Instacart vs. DoorDash

Instacart vs. DoorDash – you might be wondering about the similarities and differences between these two gig economy apps. The quick rundown is that Instacart is a grocery delivery app while DoorDash focuses primarily on food delivery from local restaurants.

An even more important question you might have is which is better between Instacart and DoorDash. For me, I think the answer is clear – DoorDash is better than Instacart. There are a variety of reasons why I think this is the case, but mainly, it has to do with how fast I can complete orders with each app. With DoorDash, I’m simply able to complete more orders and do them faster because I don’t have to shop for the orders.

With that said, in this post, we’ll look at Instacart vs. DoorDash, consider the main differences between them, and discuss why I think DoorDash is better, but why one app could be better for you than the other.

Instacart and DoorDash are both on-demand delivery apps that utilize gig workers. Workers on Instacart are known as Instacart Shoppers while delivery people on DoorDash are called DoorDash Dashers. Signing up to deliver for both apps is straightforward.

To deliver for Instacart, you must meet the following requirements:

Be at least 18 years old
Be eligible to work in the U.S.
Have a bank account
Have consistent access to a vehicle and a recent smartphone
Be able to lift 40 lb with or without accommodation

The requirements for DoorDash are similar:

Dashers must be 18 years or older (in Delaware, Montana, and West Virginia, Dashers now need to be at least 19 years old)
Any car, scooter, or bicycle (in select cities)
Driver’s license or other form of ID (if dashing via bike only), Social Security number (for a background check only to determine contractor eligibility).

Both apps utilize independent contractors, which means workers aren’t employees. The benefit of this is that it gives you flexibility and you can generally choose where and when you want to work.

The Big Differences Between Instacart vs. DoorDash

Instacart and DoorDash are similar in that they’re both delivery apps. But there are some major differences that you need to understand between the two apps. Here are the big differences to consider between Instacart and DoorDash.

1. Shopping For Orders vs. Picking Up Orders

The biggest difference between Instacart and DoorDash is how you complete orders. Instacart uses what they call “full-service” shoppers, which means for the vast majority of orders, Instacart Shoppers have to shop for all the items in order, as well as deliver the order. While there are a few places where Shoppers only have to pick up and deliver prepared orders, most shops will require you to go to the store, shop for the items the customer ordered, pay for the items using the Instacart Payment Card, and then deliver the items to the customer.

In contrast, with DoorDash, Dashers pick up orders at the restaurant and very rarely have to shop for or place orders themselves. There are occasional grocery and convenience store orders from places like CVS and Walgreens which do require you to shop and pay for the orders using the DoorDash Red Card, but these aren’t quite so common. You can also receive the occasional order from restaurants that require you to place the order and pay for it with the Red Card, but again, these are generally exceptions.

The big difference between picking up vs. shopping for orders is the amount of time it takes to complete the order. DoorDash orders are always going to be faster because you don’t have to shop for them.

In my years of doing Instacart and DoorDash, I’ve never really been able to figure out how to make Instacart work well for me. A lot of it has to do with the fact that I’m not a very fast shopper, since I often don’t know where items are in the store and I often have issues with items being out of stock (which means I have to speak with the shopper and figure out replacement items).

That’s not to say you can’t make good money with Instacart. It’s just for me, I prefer DoorDash because I don’t have to shop for the orders and can complete deliveries faster since I only need to pick up and deliver the orders.

2. Bike vs. Car

I like DoorDash a lot because, in most cities, you don’t need a car to deliver for them. I use a bike to do my DoorDash deliveries, which, in many cities, is often faster (and much easier) than using a car. While most people will opt to deliver for DoorDash with a car, the fact that you don’t need a car to deliver for DoorDash is nice, especially since you can save a lot of money if you opt to do DoorDash with an ebike or electric scooter.

