Postmates vs Doordash: Whom to drive for?
When it comes to signing for one of the food delivery apps, the choice can be the hardest: Is it better to work for Postmates or Doordash. The jobs are really similar and offer a lot of great advantages (no complex requirements, you can work part-time or full-time, you set your own hours).
Both jobs are a great opportunity to maintain a good work-life balance. Postmates and DoorDash may seem basically the same other than brand. However, a closer look shows that there are some key differences. Read on for a closer look at some of these differences to help you decide whether Postmates or Doordash is right for you.
Thanks to our experience and the data and information found in the Doordash Help Center website and Postmates Fleet Help Center we made an in-depth comparison. We will explain to you everything you need to know about Postmates and Doordash driver/courier jobs and give you an accurate comparison of the driver requirements, the vehicle requirements, the application process, and the earnings.
“What platform should I choose for my gig job?” This is a common question. At the end of this article you will have all the elements to make your choice and get a lucrative and great work experience and earn more.
The first thing to understand is the difference between Postmates and Doordash
DoorDash is an on-demand food delivery service. DoorDash customers can order food through Doordash App or the web interface in the United States, Canada and Australia. Basically, they connect people and partner restaurants. With the DoorDash App, you can only pass a food order while Dashers pick up and deliver only food.
Postmates is an on-demand "everything" delivery service. Postmates service is growing fast, helping customers get whatever they need, whenever they are through the Postmates app . Currently Postmates offers delivery services in the United States and in Mexico. Postmates offers innovative services to help you save money, like Postmates Party and promo code for existing users. In addition new Postmates users get the best deal: $100 free delivery with our code.
This is the most important element that makes the difference between DoorDash and Postmates. While with Doordash you will deliver only food, with Postmates you can deliver food, drinks, groceries and other goods from the +500K merchants partners .
With the Doordash app and with Postmates app, corporate or catering orders can be made.
Now that this first important difference is clear, let's continue with our analysis.
Even the top-notch delivery app in the world is ineffective if it does not provide service in your area. For a gig worker considering earning quick money through nationwide delivery, the availability of the service plays an integral role. Therefore, it is important to consider which is available in more cities – Postmates or DoorDash.
With a reach across 3,500 cities, Postmates is certainly a winner here. DoorDash is now available in 3,000 cities , including certain areas of Canada and Australia as well. Therefore, the latter does not offer a nationwide advantage as compared to Postmates.
Winner: With a broader reach and better income-earning scope for drivers, Postmates has an added advantage over DoorDash where the app is still working to maximize its penetration and partner with more restaurants across the United States and Canada.
Postmates driver requirements and Doordash driver requirements are really similar so we list them below. If you qualify for one you definitely qualify for the other too.
Winner: There is no difference between Postmates and DoorDash in terms of requirements, cause they both provide easy requirements.
What makes the difference are the vehicle requirements. Driving for Postmates or Doordash, unlike Lyft or Uber, you do not need to schedule a vehicle inspection . There are no limits in the type of vehicle that you can use to perform the deliveries. A delivery person can use a:
Doordash and Postmates claim a freedom to use any type of vehicle you want. after careful analysis in the main markets, this is actually true only for Postmates. We made a case study in our article of Postmates vehicle requirements.
Take a look, you will clearly see a map with all the cities where Postmates and Doordash authorize walkers or bikers... For the moment, know that Doordash authorizes only car deliveries in different markets where instead with Postmates you can also do motorcycle deliveries.
Here is a list of some major markets with their respective authorized vehicles:
Related Resources:
Now that you have looked at this list and know that nobody works for dreams but for money. Postmates allows you to switch the type of vehicle you use at any time you want.
If you read our article how much do Postmates drivers make, we refer to the part of the hidden costs of a delivery driver. With Postmates you can choose, for example, to make your bike deliveries during weekends and save gas money.
Postmates is an eco-friendly company, it has developed an e-bike and scooter rental program in different cities. Is ecology today a factor not to be taken into consideration? We really believe no.
Winner: Postmates
It's a mandatory step for all rideshare and delivery companies. The checks cover:
The criminal background check includes national and county-level databases and records. The Background screening company gathers the information from many different sources. More precisely your report lists information will include details such as:
The background check is the same for Postmates and Doordash. Furthermore Postmates and Doordash use the same company to run the background check. Take a look at our complete guide to Postmates Background Check.
Winner: Tie
The drivers are the backbone of Postmates, Doordash or other rideshare companies like Lyft or Uber. A common question is: do you make more money with Postmates or Doordash?
All these companies have developed a referral program to encourage drivers to sign up for them. The application process to drive for DoorDash or Postmates is really easy and free for both companies, it will take you a few minutes. However, We can also see the difference between Postmates and DoorDash in the following aspects:
When it comes to a job, earnings, compensation, benefits and incentives are so important. Postmates and Doordash following Uber's footprints have changed their sign up bonus formula and both offer guaranteed earnings. The sign up bonus is not on top of your earnings. You will receive a certain amount if you make the required number of deliveries. However the Postmates bonus is a great way to boost your pay.
