants doing “favors” for a price, not delivery drivers.

Here’s everything you need to know to apply.

• Minimum Age: 18
• Car Requirements: Reliable car and clean driving record.
• Phone Requirements: Recent iPhone or Android.
• Other Requirements: Must pass background check.
• Location: Texas
• Pay: $10 – $18/hour + 100% of your tips
• Schedule: Flexible
• How to Apply: Visit their Become a Runner page.

Why Favor is awesome: If you like the idea of exploring your city and knowing that everyday will be very different from the day before, you’ll love working for Favor.

How Favor could be better: While it’s not necessarily a negative, be aware that you’ll be driving to some pretty random places fulfilling “favors”.

If you like a set driving schedule and only picking up stuff from a couple major retailers, this gig might not be for you.

11. Roadie

Roadie is a same-day delivery service that will pretty much pickup whatever you need and get it where it needs to go.

From groceries, to over-sized items, to stuff from Home Depot, they got ya covered and are ALWAYS looking for new drivers.

Here’s what you need to know before you apply.

• Minimum Age: 18
• Car Requirements: Reliable car with license, insurance, and registration.
• Phone Requirements: Decent smartphone.
• Other Requirements: SSN and you must consent to a background check.
• Location: All 50 states.
• Pay: About $15 per trip.
• Schedule: Very flexible.
• How to Apply: Visit their Driver Sign-up Page to get the ball rolling.

How does Roadie work: Once on-boarded, you simply choose deliveries that fit your schedule via the Roadie app.

Roadie does a good job telling you upfront what the gig pays, pickup location, and drop-off instructions.

They also tell you the item’s dimensions so you can make sure it fits in your car.

Why Roadie is awesome: Roadie drivers score discounts at Waffle House…no seriously they do!

They will also reimburse you for parking fees and tolls that you incurred while making a delivery.

Bonus #1 – Point Pickup

I first learned of Point Pickup when they delivered a Walmart grocery order to a friend’s house.

The driver was super friendly and told me she was making some pretty good money just doing Walmart deliveries.

Here’s what you need to know about them before you apply to be a driver.

• Minimum Age: 18
• Car Requirements: Reliable car made after 2000. Valid license, insurance, and registration with your name on it.
• Phone Requirements: Decent smartphone.
• Other Requirements: SSN and you must pass a background check.
• Locations: 49 states and over 2,600 cities and towns.
• Pay: Depends on the job.
• Schedule: Very flexible.
• How to Apply: Visit their Become a Driver page.

Why Point Pickup is awesome: You set your schedule in the morning (via their app) and can plan your day easily with their “schedule making” technology.

You’re also only picking up from a few major retailers and not driving all over town going to a bunch of small stores and restaurants doing pickups.

Unless you actually want restaurant deliveries, in which case you can stipulate that in the app.

How Point Pickup could be better: I’ve heard that gigs go fast in some towns that have limited drivers. In these cases you need to be on the app really early in the morning (like 4 a.m.) to snag jobs while they are available.

Ask the Reader: Have you driven for any of these delivery app companies? Let me know about your experience in the comments.

By Kyle James

Photo credit to Uber Eats.