Like many other delivery apps, Shipt has its pros and cons.
If you’ve used it and think the cons outweigh the pros, or you’re looking for an additional app to use alongside it, you’re in the right place.
This article discusses over nine apps like Shipt that you can use to earn money shopping for groceries or delivering meals.
An Overview of Shipt
Target Corporation-owned Shipt is one of many grocery delivery services in the U.S.
It has an app that everyday Americans can register with to either order groceries or deliver orders.
If you’d like to know more, we dive into how Shipt works in another article.
Where Does Shipt Excel?
Shipt offers plenty of flexibility. You can control when you work, what deliveries you take on, and how often.
The app is also straightforward to use. For example, you can easily communicate with customers when one or two of the items they’ve requested are out of stock.
Where Does Shipt Fall Short?
Shipt’s tipping system isn’t the best. Unlike other apps, you won’t see the tips until you drop the grocery items with the customer.
All you see is an estimate of the pay you’ll receive, which means you’ll be taking a gamble when accepting a gig.
Our Top Picks (At a Glance)
An overview of our suggestions below.
Instacart – Best Overall
FreshDirect – Runner-Up
DoorDash – Best for Reliable Weekly Payouts
Grubhub – Highest-Paying Delivery App
Uber Eats – Best for Area Coverage
Favor – Best for Beginner Shoppers and Delivery Drivers
Amazon Fresh – Best for Stability and Reliability
Spark Driver App (by Walmart) – Best for Walmart Shoppers
ASAP (formerly Waitr) – Best Companion/Supplementary App
The Best Shipt Alternatives at a Glance
If you need answers fast, this section saves you a read by answering questions related to Shipt’s best alternative and biggest competition.
What Is the Best Shipt Alternative?
Instacart is the best Shipt alternative.
The app pays better than Shipt while offering the same flexibility and work-life balance that gig economy apps provide.
Also, the average Instacart full-service shopper is spoiled for choice because the app has a wider coverage area across the U.S. than Shipt.
Who Is Shipt’s Biggest Competitor?
Shipt’s biggest competitor is Instacart.
According to Statista, Instacart was the most downloaded online grocery shopping app in the U.S. in 2022, with eight million downloads. Shipt doesn’t even appear in Statista’s top three most downloaded apps in 2022.Â
The other two apps that Shipt would have to out-compete before being able to claim the top spot from Instacart are Gopuff and 7-Eleven.
Good: DoorDash pays its delivery drivers weekly, providing a steady and reliable income.
Bad: You’ll need to invest in a delivery bag because the one provided isn’t sturdy.
When to Choose This Shipt Alternative: Choose DoorDash if you want an app that makes regular payouts.
DoorDash is one of the best-known online food delivery services in the U.S.
The app offers same-day delivery of fast food and restaurant meals to its customers.
As one of its delivery drivers, you’ll pick up orders from food joints in your area and make money from your base pay and tips.
Why Is DoorDash a Great Option?
DoorDash payouts are regular and quick.
Once you become a “dasher,” you’ll not only make decent hourly pay with this pickup service, but you’ll also get this extra money at the end of the week.
Plus, the app’s coverage across the U.S. is excellent, meaning you’re bound to find gigs nearby.
Drawbacks to DoorDash
Although DoorDash provides a bag you can use to transport the food, it doesn’t last long.
If you plan to be a dasher for a significant period, expect to fork out the cost of a more durable one.
If you’re interested, we’ve reviewed other apps like DoorDash elsewhere on the site.
Good: It doesn’t have an instant payout feature, which means you can be disciplined.
Bad: Low pay and the customers can remove tips and lower your income even further.
When to Choose This Shipt Alternative: Use Spark Driver if you live in an area with a Walmart.
The Spark Driver app is the brainchild of retail giant Walmart. It facilitates Walmart’s online grocery delivery service.
You can make money by either delivering the store’s goods to its customers or shopping for them.
Per Walmart’s website, “All you need to get started is a car and a smartphone.”
