If you run a restaurant, cafe or takeout spot in the US, the delivery apps have quietly become one of your biggest cost lines. Owners now call the commission "the new rent" — and in 2026 it pays to know exactly what that rent is. DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub each charge a different rate, structured a different way, and the headline percentage you signed up for is rarely the number you actually pay.
This is a straight breakdown using the apps' own published US rates — what each one charges, and what really lands in your account on a $100 order.
Key takeaways
- DoorDash and Uber Eats both top out at 30% on their full-service delivery tier, with cheaper plans at 25% and as low as 15–20% if you accept less marketing reach (DoorDash, 2026; Uber Eats, 2026).
- Pickup costs a fraction of delivery — 6% on DoorDash, 7% on Uber Eats — so the channel you steer customers toward matters as much as the app you pick.
- The headline rate is the floor, not the ceiling. Sponsored listings, funded promotions, and Uber One add-ons stack on top, pushing your effective cost well above the sticker percentage.
- On a $100 order you keep about $70 through a full-service delivery plan, versus roughly $97 through your own ordering page where you only pay card processing.
- DoorDash dominates the US market at 60.7% share, ahead of Uber Eats (26.1%) and Grubhub (6.3%) (Earnest Analytics, 2024) — so for most owners the real decision is DoorDash vs Uber Eats.
The short answer: what the apps charge in 2026
Here are the headline US rates, straight from each company's merchant pricing page.
| Channel | DoorDash | Uber Eats |
|---|---|---|
| Full-service delivery (top tier) | 30% (Premier) | 30% (Premium) |
| Mid delivery tier | 25% (Plus) | 25% (Plus) + 5% on Uber One orders |
| Entry delivery tier | 15% (Basic) | 20% (Lite) |
| Self-delivery (their order, your driver) | — | 15% |
| Pickup / collection | 6% | 7% (10% without validated in-store pricing) |
| Activation / subscription fee | $0 | $0 |
Sources: (DoorDash, 2026) and (Uber Eats, 2026).
The two giants have converged on the same headline number — 30% on a full-service delivery order. Where they differ is in the lower tiers, the pickup rate, and the fine print, which is exactly where the money is won or lost.
How much does DoorDash charge restaurants in the US?
DoorDash sells three "partnership plans," and the trade-off is simple: pay more commission, get more visibility and marketing reach inside the app (DoorDash, 2026):
- Basic — 15% delivery, 6% pickup. The cheapest plan, with the least promotional reach. It comes with a 0% intro rate for your first 7 days.
- Plus — 25% delivery, 6% pickup. Adds DashPass exposure (DoorDash's subscriber base) and broader delivery reach. 0% intro rate for 30 days.
- Premier — 30% delivery, 6% pickup. The widest reach plus a "Growth Guarantee." Also a 30-day 0% intro rate.
The standout detail is that pickup is 6% on every plan. DoorDash also states it charges "no activation fee, no subscription fee, no payment processing fee" on marketplace orders, and its tablet is free for a trial period (then $6/week if you keep it). That makes the commission percentage itself the whole cost — clean to model, but steep at the top tier.
Note the trials are genuinely useful for testing demand, but the 0% reverts to your full plan rate the day it ends. Model your numbers on the real rate, not the intro.
How much does Uber Eats charge restaurants in the US?
Uber Eats mirrors the three-tier idea but labels them differently, and the fine print bites harder (Uber Eats, 2026):
- Lite — 20% marketplace fee. The entry plan. Cheaper commission, narrower reach.
- Plus — 25% marketplace fee, plus an extra 5% on Uber One orders. This is the one to read twice: every order placed by an Uber One member costs you 25% plus another 5%, so your effective rate on a big slice of orders is really 30%.
- Premium — 30% marketplace fee. The widest reach, with Uber One orders included at no extra charge.
On top of that, pickup is 7% — but only if you set up "validated in-store pricing" (proving your in-app menu matches your in-store prices). Skip that step and pickup jumps to 10%. Uber Eats also offers self-delivery at 15% — their order, your driver — and a 0% intro rate for 30 days on the Plus and Premium plans.
The practical lesson: Uber Eats' "25%" Plus plan can quietly behave like a 30% plan once Uber One orders are in the mix, and its cheap pickup rate is conditional. Always read the tier and the conditions, not just the lead number.
Where does Grubhub fit?
Grubhub is a distant third in the US at 6.3% of the market (Earnest Analytics, 2024), but it still matters in pockets of the Northeast. Its pricing works on a plan-plus-add-ons model, and the Independent Restaurant Coalition pegs its real-world range at "10–30% depending on contracts" — within the broader "between 15–30%" that all the platforms occupy (Independent Restaurant Coalition, 2025).
For most owners outside Grubhub's stronghold cities, the practical decision is DoorDash vs Uber Eats. But if you carry all three, the same rule applies: the plan you're on, and the add-ons you've switched on, decide your true cost — not the brand.
The real cost: a $100 order, torn down
Headline percentages are easy to wave away. Here's what they mean on a single $100 order (before your own food and labor costs), using each channel's published rate.
| How the order comes in | Fee on $100 | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| DoorDash Premier / Uber Eats Premium delivery | 30% | $70.00 |
| DoorDash Plus / Uber Eats Plus delivery | 25% | $75.00 |
| Uber Eats Lite delivery | 20% | $80.00 |
| DoorDash Basic / Uber Eats self-delivery | 15% | $85.00 |
| Uber Eats pickup | 7% | $93.00 |
| DoorDash pickup | 6% | $94.00 |
| Your own ordering page (card processing only, ~3%) | ~$3.20 | ~$96.80 |
The gap is stark. On a full-service delivery order you hand over $30 of every $100. Take that same order on your own page and you give up about $3. Across a few hundred orders a week, that difference is the wages of a part-time employee.
