December 10, 2024

Want a side hustle or a full-time job? Sick of job interviews that require a degree or years of prior experience? What if you could be your own boss and get paid before this week is over?

There are several apps that offer cash for delivery, but which one is best?

We reviewed the best apps of 2024 by comparing the big brands to the small companies to see which ones offer the best benefits and salaries.

Doordash average salary: Varies. $25/h but dashers on Reddit report earning $900 - $1600 per week depending on the city and how much you're willing to work.

To our surprise, the test winner was actually undisputed in its excellence. It’s the easiest to start using and offers the most work opportunity, best payout, and most control of your time.

Here are our top 5 picks for 2024, with a full review of our top pick at the bottom of the page:

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Product

Our Score

Key Features

#1 BEST IN 2024
9.9
"Excellent"

CURRENT RATE: $25/H
1,029 VISITORS APPLIED ALREADY

VISIT SITE
#2
9.2
"Great"

Grubhub

Good accessories

Easy to understand payout

Waiting time between orders

#3
9.1
"Good"

Ubereats

Discounted car maintenance

You have instant pay, not one or two days, but instant

There is no limit to the hours you drive

#4
8.5
"Good"

Instacart

Work is sporadic

Entitled to a guaranteed minimum wage

You can only work a maximum of 29 hours

#5
7.8
"Good"

Shipt

Get paid per order, not per hour

A reliable vehicle, 1997 or newer

Physical work: Ability to lift 40 pounds

See the rest of the list

We Tested The Most Popular Delivery Jobs In 2024. Here's Why Doordash Is #1

Summary: Doordash is the best way to earn money on your own schedule. It’s the app with the biggest payout and most available orders to deliver, and an algorithm that learns what kind of orders you prefer, and stacks them up along your route. It's the fastest way to earn serious cash, averaging $25 per hour. But people report a steady income of 1600 per week when they’ve had enough time to train the algorithm. It’s all automated and you just have to pick your orders to deliver.

I’ve been doing all kinds of gigs my whole life as I never studied for anything that would grant me a career. Instead, I’ve been picking up jobs as they revealed themselves.

I’ve been happy whenever I had a steady job, but it's like a double-edged sword, steady income but no freedom, and vice versa.

Doordash manages to give me the best of both worlds.

It's easy to make more than minimum wage, and possible to make 100k a year.

You decide when you want a day off or which hours you want to work. You have full control!

The job is easy and no one is breathing down your neck! It's all up to you.

How Does It Work

When you open the app you get bombarded with orders.

There are so many orders that you’re never short of work. Remember, it is not work that you HAVE to do, it’s work that you CAN do if you want.

When you get an order you can either accept or decline it.

Some apps will penalize you if you decline, but Doordash is offering you work to do, if you don’t like it, then the offer goes to somebody else.

How Much Do I Get Paid?

Compensation to Dashers comes in three ways: Base Pay + Promotions + Tips.

  1. Base Pay: This is the delivery fee and is calculated using time, distance, and desirability of delivery location. The Doordash app will inform you what your base pay is before you accept a job.
  2. Promotions: Promotions include Peak Pay bonuses and special challenges such as completing a certain amount of deliveries within a specified time period.
  3. Tips: You get to keep 100% of the tips you receive from customers with Doordash.

The mobile app shows “hotspots” where you’re more likely to get better and faster delivery jobs.

Also, there’s a “promos” section that shows when Peak Pay time slots are available. These tools allow you to be more strategic about how and when you work.

Dasher Requirements

  1. You have to be at least 18 years old
  2. Have a valid driver’s license (where applicable)
  3. Have valid auto insurance
  4. Have a Social Security Number
  5. Have an Android or iOS (Apple) smartphone

Doordash will run background and DMV checks for new driver applications. Major violations, including assault and DUI, may disqualify you from working as a Doordash driver. You also cannot have more than three violations over the past three years.

Doordash Perfection

Algorithm For The Perfect Job

Doordash uses an algorithm that tries to get the best match between your preferences and the jobs available.

This means that if you decline a job because of the distance, the algorithm will try to give you jobs closer to you.

The more you use Doordash, the better the algorithm will become at providing you with orders that you want to deliver. Resulting in more deliveries being made, and you make more money.

The algorithm learns what size of orders you prefer to deliver, what vicinity, distance, payout, restaurants you prefer or want to avoid, and everything that optimizes your work.

Everybody wins.

It’s the beauty of a free market supported by AI.

Automated Planning And Optimizing

As you go about your day making deliveries, the algorithm may find an order that is on your way or stacks a bunch of orders all coming from the same restaurant, or it could be several deliveries in the same area. Weather way, Doordash is great at making your work effective.

Doordash Considers You A Private Contractor

Doordash says that accepting or rejecting offers is your way of setting your own price and conditions.

To help the algorithm understand your preferences, make sure you use the option to explain why you decline an order. By using these decline options, you help the algorithm learn what kind of orders you like and don’t like. Further allowing Doordash to customize offers to your preferences.

Transparency

Orders come with all the information you need to make a decision, A map showing your location, the pickup location, and the dropoff location.

  1. The name of the restaurant
  2. The estimated miles one will drive
  3. The deadline for when the order is supposed to be delivered
  4. The minimum pay for the order
  5. How many items are on the order
  6. A very prominent Accept button
  7. A much less prominent Decline button
  8. A timer that shows you how much time you have to accept an offer

My First Day Of Working

I started working at 5 pm as soon as I left my regular job.

