Best Delivery Apps To Make Money [2024]: Earn Money on the Move

If you want to make extra cash and set your own hours, then delivery gigs through apps like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Instacart are good options.

Whether you’re looking for a side hustle or a full-time gig, we’ll go over 9 of the best delivery apps to make money, like the ever-popular DoorDash and other jobs like DoorDash.

Key takeaways

1. Uber Eats

Uber Eats is the second-largest food delivery service in the U.S. As a driver for this delivery company, you can earn an average hourly wage of about $18, and that rate can be as high as $25 per hour depending on the location where you deliver. Uber Eats driver wages consist of a base pay for each trip, tips, bonuses, and incentives.

As an Uber Eats driver, you’ll earn a flat fee for every order you drop off, plus a per-mile rate for the distance between the restaurant and the customer's location. Drivers in some cities may also be paid a per-minute rate based on the time it takes to complete the trip, including wait time.

Uber Eats offers several ways for you to get paid. You can opt to be paid via weekly direct deposits to your bank account or opt for a two-day cashout.

You can also cash out with Instant Pay right after a delivery is paid. However, there is a $0.85 fee for each cashout, and you’re limited to six cashouts per day. This fee can be avoided if you have an Uber Pro Card, which gives you free automatic payouts on every trip.

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2. Instacart

Some people hate grocery shopping or just don’t have time for it. As an Instacart shopper, you get paid to go to the grocery store for them. Instacart offers two different shopper opportunities: full-service shoppers and in-store shoppers.

Full-service shoppers are independent contractors who select the items on a grocery list and then deliver them to the customer. As a full-service shopper, you can set your own hours and pick up which batches you want to shop. You’re paid a base amount per “batch” order based on the order size, driving distance, and amount of time the order requires for shopping and delivery.

Since full-service shoppers are also delivering the groceries, you’ll need a vehicle and insurance coverage. Unfortunately, Instacart dramatically cut its minimum base pay rates for shoppers from $7 to $4 in 2023, so working for them may not seem worthwhile considering the other required expenses.

In-store shoppers are part-time employees of Instacart who work in designated stores to shop and stage orders. In-store shoppers don’t deliver the groceries, so you don’t need a car to do this job. As an in-store shopper, you earn an hourly wage and have some flexibility in selecting the scheduled shifts you work.

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3. DoorDash

DoorDash is like a combination of Uber Eats and Instacart. While the company is mainly known as a restaurant delivery service, it also offers a Shop & Deliver service, where Dashers shop for and deliver groceries to customers.

When you sign up to be a Dasher, the delivery options for restaurants or Shop & Deliver grocery orders are all available in the app. So, if there’s a lull in restaurant orders between lunch and dinner hours, you can still make money by picking up a grocery order.

DoorDash pay consists of a base pay, tips, and promotions like Peak Pay and Challenges that can help you make more.² Payments are made weekly through direct deposit. DoorDash does offer a Fast Pay option for you to get paid in daily cashouts but fees apply. You can forgo the fees and get instant access to your pay after each order when you sign up for the DasherDirect prepaid debit card.

DoorDash also offers its Dashers perks and discounts through partnerships with different companies. For example, Dashers can get discounts off TurboTax Self-Employed services, credits for car maintenance with CarAdvise, or access to dental and vision plans through Stride. If you sign up for DasherDirect, you’ll also get Wellness Perks by Avibra, which includes free accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) and life insurance coverage as well as 24/7 access to well-being advisors.

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Read our full DoorDash review

4. Shipt

Shipt is a membership-based grocery delivery service that hires independent contractors to shop and deliver customer orders from retailers like Target, CVS, Walgreens, or HyVee. To become a Shipt shopper, you must be at least 18, be able to lift 50 pounds, and have a valid mailing address, U.S. driver’s license, auto insurance, and a reliable four-door vehicle.

On average, Shipt shoppers earn about $25 to $35 per hour. The company guarantees that every job offered through the Shipt app will pay at least $16 per hour. The amount you earn with each Shipt job includes a base or offer pay, tips, and applicable bonuses. Payments are directly deposited every Friday, but you can access Instant Pay through Stripe. However, Stripe charges a fee of 1% for each Instant Payout.

Working as an independent contractor can be lonely because you don’t really have coworkers. As a Shipt shopper, you can join an online community of other Shipt shoppers who share their experiences, customer stories, tips, and tricks.

Shipt also offers its shoppers perks and discounts on things like tax preparation services, auto insurance, gas savings programs, healthcare, well-being programs, and pet insurance. Plus, you get a free Shipt membership so someone else can deliver your groceries when you’re off the clock.

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5. Grubhub

Grubhub holds less of the food delivery market than Uber Eats and DoorDash, but it still handles over 715,000 daily orders. As a driver for Grubhub, there are no minimum lifting requirements. You just need a car, a valid driver’s license, auto insurance, and a smartphone to get started.

