Food delivery services are the need of the hour. That is why so many have come up. Let’s see which ones are the best delivery apps to work for drivers!
Food delivery services have become more than just a convenience; they’re a staple in our fast-paced world.
With the rise of digital technology and a shift in consumer habits, ordering food to the comfort of our homes has never been more popular.
This surge has opened up a wealth of opportunities for those looking to make extra money or dive into a flexible work schedule.
Most local food businesses don’t have their own delivery app, unlike well-known restaurant chains like Dominoes. Hence they were not able to cater to this new audience who likes to order food.
Solution: Like Uber solved the transportation problem, many companies came up in the delivery space that connects freelance drivers to these small food restaurants.
It’s a win-win situation for all! Freelancers get work and get paid, restaurants get new customers, and consumers get more options.
Generally, these apps pay well to riders, but each one has a few advantages and disadvantages.
In this article, we will go through the best food delivery apps to work for. I have listed many of the best delivery app jobs here because a few might not be available in your location and most of them have different earning potential in different areas. Few specialize in food delivery while few for grocery shopping.
You can sign up for multiple of these and after your experience, you can stick with the ones that pay the highest in your location and your time slots.
Best Delivery App Jobs to Work For
The basic requirements to join these best food delivery apps to drive for are almost similar. You need to have your car or bike, and you can start delivering on any of these apps.
Signing up to drive for a food delivery apps is generally straightforward. The process typically involves submitting an online application, passing a background check, and providing proof of a valid driver’s license and insurance.
Some services may have specific requirements regarding the age or condition of your vehicle.
At some apps, you can just use your bicycle or walk to deliver.
Comparison Criteria
To determine the best food delivery apps for drivers, we considered several critical factors.
These include potential earnings, the flexibility of schedules, the geographical coverage of the service, ease of use of the respective apps, and the balance between demand from customers and the supply of drivers.
Understanding these criteria helps shed light on why certain services stand out in this competitive space, offering better opportunities for drivers to earn and manage their work-life balance effectively.
Following are the best delivery apps to work for where you should get started in this hustle to make extra money.
1. DoorDash Driver
Earning Potential: $15 to $20 an hour
One of the best food delivery app jobs to work for. Start delivering with DoorDash and you will earn good money in your free time.
You can work on your schedule and at your own will.
You will get to keep all the tips and earnings are also one of the highest in this field.
DoorDash offers a unique feature called “DashPass” which provides customers with reduced service fees on orders, potentially increasing the number of orders for drivers due to higher customer demand.
Additionally, DoorDash has introduced “Challenge Bonuses” for drivers, incentivizing them to complete a certain number of deliveries within a set timeframe for extra earnings.
- Unique Feature: DashPass for increased orders.
- Extra Earnings: Challenge Bonuses motivate more deliveries.
Actionable Tip: Optimize your delivery strategy by targeting neighborhoods with high DashPass subscriptions to maximize your delivery requests and tips.
Extra Reading:
2. Postmates Delivery App
Earning Potential: $10 to $15 an hour
You can use your vehicle or even walk to deliver on Postmates.
It is the easiest and one of the best food delivery app to work for. You can sign up and get started instantly.
It has a presence across multiple locations. Hence you have a good chance of finding it in your city.
Postmates distinguishes itself with a flexible payout system, allowing drivers to withdraw their earnings at any time with Instant Deposit.
The app also frequently runs “Blitz Pricing,” which increases pay during high-demand periods, offering a lucrative opportunity for drivers to earn more.
- Flexible Payouts: Instant Deposit for immediate access to earnings.
- Increased Earnings: Blitz Pricing during peak times.
Actionable Tip: Keep an eye on the app for Blitz Pricing notifications and plan your schedule around these periods to boost your hourly earnings.
3. Instacart for Groceries
Earning Potential: $10 to $15 an hour
Other than delivering food from restaurants, you can also earn money by delivering groceries from stores like Costco, Whole Foods, and more.
After signing up, you can take people’s orders for groceries, do the shopping, and deliver them to homes for cash.
You can choose your working hours and decide on what orders to take based on estimated earnings and location.
