DoorDash vs Grubhub: Which Food Delivery App Is Better

That convenience is great, but it also creates a new problem: which food delivery app should you use?

DoorDash and Grubhub are two platforms that can browse restaurants, order meals, track deliveries, find deals, and pay through an app. Yet the experience can be quite different depending on where you live, what you’re ordering, and how much you’re willing to spend.

DoorDash may be the better choice when you want a wide selection and convenient delivery in your area. Grubhub can make more sense if your favorite restaurants are available there or you find a better promotion. For restaurants, meanwhile, the decision is about much more than convenience, it comes down to customer reach, fees, profitability, and building lasting relationships with customers.

Let’s see about DoorDash vs Grubhub

DoorDash vs Grubhub: Quick Comparison

What Is DoorDash?

DoorDash is a food and local-commerce delivery platform that connects customers with restaurants and other businesses.

The company launched in 2013 and initially built its business around restaurant delivery. Since then, it has expanded into groceries, convenience products, retail, and other local delivery services.

For customers, the concept is simple. Open the app, find a restaurant, choose your food, pay, and wait for it to arrive.

For restaurants, DoorDash provides another way to reach customers who may never walk through the restaurant’s front door.

Why Do People Use DoorDash?

The biggest attraction is convenience.

You can find a large variety of restaurants in one place instead of visiting individual restaurant websites or making several phone calls.

DoorDash also offers:

• A broad restaurant marketplace
• Delivery tracking
• Pickup options at participating restaurants
• Promotions and discounts
• DashPass membership
• Grocery and convenience delivery in many locations
• Multiple payment options
• Restaurant recommendations based on your activity

For someone who doesn’t want to spend twenty minutes searching for dinner, that can make a real difference.

What Is Grubhub?

Grubhub is another established food delivery marketplace in the United States.

Grubhub was founded in 2004, giving it a long history in the online food-ordering industry. The platform connects customers with restaurants and lets them browse menus, place orders, make payments, and track deliveries.

Grubhub also operates alongside its Seamless brand, which has a particularly strong history in markets such as New York City.

Grubhub’s strength has traditionally been its restaurant-focused marketplace and its presence in major cities.

For customers, that can mean finding restaurants or offers that aren’t necessarily available on every other delivery app.

DoorDash vs Grubhub: What’s the Real Difference?

At first glance, there isn’t much difference.

You open an app, find food, place an order, and wait.

The differences become more noticeable when you start looking at restaurant availability, pricing, delivery times, memberships, and location.

Let’s take them one at a time.

1. Restaurant Selection

This is one of the first things you’ll notice.

DoorDash generally has a very broad restaurant network, giving customers plenty of choices across different types of food and price ranges.

Grubhub also has a substantial restaurant network, with particularly strong coverage in many larger cities.

But here’s the important part:

The restaurant you want may not be available on both platforms.

A local pizza shop might use Grubhub but not DoorDash. Another restaurant might do exactly the opposite.

That’s why comparing the apps based only on overall restaurant numbers isn’t always useful.

2. Delivery Speed

When you’re hungry, “coming soon” isn’t a very satisfying answer.

DoorDash and Grubhub both provide estimated delivery times, but those estimates can change.

Your actual wait depends on things such as:

• How busy the restaurant is
• How far away the restaurant is
• Traffic
• Driver availability
• Weather
• Time of day
• How complicated your order is

DoorDash can be very fast in areas with a large delivery network, but Grubhub can also provide quick deliveries when there are enough drivers and the restaurant is nearby.

3. Which Is Cheaper: DoorDash or Grubhub?

This is probably the question most people care about.

And unfortunately, there isn’t a permanent winner.

The total price of your order can include:

• Menu prices
• Delivery fees
• Service fees
• Small-order fees
• Taxes
• Tips
• Membership discounts
• Restaurant-specific promotions

That means the same meal can cost different amounts on DoorDash and Grubhub.

For example, DoorDash might have a $0 delivery promotion while Grubhub offers a discount on the food itself. After everything is added together, Grubhub could still be cheaper.

DoorDash vs Grubhub Memberships

DashPass

DoorDash offers DashPass, a subscription designed for frequent users.

Eligible orders can receive benefits such as reduced delivery fees and other savings.

If you order several times a month, those savings can potentially offset the membership cost.

But if you only order once every few weeks, paying for a subscription may not make financial sense.

Grubhub+

Grubhub offers Grubhub+, which is similarly aimed at frequent customers.

Members can receive benefits on eligible orders, including delivery-related savings and other offers.

Again, the best membership isn’t necessarily the one with the longest list of benefits.

It’s the one you will actually use.

