7 Best Food Delivery Apps of 2024, According to Food Experts
Your favorite meals, right at your door.
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Whether you forgot to buy groceries or you’re exhausted from a long day, a food delivery app is a lifesaver on nights when the last thing you want to do is cook. All you have to do is open up the app, find what you’re craving and wait for it to arrive at your doorstep within the hour (hopefully!). To help you choose the best food delivery app for your next night in, our pros narrowed down the ones we know, love and use ourselves, as well as those that testers can't get enough of.
The nutrition experts and culinary pros at the Good Housekeeping Institute test everything from grocery delivery services to quick and easy prepared meal delivery services. When choosing the best food delivery apps out there, we relied on our familiarity with the culinary app landscape and our years of testing various food delivery apps for their ease of use, performance and price. Ahead, you'll find the best food delivery apps of 2024, including apps with the lowest fees, excellent customer service and a vast range of partner restaurants to choose from.
After checking out our top picks and finding out the key differences between popular food delivery apps like Uber Eats vs. Doordash vs. Grubhub and which ones are cheapest, continue reading to learn more about what to look for in a food delivery app.
If you're new to the world of food delivery apps, DoorDash is a great place to start. Once you enter your address or zip code, the app will load up all participating restaurants in your area and even provide an approximate wait time. To help narrow down your search, you can filter results by food type, restaurant star ratings, pickup only and under 30-minute delivery times.
A favorite among GH product analysts, DoorDash has excellent customer service, an easy-to-navigate interface and real-time tracking of your food as it gets delivered. In our tests, it scored among our highest performers with 4.8 stars compared to competing food delivery services. Our pros also appreciate that DoorDash typically offers special deals for first-time users, like free delivery or 20% off your first order, and longtime users can save even further on delivery and service fees by joining DashPass, a $10/month subscription with benefits like $0 delivery fees on eligible orders, 5% back in DoorDash credits on certain pickup orders and more.
| Fees | Varies by restaurant |
| Subscription | Yes, $9.99/month for DashPass |
Uber isn't just for catching a ride home. This popular food delivery app gives you access to some of the finest restaurants in your area right from your phone. According to our experts, it's also one of the cheapest apps to order from and very generous with promos, like a discount when you spend a certain amount or a free item, so you can usually save a few bucks on your weeknight meals. With an Uber One subscription, you can take advantage of even lower delivery and service fees like $0 delivery on eligible food, groceries, and more or up to 10% off eligible deliveries and pickup orders, which can add up. Testers and GH product analysts all find the app easy to use and love being able to quickly filter by food categories and track deliveries in real-time.
| Fees | Varies by restaurant |
| Subscription | Yes, $9.99/month for Uber One |
Owned by Grubhub, Seamless has been around since 2013 and features popular cuisines on the homepage as well as the option to search for the exact food you're craving. Take note that some reviewers say that the app has flaws and isn't the easiest to use at times, but other users also report that "customer service is top-notch," with live customer reps available 24/7 to chat should you have an issue with your order. Another important factor to note is that Seamless is only available in certain major metropolitan areas like NYC, London, Boston and more, while parent company Grubhub is associated with restaurants found in 4,000 U.S. cities in all 50 states. If you order frequently and want to keep costs at a minimum, consider signing up for a Grubhub+ subscription that gives you access to $0 delivery fees on most orders, lower service fees, exclusive promos and more.
| Fees | Varies by restaurant |
| Subscription | Yes, $9.99/month for Seamless+ |
While most food delivery apps work with local restaurants and stores, Goldbelly is unique in that it delivers gourmet foods from across the country. If you want Shake Shack burgers or Levain Bakery's famous cookies but don't have those restaurants in your town, you can have their food arrive at your door anyway — just note that deliveries can take anywhere from three to five days, depending on the order and distance. Orders can arrive either frozen, pre-made with most ingredients or completely ready to eat. Our pros also love the various subscription options available, like the NYC subscription or the pizza subscription that gives you access to select foods on a monthly basis.
