DoorDash vs Uber Eats vs Grubhub: Best for US Restaurants 2026

Ask a US restaurant owner about delivery apps and you rarely get a calm answer. The commissions feel like "the new rent" — a fixed cut of every order you can't negotiate and can't ignore, because that's where a chunk of your customers now order. The real question in 2026 isn't whether to use them. It's which ones to keep, which to drop, and what each one actually costs once every fee is stacked up.

DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub are not interchangeable. They charge differently, reach different numbers of customers, and treat pickup orders differently — and on paper their headline rates look closer than they really are. This guide puts the three side by side on the numbers that decide your monthly bill, using each platform's own published 2026 pricing.

Key takeaways

• All three top out at 30% commission on their highest marketplace tier — but how they get there differs. DoorDash and Uber Eats bundle delivery into the rate; Grubhub charges a marketing commission (5–20%) and adds delivery (from 10%) on top (DoorDash, 2026; Uber Eats, 2026; Grubhub, 2026).
• The headline rate isn't your effective rate. Add card processing (a typical ~2.9% + $0.30 per order) and optional sponsored listings, and a 30% plan can cost you 34%+ of each order before food and labor.
• Reach is DoorDash's edge. It held about 67% of US meal-delivery sales in the most recent public data, versus 23% for Uber Eats and 8% for Grubhub (Bloomberg Second Measure, March 2024).
• Pickup orders are far cheaper — DoorDash charges 6% and Uber Eats 7% on customer-pickup orders, a fraction of the delivery rate (DoorDash, 2026; Uber Eats, 2026).
• Your own ordering channel is the only commission you can delete entirely. All three now offer a commission-free direct-ordering page — and so do independent website builders.

Which delivery app is best for a US restaurant in 2026?

There is no single winner — it depends on what you're optimizing for. DoorDash is the default if you want the most order volume, because it reaches the most customers. Uber Eats is the second-largest marketplace and worth running alongside DoorDash to catch customers loyal to that app. Grubhub has the lowest headline commission (as little as 5% marketing on its Basic plan) but the smallest reach, so it makes most sense as a low-cost add-on or in markets where it's still strong, like the Northeast.

The smarter framing for most independent owners isn't "which one" — it's "which tier, on which apps, plus pickup." Run the big two for reach, take pickup orders wherever you can (they're a third of the cost), and push regulars to your own ordering page where the commission is zero. The sections below give you the verified numbers to build that mix.

Commission tiers compared (2026)

Here's the part that actually moves your bottom line. Each platform sells multiple tiers: a cheaper one with less marketing exposure, and pricier ones that promise more visibility in the app.

Sources: DoorDash Merchant Pricing (2026), Uber Eats Pricing (2026), Grubhub Pricing and Fees (2026).

A few things this table makes clear that the marketing pages don't:

Grubhub's "as low as 5%" is a delivery-not-included number. Its tiers — Basic 5%, Plus 15%, All-Access 20% — are marketing commissions. If you want Grubhub's drivers to deliver, that's an added fee starting at 10% (Grubhub, 2026). So a Grubhub restaurant on the Basic plan using Grubhub's fleet pays roughly 15% all-in, and an All-Access restaurant pays around 30% — which lands it right next to DoorDash and Uber Eats. The 5% headline only holds if you deliver the food yourself.

DoorDash and Uber Eats bundle delivery into the rate. Their 15–30% already includes the courier, which is why a like-for-like comparison (marketplace listing + the app's own delivery) puts all three within a few points of each other at the top tier.

The cheap tier costs you exposure. On the lowest plan, your restaurant appears lower in the app's rankings and gets a smaller share of customers' attention. That's the trade every tier choice comes down to: pay more commission for more orders, or pay less and accept fewer. There's no free lunch — only a dial.

