What Is the Cheapest Delivery App for Food in 2023?

What Is the Cheapest Delivery App for Food?

The overall cheapest app depends on the specific size and cost of your order.

For smaller orders, DoorDash is the go-to choice, for medium-sized orders around $50, Grubhub is typically the cheapest, and for larger orders, Grubhub also tends to offer the best value.

To determine the cheapest food delivery app among Grubhub, DoorDash, and Uber Eats, it’s essential to consider the size of your order.

• Small Orders (<$20): DoorDash is often the cheapest, nearly $10 less than Grubhub and about $6 less than Uber Eats.
• Medium Orders ($25-$50): Grubhub is usually the least expensive for orders near $50. For orders around $25-$30, Uber Eats can be slightly cheaper.
• Large Orders (>$75): Grubhub generally offers the best prices for large orders, often being the cheapest or close to Uber Eats, and more affordable than DoorDash.

However, these conclusions are based on a comparison of delivery fees, service fees, and total costs across varying order sizes and may not apply universally to all locations or restaurant choices.

1. How Much Does Doordash Cost?

The cost of using DoorDash consists of several components:

1. Meal Cost: The base price of the ordered food. Prices on DoorDash may be slightly higher than in-store to cover commission fees. Non-partnered establishments have estimated prices.
2. Delivery Fee: Ranges between $1.99 and $5.99, varying based on restaurant and demand. New users often get free delivery on orders over $10 for the first month. Frequent users can benefit from DashPass, which offers free delivery on orders over $12 for a monthly fee.
3. Service Fee: Around 10% of the order subtotal, varying by location and demand. This fee supports DoorDash’s operations.
4. Minimum Order Fee: Imposed if the order subtotal is below a certain threshold, generally $8 to $10.
5. Taxes: Based on local rates.
6. Tip: Optional but customary, with Dashers receiving 100% of the tip.

Promotions and subscriptions can reduce these costs. Ultimately, the total cost will depend on the individual order details, including meal cost, fees, and optional tips.

2. Grubhub

Grubhub’s cost structure includes several components:

1. Delivery Fee: Charged by the restaurants for delivering food to customers. This fee varies widely, typically ranging from $0.99 to $12, depending on location and restaurant.
2. Service Fee: Grubhub charges a fee to restaurants for facilitating orders. The fee is a percentage of the total order price, generally between 2.5% to 7% for orders under $20. Restaurants can also choose to pay a flat fee of $10 per order.
3. Commission Rate: Grubhub charges restaurants a flat commission fee of 4.5% of the total order price.
4. Minimum Order Amount: Higher service fees are attracted by lower order amounts.
5. Additional Charges: Some restaurants may include an additional tip to be paid upon arrival.
6. Payment Methods: Customers can pay online or in cash upon delivery.
7. Promotions and Discounts: Grubhub offers various discounts based on the customer’s order history, size of the order, and regular customer status. These can include 2-for-1 or 3-for-1 meal deals.
8. Subscription Program: Grubhub Plus offers unlimited free delivery for a monthly fee after a 14-day free trial. The fee is $6.95 or $19.95 per month, depending on the plan.
9. Processing Fee: For each order, Grubhub charges $0.30 plus a percentage (around 3.05%).

The total cost for using Grubhub depends on these various factors, with the biggest variables being the delivery fee and service fees set by each restaurant. Additionally, Grubhub’s commission structure with restaurants and promotional offers can influence the overall cost of the order.

3. Uber Eats

Uber Eats’ pricing includes:

1. Base Price: Cost of food set by restaurants, sometimes marked up on the app.
2. Delivery Fee: Varies based on location and distance, typically under $5.
3. Service Fee: 15% to 30% of order total, covering administrative costs.
4. Small Order Fee: Charged for orders below a minimum amount, varies by region.
5. Busy Fee: Applied during high demand periods, varies in amount.
6. Change/Cancellation Fees: Incurred for modifying or canceling orders.
7. Taxes and Regulatory Fees: Specific to the region.
8. Tip: Optional, usually 10-20% of the order total.
9. Uber Eats Pass: $9.99/month subscription for benefits like free delivery on orders over $15.

