Best delivery app to work with in 2026

Where you decide to deliver really depends on a handful of practical questions, like how much you could earn per hour, how quickly you receive earnings, which vehicle you're able to use, and what a platform offers on top of the base fare. Most delivery apps land in one of 2 categories: the ones that handle restaurants and convenience delivery (Uber Eats, DoorDash, Grubhub) and the ones built around grocery and retail delivery (Uber Eats, Instacart, Amazon Flex, Walmart Spark), though many of them now overlap. Because most delivery people deliver part-time alongside other activities, the earnings structure, how quickly you receive earnings, and how easily you can fit deliveries into your schedule tend to matter just as much as your total earnings.

This guide walks through 6 delivery apps that were popular with delivery people in 2026, grouped by what each one tends to do well. The earnings figures you'll see for Uber Eats come from anonymized, aggregated data collected from delivery people across US markets, while the competitor earnings are drawn from publicly available information and may not be directly comparable.

Quick comparison

1. Uber Eats: Competitive earnings, flexibility, and vehicle options

With Uber Eats, you can deliver in whatever way suits you, whether that's by car, on a bike or scooter, or on foot. Before you accept a delivery, you'll see the estimated earnings, the pickup and dropoff locations, and the total distance you'll cover

Earnings

• Delivery people delivering with Uber Eats earn per delivery, which combines base fares, promotions like Quest and Boost+, and tips that are always 100% theirs to keep.
• Tip Guarantee protects your eligible tips after a delivery, so if a tip ends up reduced, Uber covers the difference and, as always, you keep 100% of what you earn. Tip Guarantee only applies to completed deliveries placed through Uber.
• With the Uber Pro Card, earnings are available after every delivery at no cost - no cash-out or bank transfer needed - plus cash back on select purchases like gas. Standard Instant Pay transfers to a linked bank or debit card have a $1.49 fee.
• Quest promotions offer extra earnings when you complete a set number of deliveries inside a given timeframe, and you'll find them through the Opportunities tab in the Driver app
• Boost+ offers extra earnings on every delivery you start and finish inside designated areas, and it stacks right on top of your regular delivery fares

Rewards

• Uber Eats Pro is a tiered rewards program whose benefits include 2-6% cashback on gas depending on your tier, tuition coverage at Arizona State University, a Costco Gold Star membership at the Platinum and Diamond tiers, and vehicle maintenance discounts.
• New delivery people kick things off with an Uber Eats Pro Gold trial across their first 50 deliveries, which means priority access to higher-earnings deliveries plus rewards like gas savings and a Costco membership from day one.

Flexibility

• Planner lets delivery people reserve time slots in advance for guaranteed access to go online. In busy zones, they can go online without a reservation using the offline heatmap. Platinum and Diamond Uber Eats Pro couriers get unlimited access to go online anytime. Unlike Amazon Flex and Walmart Spark, Uber Eats offers multiple ways to find delivery opportunities based on your status and real-time demand.
• There's no wait list in most markets either, so once your onboarding wraps up (something that can take as little as a day) you can sign up and start earning.
• As long as you're eligible to meet the requirements for both driving and delivering, you can switch between ride requests and delivery orders inside the same app without having to keep separate accounts.
• Acceptance rate is one of the factors in Uber Eats Pro status. Maintaining a higher rate helps unlock better Planner access and, at the Platinum or Diamond tier, unlimited access to go online
• Catering deliveries give delivery people a way to earn extra, and potentially land bigger tips, by dropping catering orders at businesses or events

Getting started

• You can deliver in whatever way suits you, whether by car, bike, scooter, or on foot, which is one of the most flexible vehicle ranges you'll find among major delivery platforms.
• The age requirement is 19+ if you're delivering by car or scooter (21+ in some cities), and 18+ for bike or on foot, and a background check is required.

Best for: delivery people who don't want to sit on a wait list before getting started, who want to pick their own vehicle type, who like the idea of free instant Pay through the Uber Pro Card, or who want the option of combining delivery with rideshare on one platform.