Here is how much Instacart shoppers make per week.
Instacart offers a unique “Batched Orders” feature, allowing shoppers to fulfill multiple orders in a single trip. This not only increases efficiency but also boosts earnings.
Shoppers can also earn additional tips and bonuses by providing exceptional service and meeting delivery time windows.
- Efficiency Boost: Batched Orders feature, take first batches in the morning.
- Extra Tips: By exceeding customer expectations.
Actionable Tip: Strategize your shopping by accepting batched orders whenever possible and aim for quick, accurate deliveries to enhance customer satisfaction and tip potential.
Extra Reading:
4. Uber Eats
Estimated earnings: $10 an hour
Using Uber Eats, people can order food instantly from a variety of restaurants.
If you are looking for extra money in your free time, you can join Uber Eats as a driver to deliver food.
In addition to payments, you can earn good money with tips where you get to keep 100% of it.
Uber Eats drivers benefit from “Surge Pricing,” where earnings increase during times of high demand in specific areas.
The app also integrates seamlessly with Uber’s main ride-sharing service, allowing drivers to toggle between delivering food and transporting passengers, maximizing earning potential.
- Diverse Opportunities: Toggle between food delivery and rideshare.
- Increased Pay: Surge Pricing during peak demand.
Actionable Tip: Utilize the Uber app to monitor surge areas and times, aligning your schedule to be available during these peak periods for both food delivery and ride-sharing app.
Extra Reading:
5. Grubhub
Estimated earnings: $15 an hour
Just like other best food delivery apps for drivers in this list, Grubhub is also easy to use and pays well for your efforts.
You can join the app and be your own boss by working at the hours of your own choice. Driver earns the fees and keeps 100% of the tips that increase your earnings.
You can see the potential earning before taking the orders and you can cash out instantly whenever you want.
Grubhub offers drivers the “Scheduled Blocks” feature, allowing them to schedule shifts in advance and often guaranteeing higher pay rates for these time slots.
This system can lead to more consistent earnings and prioritized dispatch for those on scheduled blocks.
- Consistent Earnings: Scheduled Blocks with guaranteed pay.
- Priority Dispatch: For those on scheduled blocks.
Actionable Tip: Sign up for Scheduled Blocks in advance, especially during expected busy times like weekends and holidays, to secure higher pay and more frequent deliveries.
6. Amazon Flex
Estimated earnings: $20 an hour
It is an Amazon service where you can deliver packages also. In a few cases, Amazon outsources prime orders to freelancers.
This is where if you are a part of Amazon Flex, you can deliver those orders to your location.
In addition to Amazon Fresh and Amazon restaurant delivery, you can deliver a variety of packages giving you a lot of options.
This is why this app is different than other food delivery apps to work for in this list. In addition, work is flexible, but you need to choose a few-hour shifts where you have to be available.
Drivers can select shifts (“blocks”) in advance, providing a predictable schedule and income.
- Diverse Delivery Options: From groceries to packages.
- Predictable Schedule: Select delivery blocks in advance.
Actionable Tip: Experiment with different types of deliveries (e.g., Prime Now, Amazon Fresh) to discover which options offer the best earnings and fit your schedule.
Extra Reading: Is Amazon Flex worth it?
7. Shipt Shopper
Estimated earnings: $10 – $15 an hour
Like Instacart, there is another app for grocery shopping called Shipt.
You can join Shipt and become a driver to deliver groceries. Each order, on average, takes an hour.
You can choose your schedule to work and deliver orders.
Payments are weekly and direct into account.
Shipt emphasizes building customer relationships, offering the potential for drivers to be requested by specific customers, which can lead to higher tips and a more personalized delivery experience.
Shipt also offers a membership model for customers, driving loyalty and potentially higher order volumes for shoppers.
- Personalized Delivery: Be a preferred shopper for higher tips.
- Membership Model: Drives customer loyalty.
Actionable Tip: Provide exceptional service to become a preferred shopper for customers, boosting your chances for higher tips and repeat orders.
8. goPuff
Estimated earnings: $10 – $15 an hour
This app works in over 500 US cities, and it delivers a whole lot of things rangings from food and groceries to medicines.
