Uber Eats vs Instacart – Which Side Hustle Pays More?
When it comes to making extra cash, one of the most popular options out there is to use various side gig apps.
In fact, as many as 44% of Americans have a part-time gig to make money. And it's these types of side hustles that can really help make ends meet.
Now in the gig economy, two of the most popular companies are Uber Eats and Instacart. One is a popular food and everyday essential delivery service, while the other focuses on grocery delivery.
But should you deliver for Uber Eats or Instacart? And which gig pays drivers more?
In this Uber Eats vs Instacart breakdown, I'm covering how each of these apps works, how much they pay, and how to decide which one is right for you.
Let's get to it!
About Uber Eats
An offshoot of the well known Uber ride service, Uber Eats offers delivery of food from area restaurants directly to customer doors.
The platform is available in thousands of cities in dozens of countries. And it's one of the main food delivery apps alongside competitors like DoorDash and Grubhub.
As an Uber Eats driver, you can get paid to deliver food and essentials to people in your city. And it's a flexible side hustle that lets you work when you want as long as it's busy in your area.
You can also deliver via bike, car, or scooter in some markets. Overall, Uber Eats is a very popular, beginner-friendly way to make some quick money.
About Instacart
Instacart is the leading grocery delivery service in North America, and it's available in 5,000+ cities at the time of writing.
On Instacart, customers can order groceries and everyday essentials right to their doors. As an Instacart Shopper, it's your job to shop for groceries and then deliver them to customers.
The platform is similar to other grocery delivery gigs like Shipt and Cornershop. And it's one of the most lucrative ways to get paid to shop for people's groceries.
The main difference between Uber Eats and Instacart is that Instacart Shoppers actually shop in-store for groceries. In contrast, Uber Eats drivers simply pick up orders and then make deliveries.
Uber Eats vs Instacart Pay
Uber Eats drivers earn approximately $16 per hour according to salary review websites like Indeed. In contrast, Instacart Shoppers earn about $15 per hour according to Indeed. This means Uber Eats generally pays more than Instacart, but factors like your market, tips, delivery speed, and promotions all influence how much you earn per hour.
Here's a breakdown of how pay works for each driving gig:
Instacart Pay:
- Average pay of about $15 per hour
- Shoppers on Indeed report earning $11 to $20 per hour. Some shoppers on Glassdoor report making as much as $30 per hour.
- Pay incorporates number and type of items, driving distance for delivery and tips
- Drivers keep 100% of tips
- In-Store Instacart Shoppers are paid an hourly wage and are scheduled based on your availability
Uber Eats:
- Average pay of $16 per hour
- Drivers on Glassdoor report that they can earn up to $18 to $20 per hour
- Pay incorporates pickup fees, trip supplements, promotions and tips
- Drivers keep 100% of tips like Instacart
Overall, Uber Eats pays more than Instacart for many drivers since it's busier and provides steadier orders.
However, tips can be much larger for Instacart. And some Instacart batches can also pay $30 to $40+ depending on how large an order is.
Uber Eats vs Instacart – The Features
Now that you know some of the differences in Uber Eats vs Instacart's pay, it's time to dive in to some features for each app to help you pick the right side hustle.
1. Driver & Vehicle Requirements
While many of the requirements are similar, here are the driver requirements for Instacart vs Uber Eats:
Uber Eats Driver Requirements:
- Must be 18 years of age or older (19 to deliver by scooter)
- Have a clean driving record
- Pass a background check
- Own a vehicle (Car, scooter or bicycle) with insurance
- Have a smartphone
- Have a bank account for receiving payments
Instacart Driver Requirements:
- Must be 18 years of age or older (21 to accept alcohol orders)
- Be able to pass a background check
- Own a vehicle (car, truck or cargo van) with insurance
- Have a smartphone
- Be able to lift at least 30 pounds
- Have a bank account for payment
- Be eligible to work in the United States
The main difference here is that Uber Eats couriers can make money with a bike, scooter, car, or even on foot in certain markets. In contrast, you need a vehicle to deliver for Instacart.
2. What Deliveries Are Like
Another factor to consider when choosing between Instacart or Uber Eats is what each delivery is like.
This is also one area where both gig apps differ significantly due to the nature of what you're delivering.
Uber Eats Deliveries
The Uber Eats driver app outlines everything you need to know about an order, including the delivery distance, restaurant name, and estimated pay.
Once you accept an order, you navigate to the pickup location using the app. Once you pick up the order, you then mark it as picked up within the app and head to the drop-off point.
Your Uber Eats acceptance rate doesn't matter, so you don't have to accept low-paying orders. In fact, one of the best Uber Eats tip is to only accept orders that pay about $1 per mile.
Many Uber Eats deliveries are contactless, so you simply drop off the food or package by someone's door. Sometimes, you hand-off the food if the customer prefers that.
What's nice about Uber Eats is that you don't need to schedule your hours; you can log onto the app any time you are available. This offers lots of flexibility for drivers.
Instacart Deliveries
Instacart deliveries are very different from Uber Eats since you actually shop in-store for groceries, check out, and then complete the delivery.
However, the order acceptance process is similar. The Instacart Shopper app has a list of batches you can claim. Batches mention guaranteed pay, how many items and in an order, the store, and delivery distance.
To pay for the orders you shop for and pick up, you will use a special Instacart branded card to complete the purchase. The card is pre-loaded or a specific amount for every order and if you go over by too much, the purchase will be declined.
Shopping quickly is important for maximizing your Instacart earnings. And one of the best Instacart Shopper tips is to familiarize yourself with grocery stores so you know where each item is.
One advantage of Instacart over Uber Eats is that you also spend a bit less on gas since you spend more time in-store.