I immediately got bombarded by orders, I started with a simple delivery of a burger and after I delivered it I felt excited but also anticlimactic. Okay, that's it?

After completing a couple of deliveries I felt comfortable declining them if the base payment wasn’t over $8. This meant I skipped stressing around for scraps and instead focused on the jobs that I felt were reasonable in the long run.

I worked until the last restaurant closed at 1 am. I actually had a couple of orders that I couldn't complete at that time, but since It’s not my fault that the restaurants were closed, I still got paid for half the job.

Result on my first day!

Time working: 8,5h

Earned: $156

Expenses: 104 miles ($14.30)

Money In my pocket: $141.70

Doordash Has Your Back

Occasionally there may be a problem with a delivery, perhaps it’s the wrong order or the restaurant takes too long to prepare the food.

In any case, Doordash support is always ready, super kind, and helpful.

As long as it’s not your fault you won't be held accountable.

Instead, you will still get paid about half of the base payment even if the order can’t be completed.

So you definitely feel that Doordash has your back.

Tips And Tricks

Just get started!

Every day spent not Doordashing, is a day you’re not making money.

I can't tell you how easy it is, and you learn quickly by just doing it.

There’s no risk so just get as many hours as possible under your belt and you’ll soon find yourself being in the right place at the right time, knowing what orders to decline and accept.

The only part I felt was stressful was before I’d done my first delivery.

But as soon as I completed a few deliveries, I noticed that I’d only been afraid of the unknown. In reality, it's super convenient and easy.

Don’t Stress About Your Rankings

Doordash keeps track of how many orders you accept or decline, how many hours you work or how fast you are etc.

But all of these rates are for YOU, not for Doordash to use against you.

It’s a tool for you to see how you’re doing, to help you be your own boss.

So don’t get stressed about the numbers.

I have an acceptance rate of about 15% because I only accept the orders I like.

The only thing you need to care about, at all, is the rating you get from customers.

You obviously want as many starts as possible, and that's pretty much it.

Stick Around As Many Restaurants As Possible

The more restaurants you have in your vicinity, the more orders you will be offered.

And if you have some expensive restaurants around, that's even better.

Take It Easy

I’ve done this for 6 weeks. In the beginning, I tried so hard to be quick.

More than anything I’ve learned that taking it easy and planning is making me so much more money.

I simply choose the orders I think are reasonable and try to place myself in good areas where there are more restaurants. And by taking it easy and not stressing I can work for longer and do more deliveries.

Learn By Doing

You should obviously try to learn but don’t rush it. Experience is the best teacher.

And I’m telling you, the work is easy, satisfying, and comfortable, you just have to start and get going, and before your first week is over you will have made a lot of money.

The important thing is to start! Get on with it.

People Are Quitting Their Jobs

People who try Doordash as a side gig quickly realize that they make more money and have more freedom compared to their regular job.

It’s often I meet other Doordashers who have quit their job and committed to this full-time.

This makes me think that It’s a good idea to start Doordashing before it gets saturated.

Perhaps one of the reasons people are making so much money is because there isn’t that much competition yet. Doordash has been around for some time but it's just recently that the word has started to spread about the profits people make.

So jump on the train before the market changes!

There’s no reason not to catch the American dream.

How To Get Started?

The signup process takes just a few minutes, and most Dashers can start earning within days.

  1. Go to their official website
  2. Enter your email and click "Get Started," then fill out the rest of the profile information
  3. Agree to a background check
  4. As soon as you’ve been approved you can go out and make money

Common Questions & Answers

Q: How often do I get paid?

Through Direct Deposit, Dashers get paid on a weekly basis. Payments are transferred at that time directly to your bank account with a 2-3 day processing period and usually appear by Wednesday night.

Q: Do I have to pay for customers' orders?

No, when you sign up to Doordash you get a credit card that you will use to pay for certain orders whenever the app prompts you to do so.

Q: Do I need prior experience?

Nope! You don't need any prior work experience.

Q: How much do I have to work?

You're the boss. As an independent contractor, You can make it full-time, part-time, or once in a while -- and dash practically anywhere. It's a great alternative to seasonal, temporary, and part-time work.

Q: Are there car requirements for driving with Doordash?

Nope. You can use any car to drive, deliver, and earn. You just need a valid driver's license and insurance.

Q: What materials do I need to be a Doordash driver?

To earn money, all you need is a smartphone and a mode of transportation, such as a car, bike, scooter, or motorcycle. Doordash will take care of everything else!

Get started now!

People are catching on to the benefits of Doordashing, but there is still a great demand so take the opportunity and exploit the market while it lasts!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION!

As of December 10, 2024, Ever since Doordash was on major international media, an incredible amount of buzz has been generated, due to its popularity and positive reviews. Visit Their Website Here >>>

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Meet Our Expert

Jake Charleston

Jake has over 15 years of experience on our team, having a deep understanding of technology and design. Over the years he has helped thousands of people finding the right product for their needs. There’s nothing he loves more than to dig into a new product and start doing research to find if it meets his high standards. Jake lives with his wife and three children in Arizona.

Mark from Ohio

just signed up for Doordash!

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