Grubhub pays you a set amount for each delivery plus bonuses and 100% of any tips you earn. Drivers for Grubhub can also move up in the ranks of three levels — Partner, Pro, and Premier — to earn more money.

The best way to make more money with Grubhub is to sign up for scheduled blocks of time to work. Deliveries are given to scheduled block drivers first before they’re offered to non-scheduled drivers. Plus, if things are running slow on a day that you’ve picked up a scheduled block, Grubhub will pay you a guaranteed minimum rate for the area you’re working in.

There’s an instant cashout option for drivers that costs a small fee of $0.50 unless you’re using a Chase checking or savings account. Grubhub also offers various discounts drivers can take advantage of and awards several $10,000 grants to drivers annually.

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6. Amazon Flex

With Amazon Flex, you can deliver packages for Amazon on your own schedule. Amazon Flex drivers deliver Amazon.com orders, Amazon store orders, grocery and household items orders from Prime Now or Amazon Fresh, and instant offers in some locations.

Amazon Flex pays between $18 and $25 per hour, depending on the location, length of deliveries, tips, and other factors. However, Amazon Flex currently only hires drivers in about 100 cities nationwide. If it’s not in your city, you can still download the Amazon Flex app and create an account to be notified when the services are available.

While you’ll need personal auto insurance to be an Amazon Flex driver, drivers are also covered under Amazon’s Commercial Auto Insurance Policy at no cost.

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7. Caviar

Caviar began as a food delivery app that specialized in high-end restaurants. It was acquired by DoorDash in 2019, so now it offers a wider range of restaurants and even fast food.

To be a driver for Caviar, you must sign up to be a DoorDash driver to get jobs from both. However, Caviar has a more limited delivery range compared to DoorDash, with it servicing only select cities nationwide.

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8. Postmates

Founded in 2011, Postmates was purchased by Uber in 2020. Uber Eats drivers now make the deliveries for the service, so if you want to deliver for Postmates, you’ll have to sign up with Uber Eats.

Besides earning a flat fee for every order you pick up, Postmates/Uber Eats drivers also receive a per-mile rate for the distance between the restaurant and the customer location. Drivers in some cities may also be paid a per-minute rate based on the time that’s expected for you to complete the trip, including wait time.

To qualify as a Postmates/Uber Eats driver, you must be at least 19 years old, have a reliable car and valid driver’s license, and pass a background screening. The benefit of driving for Postmates is you may have access to more deliveries because you would be working for both Postmates and Uber Eats.

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Read our full Postmates review

9. Gopuff

If you don't like the idea of driving to numerous restaurants to pick up orders, consider delivering for Gopuff. All the groceries, alcohol, home essentials, and other items you’ll deliver for Gopuff come from a micro-fulfillment center centrally located in the area it serves. Gopuff works in small delivery zones, so there isn’t much driving around required.

But to become a Gopuff delivery driver, you’ll have to jump through a few more hoops than with other companies. Gopuff drivers must complete and pass an alcohol delivery training course paid for by Gopuff. You must also pass a motor vehicle record and criminal background check.

As a Gopuff driver, you can either pick up on-demand deliveries or deliver during a scheduled block of time. Scheduled block drivers are compensated with a per-minute Wait Pay for their time waiting at the Gopuff facility for an order. Gopuff also partners with Stride to provide optional healthcare coverage for drivers.

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How to choose the best delivery apps to make money

When researching how to make money from delivery apps, you’ll notice that delivery services have commonalities to how drivers are paid and the incentives they receive. Most delivery services offer flexible scheduling, weekly pay, and incentives for you to earn more money. Plus, they all let you keep 100% of your tips.

But there are some differences. Here are a few factors where delivery apps may differ that you should pay attention to:

• Fees for instant cash outs: Most delivery apps enable you to instantly cash out your earnings right after you earn them. But fees are usually involved — they range from $0.50 to $1.99 per transaction.
• Requirements for training or background checks: Some delivery apps require you to take and pass specific training courses. They may also require a driving record and criminal background check before you are eligible to drive for them.
• Insurance coverage: As independent contractors, drivers are responsible for their own health insurance, so it's an added perk when companies like DoorDash provide options for healthcare coverage for their drivers.
• Discounts available: Some delivery apps offer discounts on gas and car maintenance, which can be beneficial because drivers are responsible for those expenses.

FAQ

Best delivery apps to make money: bottom line

Delivery apps are one of the best side hustles to make money on your own schedule. You can choose to deliver restaurant orders for customers or shop and deliver groceries.

However, the best delivery apps to make money are those that enable you to pick up both restaurant and grocery orders, like DoorDash and Grubhub.

Methodology

The companies we chose for our list of the best delivery apps to make money are current or past FinanceBuzz partners. We did not review all companies in the market. When evaluating these companies, we considered factors such as earning potential, driver requirements, and flexibility.