12 Best Food Delivery Apps – Grocery Store Guide

Food delivery apps have become more popular than ever, with some apps reporting more than a 100% increase in usage during the pandemic. With so many options to choose from, it can be hard to know which food deliver app is the best.

There are so many different factors that go into choosing the best food delivery app. Here are some things you might want to think about when you’re deciding which app to deliver dinner tonight:

Major Food Delivery Apps

Most of the major delivery apps seem pretty similar at first glance, but it’s the small differences that can help you find the perfect way to get food right to your front door.

Grub Hub

One of the oldest services on this list, Grub Hub was established in 2004 with over 115,000 associated restaurants and nearly 20 million users. They also have their GrubHub + subscription starting at $9.99 a month, which offers unlimited free delivery on orders $12 or up from participating restaurants, perks and rewards with each order, and donation matching options to the GrubHub Community Relief Fund.

App Store: IOS/Android
Area of Delivery: 3,200 US Cities and London, UK
Delivery Fee: Fees are determined by each restaurant, with some having none at all.
Order Minimums: Order minimums are determined by restaurant.
Payment Options: All Major Credit and Debit Cards, Venmo, Paypal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Gift Cards, and Cash (in select restaurants).
Coronavirus Protocols: All GrubHub orders are contact-free by default, and all delivery drivers are given free PPE.
App Features: Real Time Order Tracking, Save Your Favorite Meals, Pre-Order Meals up to Four Days in Advance, and the option to round up to the nearest dollar to donate to the GrubHub Community Relief Fund.
Employee Treatment: GrubHub says they allow their drivers to make their own schedule and keep 100% of the tips their customers provide, but are not technically considered employees and do not receive benefits.

Seamless

A GrubHub Company, Seamless is even older than its parent corporation, having been launched in 1999. With nearly 12,000 restaurants and over 2 million members, Seamless has been rated the Food Delivery App with the Best Service by GoodHouseKeeping.com because of how good their customer service team is at responding to feedback.

App Store: IOS/Android/Blackberry
Area of Delivery: Most major US cities and London.
Delivery Fee: Fees are set by each restaurant. Partners such as McDonald’s have no fees at all.
Order Minimums: Order minimum determined by restaurant. Seamless does have a $2.50 Service fee.
Payment Options: All major credit cards, PayPal, and Cash
Coronavirus Protocols: Option for contactless delivery, PPE is provided to their drivers, and their restaurants offer curbside pick-up.
App Features: Real Time Order Tracking and a robust perk system for discounts and rewards for return customers, as well as Seamless+.
Employee Treatment: Seamless employees are considered GrubHub employees and receive the same treatment.

UberEats

A division of the Uber ride sharing service, UberEats is considered the cheapest food delivery app by Marketwatch. If you utilize Uber, you’ll find it extremely easy to use their food delivery app. Their Eats Pass $10 a month subscription offers free delivery and 5% off orders over $15.

App Store: IOS/Android.
Area of Delivery: 500+ Cities in 24 countries, including Amsterdam, Singapore, and Tokyo.
Delivery Fee: Starts at $1.49.
Order Minimums: Uber Eats has a standard minimum order of $10 and has small order fees for anything less than that.
Payment Options: All Major credit and debit cards or Uber Cash.
Coronavirus Protocols: Uber has their Door-to-Door safety standards for their drivers that require the driver to take a picture of themselves wearing a face covering while driving.
App Features: Uber is one of the only food delivery options that allow you to follow your driver’s car as it drives from the restaurant to your home.
Employee Treatment: Uber recently hired Alex Rosenblat, a prominent critic of their past work practices, to help develop more ethical treatment of their drivers.

DoorDash

DoorDash was rated the best food delivery app with a 4.8 out of 5-star rating on the app store. Reviews highlighted its ease of use for those who are new to the food delivery app space. One of its most prominent features is the special 20% off deal for first time users. They also have a $10 a month subscription called DashPass for free delivery and reduced service fees on orders $12 or more.

App Store: IOS/Android
Area of Delivery: Less widespread than Grubhub, DoorDash has 300,000 restaurants available in 800+ cities in the US, Canada, and Australia.
Delivery Fee: $5.99
Order Minimums: Each restaurant set’s its own order minimum.
Payment Options: All major Major credit cards and debits cards.
Coronavirus Protocols: Contactless Delivery is the default option.
App Features: Filters for restaurant ratings, delivery times, pick up options, vegetarian options, and menu price. DoorDash also has their Project DASH program that attempts to reduce food waste and fund Feeding America.
Employee Treatment: If a driver doesn’t make their minimum payout on your order, DoorDash will pay to ensure the driver gets that minimum. However, if you tip your driver in this scenario, you’re not adding onto that minimum. DoorDash will keep those tips to cover what they paid, and anything beyond that amount the driver keeps.

