01 — The verdictThe 30-second answer
- As a customer: Lowest fees overall: Grubhub, especially with a Grubhub+ membership.
- Widest restaurant selection: DoorDash.
- Best for grocery + food in one app: Instacart.
- Best if you want to order direct, no marketplace markup: ChowNow, where available.
- As a restaurant owner: Best for raw volume: DoorDash.
- Best for negotiating room: Grubhub.
- Best for keeping your margin and your customer data: ChowNow.
- For most restaurants: use two or three of these for discovery, and build a direct channel for repeat customers so you're not paying commission on every order forever.
The Platforms Compared
Grubhub. The third-largest food delivery service in the US, with 140,000+ restaurant partners fulfilling 450,000+ daily orders. Customers pay a delivery fee ($0.99 to $5.99), a service fee (5% to 20% of the subtotal, roughly $1 minimum), and a small-order fee (around $2) on orders under $10. A Grubhub+ membership runs $9.99/month and includes free delivery on orders over $12 plus exclusive deals. On the restaurant side, Grubhub charges a 15% to 30% commission, an optional marketing fee, and a 3% to 5% payment processing fee. It's generally the platform with the lowest customer-facing fees of the major three.
Uber Eats. One of the largest food delivery services globally, with strong coverage across the US and roughly 90% of the UK population. Delivery fees vary by location, rider availability, and demand rather than following a fixed range, and customers on Uber One or higher-tier plans see reduced fees compared to base-tier users. On the restaurant side, commission runs 15% to 30% depending on the plan, with an additional marketplace fee for orders fulfilled by the restaurant's own drivers.
Seamless. Grubhub's sister brand, with 12,000+ restaurants concentrated heavily in New York City. Customers pay $0 to $5 in delivery fees plus a 10% to 15% service fee. Restaurants pay a 10% to 30% commission depending on their agreement. Seamless is well regarded for order transparency and pre-ordering, though its commission and service fees run on the higher end for restaurants that don't have strong negotiating leverage.
Postmates. Available in 4,200+ US cities, now operating under Uber's ownership. Customer delivery fees range from $0.99 to $3.99 for partnered restaurants and up to $5.99+ for non-partnered ones, plus a 10% to 15% service fee and a $1.99 to $3.99 small-cart fee on orders under $10 to $12. Postmates Unlimited runs $9.99/month ($99.99/year) for waived delivery fees and reduced service fees. Restaurants pay a 15% to 30% commission, in line with Uber Eats.
DoorDash. The most used food delivery app in the US, with reported restaurant partner counts ranging from 340,000 to 390,000+ depending on the source, and coverage across the US and Canada. Customers pay a delivery fee ($1.99 to $5.99), a service fee (10% to 15%, roughly $2 minimum), and can subscribe to DashPass for $9.99/month for waived delivery fees and reduced service fees. DoorDash also delivers non-restaurant categories, including grocery, alcohol, and retail items. Restaurants pay a 15% to 30% commission depending on the partnership tier.
Instacart. Grocery-first, with a smaller restaurant and fast-food delivery layer. Customers pay a delivery fee starting at $3.99 for orders over $35 (higher for smaller orders or one-hour delivery), a service fee of 5% to 10%, a small-order fee of $2 to $4 on orders under $35, and an additional $2 alcohol delivery fee where applicable. Instacart+ runs $9.99/month or $99/year for waived delivery fees on qualifying orders. Instacart's restaurant commission structure varies by agreement rather than following a fixed public range.
ChowNow. Structurally different from every platform above. Customers aren't charged the markups typical of marketplace platforms, and restaurants pay a flat monthly or annual fee rather than a per-order commission, meaning a high-volume restaurant keeps significantly more of each sale. The tradeoffs: ChowNow's availability is limited to selected cities, and the flat subscription cost can feel steep for a very low-volume restaurant compared to a commission model that scales down with sales.
Full Comparison Table
| Platform | Availability | Delivery fee (customer) | Commission (restaurant) | Subscription |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grubhub | USA, 140,000+ restaurants | $0.99–$5.99 | 15%–30% | Grubhub+ $9.99/mo |
| Uber Eats | US + ~90% of UK | Varies by demand | 15%–30% | Uber One, tiered |
| Seamless | USA, 12,000+ restaurants | $0–$5 | 10%–30% | None |
| Postmates | USA, 4,200+ cities | $0.99–$5.99+ | 15%–30% | Unlimited $9.99/mo |
| DoorDash | USA & Canada, 340,000+ | $1.99–$5.99 | 15%–30% | DashPass $9.99/mo |
| Instacart | USA, Canada | $3.99+ | Varies by agreement | Instacart+ $9.99/mo |
| ChowNow | USA, select cities | No markup | Flat fee, no commission | Monthly/annual |
What Each Platform Actually Shares Back With You
The commission rate is only half the picture. What you get in exchange, specifically around customer data, varies more than most comparisons mention.
