According to a study done by Instacart1, people who work for them report earning an average of $29 per hour. This puts them at the top compared to their competitors Shipt2 and Uber Eats3 who respectively earn their employees $20 and $19.20 per hour. If you’re interested in joining a food delivery service, these three companies are worth your consideration.

A food delivery app’s market share is a significant factor in how much you can earn. If it’s not widely used in your city, there will be fewer orders and less work for you, resulting in low monthly and annual earnings.

With a combined market share of 70%4, Grubhub, DoorDash and Uber Eats are the most popular meal delivery services. They generally have higher demand, which means earning more per hour. However, Instacart may have the highest paying rate per hour.

What is the best food delivery service to make money? This article looks at how much you can make per hour with different food delivery services.

What is the best food delivery service to work for?

Among food delivery apps, those with the highest average hourly pay are Instacart and Shipt at $29 and $20 respectively. However, because they have such large customer bases, drivers who work with Uber Eats, DoorDash and Grubhub generally have higher annual salaries. That is because they can make more deliveries and earn more due to economies of scale.

The average annual salary for DoorDash delivery drivers varies by location. For example, DoorDash delivery drivers in Massachusetts earn an average annual salary of $42,607 while those in Mississippi earn $28,6715.

Besides, the pay structure of your preferred food delivery service will also determine your earnings. Most of these companies calculate payouts based on:

• Base pay – this is the amount that you’re guaranteed to earn for each delivery you make. It’s a great motivator for any driver to hit the road and fulfil customer orders.
• Peak pay – peak-hour incentives kick in when there are more orders than drivers. You typically get a larger payout to deliver food in busy times and busy locations.
• Bonuses – these are earnings that you get for engaging in a company’s promotions.
• Tips – many customers will leave a tip for good delivery service. The best food delivery services, including Uber Eats, DoorDash and Grubhub let drivers keep all the tips.

The pay structure is an important consideration because alongside a good base pay, you want a company with great incentives (like peak pay and tips) that can further boost your earnings. Overall, below is a breakdown of what you can expect to earn per hour from various food delivery apps.

13 best paying food delivery services

1. Instacart

Salary:

According to our research, the average Instacart delivery driver earns $29 per hour and about $25,165 per year.

Instacart has been a successful company since it launched in 2012. This is in part because the company offers two different types of services: in-store shopping and full-service shopping. This allows customers to choose the type of service that best suits their needs.

As an in-store Instacart shopper, your work revolves around taking grocery orders from customers and shopping for them. There is no delivery involved, the grocery is just staged for pick-up.

As a full-service Instacart shopper, you will not only shop for customers, but also deliver their foods and groceries. Adding grocery delivery service will earn you more – up to $29 per hour. However, with a market share of 17.2%7, Instacart does not have the highest number of customers. So, there is a chance that customer orders will be far between.

Main pro of Instacart:

Instacart offers full-service shoppers a good hourly wage and the freedom to choose their own working days and hours.

Main con of Instacart:

To work with Instacart, you must first schedule your hours through the app.

2. Shipt

Salary: per week.

The average Shipt delivery driver earns $20 per hour. More experienced shoppers can earn up to $252 per week.

Shipt is a food delivery app that may be worth considering for those who are looking for a high hourly and annual pay. Although the company does not have a large market share, delivery drivers boast an hourly rate of $20 and annual income of $42,900. This may be due to the fact that Shipt allows its delivery drivers to take multiple orders at once, while many other companies limit their drivers to one order at a time.

Our payment structure is a base pay plus commission. You earn a base of $5 for every delivery and an additional 7.5% of the order amount. You can view the expected earnings for each order before you accept it.

A reminder that all shoppers and delivery drivers are expected to wear a Shipt-branded shirt while working.

Main pro of Shipt:

Allows shoppers to take multiple orders at a time, which can help earn more per delivery trip.

Main con of Shipt:

Uber Eats is not as widely available as other food delivery companies. Thus, there will usually be a long wait for an order request.

3. Uber Eats

Salary:

According to a study by Business Insider, the typical salary for an Uber Eats delivery driver in the U.S. is about $19.20 an hour and $40,176 per year3.

