If you are here, it means you want to know which is the cheapest among the top four food delivery giants- UberEats, DoorDash, Postmates, and Grubhub. Indeed no one wants to spend more bucks on an order that they can get in fewer amounts.
But people have no time to open all these four apps and start comparing food items to find out which cost less. That’s why I decided to do this so that no one has to. So, which one is the cheapest?
There is not much difference in the total prices of the meals ordered from Uber Eats, DoorDash, Postmates, and Grubhub. All four of them place their priority on delivering the best services and keeping the food price to the minimum. Plus, the time of order also changes the total cost of the meal. However, Grubhub is a little cheaper than Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Postmates. But there’s more to it. Some studies have claimed that UberEats is the cheapest.
If you want to know everything about the services charged and how Grubhub costs the least, then stick till the end.
UberEats vs. DoorDash vs. Postmates vs. Grubhub – The Details!
We all have to order food when the game is live. I mean, let’s face it, no one wants to go to the restaurant when their favorite player is on TV.
Or the situation might be different. You just don’t feel like going outside, and getting your food to your doorstep is the best thing you can think of. But what if you could save some money if you know which food delivery service is better.
Generally, delivery fees, small cart fees, and subscription policies decide the cost. So, here are the details about the cost of four delivery services and which ones cost the least.
Uber Eats
Uber Eats is perhaps the most famous food delivery service, not just in the country but all around the globe. Thousands of people prefer only to order food using their app. More than 320,000 restaurants have been listed on Uber Eats from 500 cities globally.
But is it costly or cheapest?
MarketWatch conducted an independent study on different food delivery services and found that UberEats is the cheapest. But is that the case? I have added a table at the end of the article for you to know about it.
First, have a look at money saved from subscriptions, the delivery fees, and other charges at Uber Eats.
Delivery Fees
The delivery fee of Uber Eats ranges from 0-7$. However, the delivery fees can get more if you order during busy hours.
You can see the delivery fee right on the screen. You can also apply filters to shortlist the cheapest food with the cheapest delivery fee.
Moreover, delivery charges can also arise if there are more orders and less number of couriers or riders available. In this situation, the chances of your order getting delayed are also more.
Small Order Fees
If your order is less than 10$, you will have to pay 2$ more as a small order fee.
Eat Pass Subscription
Uber Eats offers Eat Pass to make its users happy. But how so?
With this, Uber Eats offers unlimited free delivery. So, the total cost of the order goes way down if you have the subscription.
In addition, you can enjoy lots of other offers with which you can save your money. You can get 5% off on those orders that are above 15$. Also, if you are a new user, you can get 40% off on your first four orders. Pretty amazing, right?
Now, let’s do Doordash.
DoorDash
Doordash is another popular food delivery service in the USA, having association with more than 300,000 restaurants covering more than 4000 cities.
Its graph has been on the rise in the last few years. Doordash overtook Grubhub in 2019 and earned the title of the top on-demand food delivery service. But is it the cheapest? Let’s see its “policies” on the total price.
Delivery Fees
The delivery fee of Doordash varies depending on your order and the restaurant distance from our home. Generally, it is between 1.99$ to 8$.
Small Order Fees
If your order is less than the limit set by Doordash, then you will have to pay a small fee. It is only 2$.
Subscription Perks
Doordash offers a great subscription policy that has made the life of the users easy. From the selective restaurants, you can get your order with no delivery fees.
Also, if your order is above 12$, you might also enjoy free delivery from some more restaurants as well. If not, then you can get a discount on the delivery fees. Thus, the total price will be a lot lower.
For subscription holders, there are some more discounts and offers, which save them a lot of bucks.
Now, it’s time for Postmates.
Postmates
Postmates is unique because it is more than a food delivery service. It can get anything to your doorstep and charges you substantial fees for it. But it is most popular for delivering food at the moment.
Right now, Postmates is active in more than 4,200 US cities, covering around 600,000 businesses (including restaurants).
Let’s see the money involved at Postmates.
Delivery Fees
Postmates’ delivery fee varies depending on what time you are ordering. If it is the busiest time of the day, then the fee is usually a little more. For example, lunch and dinner are the busiest times of the day.
If you order at such a time, you will be charged more than usual (which is not a lot). Postmates call this phenomenon Blitz Pricing. As mentioned above, this thing is not new. Uber Eats does the same.
If the restaurant you are ordering from is a Postmates Merchant partner, then you will be charged around 0.99$ to 3.99$. If the restaurant is not a partner, you will pay around 5.99$ to 9.99$.
Small Cart Fees
If your order is less than 12$, then you will have to pay 1.99$ fee.
Subscription Policy
Postmates’ subscription policy is perhaps the best among the other four delivery services. When you buy it, you will enjoy free delivery for any order above 12$.
But wait. There’s more.
You will not be a victim of Blitz pricing if you have purchased a Postmates subscription. You will be charged the normal delivery fee even if you order during the busiest hours.
There will be some more perks and privileges you will enjoy..
GrubHub
Grubhub has been delivering delicious foods and goods for more than 15 years. Now, it has been dealing with 300,000 restaurants in more than 3000 cities across the country.
Subscription Benefits
The subscription fees of Grubhub also make the service a lot cheaper.
You will get 10% cash back on your above 100$ orders if you have a subscription. Some other great features Grubhub offers are- free delivery from Dominos (for new users) and only 5$ delivery fees if you order smoothies from your locality.
Delivery Fee
Generally, the delivery fees of Grubhud are around 7 dollars. But if you have a subscription, you can enjoy free delivery.
That’s not it!
As there are lots of restaurants listed on their app, you can just search the name of the restaurant you want to order from and see the prices (like delivery fees) there.
Small Order Fees
If your order does not cross the minimum limit, you are charged a small order fee, which is only 2$.
After reading about the fees and discounts offered due to Subscription, you might still have no idea which is the cheapest. I mean, everything seems fairly common in all. But don’t worry; I am now explaining which one is the cheapest.
So, Which One Is The Cheapest?
Brian X Chen did the experiment by ordering the same meal from these four food delivery services to find out which one is the cheapest.
He ordered a six-inch turkey breast sandwich from these four. Here’s what he found:
| Cost | Uber Eats | DoorDash | Postmates | Grubhub |
| Sandwich price | 14.78$ | 14.78$ | 14.78$ | 11.98$ |
| Delivery fees | 3.99$ | 1.99$ | 2.99$ | 1.99$ |
| Service Fees | 2.22$ | 1.20$ | 2.42$ | 1.29$ |
| Sales Tax | 1.26$ | 1.29$ | 1.33$ | 1.20$ |
| Misc | 3$ | – | – | – |
| Total Price | 25.5$ | 19.26$ | 21.52$ | 16.46$ |
Brian also went to the restaurant and ordered the same thing. The total bill was 13$.
Now, when we look at the fees and subscription perks, we can get the idea that Grubhub is a little cheaper than the other three.
Final Words
So, which one is cheapest in 2022- UberEats vs. DoorDash vs. Postmates vs. Grubhub?
All four of these offer top-notch services with more or less the same fees. However, Grubhub is the cheapest as it has low delivery and service fees.
Also, the sales tax is also low at Grubhub because the total cost of the food is low. Plus, there are no Misc charges involved. So, it is safe to say that Grubhub is cost-efficient.