One of the best delivery apps for drivers to work for that is more like Amazon.
Unlike traditional food delivery app jobs, goPuff operates from centralized warehouses, meaning drivers don’t have to wait at various restaurants, which can lead to more efficient delivery runs.
They have multiple warehouses from where orders are delivered. When an order is placed, it is delivered from the nearest warehouse, mostly in 30 minutes.
Therefore you need to schedule your hours beforehand. Your commission depends on the number of orders you deliver.
goPuff offers a wide range of products beyond food, including home essentials and over-the-counter medication, expanding the delivery opportunities.
- Efficient Delivery Model: Directly from warehouses.
- Wide Product Range: Increases delivery opportunities.
Actionable Tip: Take advantage of goPuff’s efficient warehouse model by planning your shifts during peak hours when demand for a wide range of products is highest.
9. Favor
Estimated earnings: $10 – $15 an hour
If you live in Texas and are looking for the best food delivery apps to work for then you can try Favor.
You can deliver food and essentials on this app and get paid. Applying and getting work is super easy and fast.
People looking for side hustles in Texas can try this app.
Favor’s “Runner” program allows for flexible scheduling and the opportunity to build a regular clientele within your delivery area.
- Local Focus: Strong presence in Texas.
- Diverse Deliveries: Not limited to food.
Actionable Tip: Utilize Favor’s flexibility and local focus by building a regular clientele and offering personalized service to increase your earnings through repeat business and tips.
10. Bite Squad
Estimated earnings: $10 – $15 an hour
Another local food delivery app that is expanding. It is currently available in 14 states, including Texas, Hawaii, Ohio, Florida, Oklahoma, Arkansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Minnesota, Mississippi, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
You can schedule the number of hours you want to work and start delivering in those hours.
Similar to other best food delivery apps to work for, you take an order pick it up from a restaurant, and deliver it to people’s homes.
Bite Squad offers consistent employment opportunities with benefits, a rarity in the gig economy. This structure can lead to more stable earnings and the potential for growth within the company.
Bite Squad’s integration with local restaurants ensures a steady flow of orders.
- Employment Benefits: Rare in gig work.
- Steady Order Flow: Due to local restaurant partnerships.
Actionable Tip: Leverage Bite Squad’s employment benefits and steady order flow by committing to consistent shifts and providing excellent service to grow within the company.
11. Eaze
Estimated earnings: $15 an hour
Eaze specializes in the legal delivery of cannabis, offering a niche market with less competition and potentially higher earnings due to the specialized nature of its deliveries. It connects users to legal distributors through freelance drivers.
It is a good option for earning extra money in states where it is legal.
You will earn at least minimum wage plus tips for delivering cannabis. Drivers must comply with specific legal regulations, ensuring a responsible delivery process.
- Niche Market: Specialized cannabis delivery.
- Legal Compliance: Ensures responsible delivery.
Actionable Tip: Familiarize yourself with the legal requirements for cannabis delivery in your area to provide safe, compliant service, tapping into this lucrative niche market.
12. Saucey
Estimated earnings: $15 an hour
You can also deliver alcohol for money. In a few states where it is available, this app delivers alcohol within 30 minutes.
Saucey provides an opportunity to tap into the niche market of alcohol delivery, offering quick delivery times and the potential for high tips during peak hours.
Everything is similar to other food delivery apps on the list. Just that you deliver alcohol and not food right at the customer’s home.
It is available in a few cities and expanding.
Understanding local laws and responsible delivery practices is key to success in this market.
- Quick Delivery: Alcohol within 30 minutes.
- High Tip Potential: Especially during peak hours.
Actionable Tip: Prioritize fast, responsible deliveries and familiarize yourself with responsible serving practices to maximize tips and ensure customer satisfaction in the alcohol delivery niche.
Maximizing Earnings For Food Delivery Drivers
In the bustling world of food delivery, savvy drivers know that maximizing earnings goes beyond just clocking in hours.
By adopting a few strategic approaches, you can boost your income, optimize your time, and elevate your delivery game.