Instacart batches also pay more than Uber Eats deliveries on average. However, batches take way longer to complete, especially if they have a lot of products to shop for.
3. Getting Paid
One more factor to consider when picking between Instacart vs Uber Eats is how you actually get paid.
Uber Eats payments:
- Earnings are transferred to your bank account weekly
- You can cash out instantly with fast pay up to five times per day for $0.85 per cashout
Instacart payments:
- Get paid weekly on Wednesdays via direct deposit
- You can cash out instantly with Instant Cashout for $0.50 fee
Both gigs pay gig workers on the same schedule, more or less. But it's nice both apps let you get paid the same day with instant cashout features.
4. Gas & Expenses
Both Uber Eats and Instacart are independent contractor positions. This means you're responsible for reporting all of your income and expenses during tax season. And it also means Instacart doesn't pay for gas and neither does Uber Eats.
However, Instacart puts less mileage on your vehicle and costs less in gas since you spend way more time shopping in-store per batch.
On the flip side, you can be a bike courier for Uber Eats and essentially get paid to workout. One of my friends did this during college, and it's an awesome way to get exercise while making money.
Pro Tip: You can use apps like Everlance to automatically track mileage and expenses so you're ready for tax season.
5. Tips & Driver Bonuses
With both Instacart and Uber Eats, drivers keep 100% of their tips. However, different bonuses may also be applicable.
Uber Eats offers a variety of promotions including:
- Delivery Surge
- New driver bonuses (requires sign up code from an existing driver)
- Uber Quest
- Uber Boost
Here are some of the bonus that Instacart offers:
- An Instacart referral bonus is sometimes paid if you refer a new shopper
- Instacart may also have other bonuses for shoppers.
- Instacart offers tip protection up to $10 as long as there are no issues reported with your order to help prevent customers from reversing tips
Instacart tips are generally better than Uber Eats, especially for large deliveries. But you complete more Uber Eats deliveries per hour, and therefore can get tipped more often.
Extra Reading – How To Make $1,000 A Week With Uber Eats.
What Do Other Drivers Say?
One of the best ways to pick a winner in the Instacart vs Uber Eats debate is to see what other drivers have to say about their experiences.
Here's what some fellow Uber Eats and Instacart drivers are saying on Reddit:
- Casper007_ says: “UberEats is better. I did insta for one day and was over it. Spending almost an hour shopping in a grocery store and making one delivery carrying a bunch of bags for $20 or less or picking up food that’s already ready to go and doing multiple deliveries an hour with potential of $30+ an hour.”
- francespietsch says: “I did instacart for about 2 years and have done Uber Eats for about 9 months- hands down without a doubt Ube Eats is soooo much better. Making same tips for delivering a bag of lunch versus shopping(making replacements when store is out of something, texting customer) loading and unloading countless heavy items-think three cases of water up three flights of stairs.”
- lanxaxhandle says: “Do them both.”
As you can see, these drivers prefer Uber Eats over Instacart, although there's value in doing both gigs so you get as many orders as possible.
But one downside worth noting is that Instacart has a pretty tough rating system, whereas getting deactivated from Uber Eats is pretty rare.
Extra Reading – How To Get $500 By Tomorrow.
Uber Eats Pros & Cons
Pros:
- You can choose your own hours so it's an excellent part-time hustle
- Integrates with Uber, making it easy to drive for both
- Instant and weekly payments are available
- You can deliver via bike, car, or scooter
- Offers a variety of new driver bonuses
- Uber Quest and Uber Boost offer increased earning potential
Cons:
- May not be available in all areas, especially rural communities
- No guaranteed pay or amount of deliveries
- No benefits
- Causes more wear and tear on your vehicle than Instacart
- Uber is more strict about their vehicle requirements than many delivery gigs
- The best Uber Eats times are generally on weekends or around meal time
Instacart Pros & Cons
Pros:
- You can choose your own hours like with Uber Eats
- Puts less mileage on your car than Uber Eats
- In-store shopping roles are sometimes available for workers who don't have vehicles
- Orders are not limited to meal times
- Get paid on time regularly
- Instacart offers tip protection
Cons:
- Available in fewer cities and countries than Uber Eats
- No guaranteed pay or amount of deliveries
- No benefits
- Need to be able to lift heavy items occasionally
- Rating system can be strict and cause Shoppers to get fewer batches
- You can't deliver via bike, scooter, or on foot
Instacart vs Uber Eats – Which Side Hustle Is Best?
When comparing Uber Eats vs Instacart, picking the right gig largely depends on your vehicle type and what types of deliveries you enjoy.
If you want more vehicle flexibility and a slightly easier gig, Uber Eats is better than Instacart. And it can pay more than Uber Eats in larger cities.
In contrast, Instacart is ideal if you have a car and enjoy grocery shopping. And the potential to get large tips is much higher than with Uber Eats.
However, a lot of gig workers multiapp with several apps. So, you can work for Uber Eats and DoorDash one day, then use apps like Instacart or Amazon Flex the next day.
At the end of the day, the goal is to get as many high-paying orders as possible. And it's worth testing several gigs to find the highest paying apps in your particular market.
Extra Reading – The Best Apps That Pay You Real Money Instantly.
Final Thoughts
I hope this Uber Eats vs Instacart comparison helps you understand how each delivery app works and what to expect while out delivering.
Uber Eats pays more than Instacart on average, but both gigs are a flexible way to boost your income. And again, you can always mix in other apps like DoorDash or Grubhub or other side hustles to maximize your earnings.
Just make sure you track all of your income and expenses so you're ready to report all your income and potential deductions!
Best of luck.
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