Food delivery business has grown tremendously, making it more convenient than what it was decades ago. Frankly, the reasons for this tremendous growth aren’t far-fetched with one of them being the impressive popularity of app-based food delivery services.

Interestingly, the emergence of app-based food delivery services happens to have brought about convenient means of running food delivery business. With the help of a third-party food delivery app, you can easily save yourself the inconvenience of visiting restaurants. 

Third-party food delivery apps are removing inconvenience same way ridesharing apps save people a lot of stress. If you’re keen to make success with your ordering of food from any of the major restaurants in the U.S, you’ll likely want to know the apps that help you achieve just that. 

Grubhub and DoorDash are two heavyweights in the app-based food delivery industry. The two food delivery services have gained huge popularity across the United States and it’s quite interesting that they can compete fairly alongside each other. 

In the light of the heavy rivalry among food delivery services, we have decided to compare DoorDash and Grubhub. This post is, therefore, an honest review that pits Grubhub and DoorDash against each other so that you can have a clear picture of which food delivery service is better for you. 

Saying Grubhub is better than DoorDash (or the other way round) may seem relative. This is because Grubhub outperforms DoorDash in a number of areas while DoorDash also claims an edge in a certain area. Nevertheless, reading this post will help you find out which (of the two services) is better for you especially with respect to your preference and needs. 

For the sake of fairness, this post compares Grubhub and DoorDash on grounds of four different factors:

(i) availability

(ii) subscription service

(iii) costs and fees, and

(iv) mobile app. 

Availability

In the U.S, Grubhub boasts much greater availability compared to DoorDash. Nonetheless, both Grubhub and DoorDash are generously accessible across major U.S cities. These two food delivery services let you gain access to a good deal of restaurants across major U.S cities. 

Clearly, Grubhub boasts the greater level of availability even as reports claimed that as of January, 2019, DoorDash had extended its reach to all the 50 states in the U.S. Grubhub’s availability extends beyond the U.S as the food delivery service is known for operating in London. 

Information obtained from Grubhub’s official website shows that the food delivery service is available in more than 3,200 U.S cities. Interestingly, Grubhub maintains over 300,000 restaurants widely distributed across U.S cities. 

Although it doesn’t appear wide-ranging as Grubhub, Doordash does operate in popular Canadian and U.S locations. While there isn’t any need stressing again that Grubhub is the better food delivery service in terms of availability, it’s still noteworthy that this greater comparison is as a result of Grubhub’s greater market share and years of operation. 

Subscription Service

Both Grubhub and DoorDash run subscription services intended to magnify users’ experience. Grubhub’s subscription service (known as Grubhub+) lets you enjoy a free trial. At the end of this free (14-day) trial, you’ll be required to use the premium subscription which costs $9.99 per month. 

Some of the perks associated with Grubhub+ are (i) 10% cashback offer and (ii) unlimited free delivery. Unlike that of Grubhub+, the free delivery offered by DoorDash’s DashPass only applies to orders starting from $10. Interestingly however, DashPass guarantees a free trial which lasts a 30-day period. This, of course, is a better free trial offer than the 14-day offer experienced with Grubhub+. 

Grubhub+ is likely a better subscription service than DashPass due to Grubhub’s greater selection of restaurants. Frankly, there isn’t any serious difference between DashPass and Grubhub+. While DashPass offers Boost which guarantees 10% off, Grubhub+ also offers a kind of 10% off. With any of Grubhub+ and DashPass, you can enjoy free delivery at given restaurants. However, Grubhub+ claims the greater edge as it offers a higher number of eligible restaurants for free delivery. 

Costs and Fees

In weighing the pros and cons of two or more food delivery services, you’ll likely want to see the service with comparatively less charges. Undeniably, food delivery services (such as DoorDash and Grubhub) are often known for high costs probably incorporating tips, delivery fees and service fees. 

With Grubhub, you won’t have to pay any restaurant service fee but in the case of DoorDash, it’s very likely that both DoorDash and the restaurant (you’re placing your order to) will charge you a service fee. 

Grubhub and DoorDash happen to maintain flexible tipping as they both allow you to specify your desired tipping amount provided you aren’t satisfied with the default figures. 

In terms of pricing, Grubhub claims a better competitive edge probably because it boasts a greater number of national partners than DoorDash. Also in terms of offerings, the Grubhub app observably offers greater special promotions than what is seen in the DoorDash app. 

The Grubhub app comes with Perks page which sets out the offers you stand to benefit in terms of cash off and free delivery. Also, there are other special rewards (precisely under Redeem and Earn tabs within the app) that you get entitled to at select restaurants. Notably, you’re required to have spent a minimum amount at such restaurants before you’re deemed eligible for the rewards. 

Both Grubhub and DoorDash offer special promotions but comparatively, Grubhub’s offers guarantee you better chances of more savings. If DoorDash is still your choice service despite the lesser chances of savings, you may have to obtain a Cash App debit card. This way, you’ll likely have a reasonable shot at having more savings. 

From DoorDash’s array of special promotions, one notable offer is the $0 delivery that you enjoy on your first order at some of the service’s featured restaurants. Concerning costs and fees, Grubhub observably guarantees a broader range of benefits but again, your experience may be heavily influenced by your preferred usage (for the DoorDash app or the Grubhub app) and your chosen restaurants. 

Grubhub App Vs. DoorDash App –Which Is Better?

Grubhub and DoorDash have dedicated mobile apps, making it a lot easy for you to access their offers. The two services happen to have developed excellent mobile apps but DoorDash’s app offers the better user experience. 

The DoorDash app boasts a pretty layout with a decent arrangement of DoorDash’s specials and promotions. This layout further enables you to quickly access DoorDash’s free delivery offers, national partners, favorite restaurants and other app features. 

Unlike that of DoorDash’s app, the layout of Grubhub’s app presents the app’s major features (Grubhub’s offers, partners and your favorites) far away in a fragmented style. This makes it unlikely that you’ll have instant access to the features after launching the app. Instead, you’ll have to navigate through the listed array of restaurants before you can eventually access the said features. 

Besides ease of access, app features is another area where DoorDash’s app beats Grubhub’s. Put simply, DoorDash boasts “group orders”, an added feature which enables DoorDash users to engage in collective ordering. Basically, this is done by sharing a link to another user (of the DoorDash app) who could be a friend or relative. One great perk of DoorDash’s group order is the likelihood of specific promotions and coupons. 

Grubhub happens to have outperformed DoorDash in a number of critical areas (including level of availability) but frankly, DoorDash boasts the more excellent app. Observably, Dashapp’s app looks more user-oriented than that of Grubhub. 

Conclusion

It’s beyond doubt that Grubhub and DoorDash come quite close in comparison. However, one is evidently better than the other based on overall evaluation. In the area of UI and features, DoorDash’s app outperforms Grubhub’s. 

Pitting their subscription services against each other, it’s observable that Grubhub+ outperforms DashPass.  This means Grubhub+ (Grubhub’s subscription service) is a better service than DashPass but this assertion may prove otherwise particularly if you have a Cash App debit card which lets you have a better experience with DashPass. 

Importantly, Grubhub is more accessible than DoorDash due to the former’s greater number of supported service locations. If availability is your topmost priority in deciding between the two services, it suffices that Grubhub is the better option for you. But if app’s user-friendliness is what you prioritize most, DoorDash is likely the more befitting choice. 

Finally, we strongly believe that reading this post has convinced you about which of DoorDash and Grubhub is the better app-based food delivery service.