Instacart, on the other hand, does technically require Shoppers to have a car. That means you’ll also need to have a driver’s license and appropriate insurance. Having to carry groceries also typically means most people will need a car to complete their deliveries

That being said, while you do need a car to sign up to be an Instacart Shopper, it is possible to sign up for Instacart, but still use a bike to do your deliveries. You’ll still need to have a license and car insurance, but after you’re signed up, Instacart can’t see what vehicle you’re using. That means instead of delivering in a car, you can just deliver using your bike.

The limiting factor will be how far you have to travel and how you’ll carry groceries. I use an electric cargo bike to do my grocery deliveries, which is amazing and saves me a lot of money. It can also carry just as much groceries as a car. Note that I got the cargo bike (the Urban Arrow) to be a car replacement and as a way to get my kids around, not specifically for delivering with Instacart.

Below is an Instagram reel of my electric cargo bike and the setup I use to carry groceries.

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Even if you don’t have a cargo bike, you can still do smaller grocery deliveries using a bike trailer. Before I got my cargo bike, that’s how I picked up groceries.

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Most people aren’t going to go through the trouble of using a bike to deliver for Instacart and will stick with using a car, which is totally fine. Compared to delivering for DoorDash with a car, using a car for Instacart isn’t bad because most grocery stores have large parking lots and are located in car-centric areas that are easy to drive. This is in contrast to DoorDash where you often have to drive in high-traffic areas with little parking (and hence, why I think a bike is a much better way of delivering for DoorDash).

3. Indoors vs. Outdoors

This is a thing I sometimes think about because I do my deliveries using an ebike, but one difference between Instacart and DoorDash is how much time you spend outdoors between the different apps. With DoorDash, most of your time is spent traveling between restaurants and customers, and as a result, you’re going to be outside a lot. In the winter, it can be more grueling to deliver for DoorDash, especially if you’re on a bike. The same is true if it’s summer, although to a lesser extent.

With Instacart, it feels like more of your time is spent indoors since you need to shop for the customer’s order. During cold winter days or hot summer days, being able to spend more time indoors can be pretty nice.

For most people, this won’t be a very important factor, but I thought it was at least worth mentioning.

4. Location Differences Between Instacart and DoorDash – City vs. Suburbs

Another difference between Instacart and DoorDash is where you might end up working. DoorDash works best in dense neighborhoods where there are a lot of customers and restaurants. In most cities, the busiest areas are usually going to be these popular neighborhoods. If you’re delivering in a car, that means dealing with traffic and parking.

Instacart, on the other hand, is well-suited for people who live or work in the suburbs. The demand for Instacart is usually pretty good in the suburbs because that’s where a lot of grocery stores are located. Grocery stores also usually have large parking lots, which makes parking easy. The traffic in the suburbs is also lighter, making it easier to drive to customers.

All this to say, DoorDash tends to be best suited for city dwellers and people who want to work in the city, while Instacart can work better for people who live and work in the suburbs.

5. Which One Pays More?

In general, individual grocery orders on Instacart will pay more than individual DoorDash orders. This makes sense since Instacart Shoppers need to be compensated for the extra time it takes to shop for the order.

That being said, in my experience, I earn more on an hourly basis from DoorDash because of the time I save by not having to shop for orders. I’m admittedly not a very efficient Instacart Shopper and I often find myself having trouble finding items in the store, so part of the problem is on my end. Still, I’ve been signed up as an Instacart Shopper for over 8 years and I’ve never been able to figure out how to make Instacart work for me.

While DoorDash orders might not pay as much per order, I can complete them much faster since I’m only picking up and delivering orders. By multi-apping (i.e. delivering for multiple food delivery apps at the same time), I’m able to earn even more. (If you’re curious about how multi-apping works, check out my YouTube channel; here’s a YouTube short of me multi-apping):

If you’re someone who can shop quickly and efficiently, Instacart can make a lot of sense. For someone like me, DoorDash earns me more money because I can complete orders faster and more efficiently than I can with Instacart.

Which Is Better? Instacart Or DoorDash?

