Battle of the Food Delivery Apps: Which is Best?

By Kailey Walters on February 23, 2019

Your stomach is growling and you check the refrigerator: an apple and some three-day-old leftovers sitting on a shelf together. It’s 8pm and you don’t really feel like mustering up the energy to get yourself to the grocery store; plus, you don’t have much patience to cook yourself something from scratch anyway. Your mind drifts to alternative options … and your gaze falls on your phone screen, glowing with possibilities.

Within a few seconds you’re thinking about what kind of food you want to order in using a food delivery app. After all, the best thing about these apps is that they’re convenient, quick, and deliver from a variety of restaurants and fast food joints so that you can choose from a diverse selection of cuisines. Yet, there are still so many questions to consider. With so many food delivery apps out there, which one should you use? Which one promises the fastest delivery? Which one is the most convenient and user-friendly? And which one can save you the most money?

If you’re feeling hungry, never fear. Read on for some of the top food delivery apps and gauge which ones you want delivering food right to your door.

via Pexels

Delivery.com

Delivery.com is a versatile app that offers food, groceries, alcohol, and even dry cleaning services.

Pros:

  • With so many different services to choose from, Delivery.com is a great app to use if you have multiple errands to run. So, if you don’t want to waste time purchasing groceries from one place and alcohol from another, Delivery.com offers a super convenient solution.

  • Unlike some other apps, Delivery.com does not charge a service fee!

  • Delivery.com offers quite a variety of food options, with 39 different kinds of cuisine to choose from at popular restaurants.

  • You can earn Delivery Points for every order you place, which means you can redeem your points for credit on any orders you place in the future. What’s more, Delivery.com offers exclusive promotions and discounts that you should definitely take advantage of.

Cons:

  • While the app itself does not charge a service fee, some restaurants that you order from may have a delivery fee and set an order minimum.

DoorDash

DoorDash is another widely known and used food delivery app that you may want to give a try.

Pros:

  • You get free delivery for your first order! Who doesn’t love that?

  • You can access DoorDash from more than 1,200 cities in Canada and the U.S., and it offers options from over 110,000 restaurant menus! With such a variety of places from which to order and choose, you’re sure to enjoy perusing this app for food options.

  • This app has a unique and helpful feature called “DoorDash Delight,” which is essentially a rating system that recommends the best restaurants in your area by accounting for such things as restaurant popularity, customer satisfaction, food quality, and delivery time. This is a great feature to take advantage of so that you can easily pick and choose from local restaurants.

  • On the flip side, if you’re looking for a job, DoorDash just might be a good fit for you. “Dashers” drive around to different restaurants and deliver orders to customers, plus it’s a very flexible job because they get to determine their own working hours.

Cons:

  • Ordering on DoorDash may sometimes include additional delivery fees, including a service fee and extra pricing during busy delivery times. So if you’re looking to save on money, just be wary of any additional fees you may have to pay.

Eat 24

Available in more than 1,500 different cities in the U.S., Eat 24 is a food delivery app owned by Grubhub.

Pros:

  • Eat 24 provides an array of options. There are 50 different kinds of cuisine to choose from, plus you get to pick among different types of eateries: fast food, casual, and sit-down restaurants.

  • Eat 24 also offers exclusive promotions that will help you save on the price of your meal. What’s more, there are no delivery fees.

  • Another really cool feature of Eat 24 is that you get to read other customers’ reviews and ratings of different restaurants. This can be super helpful if you’re the kind of person who wants to see what other people think about a certain establishment, which can help guide your own decision-making process.

Cons:

  • Restaurants that you order from may possibly charge a delivery fee and set an order minimum.

  • As it’s owned by Grubhub, Eat 24 may seem a little too similar to its parent company. So if you’re already a Grubhub user, you may not find much incentive to use Eat 24.

via Pexels

Eat Purely

For those of you who want to order in but still crave something delicious and healthy, Eat Purely is a great choice. Based in Chicago, this food delivery service boasts “healthy, delicious, chef-made meals delivered in about 20 minutes,” according to its website.

Pros:

  • If you prize fresh and healthy food, Eat Purely is the app for you. You can choose from a daily rotating menu of locally-sourced food, all of which is prepared by artisan chefs using fresh, seasonal ingredients on par with restaurant meals. What’s more, Eat Purely offers a variety of meal choices because it uses a daily rotating menu. That means you most likely won’t get bored of what this service has to offer.

  • Delivery is flexible, as you can order on demand or schedule your meal to arrive up to a week in advance. Plus, as mentioned above, meals can be delivered within 20 minutes – which makes this app a reliable and speedy service.

Cons:

  • As Eat Purely is based in Chicago, it is not as readily accessible to different cities throughout the U.S. as other apps are.