Uber Eats offers a unique opportunity to earn income through both food delivery and ride sharing services. This makes it an attractive option for those looking to participate in the gig economy.

Unlike Shipt, Uber Eats does not have a base pay for its delivery drivers. Your earnings are calculated based on pick-up and drop-off costs as well as the distance travelled for the order. Uber retains a commission from your total earnings.

While Uber Eats drivers do have the opportunity to make more money through things like Surge and Boost promos, it is important to note that these opportunities are only available during busier times.

Main pro of Uber Eats:

Uber, a rideshare company, has a large market share that Uber Eats also enjoys. Uber Eats delivery drivers are almost always guaranteed to find work.

Main con of Uber Eats:

Occasionally, users may experience glitches when using the Uber Eats app on an old iPhone or Android device. For the best delivery and driving experience with Uber Eats, it is recommended to upgrade to the latest version of iOS or Android.

4. Amazon Flex

Salary:

According to Amazon, their delivery drivers earn an average of $19 per hour and $39,002 per year.

Amazon Flex is a delivery service that lets its drivers ship food for Amazon Restaurant Delivery, Amazon Prime Now and Amazon Fresh. It also allows them to ship packages.

As a Flex driver, you have the opportunity to earn income from both fresh food and package delivery. Experienced drivers can earn up to $25 per hour12.

You will be an independent contractor when you deliver food with Amazon Flex. You get to choose when you work, but you will need to drive for 3-6 hour-long blocks once you start. Additionally, you will need to have coolers and/or insulated bags to keep the foodstuff cool and fresh.

Main pro of Amazon Flex: has one of the most competitive hourly rates, and you can choose to cash out twice a week.

Main con of Amazon Flex: despite Amazon’s huge market share in grocery deliveries, there’s often a limited number of openings available for Flex.

5. DoorDash

Salary:

The average DoorDash driver earns $18 per hour, which can increase to $32 per hour depending on the number of orders they complete. The national average annual salary for DoorDash drivers is $36,565.

DoorDash is a popular food delivery app with a wide customer base. It is estimated that DoorDash accounts for over half (58%) of all meal deliveries in the U.S. Because of the high demand for food delivery, you are likely to get orders if you use this app.

Dashers typically earn between $2 and $10 per order, with pay rates depending on the distance, time, and desirability of the order.

DoorDash offers incentives for drivers, including Peak Pay. Under this program, a DoorDash driver gets a few extra dollars for delivering food during the busier hours of the day. This, combined with the driver’s base pay, can result in a decent payday.

Main pro of DoorDash:

Its large size offers drivers the widest network of any food delivery company, allowing them to pick up orders from nearly any location.

Main con of DoorDash:

DoorDash is a competitive space with 10,000 new Dashers signing up each week. You’ll need to stand out from the competition to earn more.

6. Postmates

Salary: the average hourly income of a Postmates delivery driver is $18 while their annual salary currently stands at $38,08923.

Postmates is a delivery company known for its ability to deliver “anything, anytime, anywhere.” In one instance, they delivered five bags with 200 limes to Chrissy Teigen instead of the five limes that she had ordered. Uber Eats saw the potential in this company and acquired it.

Postmates operates independently, and couriers can expect to earn an hourly salary of around $18.

Postmates provides delivery options by car, motorcycle, scooter, or on foot.

This flexibility makes Postmates accessible to adults with a wide range of schedules. Once you’re on the platform, you’ll be paid based on mileage, minutes, pick-up and drop-off points.

Main pro of Postmates:

The company offers a Starter Guarantee to new delivery drivers, which guarantees a certain earnings amount within the first few weeks. This will provide some financial assistance as you become familiar with the delivery process.

Main con of Postmates:

The platform allows customers to order anything, including low-value items. This may not pay drivers as well, but it is still an option for customers.

7. Caviar

Salary:

Caviar drivers earn an average of $16 per hour, which can potentially rise to $25 after tips and bonuses. Perhaps more impressively, the hourly rate translates to $58,763 per year.

Founded in 2014, Caviar was acquired by DoorDash in 2019. The acquisition essentially made Caviar drivers Dashers. To no surprise, the average hourly pay of a Caviar delivery person and that of a DoorDash delivery driver are almost similar ($16 and $18).