Why Is Spark Driver a Great Option?
Spark Driver’s standout quality is the fact that it doesn’t have an instant payout feature.
There are two sides to this surprising benefit. The first is that not being able to withdraw money as soon as you’re paid (until the end of the week) instills discipline.
Second, this quality reduces the competition.
Drawbacks to Spark Driver
Unfortunately, Spark Driver’s base pay isn’t decent compared to similar apps, and you may not make a profit for a while.
Also, the app’s tipping system contributes to low income because Walmart’s customers can withdraw tips after you’ve completed a delivery.
Good: This app doesn’t penalize you for rejecting a job after accepting it.
Bad: ASAP doesn’t show you the drop-off destination before you accept a gig.
When to Choose This Shipt Alternative: Use ASAP when business is slow on bigger apps like GRUBHUB.
ASAP rebranded from Waitr in early 2022. This food delivery app isn’t as well-known as heavy-hitters like DoorDash or Uber Eats.
However, it’s worth investigating if you do delivery jobs on a full-time basis. Use it to augment your income when your primary app is having a slow day.
Why Is ASAP a Great Option?
The best quality about ASAP is the freedom you have to accept and reject jobs.
Unlike apps like DoorDash, ASAP won’t penalize you when you reject a delivery after accepting it.
ASAP’s leniency in this regard is fantastic because there will be times when you’ll have to reject orders.
Drawbacks to ASAP
ASAP falls short in one key area: you can’t see drop-off destinations until you accept a job.
This quality poses a problem because you can’t properly gauge whether a job will be profitable.
You could accept a job and learn that it’s farther than you’re willing to travel.
Notable Mentions: Even More Options to Check Out
The apps discussed below are Shipt alternatives worth checking out if you want more gig economy apps like it:
Gopuff is an app used by thousands of Americans to order groceries and other everyday essentials.
The company behind it has partnered with local stores, and you can work as an independent contractor delivering their inventory to households near you.
It gets an honorable mention in this article because of the flexibility its 24-hour model affords its delivery people.
As to why Gopuff doesn’t make it into my top nine apps, it’s because of its shift system.
This model makes it challenging to get jobs because it creates a first-come-first-serve situation. You also can’t turn down orders.
TaskRabbit differs significantly from the other Shipt alternatives mentioned in this article, but I considered it worth mentioning due to its breadth of tasks.
Unlike the other alternatives mentioned, you won’t deliver groceries or food to make money.
Rather, you’ll offer your services to help customers with odd jobs, such as grocery shopping for them. I’m mentioning it for this reason alone.
Where TaskRabbit falls short is how competitive it can be.
Competition is fierce on this app, which means you won’t always get the jobs you want to do.
Additionally, you’ll have to submit yourself to a background check, which, when you think about it, is understandable.
Wrapping Up
Of all the Shipt alternatives available, Instacart reigns supreme. Whether it’s decent pay you’re looking for or work-life balance, this app offers those benefits in spades.
Better yet, since it operates in 14,000 cities across the U.S. and Canada, it’s likely you can use the app outside your area.
FreshDirect earns second place because of the stability that the app provides.
While Instacart’s coverage dwarfs its availability (14,000 versus FreshDirect’s four cities), the app makes up for the deficit by being akin to a full-time job.
That’s why if you’re in between jobs, this app is the one to get to earn a steady paycheck.
DoorDash has almost become synonymous with food delivery, which is why it’s little wonder that it clinches third position.
The app’s weekly payout structure provides much-needed liquidity for gig economy workers, making it an appealing prospect for anyone who needs to earn extra cash as quickly as possible.
About The Author
Brett Helling
Brett Helling has been a rideshare driver since early 2012, having completed hundreds of trips for companies including Uber, Lyft, and Postmates.
Since that time, he has expanded his knowledge into the Teach Me Delivery site, as well as writing the book Gigworker: Independent Work and the State of the Gig Economy Paperback, now available on Amazon.
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