There are countless food delivery services to choose from these days, like DoorDash, Postmates Unlimited, Eat24, Instacart, Grubhub, and Uber Eats.
However, each delivery platform has its perks and drawbacks.
In this article, we compare Grubhub vs Uber Eats to see which one has the upper hand.
An Overview of the Services
Before contrasting the best food delivery services, let’s explore an overview of their offerings.
What Is Grubhub?
Grubhub was founded in 2004 by Matt Maloney and Mike Evans in Chicago, Illinois.
The company boasts over 19.9 million users and 115,000 restaurants in 3,200 cities in America.
Their current subsidiaries include:
- Tapingo
- Eat24
- LevelUp
- BiteGrabber
- Seamless
You can find restaurants by location or cuisine and order food on your iOS or Android smartphone.
They let you track the order without extra charges, and you can get takeout or delivery with special in-app discounts.
If you want free delivery, you can purchase a $9.99 a month subscription with Grubhub+.
What Is Uber Eats?
Uber Eats is Uber’s response to delivery apps, launched in 2014 by Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp.
Couriers deliver food via bikes, scooters, cars, and walking.
You can find Uber Eats in 6,000 cities in 45 countries.
Uber Eats does take a 15% delivery fee unless you upgrade to a $9.99 a month Uber Eats Pass subscription.
You would get free delivery and a 5% discount on most orders.
Main Differences
Now that you have a general idea of what the two services offer, let’s explore their differences.
Grubhub vs Uber Eats: Availability
Uber Eats and Grubhub both have wide availability, depending on how you define the metric.
If you live in the United States or London, England, you will find Grubhub available in 3,200 cities.
Contrarily, you can order from Uber Eats in 6,000 cities across 45 countries.
People who live in medium-to-large American cities will find good options on both Grubhub and Uber Eats.
However, those in smaller towns may only have Grubhub available.
If you travel to other countries frequently, you benefit from having Uber Eats.
Also, Uber Eats couriers can deliver to you by foot, bike, car, or scooter, giving more people the chance to work and expanding your delivery options.
Grubhub lets couriers deliver by bike in some larger cities.
Grubhub vs Uber Eats: Ease of Use
Both Grubhub and Uber Eats have user-friendly apps designed to make the ordering process seamless.
You can organize the restaurants by menu prices, distance, and cuisine.
If you’re in the mood for Indian food, you can filter out other restaurants and see what’s nearby.
You can browse the menu for free to decide if you want any of the meals.
You can pay using a credit or debit card, PayPal, Google Pay, or Apple Pay.
Some restaurants on Grubhub may accept cash, but it isn’t guaranteed. Uber Eats only allows cash payments in specific cities.
Overall, the user interface is readily navigable, aesthetically appealing, and useful for both apps.
You can discover ratings, menu items, new restaurants, prices, and more before placing an order.
Grubhub vs Uber Eats: Fees & Pricing
The fees and pricing on Grubhub and Uber Eats are often based on the restaurant.
Nevertheless, they do have set charges that impact what you pay.
You may have noticed delivery app pricing increasing recently.
The COVID-19 pandemic added service fees and increased restaurant item costs, both in-person and in-app.
Grubhub Fees & Pricing
The biggest determinant of pricing is the cost of your meal.
You can browse various restaurant menus and tap on interesting items to see their price.
Some restaurants charge more for delivery than dine-in as Grubhub hits them with marketing commission and processing fees.
Afterward, you might pay delivery, small order, or service fees and a tip.
The delivery fee falls between $1-$10, depending on the distance from your drop-off point.
Some restaurants let you order through Grubhub but send their own drivers, who may have different delivery fees.
Also, specific cities may have minimum delivery fees.
However, the fee should not change based on the order size or time of day.
A small order fee kicks in if you make an order under $10.
Most restaurants will require you to pay an additional $2.
The service fee is usually 5% to 10% of your order cost, and it goes to Grubhub’s operational expenses.
Since Grubhub pays their drivers based on mileage and time, you should add at least a 15% tip that goes directly to them.
You may also need to pay a sales tax for specific food items.
Uber Eats Fees & Pricing
As with Grubhub, your biggest cost will be your food.