2. DoorDash

DoorDash is a restaurant and convenience delivery platform that covers a lot of suburban restaurants, and it runs on a base fare model where you also keep 100% of customer tips and incentives.

• The base fare gets calculated per delivery using distance, duration, and desirability factors, and 100% of customer tips go straight to the Dasher
• DoorDash Crimson, which used to be called DasherDirect, is an optional debit card that gives you daily pay earnings along with 2% cash back on gas purchases
• Peak Pay tacks on extra per-delivery earnings during high-demand windows, and the large-order program gives qualified Dashers access to catering deliveries that pay more
• Earn by Time is available in select markets if you'd rather earn a guaranteed hourly rate than per-delivery fares
• The platform tracks your acceptance rate, and keeping it high is what gets you certain program benefits
• It's mostly car-based in most markets, though bike delivery is available in select cities

3. Instacart

Instacart is a grocery delivery platform that works differently from restaurant delivery, because shoppers pick the items in-store before they deliver them, which means orders take longer but often earn more per batch.

• Grocery batches usually offer higher fares than restaurant deliveries before tips, and since customers often tip a percentage of the order total, the tip amounts tend to run higher on large orders
• Priority is ratings-based, so shoppers with high customer ratings get to see and claim the higher-earning batches first
• This one requires a car, since there's no bike, scooter, or walking option
• Batch availability can be spotty in smaller markets, and the platform tends to work best when you're near a Costco, Sam's Club, or another high-value grocery store
• The physical side of it means carrying heavy grocery bags, working your way through store aisles, and sorting out substitutions with customers while you shop

4. Amazon Flex

Amazon Flex gives you a guaranteed base fare for each delivery block, which usually runs 3-5 hours. Depending on the block type, delivery people handle Amazon packages, Whole Foods groceries, or Amazon Fresh orders.

• Because the base fare is guaranteed, you know the minimum payout before you ever start a block, and unclaimed blocks sometimes bump up in pay as the start time gets closer
• Package delivery routes pay the base rate no matter what customers tip, while Whole Foods and Fresh routes may include tips
• The block-based scheduling means you have to claim time slots ahead of time through the app, which can get competitive in popular markets
• There's no instant cashout here, since earnings deposit twice a week, on Tuesday and Friday
• You'll need a car that meets the size requirements for package routes, and there's no rewards program offered.

5. Grubhub

Grubhub does restaurant delivery with per-order fares plus tips, and it has a strong presence in urban markets, especially across the Northeast and Midwest.

• Contribution fares guarantee a minimum hourly rate during scheduled blocks for any delivery person who keeps a 90% acceptance rate across the full day, and if your completed orders don't reach that threshold, Grubhub makes up the difference
• Bike delivery is widely available, which makes Grubhub one of the better options for cyclists alongside Uber Eats
• Order availability shifts from market to market and may be thinner in suburban areas
• That guaranteed minimum only kicks in during scheduled blocks, so off-schedule deliveries come with no hourly floor

6. Walmart Spark Driver

Spark Driver is Walmart's delivery platform for grocery and general merchandise orders, and it has grown fast in suburban and midsize markets, particularly across the South, Midwest, and Florida.

• Walmart's store network provides delivery coverage in suburban areas where restaurant-focused platforms may have lower order density
• Grocery and merchandise orders often offer higher earnings per delivery than restaurant orders due to larger order sizes
• Incentive promotions are available during high-demand periods
• Block-based scheduling is used, similar to Amazon Flex. Delivery people claim available windows
• A car is required—orders can include heavy or bulky items including large grocery hauls and general merchandise
• Spark Driver Rewards has 2 tiers—Tier 2 (20+ deliveries per month with a good rating) includes a free Walmart+ membership

What vehicle can you use on each delivery app?

Not every platform offers the same vehicle types, and that matters more than it sounds, because in dense urban areas bike and scooter delivery people often complete more deliveries per hour than car drivers, thanks to easier parking and faster navigation through traffic, and on top of that they skip fuel costs entirely.

What payment and benefits does each delivery app offer?

How can you maximize your delivery earnings?

