Apps like Gopuff makes our life easier by delivering groceries to our doorstep in minutes. If you’re a customer of GoPuff fam, you probably are enjoying rewards and zero delivery fees on all orders for just $5.99.
In a difficult time like the pandemic, the platform comes in a clutch, providing thousands of food products across the United States. Snacks, ice creams, and essentials like bounty paper towels, and charming toilet paper are the top-selling products on GoPuff.
However, it houses almost everything from regular water to alcohol nearby or prepackaged meals.
As of now, the platform delivers on more than 650 U.S. cities directly through fulfillment centers and is valued at nearly $8.3 billion.
It provides 100% tips for drivers and offers flexibility to work whenever and wherever they want. However, as trustworthy and helpful as this platform seems to be, it’s not flawless either.
Unlike apps like Grubhub or Postmates, it doesn’t support restaurant delivery and is not available in most U.S. cities. So, without further ado, jump right into the GoPuff alternatives.
Best grocery apps like GoPuff to work for
Instacart
Instacart is one of the best Grocery delivery apps launched in 2012. The app has a massive product catalog of over 500 million products, shipping items from local grocers to chain stores like Walmart and Kroger. As yet, it serves over 5500+ cities across U.S. and Canada.
With Instacart, you can get your order delivered to your door, or you can get to the shop to pick up your order or have the shop employee bring groceries to your car.
The app lets your track your orders, and communicate with the shopper every step of the way. For same-day delivery, you need to pay $3.99 on an order above $35. A delivery cost may vary for one-hour deliveries and delivery under $35.
Unlike other apps, Instacart charges a heavy fee, even when you switch to a $149 yearly membership, called Instacart express.
Its Primum service includes – free delivery above $35, no busy pricing fees, reduced service fees, and shopping at multiple stores on a single order with a 0% delivery fee.
Apart from that, express members get gifts and discounts at certain shops. This platform works quite well for riders, as it offers flexibility to make their own schedules and pays 100% tips.
However, drivers get paid by the number of hours they work, not by orders they successfully land.
Pros
- Supports a broad spectrum of local shops and retailers.
- Shop and add more than one retailer to the entire order.
- Houses over 500 million products.
- Contactless and Pickup delivery options are available.
- Notify, chat, and track live orders.
- A decent money-making platform for riders.
Cons
- A bit expensive for Non-express users.
- Poor customer support for both drivers and customers.
- 5% fee on orders less than $35.
- Drivers earn by wages, not by commission.
Shipt
Shipt is another U.S. grocery delivery app similar to GoPuff that delivers stuff on the same day. Acquired by Target in 2017, Shipt already expands to over 5000 U.S cities.
However, it still has a long way to go to be as massive as Instacart. With Shipt, you can order household essentials, fresh fruits and vegetables, on-demand alcohol, and many more things from your favorite stores or retailers near you.
Shipt ships across states in the United States, so to check if it is in your area, you can hop in your zip code in the box.
When purchasing items from the platform, you have to fork out a $7 delivery fee whenever your order falls below $35. However, this is not the case with Shipt membership.
With premium plans, it offers unlimited free delivery on orders above $35 from Target and other participating shops that offer discounts with more perks.
Unlike GoPuff, it prompts users to buy premium plans or Shipt passes before they can check out. Its plans go like $14 monthly and $99 yearly which works out to $8.25 monthly.
And it’s like most of the economy-sharing gig jobs, where drivers can set their own hours, and get paid about as much as $21 per hour. Unlike Instacart, it doesn’t reimburse for gas and wears & tear. Also, riders can’t cash out every day.
Pros
- Same-day delivery.
- Personalize items for users.
- Contains fresh fruits, handpicked groceries, alcohol, and other household items.
- It Lets users track current order status.
- Available in 5000+ U.S cities.
- Riders earn more per order with Shipt.
- Flexible for riders.
Cons
- Riders pay for mileage, gas, and maintenance.
- Pays every Friday not daily.
- Need to sign up for a membership before ordering groceries.
- Can’t chat directly with shop employees.
- $7 fee on orders below $35.
- Products prices are marginally higher than in-stores to offset the cost of handling, packaging, and other services.
Postmates
Postmates is the one-stop solution to shop local restaurants food, groceries, and more. Launched by Uber, as a way to deliver daily essential items, Postmates is now available in more than 50 U.S. States, serving over 50 million users without a break.
If you’re a first member, you can get $10 off on your first order with the app. Don’t want to fork out the delivery fee? Well, just skip the delivery fee and select Pick Up in an option to collect items from a nearby store or restaurant.
Postmates works with thousands of local shop owners and restaurants that boost their sales by reaching more local customers.
Unlike GoPuff or Instacart alternatives, it charges considerably less fee. When joining Postmates Unlimited, you don’t need to pay the delivery fee on orders above $12 (varies by location). Posmates delivery fee is $$0.99–$3.99 for partner merchants, and $5.99-$9.99 for other merchants.
For drivers, they’ve built an app called Fleet, where they can find all the tools they need for managing a financial account, and successful delivery.
Joining Fleet is free, as all you need to do is sign up, answer a few questions, and provide proof of identity. It pays instantly and reimburses $0.80 for every active mile, so you can cover the cost of gas and maintenance.
Pros
- Low fees compared to other grocery apps.
- Riders can work whenever they want, withdraw instantly, and get tips 90% of the time.
- Skip shipping cost when using Pick up.
- Supports over 600000 restaurants, retailers, and grocers.
- Same-day delivery.
- Massive food options to deliver compared to Ubereats.
Cons
- Sometimes restaurants delay in ordering food.
- Low pay (usually $10-$20 per hour), depending on location, and other factors.
- Most earnings are based on tips.
Wrapping it Up
Here we’ve rounded up a few apps like GoPuff to shop and work for. We’ve thoroughly covered details about fee structure, payments, and cons & pros to help you find a better alternative.
These sharing economy apps offer flexibility to riders to set their own hours and provide tools to manage everything. However, income can dramatically be varied by location, order size, and other factors.
Postmates fees are a tidbit lower as its minimum order size is $12 for a deliver-free service (premium), whereas Instacart and Shipt charge hefty fees on orders below $35.
If you work for Shipt, you have to pay for mileage, and also, shoppers cannot order an item before purchasing a premium plan. To sum up, all the listed apps have some flaws and trump, so read through the end, and try what fits your need.