And remember: the $30 is the best case at the top tier. Layer on a sponsored listing and a "buy-one-get-one" promotion — both of which come out of your margin, on top of the commission — and your effective rate climbs higher still. The Independent Restaurant Coalition warns that this stacking "forces many restaurants into precarious financial positions, reducing their already thin profit margins" (Independent Restaurant Coalition, 2025).
What the pricing page doesn't shout about
The published commission is the starting line. A few things to watch:
- Sponsored placement and promotions. Both apps sell ad placement and funded offers that come out of your margin on top of the commission. They lift orders, but they also lift your effective cost per order well above the headline rate.
- The Uber One surcharge. On Uber Eats' Plus plan, Uber One member orders cost an extra 5% — and those members are some of the most active orderers on the platform.
- Conditional cheap rates. Uber Eats pickup is 7% only with validated in-store pricing — otherwise 10%. Don't assume you're getting the lowest published number.
- Processing on your own channel isn't free either. When you move orders to your own page you still pay card processing — but at roughly 3%, not 30%.
How to cut the commission without burning the apps down
You don't have to choose between "30% forever" and quitting delivery entirely. The practical play is to move volume down the cost ladder:
- Promote pickup relentlessly — in-store signage, on receipts, on your socials. At 6–7%, a pickup order keeps almost everything a full-delivery order surrenders. Many owners never actively push it.
- Switch loyal regulars to your own channels. The apps are excellent at discovery — finding you a new customer. They're a terrible way to serve the regular who already knows your name. Use the apps to win the customer, then give them a cheaper way to reorder. Our guide to launching a free online ordering system walks through the setup, and if you're weighing systems, here's what to look for in an online ordering platform.
- Stand up your own ordering page. A simple order button on your own website turns a 30% order into a roughly 3% one. You don't need a developer or a long contract — an AI website builder like DineHere can put a menu and an order button online in an afternoon, and the commission you save on a single busy weekend usually covers the cost for months. (For the wider landscape, see our definitive guide to restaurant online ordering platforms and our practical comparison of ordering systems.)
The goal isn't to fight the apps. It's to stop paying full-service prices for orders that don't need full service.
So is DoorDash (or Uber Eats) still worth it?
For most US restaurants, yes — but only for the right orders. The apps are worth 30% when they bring you a customer you'd never have reached otherwise. They're a bad deal when they take 30% of an order from a regular who'd happily have ordered direct.
The owners who win in 2026 treat delivery apps as a paid acquisition channel, not a default. They watch their effective commission rate (commission plus ad spend plus funded promos), push every order they can onto pickup or their own page, and keep the apps for genuine new demand. With margins already thin, that discipline is the difference between delivery that funds your kitchen and delivery that quietly drains it.
Frequently asked questions
How much commission does DoorDash take from restaurants?
DoorDash charges 15% (Basic), 25% (Plus), or 30% (Premier) on delivery orders, and 6% on pickup across all plans, with no activation, subscription or payment-processing fee on marketplace orders (DoorDash, 2026).
How much does Uber Eats charge US restaurants?
Uber Eats charges 20% (Lite), 25% (Plus, plus an extra 5% on Uber One orders), or 30% (Premium) on marketplace delivery, 15% for self-delivery, and 7% on pickup with validated in-store pricing (10% without) (Uber Eats, 2026).
Is DoorDash or Uber Eats cheaper for restaurants?
Their top delivery tier is identical at 30%. The difference is in the lower tiers and pickup: DoorDash's entry plan is 15% versus Uber Eats' 20%, but Uber Eats offers a 15% self-delivery option. DoorDash pickup (6%) edges Uber Eats pickup (7%, or 10% without validated pricing). The cheaper option depends on your order mix.
What is the cheapest way to use the delivery apps?
Pickup. At 6% on DoorDash and 7% on Uber Eats, a pickup order keeps roughly $93–$94 of every $100, versus about $70 on full-service delivery. Promoting pickup is the single fastest way to cut your effective commission.
How much do I actually keep on a $100 delivery order?
About $70 on a full-service (30%) delivery order, $75–$85 on the cheaper delivery tiers and self-delivery, $93–$94 on pickup, and roughly $97 through your own ordering page where you only pay card processing.
Does DoorDash or Uber Eats charge a sign-up or activation fee?
No. Both DoorDash and Uber Eats charge no activation or subscription fee to join the marketplace; DoorDash also charges no separate payment-processing fee on marketplace orders. Your cost is the commission percentage plus any optional add-ons (DoorDash, 2026).
What is the Uber One fee on Uber Eats?
On the Uber Eats Plus plan, orders placed by Uber One members cost an extra 5% on top of the 25% marketplace fee — effectively 30% on those orders. On the Premium plan, Uber One orders are included at no extra charge (Uber Eats, 2026).
How much does Grubhub charge restaurants?
The Independent Restaurant Coalition puts Grubhub's real-world commission at "10–30% depending on contracts," within the "between 15–30%" range the major platforms occupy. Grubhub holds about 6.3% of the US market, so for most owners the live decision is DoorDash vs Uber Eats (Independent Restaurant Coalition, 2025).
Can I lower my delivery-app commission?
Yes — by moving orders to cheaper channels. Pickup costs a fraction of delivery, and your own ordering page avoids commission entirely, leaving only card-processing fees of around 3%. Use the apps to win new customers, then steer repeat orders to channels you control.
Should I quit the delivery apps altogether?
Usually not. The apps are valuable for reaching new customers you'd never find otherwise. The smarter move is to keep them for genuine new demand while steering regulars toward pickup or your own ordering page to protect your margin.