These strategies apply across platforms:

• Deliver during peak hours. Lunch, which runs 11am–1pm, and dinner, from 5–9pm, are the highest-demand windows across every platform, and on Uber Eats the offline delivery heatmap shows you the demand zones before you even go online, refreshing every 10 minutes.
• Use multiple apps. Plenty of delivery people run Uber Eats and DoorDash at the same time and take whichever order pays more, but you'll want to avoid accepting orders on both at once, since late deliveries drag down your customer ratings and your future order access.
• Consider bike or scooter delivery in dense cities. In places like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and similar metros, bike delivery people often out-earn car drivers once you account for fuel, parking, and traffic, and both Uber Eats and Grubhub support bike delivery.
• Stack promotions. On Uber Eats, Quest promotions pay you extra on top of your regular delivery fares, so it's worth enrolling through the Opportunities tab and planning your delivery windows around whenever Quest periods are active.
• Understand tip protection. On some platforms, customers can reduce or remove a tip after delivery, which means your final earnings might be less than expected. Uber Eats addresses this with Tip Guarantee. In most cases where tips are reduced after delivery, Uber covers the difference so delivery people keep what they earned. Tip Guarantee only applies to completed deliveries placed through Uber.
• Track actual costs. Your net earnings are just your gross earnings minus fuel, vehicle maintenance, phone data, and self-employment taxes, so track your mileage for tax deductions.

Frequently asked questions

What delivery app pays the most?

What you earn depends on your market, when you're working, and the kind of delivery you're doing. Restaurant delivery platforms like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub each pay a little differently depending on their base pay structure, tips, and whatever promotions are running in your area. Instacart can pay more per order for grocery delivery, but you're trading that against the time you spend shopping in-store. Amazon Flex gives you the most predictable income through its guaranteed block fares. A lot of the highest earners end up running multiple apps.

Can you do Uber Eats on a bike?

Yes. Uber Eats supports bike, scooter, and walking delivery in select US cities, and you don't need a car or a driver's license for bike delivery, where the age requirement is 18+, or 19+ in some markets. In dense cities, bike delivery people often earn hourly rates comparable to car drivers, since they have zero fuel costs and can move through traffic faster.

How fast can I start delivering with Uber Eats?

In most markets there's no wait list, so once your onboarding is complete you can sign up and start earning, and that can take as little as a day depending on how quickly your documents and background check get processed. You can deliver by car, bike, scooter, or even on foot, and there's no vehicle inspection required if you're delivering by bike or walking.

What is Uber Eats Pro?

Uber Eats Pro is a tiered rewards program that opens up more rewards the more deliveries you complete. Once you reach Gold, Platinum, or Diamond status, you get priority access to higher-earning deliveries, 2-6% cash back on gas depending on your tier, tuition coverage at Arizona State University, a Costco Gold Star membership at the Platinum and Diamond tiers, and vehicle maintenance discounts. New delivery people begin with a Gold trial across their first 50 deliveries, which gives them Gold-level rewards from day one.

About this guide

The 6 platforms in this guide cover the main ways people earn through delivery in the US, from restaurants and convenience stores (Uber Eats, DoorDash, Grubhub) to groceries (Uber Eats, Instacart, Walmart Spark) and packages (Amazon Flex). Each one made the list because it handles a meaningfully different type of delivery.

*Stated earnings per hour are based on median earnings of couriers in each city from 2026-06-29 to 2026-07-27. Actual earnings vary, depending on factors like number of deliveries completed, time of day, and location. Earnings include delivery fares, certain promotions (which are subject to change and may vary), and tips (which are provided at the discretion of the consumer). Median earnings in your specific location may be lower than the city figure. Since median is the middle, you may make more or less than the median amount. For the avoidance of doubt, couriers are paid based on their completed deliveries, but not hourly.

This article is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to mislead or unfairly criticize any of the services mentioned. Brand names, product names, and logos referenced are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Use of these names is solely for factual comparison and does not imply endorsement. Features, availability, pricing, and program terms may change over time.

Uber Eats couriers are independent contractors, not employees. Earnings are not guaranteed and depend on factors including market demand, time, location, and individual effort.