Example: An order with a $14.25 subtotal may have additional fees (delivery, service, taxes) totaling around $5, leading to an order total of $19.20 before tips.

With a 20% tip, the total would be approximately $23.20. Costs can be higher than direct orders due to these fees. Users can save by using price filters, special offers, Uber Eats Pass, and rewards cards.

4. Postmates

Postmates charges several fees for its delivery services, including:

1. Delivery Fee: Ranges from $1.99 to $3.99 for partner merchants and $5.99 to $9.99 for others. These fees can vary depending on the city and store.
2. Service Fee: A variable percentage-based fee added to every order. It covers Postmates’ operating and marketing costs.
3. Small Cart Fee: If the order is below $12.00 (or $10.00 in Los Angeles), a $1.99 fee is added.
4. Cancellation Fee: The amount depends on the order status at cancellation time. Fees vary if the order hasn’t been placed, if it’s already been placed but not picked up, or if it’s been picked up and is on its way.
5. Blitz Pricing: During peak hours, an additional variable fee is applied to orders.

Postmates Unlimited membership offers perks like free delivery on orders over $15.00, no blitz pricing, and no minimum order amount. The membership costs $9.99 per month or $95.88 per year.

Members can save on average about $90.00 per year. A seven-day free trial is available, but it auto-renews into a paid subscription if not canceled.

5. Caviar

If you don’t like fast food or other restaurant chains, you may find that Caviar suits your needs better.

But how does it stack up in terms of the cost?

• Caviar focuses on food delivery from higher-end restaurants. That sets it apart from your average delivery service.
• It only has about 2% of the total market share as of 2018.
• Delivery fees range from $1.99 to $8.99, depending on your city and how far you are from the restaurant.
• It’s unclear if Caviar charges a surge fee.
• Restaurants need to pay 30% to Caviar when using it for delivery.
• Caviar doesn’t have a minimum order requirement, but most of the restaurants on the app are expensive.
• The app will sometimes run promotions, such as free delivery.

Caviar is an excellent app to consider for high-end restaurants.

However, it’s not the cheapest delivery app for food.

Why Is Food Delivery So Expensive?

Food delivery is expensive because you pay for a lot more than the food.

You also have to pay the delivery driver, and the app has to make a profit.

And if you order during peak hours, you have to compete with other customers.

That means the apps can afford to charge higher fees for your food.

An online ordering system is also convenient, so you don’t have to spend time getting the food you order.

Instead, you pay for that convenience with money rather than your time and effort to pick up the food.

Easy Way to Save: Food Delivery Subscriptions

If you order food for delivery often, you should consider a food delivery subscription.

Most of the popular food delivery apps have some sort of program for you to join.

Each subscription will require you to pay about $10 a month.

Then, you can get as much food as you want and qualify for free delivery.

Some programs offer free delivery no matter what, while others simply lower the minimum order to eliminate the delivery fee.

Either way, these programs can be a great way for subscribers to save money.

• DoorDash “DashPass”: $9.99/month
• Grubhub+: $9.99/month
• Uber Eats “Eats Pass”: $9.99/month
• Postmates Unlimited: $9.99/month
• Caviar DashPass: $9.99/month

Since delivery fees can be about $4 or so, you’ll come out ahead after a few deliveries.

So even if you only order food once a week, you can save money overall.

However, it’s not the best option if you don’t use delivery apps that often.

It’s also not a great choice if you frequently switch between multiple apps because you may not order enough to make the subscription worth it.

If you want to save money with a subscription, find the best food delivery app that works with all of the local restaurants you like.

Then, you can subscribe to that program, and you can make the most of the savings.

Frequently Asked Questions

You may still have some questions about the cheapest delivery app for food.

Here are a few things you should know when choosing a delivery app.