We've all been there. It's 7pm, you're exhausted after work, the fridge is empty, and you pull up Uber Eats only to gasp at the delivery fees, wait times, or the same 12 restaurants popping up every time. If you're tired of settling, you're not alone. Millions of people every month search for 7 Alternatives for Uber Eats because they want more choices, fairer pricing, and better support for local businesses.

Too many people get stuck using one delivery app just out of habit, even when that app keeps raising fees, cutting driver pay, or hiding good restaurants behind algorithmic recommendations. This isn't just about saving a few dollars. Trying different food delivery apps can get you fresher food, faster drop-offs, access to small family restaurants that never joined Uber Eats, and even support for ethical business practices.

In this guide, we're breaking down every top option, what they do best, where they fall short, and exactly when you should switch to each one. No paid promotions, just real, tested breakdowns for anyone fed up with the default app.

1. DoorDash: Best For Wide Restaurant Selection

DoorDash is the largest food delivery platform in North America, and for good reason. It currently partners with nearly 2x more independent restaurants than Uber Eats, according to 2024 industry data from Edison Trends. That means you'll find small taco stands, neighborhood bakeries, and local coffee shops that never bothered signing up for other apps. If your biggest complaint about Uber Eats is seeing the same chain restaurants every time you open the app, this is your first stop.

Unlike Uber Eats, DoorDash lets you filter search results by delivery fee first, instead of hiding fees until checkout. You can also schedule deliveries up to 7 days in advance, which works perfectly for office lunches or weekend dinner plans. One common point of praise from users is that DoorDash drivers tend to provide more frequent status updates, so you won't be left staring at a static map wondering where your food went.

Before you switch, keep these key differences in mind:

• Average delivery fee: $1.99-$4.99, compared to Uber Eats' $2.49-$6.99
• Service fee range: 5-15% of order total
• Available in 94% of US zip codes
• Free delivery starts at $12 minimum order for DashPass members

The biggest downside? Busy peak times can see surge fees kick in faster than Uber Eats. Always check the fee breakdown before finalizing your order, and consider ordering 15 minutes before the dinner rush if you can. For most people though, the wider restaurant selection easily makes up for occasional peak pricing.

2. Grubhub: Best For Budget Orders And Student Discounts

Grubhub has been around longer than almost every other delivery app, and it's built its reputation on transparent pricing. A 2023 consumer report found that Grubhub had the lowest final checkout price for identical orders 62% of the time when compared directly to Uber Eats. That adds up fast if you order delivery even once a week.

Students especially love Grubhub, thanks to an official student discount program that gives 25% off every order plus free delivery for verified users. You won't find this level of consistent discount on Uber Eats, which only runs occasional one-time promo codes. Grubhub also doesn't inflate menu prices as much as competing apps: on average restaurants only mark up prices 7% on Grubhub compared to 12% on Uber Eats.

Here's how pricing stacks up for a typical $20 dinner order:

App	Final Total
Grubhub	$26.18
Uber Eats	$29.72

The tradeoff is that Grubhub has a smaller selection than DoorDash or Uber Eats in rural and suburban areas. If you live in a major city or college town however, this won't be an issue. Skip Uber Eats the next time you're ordering late night pizza or a cheap lunch, and give Grubhub a test run first.

3. Toast Takeout: Best For Supporting Local Restaurants

Most people don't realize that delivery apps take up to 30% commission from every restaurant order. That means for every $10 you spend on Uber Eats, the restaurant only gets $7 before they even pay for food or staff. Toast Takeout was built specifically to fix this problem. The platform only charges restaurants 5% commission, which means more money stays in your local community.

Toast is the point of sale system that most independent restaurants already use, so they don't have to do extra work to list their menu here. You'll almost always find the exact same menu prices as you would if you walked into the restaurant, no hidden markups at all. Many restaurants even run exclusive deals only for Toast Takeout orders, to encourage people to avoid the high-fee apps.

If you're switching from Uber Eats to Toast, remember these important differences:

1. There is no monthly subscription program
2. Deliveries are often made by restaurant staff, not gig drivers
3. Wait times are almost always 10-15 minutes faster
4. You can tip 100% directly to the delivery person with no cuts

The only catch is that Toast Takeout is only available for restaurants that use the Toast system, so you won't find most national chain restaurants here. That's actually a feature for most people who want to support small businesses. Next time you're craving food from that local spot you love, check Toast first before opening Uber Eats.