What an order actually costs: the effective rate

Owners get caught by the gap between the headline commission and what hits their bank account. The commission is only the first line. Take an illustrative $30 delivery order on a 30% top-tier plan, with a typical card-processing rate assumed:

• Commission (30%): $9.00
• Payment processing (~2.9% + $0.30): ~$1.17
• Platform total: ~$10.17 — about 34% of the order

That's before you've paid for the food, the packaging, or a single dollar of advertising. Turn on a sponsored listing or in-app ads to claw back visibility and the effective rate climbs further — which is how owners end up describing a "$20 meal that becomes $45 at checkout, and I see $4 of it." The exact effective number depends on your tier, ad spend and processing rate, but the rule holds: add three to five points to whatever the commission line says. Our companion teardown walks the math order by order in how much delivery app commissions really cost a US restaurant.

This is also why pickup matters more than most owners realize. A 6% DoorDash pickup order keeps roughly 91 cents on the dollar after processing, versus around 66 cents on a 30% delivery order. If even a fraction of your app customers can be nudged to "order ahead, pick up," that's real margin recovered with no extra work.

Reach and market share: who actually has the customers

A lower commission means nothing if nobody's ordering on that app. This is where the three diverge most.

In the most recent public US data, DoorDash held about 67% of meal-delivery sales, Uber Eats 23% (25% including Postmates), and Grubhub 8% (Bloomberg Second Measure, March 2024). DoorDash and Uber Eats together account for roughly nine in ten delivery dollars nationally.

What that means in practice:

• DoorDash is the volume leader almost everywhere. If you only run one app, this is usually it.
• Uber Eats is a strong second and pulls customers who live inside the Uber app. Many owners run both to avoid leaving the second-biggest pool of customers on the table.
• Grubhub is regional. It retains meaningful share in some Northeastern markets (it owns Seamless, strong in New York) but is a minor player in much of the country. Its low Basic commission can make it worth listing as a cheap supplementary channel — but check whether your local customers actually use it before you prioritize it.

Don't outsource this to national averages alone. Open each app in your own zip code, search your cuisine, and see how busy the competition looks. Local share beats national share for a single-location restaurant.

Who each app is best for

Choose DoorDash if you want maximum order volume and you're willing to pay for the largest customer base. It's the safest single-app choice and the one to start with if you're testing delivery for the first time. Pickup at 6% is the cheapest of the three.

Choose Uber Eats if you want to run a second marketplace alongside DoorDash, or your customers skew toward the Uber ecosystem. Note the +5% surcharge on Uber One member orders on the Plus plan — loyal Uber customers can quietly cost you more (Uber Eats, 2026). Its Self-Delivery option (15%) is useful if you already have your own drivers and just want the listing.

Choose Grubhub if you operate where it still has share, you can deliver orders with your own staff (turning its 5% marketing commission into a genuinely cheap channel), or you want a low-cost third listing. Treat its headline 5% with care — it's only that low without Grubhub's delivery fleet.

For most independent owners, the answer is not one app but a deliberate mix: DoorDash and Uber Eats for reach, Grubhub if it's strong locally, every order taken on pickup where possible, and your own direct-ordering page promoted hard to regulars. A practical way to evaluate the marketplace side of that mix is in our guide to the best online ordering systems for restaurants.

The commission cap most owners don't know about

If you operate in a city with a delivery-fee cap, the apps legally cannot charge you the rates above. New York City is the clearest example: third-party delivery services there are capped at 15% for delivery fees, 3% for transaction fees, and 5% for basic service fees, with enhanced (optional) services capped at an additional 20% (NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, 2026).

In plain terms: a NYC restaurant on the basic bundle pays no more than about 23% all-in, though opting into enhanced marketing services can push the total higher. Several other cities have passed or debated similar caps. If you're in one, ask each app to confirm the capped rate applies to your account — and check your statements, because the cap only helps if it's actually being charged. Outside capped cities, the standard tiers above are what you'll pay.

