What is the most cost-effective food-delivery app? Or what is the best food delivery app? Is the cheapest always the best? How can you choose the finest meal delivery app without going bankrupt? These are all issues that restaurant owners throughout the globe have been asking for years, but the year 2020 has brought them to the forefront.
Finding a reputable food delivery app with the lowest rates might be the difference between success and failure for a company, and a good deal and a bad deal. Isn’t it a serious statement? So, without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the most popular meal delivery apps to see which one would be the best fit for your company.
A good meal delivery app pricing comparison can assist you in making the best option.
What Is the Cheapest Food Delivery App?
Food delivery services are becoming more popular in an easy way. You may order meals from your favorite restaurant and have them delivered right to your door from the convenience of your own home or office.
There is no delivery time, you can order whenever you want. any time of day. Although paying delivery and service fees is an unavoidable part of ordering meals using a food delivery app, you may reduce them by using the cheapest one available.
But which one is the most affordable? Continue reading to find out. It also depends sometimes on on-peak hours, which are hours when everyone is trying to use the service. Imagine peak hours in New York! Or in San Francisco.
Poor delivery driver guys. It is also worth mentioning that certain services work on food delivery subscriptions not only blitz pricing.
What Is the Most Economical Food Delivery App?
Uber Eats was the cheapest of the four meal delivery apps we evaluated (DoorDash, Uber Eats, GrubHub, and Postmates). We tried all four food delivery apps to get the identical Chik-fil-A dish, but we couldn’t locate a Chik-fil-A to order through GrubHub. So we ordered something comparable in price from McDonald’s through GrubHub. It’s also worth noting that Delivery.com didn’t serve the writer’s location, and Caviar is a DoorDash purchase that focuses on more specialized food businesses.
It’s also worth noting that you’ll have to pay for convenience if the information in this post doesn’t contain the tip. However, since food delivery workers’ basic salary is frequently low, you should always tip them. However, they have some of the cheapest meal kits. But, like waiters, they rely heavily on tips to supplement their pay.
Every meal delivery app has the same monthly membership option, which costs $9.99 per month. When the benefits of each membership package are compared, Uber Eats still wins. GrubHub comes in second place, followed by DoorDash and Postmates.
We wouldn’t use Postmates if the restaurant you want to order from is accessible on one of the other three meal delivery apps.
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s take a look at each meal delivery app individually.
DoorDash
The subtotal of the aforementioned DoorDash purchase was $5.29, including a $3.99 delivery cost and $3.73 in fees and estimated tax. The delivery cost was eliminated since this was our first purchase with DoorDash, so the total was $9.02.
The amount would have been $13.01 if the delivery cost had not been waived. Overall, the delivery rates are reasonable, ranging between $2.99 and $3.99 across five different eateries. On one occasion, we even increased the entire order price to about $90 to check whether the order amount would affect the shipping charge, but it didn’t.
Depending on the dollar amount requested, the fees and projected tax amount also fluctuated. DoorDash charges a 15% service fee and gives you an estimated tax amount based on where you’re purchasing from.
For purchases with a sum of less than $10, the firm additionally imposes a $2.50 small order fee. DoorDash does offer a DashPass monthly membership package that includes free delivery on all purchases. You’ll also benefit from lower service costs on purchases over $10, as well as unique member savings.
Although not all restaurants are qualified, the vast majority are. It’s worth signing up for DashPass if you anticipate you’ll order meals from DoorDash more than three times in a month. DashPass is available for a free one-month trial from DoorDash, after which it costs $9.99 per month.
GrubHub
The total cost of this GrubHub order was $5.19, including a $1.49 delivery charge and $3.16 in fees and estimated tax. Because your first GrubHub purchase is free, the delivery cost was eliminated, bringing the total to $8.35.
Our purchase would have cost $9.84 if the shipping price had been included. Delivery rates on GrubHub vary drastically depending on the eatery. There were shipping rates as low as $0.49 and as high as $6.49. GrubHub charges a 10% service fee and a $2.00 small order fee for orders under $10. GrubHub offers a GrubHub+ monthly membership that you may test out for 30 days for free.
GrubHub+ will cost you $9.99 per month after the free trial. You’ll receive free delivery on all purchases of $12 or more, access to special member bonuses, and a free pickup meal worth $10 per month if you sign up for the membership.
GrubHub, on the other hand, offers incentives and discounts strewn throughout the app, even for those who aren’t GrubHub+ members. Cashback incentives are available from various companies; for example, McDonald’s will give you $5 if you order three times.
Then there are discounts or free shipping offers from businesses from time to time. GrubHub+ may not be worth it if you usually order meals for less than $12. Every month, you’d receive a free $10 pick-up dinner and be able to take advantage of offers inside the app, which would more than cover the cost.