4. Instacart: Best For Groceries + Hot Food Combo Orders

Sometimes you don't just want a burger. Sometimes you want that burger, plus a gallon of milk, plus pain reliever for the headache you got at work. That's where Instacart shines. While most people only use it for groceries, Instacart now delivers from thousands of restaurants, delis, and fast food spots too.

Unlike Uber Eats, you can combine items from multiple stores in one single delivery. That means you can pick up sushi from the restaurant down the street and ice cream from the grocery store, all with one delivery fee. This saves you an enormous amount of money if you need more than just one meal, and it cuts down on multiple drivers showing up at your door.

Instacart works best for these types of orders:

• Weekend brunch plus coffee and orange juice
• Late night snacks and over the counter medicine
• Dinner plus ingredients for tomorrow's breakfast
• Party food plus paper plates and napkins

Delivery fees can be slightly higher than dedicated food apps, but when you're combining orders you almost always end up paying less overall. Instacart also has much stricter quality standards for drivers, and you can message your shopper directly at any point during the order. Skip Uber Eats the next time you need more than just a single meal.

5. GoPuff: Best For Ultra Fast Late Night Orders

GoPuff operates very differently from every other delivery app on this list. Instead of picking up food from restaurants, GoPuff stores thousands of popular items, hot food, snacks, drinks and essentials in local micro-warehouses. That means when you place an order, the driver is already at the warehouse when you tap checkout.

The average delivery time for GoPuff is just 17 minutes, according to internal company data. That's less than half the average wait time for Uber Eats during peak hours. They also stay open 24 hours a day in most locations, so you can get food at 2am when every other delivery app has shut down for the night.

Compare this to typical Uber Eats wait times:

Time Of Day	GoPuff Average Wait	Uber Eats Average Wait
Weekday Lunch	14 minutes	32 minutes
Friday Dinner Rush	21 minutes	47 minutes
After Midnight	19 minutes	Unavailable 68% of the time

The downside is that you won't get fresh restaurant meals here. GoPuff carries pre-made hot food, frozen meals, snacks and prepared items. But for those nights when you just need something fast, and you don't want to wait an hour for Uber Eats? This is the best option you have.

6. Postmates: Best For Unique, Non-Restaurant Deliveries

Postmates was acquired by Uber a few years back, but it still operates as a completely separate app with its own rules, driver pool and selection. Most people don't realize this, and they just stick to Uber Eats instead of trying the better sibling app.

The biggest difference with Postmates is that you can have drivers pick up literally anything, not just food. Forgot your charger at a friend's house? Need a pack of batteries from the hardware store? Want that special donut from the bakery that doesn't do delivery? Postmates drivers will go get it for you. Uber Eats restricts orders to pre-approved merchant locations only.

Other benefits Postmates has over Uber Eats include:

1. Lower service fees on all orders under $15
2. No surge pricing on rainy days
3. Ability to leave special instructions for any stop
4. Free delivery for orders over $25 even without a subscription

You will still see most of the same restaurants you find on Uber Eats, but you get much more flexibility. Even if you don't use it every day, keep Postmates installed on your phone for the odd occasions when you need something that Uber Eats won't deliver. It will save you a headache more often than you expect.

7. Local Independent Delivery Co-ops: Best For Ethical Delivery

Almost every city and town now has at least one independent local delivery co-op, run by drivers and small restaurants themselves. These are not giant venture capital apps, they are community groups built specifically to avoid the bad practices of Uber Eats and other big platforms.

With local co-ops, drivers get paid a living wage, restaurants only pay 5-10% commission, there are no hidden fees, and all the money stays in your local area. A 2024 study found that ordering from a local co-op puts 3x more money back into your local economy than ordering from Uber Eats.

To find one near you:

• Search Facebook groups for your city plus "local delivery"
• Ask your favorite local restaurant who they recommend
• Check neighborhood forums and local business association pages
• Look for flyers posted at coffee shops and grocery stores

Yes, these co-ops usually have smaller selections, and they rarely have fancy app features. But you will get to know the drivers, your food will almost always arrive hot, and you can feel good about where your money is going. This is the single best alternative for anyone who is tired of how Uber Eats treats drivers and restaurants.

At the end of the day, there is no single perfect delivery app. Every one of these 7 alternatives for Uber Eats excels at different things, and the best choice will change depending on what you need that day. Keep 2 or 3 of these apps installed on your phone, and take 30 seconds to compare prices and options before you place your next order. You will almost always save money, get faster delivery, and have more options than if you just default to Uber Eats every time.

The next time you go to order food, try one new option this week. Even if you only switch one out of every four orders, you will notice the difference in quality, pricing, and service. You don't have to delete Uber Eats entirely, but you never have to settle for it being your only choice either.