  • While there’s no delivery fee, Eat Purely does automatically tack on a $3 tip.

infographic, food delivery apps, food delivery

Infographic by Kailey Walters

Grubhub

Even if you don’t know much about food delivery apps or have never used one before, you’ve probably at least heard of Grubhub. This is certainly a great app you can use the next time you want to fulfill your cravings.

Pros:

  • Grubhub is available in more than 900 cities, so you’re likely to have access to this app wherever you are in the U.S.

  • Grubhub offers quite an array of food options, with more than 50 different types of cuisine for customers to choose from. With so many kinds of cuisine available to you, you’ll never get bored! Instead, explore to your heart’s (or your stomach’s) desire. And with that being said …

  • It’s easy to explore nearby restaurants. All you have to do is type in your delivery address and the app will pull up a handy list of all the restaurants in your area.

  • Searching for what you want in the app is also pretty convenient. You can choose to search either by food item or by cuisine, which is helpful for providing different search methods.

  • Another super helpful and convenient feature of the Grubhub app is that you can save previous delivery locations, which ultimately speeds up the order and delivery process. What’s more, your last payment method is also saved in the app, which helps to speed up the process as well and won’t leave you scrambling for your credit or debit card every time you place an order.

  • Grubhub allows you to easily track your order so that you’ll know exactly where it is and when it’s arriving at your front door.

Cons:

  • While Grubhub itself doesn’t have delivery fees, some of the restaurants you order from may charge a set delivery fee. So if you’re trying to cut back on delivery fee expenses, keep an eye out for select restaurants that charge.

Postmates

Another versatile app, Postmates delivers not just food but also groceries and alcohol. As a result, this can be a great app to use if you’re looking to order more than just food. Plus, you can use Postmates in more than 90 U.S. cities.

Pros:

  • If you happen to be craving a certain kind of food at 2 a.m., Postmates has got your back with its 24/7 delivery service. As long as the place you’re ordering from is still open at the time, Postmates will deliver to you. That’s convenience right there!

  • You have the flexibility of deciding whether you want the order delivered right to your front door (for a fee) or if you want to just order for pickup.

  • Postmates offers a helpful Unlimited plan, which charges $10 a month, or $84 a year, in exchange for free delivery on all orders above $20. This feature can be especially useful if you make purchases over $20 on a somewhat regular basis. However, if you don’t usually order over $20, this program may not be entirely worth it for you.

Cons:

  • Postmates charges a delivery fee that ranges from $4-$10, as well as an additional service fee during busier times.

Seamless

While the Seamless app is available in more than 600 U.S. cities, it is most often used by restaurants in New York City. So, if you live in New York City or spend a lot of time there, getting this app on your phone is sure to be a helpful decision.

Pros:

  • There are no added delivery fees! This is certainly a plus if you’re looking to cut down on the price of your food deliveries – and to be honest, who isn’t?

  • It’s super easy and convenient to use. You can complete your order with just a few simple clicks, thanks to an easy search, convenient payment options like Venmo, and order tracking that keeps you up to date on the status of your delivery. Convenience of use is, after all, super important to customers – so take advantage of Seamless to get that seamless ordering experience!

  • Seamless offers a number of exclusive discounts and promos that you’ll be sure to want to take advantage of.

  • Seamless provides options from thousands of restaurants, meaning that you’ll have plenty of venues and menus to choose from.

Cons:

  • Although Seamless does offer options from many restaurants, it provides only 25 different types of cuisine – significantly less compared to other apps such as Grubhub.

  • While there is no delivery fee, this app does often have a minimum that you need to order. So if you were just looking to get something small, you may need to order more to meet that minimum requirement (which could potentially be a bad idea, since you don’t want to waste food). Or simply go with another delivery app for the time being.

via Pexels

UberEats

Different from the Uber car service app, UberEats allows you to access food from many different restaurants and grocery stores near you.

Pros:

  • If you’re already familiar with the Uber app, using UberEats should be a breeze because the app is designed very similarly. Being familiar with its user-friendly interface is definitely a plus if you want to have an easy, smooth experience with the app.

  • You’ll certainly have plenty of options to choose from, as UberEats offers more than 70 different types of cuisine. More options means you won’t be running out of food to choose from anytime soon!

  • The customer service is often reliable, as the UberEats drivers are usually kind and efficient. Plus, they’re very good at keeping customers up to date when tracking orders.

  • Payment is fairly convenient, as you can choose to pay with either your Uber account or with a credit card.

Cons:

  • UberEats charges a $5 delivery fee, which could potentially seem like a lot when it’s tacked on to the price of your meal. This price might even increase if the UberEats delivery drivers are extra busy, so just make sure to account for that.

With all of these different food delivery apps to choose from, you won’t be running out of meal options anytime soon. Take advantage of these great services and discounts to get the most out of your food delivery experience!

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