It’s surprising to note that you have the potential to earn a higher wage with Caviar than DoorDash within a one year period. A large contributing factor is that Caviar uses DoorDash’s expansive network. When you sign up, you’re almost guaranteed to receive delivery requests.

Caviar employs a similar pay determination process as DoorDash which factors in base pay, promotions and tips to calculate a driver’s total earnings.

Main pro of Caviar:

Caviar and DoorDash use the same platform, so you can view details of an order, including pay, before you accept it.

Main con of Caviar:

Working for a Caviar requires drivers to schedule their working hours through the company’s app. While this does take away some of the flexibility that comes with working a side hustle in gig economy, it provides structure and stability that many workers appreciate.

8. Grubhub

According to Grubhub’s publicly available data, the average driver salary is $14.16 per hour19 and $24,967 per year20. However, it’s important to note that there is a wide range in earnings for Grubhub drivers, with some drivers making as little as $9 per hour and others making up to $4219 per hour. This explains why the average hourly rate is relatively low.

Thus, if you are willing to put in the work, you have the potential to make more money with Grubhub than with most other food delivery apps.

One great feature of Grubhub is the Recognition Program, which rewards employees based on diligence. If you have a good track record, the company allows you to schedule your delivery work so that you take up high-paying orders before your competitors access them. This priority-based reward can edge you closer towards the $42/hour mark.

Main pro of Grubhub:

You can qualify for an hourly pay guarantee by reaching a certain level of qualification. This typically occurs when you clock a high number of work hours and have many accepted orders.

Main con of Grubhub:

While Grubhub may not have as many incentives as some of its competitors, it is still considered one of the best food delivery service companies.

9. Gopuff

Salary:

You can earn $14 per hour driving for Gopuff, and depending on your location, you could make up to $62,438 per year. Gopuff is a great company to work for if you’re looking for a food or grocery delivery service. With over 500 locations in the United States, Gopuff has a very unique model. It has more than 200 warehouses where food and other products are stored.

After a customer places an order, a Gopuff driver will pick the item from the nearest warehouse and deliver it to the customer within 30 minutes. This efficient process is one of the reasons why Gopuff drivers have good payouts despite a fairly low hourly rate of $14.

Main pro of Gopuff:

Deliveries come from a central warehouse that is located within 30 minutes of the restaurant. This saves time and energy so that you can focus on other tasks.

Main con of Gopuff:

Although Gopuff has multiple locations, it is not as well known as other food delivery companies. Thus, you might not be able to get an opening easily.

10. Favor

Salary:

According to Payscale, the average salary for a Favor delivery driver is $10 per hour. However, delivery drivers can make anywhere from $4 to $20 per hour, depending on the number of orders they complete and how much tips they earn.

At Favor, delivery drivers are popularly called Runners. The name may be a bit inaccurate because you actually need to have a car, truck, motorcycle, scooter or bicycle before you can join Favor’s fleet of couriers. The company currently doesn’t allow on-foot runners.

As an independent contractor, you will earn 35% of the delivery fee, plus 100% of tips. If you are only running part-time, there is no need to schedule your hours in advance. However, if this is a full-time job for you, we recommend scheduling your hours to take advantage of our hourly guarantee, which ranges from $9-$10 per hour.

Main pro of Favor:

As a delivery driver, you are guaranteed a minimum hourly pay if you are willing to schedule delivery hours. This means that as long as there is an order to deliver, you are sure to earn an income.

Main con of Favor:

At this time, Favor is only available in Texas. If you are not based in Texas, you will not be able to use Favor unless you are willing to move there.

11.  Saucey

The requirements to deliver for Saucey are:

Pros and cons of delivering for Saucey:

12. Eaze

Eaze is a cannabis delivery service that operates in California. Drivers make an hourly wage of $18-$26.

Here are the requirements to sign up and deliver for Eaze:

Pros and cons of delivering for Eaze:

13. Bite Squad

Bite Squad is a restaurant delivery service that is currently available in 14 states. These states include Florida, Arkansas, Hawaii, Minnesota, South Carolina, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Ohio, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.

If you live in one of those states and are interested, here are the requirements to deliver for Bite Squad:

Pros and cons of delivering for Bite Squad: