Food delivery apps are a dime a dozen these days. There are apps for all kinds niches — from fine dining delivery services to liquor delivery, pizza-specific platforms, and of course grocery shopping services. If we’re looking strictly at market share, there’s a clear winner — though DoorDash may have a whopping 67% of the food delivery market, it doesn’t necessarily mean it provides the best value or fastest delivery times. In fact, reviews for DoorDash on Reddit are mixed, with some choosing it as their one-and-only delivery service and others claiming it’s unusable in their area.
Aside from who has the biggest share of the market, we wanted to find out which app consumers actually feel is the “best.” We analyzed Reddit posts from the last year to understand what hundreds of people in the United States really think about their food delivery app options. Can you guess which three came out on top?
Let’s dive into our findings.
Key Takeaways:
- DoorDash, appreciated for its broad restaurant selection and additional categories like retail and alcohol, dominates the food delivery market with a 67% share.
- UberEats and GrubHub follow, each with unique strengths in driver availability and local popularity, respectively.
- Ordering directly from restaurants is generally more economical for consumers and financially beneficial for restaurants, as it avoids high fees associated with third-party apps.
Interesting Findings About Food Delivery App Preferences
In our research, we identified several takeaways that may not directly answer the “What’s the best?” question, but offer some interesting insight on how people perceive the value they get from apps. Here are some of them:
- The generational divide is stark. There’s a very obvious generational divide in attitudes towards food delivery services, with older generations expressing more skepticism about their value and efficiency. Older generations typically prefer picking up food or ordering delivery directly from the restaurant.
- Convenience trumps quality for many. Nearly everyone agrees food quality from delivery apps is lower than dine-in or pick up. Many people say this doesn’t bother them, especially when they don’t have the ability to leave work or desire to move from their couch. The tradeoff is worth it, despite the acknowledgement of lower-quality food.
- We all know it just costs too much. There is a widespread sentiment that the cost of delivery services is disproportionately high compared to the quality of the food upon arrival. It’s not a secret. It’s not a debate. It just is.
- Most people want to order directly from restaurants. Comments about preferring to order directly from restaurants are everywhere. Customers understand that restaurants typically make higher profits when sales are made through their own websites versus a third-party app. This aligns well with our own research.
- App weaknesses are pretty much all the same. People complain about low food quality, slow delivery times and high costs. Complaints, predictably, are the same across all delivery companies.
Now, let’s get into the food delivery apps.
DoorDash: The Best Food Delivery App Overall
Alright, fine — there seems to be a reason (or two) DoorDash has that whopping 67% market share. The platform not only has the largest selection of restaurants, but also has expanded to retail, convenience, and alcohol categories. DoorDash is available nearly everywhere in the United States, including small towns, and has recently rolled out store-specific loyalty programs.
DashPass is a $10/month upgrade that provides free delivery and reduced fees on all orders. This program has many partnerships with credit card companies or other membership communities — it’s rather easy to get DashPass for free and save on those pesky fees.
Strengths:
- Generally reliable time estimates
- Strong driver availability and lower wait times
- Largest restaurant selection across the country
- Expanded item categories, like retail and alcohol
Uber Eats: A Close Second
When it comes to market share, Uber Eats comes in second place, holding 23% of the food delivery market. When it comes to Reddit comments and reviews, Uber Eats seems to take second place in most cases too. Delivery drivers often say they get the biggest tips from Uber Eats customers (though the reason is unclear).
People seem to love the Uber Eats app. And like DashPass, the Uber One program offers great benefits and discounts on fees. Plus, you can order an Uber from the Uber Eats app (though most Redditors don’t know why you’d need that feature).
Strengths:
- Generally reliable time estimates
- Strong driver availability and lower wait times
- Solid restaurant selection across the country
- Strong discount and promo availability
Grubhub: A Mixed Bag
Oh, Grubhub, you really dropped the ball, going from 60% market share in the early 2010s to just 8% in 2024. Frankly, it’s not too hard to see why — Grubhub’s service has been hit-or-miss for years, and the company has dealt with more than its share of controversies.
In the major East Coast cities, though, Grubhub remains supreme, with the largest number of drivers and most consistent delivery times.
Strengths:
- The most reliable and speedy deliveries in some locales
- Aggressive deals and promotions, sometimes best value
Other Food Delivery Apps Not Really Worth Getting Into
When it comes to Reddit comments and reviews, the other food delivery services just don’t compete at the same level as “the big three.”
Postmates was acquired by UberEats in 2020, leaving most Redditors to wonder why it still exists since it’s virtually the same experience as ordering on UberEats.
Caviar used to be great for finding more upscale restaurants, but since it joined the DoorDash network, it feels like DoorDash with a “$$$” filter turned on.
Instacart is great for getting a personal shopper to do your bidding, but it isn’t optimized for meal delivery.
The Best Case Scenario: Order From Restaurants Directly
We help restaurants run their online ordering and delivery programs through HungerRush, our point of sale and restaurant management system. We see what’s going on behind-the-scenes and talk with restaurant owners daily.
And we’ll tell you straight: ordering from the restaurant directly tends to be better for everyone.
- It’s cheaper for customers, because the app fees aren’t so severe.
- It’s better for restaurants, because they cut out a middleman that can take up to 30% of the order cost.
In order to better support your favorite restaurants, first check their website to see if you can order directly from them, rather than whipping out your preferred delivery app by default.