InstaCart

Unlike the rest of the apps on this list, InstaCart is primarily for groceries rather than pre-made meals from a restaurant. InstaCart’s personal shoppers deliver produce liquor and household items to your door in as little as an hour on a slow day.

App Store: IOS/Android
Area of Delivery: 25,000 grocery stores in 5,500 cities across the US and Canada.
Delivery Fee: Starting at $4, but there can be other fees included such as a busy pricing fee for high-volume times.
Order Minimums: Instacart has a $10 minimum order, and items can either match in-store prices or are slightly higher to cover the cost of the service for the restaurant.
Payment Options: All Major credit cards and debit cards, EBT at participating stores, China UnionPay, Google Pay, and Apple Pay.
Coronavirus Protocols: InstaCart offers a Leave at my door delivery option for contactless delivery.
App Features: InstaCart offers their Instacart Express membership which offers free delivery on orders $35 or more.
Employee Treatment: After public frustration for a policy similar to DoorDash’s, Instacart changed their policy, so their drivers receive 100% of the tips they’re given on top of the pay they receive.

Postmates

The last of our major delivery apps, Postmates, is one of the most flexible delivery apps as it ranges from not only restaurant meals but also groceries, medicine, alcohol, and household supplies.

App Store: IOS/Android
Area of Delivery: 600,000 participating restaurants, convenience stores, and retailors in 4,200 cities across the US.
Delivery Fee: Fees start at $5.99 and can include other service fees depending on the value of the order and Blitz Pricing fees during peak order times.
Order Minimums: Either $10.00 or $12.00 depending on your location, and any orders below this price are charged a $1.99 small cart fee.
Payment Options: All Major credit cards and debit cards, Postmates Cash
Coronavirus Protocols: Contactless delivery is the default, and Postmates encourages customers to report if their delivery driver is showing symptoms.
App Features: Postmates Unlimited is a $10 a month service that provides free delivery on orders of $12 or more.
Employee Treatment: The company developed the Fleet Relief Fund to help employees with Coronavirus related medical expenses.

Lesser Known Food Delivery Apps

The food delivery apps we listed above may be the most popular, but that doesn’t automatically mean they’re the right choice for you. These lesser known food delivery apps are able to specialize in ways bigger apps just can’t.

FreshDirect

FreshDirect is one of the most robust grocery delivery options available in select areas with seasonal farm-fresh food, local items, chef-prepared meals, and normal grocery brands.

App Store: IOS/Android
Area of Delivery: NYC, Philadelphia, and Washington DC.
Delivery Fee: Starts at $5.99
Order Minimums: $30, not including tax and delivery fee.
Payment Options: All major credit cards or debit cards, EBT food or EBT Cash Card, and direct bank payments.
Coronavirus Protocols: Contactless delivery.
App Features: A wide range of filters from all areas of produce, gluten-free, organic, kosher, and local. They also have the Choice Pantry program, which distributes nutritious fresh food pantry packages to individuals and families.
Employee Treatment: Unlike many of the other options on this list, all FreshDirect employees are considered employees not independent contracts, and receive insurance benefits, retirement benefits, and vacation time.

Goldbelly

Unlike the apps listed above, isn’t restricted to the restaurants and stores in your direct area. Goldbelly specializes in delivering gourmet food from small businesses all across the United States.

App Store: IOS
Area of Delivery: Order food from over 100 locally-owned restaurants anywhere in the United States.
Delivery Fee: Fees vary by item, with free shipping available from select products and restaurants. Orders from these restaurants typically take between 1-5 days, depending on where they are from.
Order Minimums: There is no real order minimum, as some of the items can be relatively expensive because they are gourmet quality food.
Payment Options: All Major credit cards and debit cards, PayPal, Android Pay, Apple Pay.
Coronavirus Protocols: To ensure each local restaurant is following Covid safety guidelines, Goldbelly has stated there might be delays of an additional day or two to each order.
App Features: Search for any food by region, food category, meal-kit, or premade meal.
Employee Treatment: Goldbelly themselves only has about 20 employees and work closely with each independently owned restaurant.

Black and Mobile

Black and Mobile is the first Black-Owned food delivery service that delivers food from exclusively Black-Owned restaurants.

App Store: IOS/Android
Area of Delivery: Black and Mobile currently operates in Atlanta, Baltimore, Detroit, and Philadelphia.
Delivery Fee: No fee.
Order Minimums: $10.00 minimum
Payment Options: All Major credit card and debit cards, Gift Cards, CashApp, PayPal
Coronavirus Protocols: Contactless delivery
App Features: Filter by food type.
Employee Treatment: Black and Mobile are dedicated to promoting black-owned businesses.

