Do you want to earn some extra cash by simply doing a bit of driving or shopping for other people? Well, Instacart or Doordash may be the place for you.
Instacart and DoorDash are both grocery delivery service apps. These apps are top-rated and offer people the chance to work for them to either become delivery drivers or in-store shoppers.
Out of Instacart and Doordash, you might be wondering which is the better company to work for?
There is no straightforward answer to this question, and instead, different aspects of each one need to be assessed to see which of the delivery companies is best suited to you.
Things that need to be considered before making a decision include pay, safety, and the features of the delivery apps themselves.
The Basics of Instacart and Doordash
While both apps offer grocery delivery services, there are some basic differences between the two, which are essential to consider if you’re wondering which app would be best for you to work for.
Instacart
A play on words of the name of famous picture-posting social media portal, Instacart is a delivery service app that is extremely widespread. It is available in Canada, across all 50 states in America, and 5,500 cities. Amazing, right?!
Not only this, but Instacart works with some of the biggest stores you can imagine, including Safeway, Petco, Kroger, Aldi, H-E-B, and then everyone’s favorites; Costco and Target!
Working with these stores is what allows Instacart to offer such a range of goods on their app.
What work would you be doing for Instacart if you choose them? The way Instacart works is that customers will place an order either using Instacart’s app or online website.
The customer will decide whether they would like their order packaged up, so they can come to pick it up in person from the store. This creates the role of the in-store shopper.
Alternatively, the customer may prefer a delivery service and for their order to be brought to their door by a delivery driver. This will require the work of a full-service shopper.
Full-Service Shoppers
As the name suggests, an Instacart full-service shopper will do everything from shopping for the customer, packaging up their order, to then delivering it to their door.
If you want to work on a self-employed basis, this may be the job for you as full-service shoppers at Instacart are hired as independent contractors. It also provides a lot of flexibility because you can pick the hours you want to work. Sounds great, doesn’t it?
This role is an excellent job for you if you want some variety in your work, like flexibility, enjoy working on your own schedule, and are looking to be self-employed.
However, not having a driver’s license or car will rule you out of this job role.
In-Store Shoppers
If you don’t have a car, or maybe you don’t like the full-service role, then you could instead apply for a role as one of Instacart’s in-store shoppers.
People who take up this role are considered Instacart employees and are usually hired on a part-time contract.
No car or driver’s license is needed, which helps make the job more accessible to some.
Similar to the full-service role, in-store shoppers can pick what hours they want to work. The only rule is that you aren’t allowed to work more than 29 hours every week.
Therefore, if you are looking for a job that pays for overtime and will enable you to work as much as possible, this may not be the one for you.
An important note is that you cannot work as a full-service and in-store shopper simultaneously. You need to pick one of them. However, an excellent benefit that comes with the company is that if you work hard and make a great impression, you will be able to switch roles after working there for six months.
DoorDash
DoorDash provides delivery services just like Instacart but is slightly less widespread. However, it is still reputable, being available in 4,000 cities across the U.S and Canada.
The app offers food from more than 300,000 restaurants, both chain and local. Isn’t it lovely when big businesses support local restaurants?
DoorDash was founded in 2013, and they call all their delivery drivers Dashers, a fun name that helps create a lovely sense of teamwork.
One of the benefits that DoorDash has over Instacart is that their delivery drivers can use various methods of transport. They can deliver using their car, or if they can’t drive or don’t have a car, they can instead deliver by bike, scooter, or motorcycle.
How do you book work at DoorDash? Delivery drivers need to schedule work a week in advance, booking in blocks of time that they are available.
Alternatively, Dashers can open up the app, see if there is any work available, and then choose to deliver a specific order then and there.
One of the nice things about DoorDash is that it promotes drivers from competitor apps to work with them as well, so the drivers can deliver for more than just one company to allow them a greater amount of work and, overall, more pay.
Instacart vs DoorDash: Payment
Of course, one of the things you will be considering when deciding which company to work for is how much you will get paid and what your earning potential is.
Instacart
The amount you get paid from Instacart is dependent on a few different things.
Whether you work as a full-service shopper or in-store shopper is one factor that will determine how much you will get paid, as is your location and the number of orders that you complete.
The pay rate for full-service shoppers at Instacart can be anywhere between $7//hour and $26/hour, with the higher end of that scale being more achievable when it is busy with lots of orders being complete.
When working as a full-service shopper, you will be presented with the approximate amount you will be paid for an order before you decide to accept it.
This pay is dependent on the number of items in the order, the time the order is placed, how long it would take to drive to the location, and the time and effort it takes for the shopping and delivery service to be provided.
Drivers get to keep any tips given by customers without any deductions taken.
In-store shoppers are paid in a different way to full-service.
Instacart’s in-store shoppers get paid by the hour, and it is a flat rate that varies between $9/hour and $16/hour.
So, if you work for a total of 29 hours a week allowed for Instacart’s in-store shoppers, you could earn between $261 and $464 per week. The exact amount you get will depend on the location you’re working in, and you’ll be able to see your rate when you receive a job offer from Instacart.
While at first, it may appear full-service shoppers earn a lot more than in-store shoppers, there are some extra things full-service shoppers need to consider.
For example, you will be responsible for organizing your own taxes. Furthermore, you may end up having additional charges due to your car’s wear as you will be driving it a lot. However, the gas you use can be written off.