However, if you have to pay a shipping charge with every item because it’s under $12, it may not be worth it. Many other meal delivery apps provide free delivery with purchases of $10 or less, so the $2 difference makes a big difference. There are however better deals also.
Uber Eats
This order form UberEats had a subtotal of $5.19, a delivery fee of $0.49, and estimated taxes and fees of $2.93. Everything added up to only $8.61. There was also a $1.00 discount if you chose the No rush option, which would’ve brought the total down to $7.61.
Delivery fees vary by restaurant and range from $0.49 to $5.99. However, we saw a lot of retailers around the $0.49-$2.49 delivery fee mark, like foodboss.
The $1.00 No rush discount only showed up with specific retailers. Unlike other food delivery apps, Uber Eats charges a flat service fee of $2.50, which is especially nice for larger orders but pesky for smaller orders. Uber Eats offers a monthly subscription plan called Eats Pass that costs $9.99 per month after a free one-month trial.
With Eats Pass, you get to take advantage of a $0 delivery fee on orders, exclusive perks, and a 5% discount on orders over $15 from eligible retailers. When you order through Uber Eats, you can also get restaurant-specific rewards the more times you order from them.
For example, Burger King will give you a $10 reward when you order five times through Uber Eats. Then, there are other deals in the app where specific retailers give you a percentage or dollar amount off your order or free delivery when you order a specific amount.
Postmates
Because Uber bought Postmates, you’ll note that the two apps have a lot of the same promotions and a similar UI. Despite the fact that Postmates is still operating under its original name and has no intentions to alter it in the future, it is possible that it may eventually combine with Uber Eats. Postmates, on the other hand, pales in comparison to Uber Eats in terms of cost.
The subtotal for this item was $5.19, fees and estimated taxes were $3.43, and the delivery price was an eye-watering $6.99 of the menu price. All of this added up to $15.61, making our order the most costly of the four meal delivery apps.
As with all other apps, delivery prices vary per restaurant, but the average we found in Postmates was $4.99; the lowest was $3.99 and the highest was $6.99. Some businesses also provided free delivery if you spent a specific amount of money.
Definitely one of the cheapest food delivery options. Instead of charging a percentage of your total, Postmates charges a flat price of $3.00.
You receive no delivery cost on purchases over $12, 5% off orders over $15, special benefits and promotions, and 10% off your first three Uber trips per month with a Postmates Unlimited monthly membership. There is a one-month free trial to try it out before paying $9.99 a month. Or foodboss.
Caviar
If you don’t like fast food or other restaurant franchises, Caviar may be a better fit for you. But how does it compare in terms of price? Caviar specializes in the high-end restaurant meal delivery. This distinguishes it from other delivery services.
As of 2018, it barely accounts for roughly 2% of the whole market. Depending on your location and how far you are from the restaurant, delivery rates vary from $1.99 to $8.99. Caviar does not seem to impose a surge fee like mealme for their food delivery user.
When restaurants use Caviar for delivery, they must pay a 30% fee. Although Caviar has no minimum order restriction, the majority of the restaurants on the app are pricey. Promotions, such as free delivery, are sometimes offered via the app.
Caviar is a wonderful app for high-end establishments to consider. However, it is not the cheapest meal delivery app, depending on base pay. The commission fee for deliveries in most popular apps is hefty. It is true that some of them have cashback offers where they return the flat fee.
Food Delivery Isn’t Cheap
Not like local restaurants. Although ordering meals and picking them up yourself is always less costly, it is not always the most practical or attractive alternative, especially if you need something from a grocery store.
When you’re busy at work or don’t feel like leaving the home, food delivery apps come in handy, but that doesn’t mean you should pay $15 for a $5 dinner. Uber Eats and GrubHub were neck and neck, but Uber Eats came out on top by a hair.
Subscribing to a monthly subscription would be quite beneficial if you often use a meal delivery service. If you like the convenience of delivery and prefer it above a local restaurant, you may want to look into other options, such as Amazon’s Subscribe and Save program or supermarket delivery upscale service. Fewer cities are without a food delivery service.
Conclusion
So what is the cheapest food delivery service? Have you ever heard of surge pricing? The solution, as usual, is contingent and sometimes depends on surge pricing. Your first order will always be cheaper. It depends on what you’re selling and where you’re selling it, as well as if pricing is the only element you want to consider.
Data about the most popular applications in your region will be extremely valuable in this case. You could also want to test out a few to see which one you get along with the best — it can seem a bit hectic at first, but it will be worth it once you start building solid connections with repeat customers.
Connect people to these food delivery apps through affiliate links and get your bonuses for your particular area. After everything, the only questions are, where to eat and where to order. So much food, so little time.
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