Pros and Cons

DoorDash Pros

• It has a large restaurant marketplace
• Broad geographic availability
• Convenient mobile experience
• Real-time order tracking
• Frequent promotions
• DashPass membership
• Restaurant, grocery and convenience delivery options

DoorDash Cons

• Fees can increase the final order price
• Restaurant menu prices may differ from in-store prices
• Promotions vary by customer and location
• Delivery experience can vary
• Restaurants have to account for marketplace costs

Grubhub Pros

• It has a strong network in numerous cities
• There are several different restaurants there.
• Being a Grubhub+ member
• It offers incentives unique to restaurants.

Grubhub Cons

• Coverage can be less extensive than DoorDash in some areas
• Fees vary by order
• Restaurant availability differs by location
• Delivery times can fluctuate
• Smaller selection in some markets

DoorDash vs Grubhub for Restaurants

Now let’s look at the other side of the equation.

For customers, food delivery is about convenience.

For restaurant owners, it’s a business decision.

A restaurant has to ask:

“Are these orders actually making me money?”

That’s a much more important question than simply asking which platform can bring the most orders.

DoorDash for Restaurants

DoorDash can give restaurants access to customers who are already looking for food.

That’s a major advantage for smaller restaurants that don’t have the marketing budget to attract every customer themselves.

Restaurants can take advantage of:

• Marketplace exposure
• Delivery infrastructure
• Access to new customers
• Promotional opportunities
• Online ordering
• Delivery management tools
• Customer demand generated through the marketplace

The downside is the cost associated with third-party delivery.

Restaurants need to understand their agreement, fees, promotions, menu pricing, packaging costs, and actual profit per order.

Grubhub for Restaurants

Grubhub provides a similar opportunity.

Restaurants can list their menus, reach customers searching for delivery, and use the platform’s ordering and marketing capabilities.

It’s particularly worth considering for restaurants operating in markets where Grubhub has a strong customer base.

Again, the restaurant should look beyond order volume.

The better question is:

“How much profit do I keep after all the costs?”

DoorDash vs Grubhub for Customers

So which app should you personally use?

It depends on what you care about most.

DoorDash may be better if you:

• Want a broad selection of restaurants
• Live in an area with strong DoorDash coverage
• Prefer its app experience
• Already have DashPass
• Find better promotions on DoorDash
• Want restaurant, grocery, and convenience delivery options

Grubhub may be better if you:

• Live in a city where Grubhub has strong coverage
• Find your favorite restaurants there
• Have Grubhub+
• Regularly find better promotions on Grubhub
• Prefer its restaurant discovery experience

There’s no rule saying you have to pick one and delete the other.

Many customers keep both apps and simply compare them when they’re ready to order.

Which Is Better for Drivers?

The DoorDash vs Grubhub debate looks different if you’re the person making the delivery.

DoorDash can appeal to drivers because of its large marketplace and flexible working opportunities.

Grubhub can also be worthwhile, particularly in markets where it generates consistent demand.

But drivers shouldn’t judge an app solely by the amount shown on an individual order.

You also need to consider:

• Distance
• Fuel
• Vehicle maintenance
• Waiting time
• Tips
• Bonuses
• Order volume
• Time between deliveries

An order that pays $15 isn’t necessarily better than one that pays $12 if the first one takes twice as long and requires significantly more driving.

DoorDash vs Grubhub: Which Is Better for Restaurants?

For restaurants, there’s no universal winner.

DoorDash may be more attractive if the restaurant wants broad customer exposure and strong delivery demand.

Grubhub may be especially useful in markets where it has a loyal customer base and strong restaurant coverage.

But there’s another strategy restaurants should consider.

Third-party marketplaces can be useful for customer acquisition, but restaurants don’t necessarily want to depend on them forever.

Building a direct ordering channel can help restaurants develop their own customer relationships, encourage repeat orders, and potentially reduce dependence on marketplace commissions.

The ideal strategy for many restaurants isn’t necessarily DoorDash or Grubhub.

It can be:

Use third-party platforms to reach new customers, then give those customers a reason to order directly next time.

Conclusion

For many customers, DoorDash is the stronger all-around option because of its broad reach, large marketplace, and convenient delivery ecosystem.

But Grubhub still has plenty to offer, particularly for customers in cities where the platform has strong restaurant coverage.

The truth is that there isn’t one winner for every customer, restaurant, or city.

The cheapest app can change from one order to the next. The fastest app can change depending on driver availability. And the best restaurant marketplace depends on where you live.

If you’re ordering dinner tonight, the simplest solution is also the most reliable: check both apps, compare the same meal, look at the final price and delivery time, and choose the one that gives you the better deal.

For restaurant owners, take the longer view. Use delivery marketplaces where they make financial sense, but don’t forget the value of building your own direct customer relationships.

In the end, the best delivery platform isn’t necessarily the biggest one.

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