How to decide: a 5-minute process

1. Check local reach first. Open DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub in your zip code. Which has the most active restaurants like yours? That's your priority app.
2. Start on a mid tier, not the top one. The most expensive plan buys visibility you may not need yet. Begin lower and only move up if the orders justify the extra commission.
3. Turn on pickup everywhere. It's the single biggest margin lever — a third of the cost of delivery on DoorDash and Uber Eats.
4. Track the effective rate, not the headline. Add processing and any ad spend to the commission line. If an app's effective cut is eating your entire margin on a dish, raise that item's in-app price or pull it from the menu.
5. Build your own ordering channel in parallel. Every order that comes through a page you own is one no aggregator taxes. A simple restaurant website with its own ordering link — whether you build it yourself or use a tool like DineHere — turns your most loyal customers into commission-free orders over time.

The apps are a customer-acquisition channel, not a charity and not a landlord. Use them to reach new people, keep the margin where you can with pickup and tiering, and slowly move your regulars to a channel you control. That's how the math works in your favor instead of theirs.

Frequently asked questions

Which delivery app has the lowest fees for restaurants?
Grubhub has the lowest headline commission — 5% marketing on its Basic plan — but only if you deliver orders with your own staff. Add Grubhub's delivery fleet (from 10%) and it's comparable to DoorDash's 15% Basic tier. DoorDash also has the lowest pickup rate at 6%.

What commission does DoorDash charge restaurants in 2026?
DoorDash offers three plans: Basic at 15%, Plus at 25%, and Premier at 30% delivery commission, plus 6% on customer-pickup orders (DoorDash, 2026). A tablet is $6/week, and its Storefront direct-ordering product is commission-free (you pay only payment processing).

What commission does Uber Eats charge restaurants?
Uber Eats charges 20% (Lite), 25% (Plus), or 30% (Premium) marketplace fee, plus 7% on pickup orders. The Plus plan adds 5% on orders from Uber One members. Self-Delivery (your own drivers) is 15% (Uber Eats, 2026).

What does Grubhub charge restaurants?
Grubhub charges a marketing commission of 5% (Basic), 15% (Plus), or 20% (All-Access). Using Grubhub's delivery fleet adds a fee starting at 10%; using your own drivers means no delivery fee. Grubhub Direct, its branded ordering page, is commission-free (Grubhub, 2026).

Is DoorDash or Uber Eats better for restaurants?
DoorDash reaches more customers (about 67% of US meal-delivery sales versus 23% for Uber Eats in the most recent public data), so it usually generates more orders. Many owners run both to cover the largest combined audience. On price, the two are nearly identical at the top tier (30%), though Uber Eats' Uber One surcharge can make it slightly costlier on some orders.

Why is my effective commission higher than the headline rate?
Because the commission isn't the only fee. Card payment processing (around 2.9% + $0.30 per order) and any optional sponsored-listing or ad spend stack on top, typically adding three to five points. A 30% plan often works out to an effective 34%+ once everything is counted.

Should I use all three delivery apps?
Run the apps that have real customers in your area — usually DoorDash and Uber Eats, plus Grubhub where it's locally strong. Listing on an app nobody uses in your zip code just adds menu-management work for no orders. Check local activity before adding a third.

How can I lower my delivery commission costs?
Use a lower-cost tier where you can afford less visibility, prioritize pickup orders (6–7% versus up to 30%), opt into any local fee cap, raise prices on items the apps eat most, and move loyal customers to your own commission-free ordering page.

Do delivery apps charge for pickup orders?
Yes, but far less. DoorDash charges 6% and Uber Eats 7% on customer-pickup orders (DoorDash, 2026; Uber Eats, 2026). Grubhub applies its standard marketing commission. Encouraging "order ahead, pick up" is one of the cheapest ways to keep delivery-app customers without the delivery-app cut.

Are restaurant delivery commissions capped anywhere?
Yes. Some US cities cap third-party delivery fees. New York City limits delivery fees to 15%, transaction fees to 3% and basic service fees to 5%, with enhanced services capped at an additional 20% (NYC DCWP, 2026). If you operate in a capped city, confirm the rate is being applied to your account.