Got a ride and looking to make money? Get extra cash by working in your free time with these 8 Uber alternatives.
Uber is brilliant. It opened up the gig economy to thousands of people looking for a side hustle without the need for stringent requirements. If you're looking for a gig that's very much like driving for Uber, you'll find dozens of options in the market – a lot of which are tried, tested, and trusted.
In this article, we listed 8 Uber alternatives that can help you make money in the gig economy. The minimum requirement for most of these jobs is a vehicle, a driver's license, a clean record, and a fully functional smartphone.
If you can tick all of these requirements, then feel free to select from our curated list of options below.
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DoorDash
Estimated earnings: The company claims that you can make as much as $19 per hour, but it really depends on several factors, including the city you live in, the demand, and your expenses.
How does DoorDash work?
Often dubbed “the Uber for food delivery,” DoorDash is one of the most popular options in this list and with good reason. The platform is available in around 4,000 cities across 50 U.S. states while expanding continuously. As of 2019, DoorDash serves around 35% of the food delivery market in the United States.
Much like Uber Eats, DoorDash pays you by delivering takeout food to customers who are near you. Delivery drivers, which DoorDash likes to call Dashers, receive order notifications through their phones with the freedom to accept or reject an offer.
If they choose to accept an order, they must drive to the restaurant to pick up the order, then deliver the order to the customer. If you reject the offer, the order is routed to another driver.
Pay calculation is based on a black-box algorithm, which DoorDash claims to account for time, distance, effort, and several other factors. Customers are encouraged to tip Dashers, and Dashers get to keep 100% of tips that customers pay, with a few caveats. Read our DoorDash review to learn more.
PRO-TIP: Take advantage of DoorDash promotions like Challenge Bonuses, Peak Pay (making extra money on-peak hours), and DoorDash Drive (a special delivery service for large orders) to earn even more.
Hourly Pay | Tip % | Delivery Volume | Next Steps | |
---|---|---|---|---|
$10-$14/hour | 100% | Excellent | SIGN UP | Read Review |
See Related: DoorDash Driver Review 2020: How Much Can You Earn?
Postmates
Estimated earnings: The company claims that couriers can earn up to $25 per hour, but our research found out that most people only make around $10-$20 an hour.
How Does Postmates Work?
Uber recently acquired Postmates for $2.65 billion. The move was intended to increase Uber's on-demand food delivery, as its main app Uber Ride struggled during the pandemic.
For this reason, most Postmates drivers were forced to look for alternative gigs to maintain their income stream. And since Postmates is now part of UberEats, signing up as an UberEats driver is an excellent option. This way, you won't have to look for a completely new food delivery app to sign up for.
Therefore, instead of signing up for Uber Rides, you can opt for its food delivery platform, which currently offers more earning opportunities.
The best thing with UberEats is that you don't have to have a car to make money. You can join the platform with your bike or scooter and still make good money.
As an Uber Eats driver, you can earn somewhere between $8 – $12 an hour when you factor in your car or scooter expenses. Simply sign up for UberEats here and start making some money.
See Related: HyreCar Review 2021: Can You Make Money?
Instacart
Estimated earnings: The platform claims that you can make as much as $25 per hour, but our research discovered that most actually make only $14 – $18 an hour.
How does Instacart work?
Present in more than 4,000 U.S. cities and valued at around $8 billion, Instacart is definitely one of the largest grocery delivery services in today's gig economy. If you're looking for Uber alternatives with the highest payment, then Instacart is a great choice.
Instacart focuses more on grocery delivery while offering two ways for people to earn. The most popular way is by being a full-service shopper where you're tasked with shopping for your customer's groceries and delivering them to their residence. This is a great choice for people who already have a vehicle.
If you don't have a vehicle, you can sign up as an in-store shopper instead. In-store shoppers are tasked with grocery shopping and putting together a customer's orders for pick-up by a full-service shopper. Unlike full-service shoppers, however, in-store shoppers are part-time employees and not independent contractors.
PRO TIP: Unlike other delivery apps that allow you to work only when you want to without any commitments, Instacart requires its workers to indicate when they are available by selecting hour blocks throughout the week. If your schedule is constantly changing, Instacart might not be a good fit for you.
Hourly Pay | Tip % | Delivery Volume | Next Steps | |
---|---|---|---|---|
$10-$14/hour | 100% (Check Policy) | Decent | BECOME A SHOPPER |
See Related: Instacart Tipping Guide: How Does it Work
Shipt
Estimated earnings: Anywhere between $16 – $22 per hour.
How does Shipt work?
Looking for Uber alternatives to make money? This web-based delivery service is present in around 260 cities, but don't let its small region of operation fool you. The grocery delivery app is hitting record numbers, and demand grows for it every year.
Just like Postmates and DoorDash, Shipt pays contractors to purchase, shop for, and deliver groceries to customers' doorstep. Users can select from a variety of office supplies, grocery, drug stores, and pet items while placing orders directly on the phone app.