For me, the answer has always been clear – DoorDash is better than Instacart. I’ve been delivering for both DoorDash and Instacart for over 8 years and throughout that time, I’ve never been able to figure out how to make Instacart work for me. The main issue for me with Instacart is having to shop for orders. I’m simply not a good enough Shopper to make my earnings worthwhile.

It’s important to remember that gig economy apps like DoorDash and Instacart aren’t like your typical hourly jobs where you’re trading your time for money. Instead, with gig economy apps, you’re trading tasks for money. In the case of DoorDash and Instacart, the more deliveries you can complete, and the faster you complete them, the more you’ll earn.

With DoorDash, I’m able to complete a lot of deliveries in a short amount of time, especially since I use an ebike, work in dense neighborhoods, and multi-app. It means I get a lot of delivery requests, most of which aren’t going very far. During the prime lunch hours, I can often complete 4-6 deliveries in an hour. If I average $5 per delivery (which I think is very reasonable), I’m able to earn $20 to $30 per hour. If I’m lucky and increase my average earnings to $6 per delivery (which again, isn’t unreasonable), I’m able to earn $24 to $36 per hour. Remember, this all relies on working during the lunch or dinner rush and multi-apping, but it’s an important point to make.

With Instacart, I haven’t been able to figure out how to complete my deliveries quickly. If I take small Instacart orders, I don’t make much and I’m still using up more time shopping for the order. Large orders that pay well can be nice, but those orders often take a long time to shop, which again, makes it difficult for me to maximize my earnings.

That isn’t to say Instacart can’t be better for you than DoorDash. I’m admittedly not a good shopper, but if you’re someone who’s an expert at finding things in grocery stores and can work quickly and efficiently, Instacart could be a better moneymaker for you. For me, however, DoorDash is the clear winner.

Final Thoughts

Between DoorDash and Instacart, I always opt for DoorDash, primarily because I can complete deliveries faster and I don’t have to shop for customer orders.

However, my experience isn’t necessarily going to be your experience. This post went over the main differences between DoorDash and Instacart. Hopefully, this gives you the information you need to determine which app works better for you.

My advice is to sign up for both DoorDash and Instacart and try them both out. See which one works better for you, then plan your schedule around the app that you like more.

This post may contain affiliate links. Financial Panther has partnered with AwardWallet and CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Financial Panther, AwardWallet, and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact on how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies, or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

More Recommended Ebike/Scooters

Check out these other ebikes and scooters I've reviewed:

Urban Arrow Ebike – Last year, I made one of the largest purchases I’ve ever made – I bought a $9,000 electric cargo bike from Urban Arrow. In my Urban Arrow review, I will discuss what it is and why I decided to buy this bike, as well as discuss how impactful a bike like this can be on your journey to financial independence.
Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Ebike – The Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is a fat-tire ebike that I’ve had the pleasure of riding for a while now. It has amazing power, great looks, and awesome range. If you’re looking for a great fat-tire ebike that offers a lot for the price, the Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is definitely one for you to consider. Check out my Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Review.
Hovsco HovBeta Ebike – The HovBeta is a folding ebike with great specs and a lot of interesting features, and importantly, it’s sold at a good price point. I’ve had a blast commuting with it and using it to do deliveries with DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. Check out my Hovsco HovBeta Ebike Review.
Vanpowers Manidae Ebike – The Vanpowers Manidae is a fat tire ebike that I’ve been riding as my primary winter commuting bike and have also been using it to do food delivery with apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. After clocking in a decent number of miles with this ebike, I wanted to write a post sharing what my experience with the Vanpowers Manidae ebike has been like. Check out my Vanpowers Manidae Review.
Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding EBike Review – A Great Value Folding Ebike – The Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding Ebike is an entry-level folding ebike that offers a lot of value for the price point. I’ve been riding the Sohamo S3 for a while now, putting the bike through its paces, and I have to say, this bike has exceeded all of my expectations. Check out my Sohamo Review.
KBO Flip Ebike – The KBO Flip is an excellent bike. I’ve had a great time riding it and think it’s a versatile bike that can be used for a lot of purposes and can fit a variety of lifestyles. It’s worked out great for me as a general commuter bike and as a food delivery bike. Check out my KBO Flip Review.
Hiboy P7 Commuter Ebike – The Hiboy P7 is an excellent electric commuter bike that’s offered at an affordable price point. The range and speed of this bike are both very good, so you won’t have any trouble getting anywhere you need to go with it. As a food delivery vehicle, this is also good – with how much range it offers, you’ll be able to work all day on a single charge. Check out my Hiboy P7 Commuter Electric Bike Review.
Himiway Escape Ebike – The Himiway Escape is an interesting bike for anyone looking for a moped-style ebike. If you’re a gig economy worker, the Himiway Escape is particularly interesting and it’s possible to think of it as an investment, especially if you can opt to do deliveries with the Himiway versus using a car. It’s not cheap, but you can definitely make your money back when you compare the mileage you’ll put on your car versus using an ebike. Check out my Himiway Escape Bike Review.
Espin Sport Ebike – The Espin Sport is a good ebike for someone who is looking for an ebike that feels and rides more like a regular bike. There are many ebikes that are really only bikes in name. In reality, they’re basically electric mopeds. The Espin Sport, by contrast, is a bike you could probably ride without the battery and you’d feel like you’re just riding a regular bike. Check out my Espin Sport Review.
Varla Eagle One Scooter – The Varla Eagle One is an excellent scooter that can make sense for a lot of people. It can work as a primary mode of transportation. You can use it to work on gig economy apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. And it can also be a recreational vehicle if you’d prefer to use it for that. Check out my Varla Eagle One Review.
Varla Falcon Scooter – The Varla Falcon is an excellent scooter that offers a good amount of power at a lower price point compared to more powerful scooters. It’s not exactly an entry-level scooter, nor is it a high-powered scooter. I think it fits somewhere in-between those two categories – an intermediate scooter if I had to give it a category. Check out my Varla Falcon Review.
Hiboy S2 Scooter – The Hiboy S2 is an excellent entry-level commuter scooter that's perfect for someone looking to save some money in transportation costs and improve their commute. Check out my Hiboy S2 Review.
Hiboy S2R Scooter – The Hiboy S2R is one of the more interesting electric scooters I’ve been able to test out. It’s not a high-powered scooter, but for an everyday transport option, it’s very useful, especially given some of the unique features that it has. Indeed, for the price, the Hiboy S2R might be the best value scooter I’ve used. Check out my Hiboy S2R Review.
Fucare H3 Scooter – The Fucare H3 is a fun scooter and I’ve enjoyed testing it out. For a daily commuter or quick trips or errands, the Fucare H3 is probably the scooter I’ll use. It’s portable and easy to maneuver, so it’s just easier to take on the road when I need it. Check out my Fucare H3 Scooter Review.

More Recommended Investing App Bonuses

For additional investing app bonuses, be sure to check out the ones below:

M1 Finance ($100) – This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account. Check out my M1 Finance Referral Bonus – Step-By-Step Guide.
SoFi Invest ($25) – SoFi Invest is an easy brokerage account bonus that you can earn with just a few minutes of work. Use my SoFi Invest referral link, fund your SoFi Invest brokerage account with just $10 and you’ll get $25 of free stock. I also have a step-by-step guide for the SoFi Invest referral bonus.
Webull (20 free stock shares) – Webull's current promotion gives you 20 free shares valued between $3-$3,000 each if you open an account using my referral link. Here’s a guide I wrote about how to earn your free shares using Webull.
Moomoo (15 free stocks) – Moomoo is a free investing app currently offering 2 different referral bonuses if you open an account using a referral link. Read my Moomoo referral bonus guide for more information.
Robinhood (1 free stock) – Robinhood gives you a free stock valued between $2.50-$225 if you open an account using my referral link.
Public (1 free stock) - Public gives you a free stock valued between $3-$70 if you open an account using my referral link.

