A Comparison of the Most Popular Food Delivery Services in 2023

Gone are the days when food delivery options only consisted of pizza or Chinese cuisine. Nowadays, food delivery services are available to bring all your favorite dishes from local and chain restaurants straight to your front door.

With that said, some differences exist between the most popular food delivery options, including fees, availability, and ease of use. Here is how the most popular services stack up when compared to each other.

Uber Eats

If you already use Uber to get around, you may enjoy their food delivery service more than other options. Uber Eats is available in over 500 cities, with delivery fees totaling fifteen percent of your overall bill.

While there is a small fee for orders under the minimum ten dollar amount, you can also sign up for their Eats Pass for $9.99 monthly. Uber Eats is also integrated with Uber in many locations and offers real-time delivery tracking so you know exactly where your food is and how long it will take to arrive.

You can pay for your order with a credit card or even use your credits from your Uber account. In addition, you can tip your driver through the app and even request contactless delivery.

Uber Eats is widely available throughout major metropolitan areas, but it is more difficult to find service in smaller, more suburban, or rural locations. The delivery fee is also more expensive than some of your other alternatives.

Grubhub

While Grubhub is available throughout over four thousand cities, delivery fees and minimum orders vary by restaurant. However, they have an extensive reach and deliver from local and national restaurant chains.

Some restaurants may choose to tack on additional fees, so it’s best to check with each establishment to avoid surprises. Using the Grubhub app, you can search for different eateries by type of cuisine or using your location.

Another benefit of using Grubhub is that sometimes special deals are only available for app users, which helps you save more money. You can also specify whether you prefer a “no contact” delivery.

If you’re a frequent user of the Grubhub app, consider signing up for Grubhub+, which costs $9.99 per month and allows you to enjoy free delivery service.

DoorDash

DoorDash is another widely available food delivery service and operates in over four thousand locations across the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Generally speaking, the app offers good recommendations, which is excellent if you enjoy trying out new restaurants. They also deliver from local and national establishments, as Grubhub does, and you can opt for a monthly DashPass subscription to help you decrease delivery fees.

A unique feature of the DoorDash app is that it remembers previous orders, making it easy to reorder your favorite meals quickly. If you’re pressed for time or want to ensure your order arrives fresh and hot, DoorDash also features a “Yum Score,” which lets users rate how fresh and quickly their food comes.

Where allowed, DoorDash also enables you to order alcohol and mixers too. Finally, if you’re still practicing social distancing, you can specify whether you’d like a “contactless delivery.”

Toast Takeout

While Toast Takeout is less well-known than some other food delivery services, it is a great way to support the local restaurants you love. One of the ways most food delivery services make money is to charge restaurants commission fees.

While many of the larger nationwide establishments can handle these commission fees, they put a financial burden on many smaller local restaurants. Toast Takeout does not charge restaurants a commission fee, which means more of your money goes towards supporting these establishments.

Another significant difference is that Toast Takeout automatically defaults to the pickup option instead of delivery, which may influence your meal choices. You may have to scroll for a while to choose from restaurants that offer delivery, making it a bit more time-consuming than other options mentioned in this list.

Overall, the selection of restaurants is more limited on Toast Takeout. However, you can use this app knowing that more of your money is supporting your local community.

ChowNow

If you are okay with picking up your meal and are tired of hidden fees that add up with other services, consider ordering from ChowNow.

Although delivery is available in specific locations, most restaurants available through ChowNow only offer pickup service. With ChowNow, the focus is more on small eateries than national chains, which is great if you prefer to support your local economy.

Ordering is also commission free, so you’ll avoid paying hidden fees, which often substantially increase your delivery service bill. However, if you don’t have transportation or would rather have your food delivered, you should try a different delivery service.

Postmates

Although Uber now owns Postmates, Postmates is available seven days a week and twenty-four hours daily to satisfy your cravings whenever they strike.

In addition to ordering from restaurants, you can also order retail items like cell phone chargers, clothing, and more. Something to remember when ordering from Postmates is that surge pricing during peak hours may increase your delivery fees.

Small cart orders are also subject to a fee of $1.99. However, you can sign up for their monthly Postmates Unlimited subscription service for $9.99. Postmates is available in over 4,200 locations across the nation and is a convenient way to shop for food and retail items without leaving the comfort of your home.

When choosing your best food delivery service options, it’s essential to remember your location, extra service charge fees, and whether they deliver from your favorite restaurants.

If you plan on ordering extensively, consider signing up for one of their monthly membership programs to save money on delivery fees. Signing up for one of these programs might even expedite your delivery time or come with extra “members-only” perks.