Instacart offers a bonus scheme. People who have reported doing at least 40 hours of work in the last six months are eligible to earn referral bonuses. With this, you receive a code that you can distribute to friends and family.
If they sign up using your code, you get a bonus. The exact amount you get will be different depending on location and your role.
DoorDash
The average pay for Dashers at DoorDash is $20/hour. DoorDash uses a pay model to pay their Dashers.
The first step in the model is base pay. This considers the time, desirability, and distance of the order. The base pay for DoorDash delivery services is usually between $2 and $20. Orders that are further away, take longer, and are less popular amongst drivers will pay slightly more.
Next, promotions are taken into account, which gives you the chance to earn a little more. Peak Pay is one type of promotion you get when you deliver during the busiest hours in your location. For peak pay, you will usually get around $1 or $4 extra for each delivery.
Another promotion is called Challenges. These give you the incentive to reach specific goals, such as delivering a certain number of orders in a given time. The last promotion is called Drive, which is when you have large orders to deliver, and you get paid more for them.
The final part of the pay model for people offering a grocery delivery service for DoorDash is that you get 100% of any tips that customers leave when they place their order.
Similar to Instacart, drivers are responsible for organizing their own taxes and fixing any issues they encounter with their vehicles.
So, Instacart vs. DoorDash for best pay? Overall the winner has to be DoorDash as it offers a lot more opportunities for their drivers to get paid due to their tip policy and promotions.
Instacart vs DoorDash: When Will You Get Paid?
Instacart
Shoppers working at Instacart get paid weekly through direct deposit.
In-store shoppers can ask for their paycheck to be sent to their houses. However, you can keep track of all your payments through the Instacart app.
DoorDash
Like with Instacart, DoorDash drivers get paid every week using direct deposit, so you get your payments straight to your bank account.
The typical day when payment is received is a Wednesday.
Something unique to DoorDash is that it gives drivers the option to withdraw their money early if needed. This service is called Fast Pay, and you are charged $1.99 each time you use it.
The provision of this extra service makes DoorDash come out ahead of Instacart.
Instacart vs DoorDash: Driver Requirements
If you don’t have the basic entry requirements for Instacart or DoorDash, you won’t be able to apply, and the decision of which one to go for might be made for you based on this.
Instacart
To work at Instacart, in the U.S, as either a full-service or in-store shopper, you need to be at least 18 years old.
You also need to have an Android 4.4 or an iPhone 5 or a mobile device that is newer than this.
Then, for both shopper roles, you will need to be strong enough to lift 50lbs.
Requirements specifically for the full-service role include having a minimum of 2 years of experience in driving, with an immaculate record.
No matter what role you go for at Instacart, the company does background checks on everyone once they send you an offer. This check should take about ten days.
DoorDash
Like Instacart, you have to be 18 years old, with a social security number, to work with DoorDash. They also undertake complete background checks, which should take between 5 and 7 days.
For people providing delivery services, you will need a valid driver’s license, a clean record, and insurance.
Neither company ‘wins’ in this category. They both have almost identical requirements.
Instacart vs DoorDash: Nature of the Job
Instacart
Once you start your job at Instacart, whether as a personal shopper or driver, you schedule all your hours through the Instacart app. The hours between which you can deliver orders are between 9 am, and 12 am.
Around thirty minutes before the start of your shift, you will receive notifications of orders coming through. You can then choose which of these orders you want to take on, depending on distance and pay.
Once you choose an order, you go to the appropriate store and shop!
Maintaining contact with the customers while completing their orders, checking they’re happy with substitutions, and keeping them updated on delivery time is very important. This is all done through the app.
Then, when it comes to paying for the actual order, you will use an Instacart debit card, which is already loaded with money. You won’t have to use any of your own cash to check out.
DoorDash
You will receive something called an ‘Activation Kit’ when you start working with DoorDash. This consists of an insulated bag to hold the groceries you are delivering and the Red Card, which you will use to pay for orders.
A good thing that DoorDash does is limit the number of drivers working at once so that there is a nice stream of orders that everyone can take up. You can book work a week in advance or the same day.
You can also do something called Dash Now, where you can accept or reject orders as and when they pop up. Only certain areas provide this, and they will show up in a pink or red color on the DashDoor app.
The fact you can both schedule time in advance and take on extra little bits of work with Dash Now makes DashDoor take the lead slightly in terms of which company is best to work for.
Instacart vs DoorDash: Driver Safety
Instacart
Instacart protects the shoppers when they are unwell. However, their workers have to build up the sick pay they’re entitled to by working more hours.
For every 30 hours that you work, you get one hour of sick pay. The maximum you can accumulate is 40 hours per year.
Instacart also offers contactless delivery, where customers can select the option of having their order left at the door. All you need to do to protect yourself here is take a photo of the order in its delivery location, such as on the porch.
DoorDash
DoorDash has made sure that its workers are covered during the hard times the pandemic has caused.
The company offers two weeks’ worth of financial assistance to their drivers if they contract COVID or if they have to quarantine. To qualify for this safety measurement, you must have been actively working with DoorDash for at least one month and completed a minimum of 30 deliveries.
All orders are defaulted to being no-contact to protect the drivers.
While DoorDash takes the lead in slightly more areas than Instacart, there really isn’t much difference between the two companies.
They both offer fantastic grocery delivery services with excellent pay schemes, and they both promise to keep drivers safe. So, really, either company would be great to work for.
Why not even work for both? This is allowed and is an excellent way to maximize your earning potential.