Chowbus

Chowbus is an Asian-owned business that partners with local Asian-owned restaurants and grocery stores. You can have the app available in either English or Mandarin. They have Chowbus Plus option, which provides free unlimited delivery and exclusive discounts.

App Store: IOS/Android
Area of Delivery: 27 Cities in the US, Canada, and Australia.
Delivery Fee: $4.99 with additional fees for longer distances. Pick up orders automatically get 10% off. You can also dine in select restaurants and order before you even get seated.
Order Minimums: $10 minimum.
Payment Options: All Major credit cards and debit cards, Venmo, Alipay, WeChat Pay.
Coronavirus Protocols: Contactless delivery.
App Features: The app has a robust filtering system, but one of the coolest features is the bundled order feature, which allows you to purchase individual items from multiple restaurants and no additional charge.
Employee Treatment: Delivery drivers and bikers receive 100% of the tips provided and have a flexible work schedule.

Delivery.com

Delivery.com is a service that is more than just a restaurant middleman. With over 3 Million users, they offer delivery services from several local vendors from restaurants to liquor stores to grocery stores to laundry and dry cleaning services.

App Store: IOS/Android
Area of Delivery: Over 2400 cities across the US
Delivery Fee: There is no fee from the app itself. Delivery.com takes a small percentage of your pre-tip subtotal.
Order Minimums: Varies by restaurant or service.
Payment Options: All Major credit card and debit cards, as well as Delivery.com credit.
Coronavirus Protocols: Contactless Delivery.
App Features: The app offers Delivery Points, a reward system that gives you credit in return based on the amount you’ve already spent in the app. You can also choose to send these Delivery points to charities such as (RED) and City Harvest.
Employee Treatment: Employees are independent contractors who make a commission per delivery and receive 100% of their tips.

goPuff

goPuff is much more of a digital convenience store than a liaison between restaurants and patrons. You can get anything you would get at your local convenience store or bodega, from phone chargers to toilet paper to vapes on demand 24/7.

App Store: IOS/
Area of Delivery: goPuff has 200+ facilities delivering to over 500 cities across the US.
Delivery Fee: $1.95.
Order Minimums: $10.95
Payment Options: All major credit cards and debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Venmo.
Coronavirus Protocols: Contactless delivery and goPuff is currently not accepting Cash.
App Features: goPuff says that because their vast array of items are held in a single location, unlike a courier service, they have an average delivery time of 30 minutes. They also have their goPuff fam, which offers a $6 per month membership for free delivery.
Employee Treatment: goPuff drivers get an hourly minimum plus commission and 100% of their tips.

What Do You Need to Look for in Your Food Delivery Apps?

Below is a breakdown of each category we’ve used to help you determine which delivery app best suits your needs.

Is it available on your App store?

Most apps are available on the Apple store and Google Play App store, but not all. However, every app on this list does have a mobile site as well.

Does it deliver in your area?

Though most of the big food delivery apps are available in cities and towns nationwide, you might want to consider going with a smaller, more local food delivery service.

What is their Delivery Fee?

Nearly every app has a delivery fee, but not all delivery fees are the same. Some have a standard fee for each restaurant, some leave that price up to the restaurants they work with, and some offer discounts for their “partnered” restaurants. If you’re ordering on a budget, this is an important thing to consider.

Do they have Order Minimums?

This also varies from app to app. While many apps leave the order minimum up to the restaurant to determine, some have a flat order minimum and have a fee if your order doesn’t meet it.

What payment options do they accept?

Because this is the 21^st century, most delivery apps accept all major credit and debit cards. However, if you’re looking to pay with PayPal or cash, you might be surprised to find out which ones do not.

What are their Coronavirus Protocols?

Now more than ever, it’s important to be safe while ordering out. Many delivery apps offer contactless delivery as an integrated app feature.

What Features does their app have?

You want the simplest ordering experience possible. When determining which food delivery app to use, consider things like filters for price, food type, user rating, and restaurant distance. There are also apps that allow you to track your order as it’s being made and delivered to you.

How do they treat their employees?

Even though it might be virtual, it’s important to remember there are real human beings making and delivering your food. If you choose to support an app that treats their employees well, it incentivizes other apps to treat their employees better too!

So Many Delivery Apps, So Little Time

As you can see, there are several delivery app options for any kind of food, snack, or need you might have. Figuring out which food delivery app works for you is important, but you don’t have to stick to just one!