Download: iOS
| Fees | Varies by restaurant |
| Subscription | Multiple |
Around since 2004, Grubhub knows a thing or two about good food delivery service. Its interface is nearly identical to Seamless (a part of the Grubhub portfolio), but it's available in more U.S. cities and at over 300,000 local restaurants. While you can order food to be delivered immediately via Grubhub, you can also schedule an order up to four days in advance if you have a special meeting or event coming up. You can even save your order, making future orders super easy and convenient. For further discounts, a subscription to Grubhub+ will give you access to $0 delivery fees on select orders and other deals.
| Fees | Varies by restaurant |
| Subscription | Yes, $9.99/month for Grubhub+ |
When you're just looking for groceries, beer or some quick snacks, you can count on this grocery delivery service. Simply input your zip code and Instacart will log all nearby stores that participate in their service. You can pick your own delivery times (depending on day and location, you can receive groceries within an hour), and personal shoppers will then pick up your items and deliver them to your door. Online reviewers rate the app highly for its "fast and great service." Our pros recommend the Instacart+ subscription for frequent users who want unlimited free same-day delivery on orders over $35.
| Fees | Starts at $4, varies by store |
| Subscription | Yes, $9.99/month for Instacart+ |
Pizza, burgers and sushi aren't the only things you'll find on Postmates. This app delivers food from your favorite local restaurants, but it also lets you order kitchen staples, party supplies and medicine from 600,000 stores, restaurants and retailers. Though it was acquired by Uber, what sets it apart from other food delivery apps is that it operates 24/7 so you can get a fix for that late-night craving. But to save on fees, make sure to sign up for a subscription with perks like $0 delivery on most orders and a $5 credit should your "Latest Arrival" estimate be off.
| Fees | Varies by restaurant |
| Subscription | Yes, $9.99/month for Uber One |
How we choose the best food delivery apps
At the Good Housekeeping Institute, our experts test hundreds of food products and services from healthy meal delivery services to cheap meal subscription boxes and much more. Our selections above are based on expert evaluations and tester feedback on how easy each food delivery app is to navigate, performance, customer service and overall satisfaction. We also make sure to include picks that cater to a wide variety of special diets and dietary preferences including gluten-free, organic, vegetarian and more. Other major factors considered in our evaluations include cost, fees and delivery ranges.
What to look for in the best food delivery app
✔️ Delivery fees: Most apps require a standard delivery fee, but some leave the fees up to the individual restaurants you choose to order from. For zero delivery fees, consider a subscription with your favorite food delivery app. Stefani Sassos, director of the GH Nutrition Lab, also suggests spending the required minimum amount set by the app or restaurant to waive delivery fees. "Since delivery fees can be high, this can be a significant way to reduce cost," she shares.
✔️ Discounts: "Always look for promos on these apps, whether that is free shipping or a certain percentage off of orders over a particular amount," Sassos says. She adds that some credit cards offer free subscriptions to premium versions of food delivery apps or statement credits that can help you save.
✔️ User interface: Food delivery apps are meant for convenience and should aim to create a seamless shopping experience. Look for apps that let you search and browse with filters like menu price, food type and user ratings. Some apps even let you track your orders in real-time.
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
This story was originally created by former product and reviews editor Shanon Maglente and most recently updated by GH Institute writer and product analyst Olivia Lipski, who covers everything from tech and travel to fitness, home and more. She brings years of product review experience to GH and regularly collaborates with GH's Wellness Lab. Olivia is an avid foodie familiar with all types of food delivery apps, relying on them during busy weeks when there’s little time to cook.
To update this story with the latest testing notes, Olivia consulted the Director of the Good Housekeeping Institute's Nutrition Lab, Stefani Sassos, who oversees all of GH's nutrition content, product testing and evaluation. She stays current on the latest research to provide evidence-based reporting on all things diet and nutrition, and she also runs large-scale tests and analyses for products like food delivery services. As a busy working mother, Stefani relies on online services regularly to feed her family and is well-versed in the current services and apps available.
Shanon is a writer and editor who specializes in best-of product roundups and deals. She has over six years of experience, including almost three years as a Good Housekeeping product and reviews editor, covering the best sales and products across home, appliances, health, beauty, parenting and more.
Olivia (she/her) is a senior reviews writer and analyst at the Good Housekeeping Institute, where she tests and writes about tech, home, travel, fitness, parenting and health products. Since joining GH in 2021, she has continued to leverage her extensive product reviews experience by staying on top of the industry’s latest innovations and helping readers make better buying decisions. Olivia is a graduate of the George Washington University, with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, political science and French, and she holds a master’s degree in communications from Sciences Po Paris.
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