More Recommended Bank Account Bonuses

If you’re looking for more easy bank bonuses, check out the below options. These bonuses are all easy to earn and have no fees or minimum balance requirements to worry about.

Upgrade ($200) – Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $200 referral bonus if you open an account and complete a direct deposit. These bonus terms are easy to meet, so it’s well worth doing this bonus as soon as you can. Here’s a post I wrote with more details: Upgrade $200 Referral Bonus – Step By Step Directions.
Ally Bank ($100) – Of all the banks out there, Ally is, without a doubt, my favorite. At the moment, Ally is offering $100 to customers who open an eligible Ally account and meet the requirements. Here are the step-by-step directions to earn your Ally Bank referral bonus.
Fairwinds Credit Union ($175) – Fairwinds Credit Union is offering a referral bonus for users that sign up using a referral link. Fairwinds has no fees or minimum balance, so this is a particularly easy bonus to earn. Since this is a smaller credit union, my gut instinct tells me this offer won’t be around long, so if you’re in a position to meet the bonus requirements, grab this bonus before it’s gone. Here is my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Fairwinds Credit Union bonus.
Chime ($100) - Chime is a free bank account that offers a referral bonus if you use a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $200 or more. In practice, any ACH transfer into this account triggers the bonus. This bonus is easy to earn and posts instantly, so you’ll know if you met the requirements as soon as you move money into the account. I wrote a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Chime referral bonus that I recommend you check out.
US Bank Business ($900) – This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, since there are no direct deposit requirements. In addition, you can open the Silver Business Checking account, which comes with no monthly fees. Check out how to earn this big bonus here.
GO2Bank ($50) - GO2Bank is an easy bank bonus that I recommend people take advantage of if they have an easy way of meeting the direct deposit requirement. I like that it’s easy to open the account and that the bonus pays out quickly. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your GO2Bank $50 referral bonus.
Current ($50) – Current is a free fintech bank that’s offering new users a $50 referral bonus after signing up for an account using a referral link. Current is an easy bonus to earn and also gives you access to three savings accounts that pay you 4% interest on up to $2,000. That means you can put away up to $6,000 earning 4% interest. That’s very good and makes Current an account I recommend to everyone. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Current Bank bonus.
Novo Bank ($40) - Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. In addition to being a good bank bonus, Novo is also a good business checking account. It has no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements and operates a good app and website. Indeed, it’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog. Check out my post on how to easily open a Novo account.
Varo ($25) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $25 bonus to new users that open a new Varo account with a referral link. The bonus for this bank is very easy to meet, all you need to do is spend $20 within 30 days of opening your Varo account. Check out my step-by-step guide to learn how to earn this bonus.

Kevin is an attorney and the blogger behind Financial Panther, a blog about personal finance, travel hacking, and side hustling using the gig economy. He paid off $87,000 worth of student loans in just 2.5 years by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer.

Kevin is passionate about earning money using the gig economy and you can see all the ways he makes extra income every month in his side hustle reports.

Kevin is also big on using the latest fintech apps to improve his finances. Some of Kevin's favorite fintech apps include:

SoFi Money. A really good checking account with absolutely no fees. You'll get a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi Money account with a referral link, and an additional $300 if you complete a direct deposit.
5% Savings Accounts. I'm currently getting 5.24% interest on my savings through a company called Raisin. Opening a Raisin account takes minutes to complete, it's free, and all of your funds are FDIC-insured. I explain how it works, why I'm now using it to store my emergency fund and any other cash savings I have, and why I recommend everyone check it out in this review.
US Bank Business. US Bank is currently offering new business customers a $900 signup bonus after opening a new account and meeting certain requirements.
M1 Finance. This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account.
Empower. One of best free apps you can use to monitor your portfolio and track your net worth. This is one of the apps I use to track my financial accounts.

Feel free to send Kevin a message here.