Since Uber began charging restaurants a 30% commission for people ordering through their platform, many have increased the prices to compensate for what they lose.
You will pay a delivery fee based on courier availability, location, and restaurant.
Usually, these are around $0 to $5, but they can go up to $10.
Service fees, introduced in March 2021, are 10% of the order or at least $1.
Also, you may get a small order fee that changes based on your city.
If you change your order or address, you get a delivery adjustment or cancellation fee to cover the driver’s and restaurant’s time.
California has a CA Driver Benefits Fee to pay for healthcare, auto insurance, and minimum earnings for their drivers on all rideshare and food delivery apps.
Also, you should tip your Uber Eats driver as they charge 30% commission fees to their bikers and 25% to the scooter or car drivers.
Depending on your area, you may have to pay a sales tax as well.
Suggested Read
Uber Eats Merchant: How does this platform work for restaurants?
Reducing Fees & Pricing
You can minimize the fees from Grubhub and Uber Eats by opting for Grubhub+ or Uber Eats Pass subscriptions.
These each cost $9.99 a month and give you free delivery.
Eats Pass gives you 5% off eligible orders over $15, and Grubhub+ offers exclusive discounts.
If you do not want to pay for a subscription, Uber Eats does have many free delivery promotions at trending restaurants.
You can get app notifications to tell you when this offer becomes available.
Other ways to reduce fees involve getting a pickup order and using promo codes.
Grubhub vs Uber Eats: Restaurant Options
Grubhub and Uber Eats have extensive restaurant options, and they are constantly growing.
At this time, Grubhub has over 300,000 restaurant partners, and Uber Eats has 600,000.
Keep in mind that Uber Eats includes worldwide restaurants that you may not have in your country.
If you cannot find your favorite restaurant on one app, the chances are that you will find it on the other.
Grubhub vs Uber Eats: Customer Service
You may need to contact customer service if your driver gets lost, you get the wrong meal, or they bill too much.
Luckily, Grubhub and Uber Eats have excellent customer support teams.
If you want to contact Grubhub, you can do so through phone, in-app chat, or a website contact form.
Uber Eats offers these options and email support.
Both platforms have extensive FAQ sections that cover most issues you will encounter.
Who Pays Drivers More: Gruhub or Uber Eats?
If you have a valid driver’s license, driving experience, a bank account with direct deposit, an updated iPhone or Android, auto insurance, and means of transportation, you can work for Grubhub or Uber Eats.
Grubhub pays its drivers a base rate of $3.00 to $4.00 per order, depending on the area.
For each mile driven between restaurant and customer, Grubhub pays them $0.50.
Grubhub does compensate for the time taken if it does not match the mileage.
The drivers get 100% of their tips. Drivers may receive bonuses, sweepstakes, and challenges to increase their income.
Depending on your market, Grubhub may contribute some money to help you reach a minimum hourly pay.
Uber Eats pays their drivers a flat rate for picking up and dropping off orders, usually around $2.50 to $3.50 for each stage.
You may make more if you get multiple orders from one restaurant.
They boost the amount you earn at busy times.
Some cities pay you for the distance and time spent between the pickup and drop-off points.
Uber may pay you less if you use walking, a scooter, or a bike as transportation.
You might get more if there are few drivers in your area as well.
Lastly, you earn 100% of the tips you get.
They offer promotions, sweepstakes, and competitions to encourage you to earn more as well.
Before You Go
Both Grubhub and Uber Eats offer delicious food from local restaurants delivered to your home.
Which one you use depends on your location, the restaurant you order from, and your budget.
People who live in bigger cities may benefit from Uber Eats, while those in small towns might rely on Grubhub.
Restaurants may offer their services through different apps, but both have similar payment structures.
Uber Eats does offer more free delivery promotions to non-paying members.
If you have any more questions about the best food delivery apps, check us out at Ridester.com.
We strive to answer all your delivery questions.
Grub may be cheaper than Uber eats….remember you get what you pay! They have yet to deliver my orders from Panama Bread ! They don’t get the complete order or they deliver the wrong order! Today I got some one else order and the wouldn’t haven been happy….their soup was spilled and chocolate chip cookie was broken! And worst part is I’ve tipped them for bad service!