The amount of sign up bonus and required deliveries change from city to city and obviously depends on the need and discretion of Postmates or Doordash. After an exam we noticed a difference between Postmates and Doordash.
After signing up and becoming a Postmates or Doordash driver you will have your referral code. You can simply share your code with your friends or potential drivers you know.
The more people use your referral code, the better chance of receiving bonuses. Doordash has specific rules about the spread of referral codes. A Dasher can refer a maximum of 15 drivers every year.
Doordash and Postmates compete offering a sign-up bonus. The number of deliveries required is sometimes higher for Doordash but you will have 60 days to complete the deliveries.
Winner: Tie
Orientation is a mandatory process to become a Dasher, you must schedule it at the time of sign up. During the Orientation you will receive some information about the Dasher App (the Doordash app for drivers), and the red card (the card you will use to pay).
They will suggest you to buy the Doordash welcome kit (t-shirt + insulated bag). Postmates does not provide an orientation in its application process, it's simple. The activation kit including the insulated bag and the Postmates credit card will be sent to you directly and FREE of charge at home (be careful to write the right address when signing up).
Related: Postmates driver requirements
Postmates, Doordash, Lyft, Uber ... the possibilities are many, but which one is really the most lucrative? Who among Postmates and Doordash will allow you to boost your income? We offer you a review (updated on December, 2019) made by Indeed of the hourly pay of a Postmates and a Doordash driver.
A Doordash driver earns an average of $18.88/hr and a Postmates driver $24.98/hr. In fact, Postmates allows you to earn more thanks to batching orders. You can also earn extra cash if you follow our tips and tricks for couriers.
We can also talk about instant payments for differences between Doordash and Postmates. Postmates and DoorDash allow drivers to cash out their job earnings in real-time. However, DoorDash applies a fee of $1.99 for every cash out, while Postmates with instant pay applies a fee of $.50.
We suggest you take a look at our complete guides to Postmates driver pay.
Postmates has an incentives program for new and existing drivers. Postmates offers pay guarantee in many cities. In San Francisco, for example, you earn at least $ 300 if you make 30 deliveries. I'll let you do the calculation if you do 30 deliveries a day for 30 days ;)
DoorDash will show you the guaranteed amount you'll earn for completing a delivery before you choose to accept or reject that order. The guaranteed amount is based on a variety of factors including:
Once you complete drop off the customer receives a push notification asking them to rate the order and tip. If you want to learn more, you can take a look at our detailed guide to Postmates Tipping. Basically, customers are not able to place new orders until they take action on rating and tipping in their app. The app calculates a recommended 20% tip based on the total price. However, customers are free to tip any amount they choose. You’ll get 100% of tips.
After the recent tipping controversy, Doordash changed the pay model. Dashers get 100% of the tips.
Doordash and Postmates are open 24 hours 365 days a year! As long as the merchant you want to order from is open and accepting to go orders. However, to ensure they have the right balance of driver-partners on the road based on the number of customers looking for deliveries during the pick hours they offer incentives to their drivers.
Have you heard of Postmates Blitz pricing and incentive? When there are not enough couriers to fulfill the demand, Postmates increases the delivery fees for the customers and offers in-app incentives to drivers that can earn extra money.
DoorDash offers as well in-app incentives and has a reward program for drivers.
Our opinion: Both apps offer incentives and give tips to the drivers. With recent changes to the DooRdash pay calculation, the food delivery company is optimistic for better compensation schemes and increased driver flexibility.
We said it, your smartphone is your main work tool. Through it you can schedule yourself for deliveries , receive and accept orders, check your earnings and you will be assisted by Postmates/Doordash support in case of need.
There is an analogy between Postmates, Doordash and the other rideshare companies. They have two Apps, one for the users / customers and one for the drivers.
Postmates App is the customer App, do not let yourself be misled. You can learn how to use Postmates Fleet App in our guide. Here is a comparison of the two Apps.
The two on-demand delivery apps are very simple to use, both have an integrated navigation system. It is not difficult to navigate the menu and find what you need.
You can receive help and support in the website. There is an entire part where you can find useful links and answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ).
Postmates provides three types of support for their drivers.
As for Doordash, the dasher app does not provide an online support menu for its drivers. Doordash drivers can receive support by requesting them through the doordash website. Doordash also seems to be quite responsive and support customers and drivers via twitter @DoorDash_Help
Winner: Tie
If you want you can download our presentation: Postmates vs Doordash.
For the understanding difference between Postmates and Doordash , as you can observe there isn’t a straightforward answer to the question from the beginning of the article. However, Postmates officially ditched its classic 1-to-5-star rating system for a binary thumbs-up, thumbs-down rating system. Unlike Doordash drivers, Postmates Fleet drivers do not live in fear of low ratings from customers. The requirements to become a Postmates or Doordash and the application process are really similar.
In addition, Postmates seems to be more flexible than Doordash in terms of vehicle requirements allowing and accepting deliveries made with scooters in all markets. The pay model and the incentives are similar for both companies. Postmates is growing fast and is really appreciated by customers. You can make more money thanks to the batching orders.
We hope this article has helped you answer your questions and trivia. Supports Postmatesbonus.com and our community, share this article and like our Facebook Page.
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