DoorDash, Uber Eats, Postmates, and Seamless all operate as marketplaces: they own the customer relationship, and restaurants typically see limited aggregate data, order counts, general performance, without a usable customer list to market to directly. Grubhub has historically shared somewhat more restaurant-facing performance detail, but the customer still belongs to Grubhub, not to you. ChowNow is the exception on this list: because orders go direct rather than through a marketplace layer, the customer relationship and the data that comes with it stay with the restaurant.
Choosing by Restaurant Type
Single-location, independent restaurant. Start with one or two platforms with real density in your area rather than listing everywhere. Grubhub or Seamless if you're in a dense northeast market, DoorDash almost everywhere else.
Multi-location or growing brand. Enough volume to make a real commission negotiation with Grubhub worth raising, and enough scale that ChowNow's flat-fee model starts looking more attractive than a percentage-based one.
High-volume, established brand. The commission math on marketplace platforms adds up fast enough at this scale that a restaurant online ordering system you control becomes a direct cost-savings decision, not just a nice-to-have.
Niche or local-favorite restaurants. Density and loyalty often outperform raw platform reach. Seamless in NYC or ChowNow's commission-free model can outperform a bigger platform if your customer base is already local and repeat-heavy.
Tips for Selecting the Right Platform
Check reviews before committing. Look for a platform with a track record of punctual deliveries and responsive support, and take recurring complaints about spoiled food or late delivery seriously, they tend to reflect a real operational pattern, not a one-off.
Confirm payment method coverage. Most platforms support credit/debit cards, major digital wallets, and often cash on delivery, but coverage varies enough that it's worth checking if your customer base skews toward a specific payment method.
Look at deals and discounts as a retention tool, not just a customer perk. Free delivery, cashback, and loyalty programs drive repeat orders, worth understanding which platform's promotional structure fits your margin before committing.
Evaluate customer support responsiveness. Multiple support channels (chat, phone, email) and fast response times during peak hours matter more than they seem to upfront, since support quality directly affects whether a bad delivery becomes a one-time complaint or a lost customer.
The Option None of These Platforms Will Tell You About
Every platform on this list, ChowNow aside, is built the same way: acquire the customer, keep the relationship, and hand you the order. That's not a flaw, it's the business model working as designed. But it means the commission you pay isn't really a delivery fee. It's rent on a customer relationship you never get to own.
Marketplace platforms are excellent at getting a new customer to try you once. They're not built to hand you the tools to keep that customer without paying for them again on every single order, forever.
This is exactly the gap OwnDeliv was built to close. Rather than choosing between several commission-based platforms and hoping the volume outweighs the cut, restaurants build their own delivery platform, an online food ordering and delivery platform with your branding, your customer data, and a direct relationship with every person who orders from you.
A white label restaurant online ordering system gives customers the same convenience they'd get from any platform above, real-time tracking, saved payment methods, easy reordering, without a marketplace between you and the relationship. If you're weighing whether an on demand delivery solutions platform built for your restaurant makes more sense than adding another commission-based listing, the comparison usually comes down to this: marketplace platforms are cheapest on a customer's first order and most expensive on every order after that. Your own platform runs the opposite way, and by the tenth repeat order, it's already the cheaper path.
Stop renting your customers. Start owning them.
OwnDeliv gives you a branded web ordering site, native iOS and Android apps, a rider dispatch system, and a merchant dashboard – all for a flat monthly fee, no per-order commission. You keep the customer data. You keep the margin. You keep your brand.
FAQThe questions everyone asks
This varies by location, but Grubhub generally has the lowest baseline delivery and service fees among the major platforms. DoorDash and Uber Eats can be competitive or cheaper for frequent orderers with a DashPass or Uber One subscription.
World Wide Waiter, launched in 1995, is widely considered the first. It still operates today as Waiter.com.
DoorDash, with the largest reported restaurant network among the platforms in this comparison.
Instacart is the strongest option for grocery delivery, including alcohol delivery in most locations (with an added alcohol delivery fee). DoorDash also delivers alcohol and retail items in many markets.
DoorDash, based on restaurant network size and app usage, with Uber Eats and Grubhub as the next most widely used.
Among the mainstream platforms, DoorDash is generally reported to pay the most overall for drivers once base pay, tips, and peak-pay bonuses are combined, though this varies by market.
Grubhub is typically cheaper, with lower delivery and service fees and less exposure to surge pricing. Actual pricing varies by city, restaurant, and active promotions.
Grubhub generally has the lowest baseline delivery and service fees. DoorDash and Uber Eats can match or beat that with an active subscription, depending on order frequency.
There's no single answer. DoorDash offers the most reach, Grubhub offers negotiating room at volume, and ChowNow offers the most control over margin and customer data. Most restaurants are best served by two platforms chosen for local density, not by listing everywhere, plus a direct ordering channel to retain repeat customers without paying commission on every order indefinitely.