Here’s how to make every mile count and significantly increase your take-home pay in the food delivery hustle.
- Capitalize on Peak Demand Hours: To truly maximize your earnings, aim to drive during the busiest times. Dinner periods, especially on weekends and holidays, are prime times for food delivery. Weekday lunch hours are also lucrative, particularly in areas with many offices. Working these peak times can lead to a steady stream of orders, enhancing your hourly earnings.
- Embrace Multi-apping: One of the most effective strategies for increasing your income is multi-apping—working with multiple food delivery apps simultaneously. This approach allows you to compare payouts and choose the most profitable deliveries in real time. By having several apps active, you can minimize downtime and maximize earning opportunities. Just ensure you can manage the demands of juggling multiple orders without compromising on service quality.
- Chase Bonuses and Incentives: Keep an eye out for special bonuses and incentives offered by delivery apps. These can come in the form of extra pay for completing a set number of deliveries within a certain timeframe or bonuses for delivering during surge times. Actively participating in these incentive programs can significantly boost your earnings without additional hours.
- Deliver Top-Notch Service: In the food delivery industry, tips can substantially augment your earnings. Achieve this by ensuring timely deliveries, being courteous, and paying attention to special instructions. Excelling in customer service can lead to higher tips, directly impacting your overall income.
- Optimize Routes for Efficiency: Utilizing a reliable GPS app to navigate the quickest routes is crucial. An efficient route means more deliveries per hour and less time spent on the road. Positioning yourself in areas dense with restaurants can also reduce wait times between orders, keeping your earnings on an upward trajectory.
- Select the Right Platform: Different food delivery apps may offer varying levels of earning potential in your area. Experiment with multiple platforms to identify which ones offer the best returns for your effort. Consider the app’s popularity, average order value, and the general tipping behavior of its customer base when making your choice.
- Minimize Operational Costs: Enhancing your earnings also involves reducing expenses. Regular vehicle maintenance can prevent costly repairs and improve fuel efficiency. For urban areas, consider switching to a bicycle or scooter, which are more cost-effective and often faster for city deliveries.
- Document Your Earnings and Spendings: Keeping a meticulous record of your deliveries, tips, and expenses is essential for understanding your net earnings. This detailed tracking can help you pinpoint effective strategies and areas for improvement, allowing for smarter decisions that boost profitability along with helping during tax season.
- Network and Share Knowledge: Joining forums or social media groups for delivery drivers can provide valuable insights and tips. Networking with fellow drivers allows you to share experiences, stay informed about lucrative areas or times, and learn about the latest incentives, enhancing your strategy for maximum earnings.
By integrating these strategies into your food delivery job, you’re not just delivering food—you’re optimizing your earning potential and making the most of every delivery.
Embrace these tips to navigate the food delivery landscape more effectively and watch your earnings soar.
Final Thoughts on Best Food Delivery Apps to Work For
As you can see in this article, there are many options available for you if you are looking for the best delivery jobs to work for.
All these apps work on similar mechanisms, but which food delivery service pays the most vary area to area and driver strategies.
The more popular an app, is higher the chance of getting more orders and earning more money.
In this list, DoorDash, Instacart, and Postmates are the most popular apps. But you should not ignore others. Because in few areas these might not be available or less popular.
Or in a few areas, there might be too many drivers compared to the number of orders.
So sign up at the multiple of these and choose the ones that provide you with maximum work and the highest payouts. As a next step in your strategy then move on to the multi-apping to increase your earnings.
We’d love to hear from you! If you’ve driven for any of these food delivery services, share your experiences and tips in the comments section below.
Your insights can help others navigate their options and find the best fit for their needs.
Feel free to share this article with friends or family considering a venture into food delivery—it’s a journey best navigated with knowledge and community support.
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Sumeet is founder of MoneyFromSideHustle and an experienced side hustler who replaced his full-time income with side hustles. His work has been quoted on major finance websites like CNBC, Yahoo! Finance, GOBankingRates, MSN, Nasdaq, AOL, and more. He has helped thousands of people find side hustles and is here to help you find your extra source of income. More about him.