Shipt shoppers are paid per shop, and they get to keep 100% of the tips they receive from customers. Shoppers get paid through commission, which is approximately $5 plus 7.5% of the order amount. If a customer orders $100 worth of groceries, you will earn $12.50 as commission.
PRO TIP: When choosing days to shop and deliver goods, prioritize Mondays and Sundays. These are peak days for Shipt where you can maximize your claim on orders.
Hourly Pay | Tip % | Delivery Volume | Next Steps | |
---|---|---|---|---|
$10-$14/hour | 100% | Fair | GET STARTED | Read Full Review |
See Related: Shipt vs Instacart: What Platform is Best for Drivers?
Lyft
Estimated earnings: The company reports that drivers earn around $18.83 per hour nationally and around $21.08 per hour in the top 25 markets. Our research states that this could be considerably lower once expenses have been considered.
How does Lyft work?
Launched in 2012, Lyft is a peer-to-peer rideshare matchmaker and carpool service. Hailed as one of the best apps like Uber, it operates in Canada and the United States, where it is present in all 50 states, including the District of Columbia.
Lyft functions very much like Uber. Passengers request a ride through their mobile phone and get matched with available riders within the vicinity. Drivers may accept or reject these requests to their liking and get to keep 100% of the tips they receive.
Just like other ridesharing jobs like Uber, the pay is based on the time and distance of a ride. Lyft is primarily cashless, with payments made through the Lyft Driver app. Drivers must be at least 21 years of age with vehicle insurance that covers up to $1 million USD.
PRO TIP: Schedule your driving times around Prime Time pricing, which is very much like Uber's Surge Pricing. This kicks into effect when the demand for drivers is high!
Amazon Flex
Estimated earnings: The platform's website claims that drivers can make up to $18 to $25 per hour, but how much you'll receive actually depends on a number of factors, including how many packages you can deliver every hour.
How does Amazon Flex work?
Amazon Flex is an e-commerce giant Amazon's entry into the ridesharing industry, and it allows you to earn money by delivering products to Amazon customers within your city. We consider Amazon Flex to be a great Uber alternative as it's one of the very few delivery jobs that offer more than the minimum wage even after you've considered external costs.
Just like Instacart, there's a sense of commitment involved in Amazon Flex jobs. Drivers are presented with time blocks that they may accept or reject. For example, a two-hour block may offer $36 to $50. The minimum amount you'll receive is $36, but you'll get the potential to earn more with tips that you get to keep 100%.
Every block presented to you will contain a certain number of deliveries that the company believes you can finish within their set time frame. A forewarning: if your deliveries take more time than Amazon Flex estimates, you won't get paid more.
We also consider Amazon Flex to be one of the best alternatives to Uber for drivers as the company pays twice a week – a good thing if you're looking to rack up income fast.
PRO TIP: Amazon Flex has a relatively strict set of rules to make sure that deliveries are up to standards. You can get fired if you miss shifts or if you're late for them, damaging packages, and for racking up a number of customer complaints.
See Related: 15 Top Jobs Like Amazon Flex [Earn Extra Gig Income]
Grubhub
Estimated earnings: Around $10 to $20 per hour.
How does Grubhub work?
Grubhub is one of the best ways to make money with your car, as it combines high demand with great transparency on your pay. This online and mobile food order and delivery platform connect local restaurants with diners, boasting of having the “largest and most comprehensive network of restaurant partners.”
The platform allows diners to order from over 300,000 restaurants, 225,000 of which Grubhub is partnered with. Founded in 2004, the company is present in over 4,000 U.S. cities as of 2020.
What makes Grubhub so popular is that the platform offers comprehensive details about each delivery before making drivers decide whether to accept or reject the offer. Committing to a set delivery block and completing all the deliveries during that time will also guarantee you a minimum hourly wage, though the hourly rate changes depending on demand.
Grubhub allows you to keep 100% of customer tips, and in this platform, that's good news – tipping at restaurant-style rates is encouraged here. Much like other entries in this list, Grubhub will require you to use your own car and pay for your own gas. Parking may also be an issue, which may lengthen the time it takes to deliver to one customer.
PRO TIP: If you're a stellar performer, you may be admitted to the Grubhub Recognition Program. This program offers unique perks, like getting earlier access to delivery block scheduling as well as large catering orders and referral programs.
Favor Delivery
Estimated earnings: Around $9 to $12 per hour.
How does Favor Delivery work?
Favor Delivery is another on-demand food delivery service that's currently available in around 50 cities across Texas. Just like other food delivery services in this list, the process is simple: all orders are placed through the Favor Delivery app, which then gets sent to self-employed couriers who transport food orders from restaurants and to the customers.
One of the platform's unique selling points is its minimum base pay of $9 per hour. This base pay only kicks in, however, when you earn less than $9 (including your tips), so your chances of earning much more can be slim. While this seems low, the minimum base rate guarantees that you get paid regardless of how many (or how few) deliveries you make during your shift.
Favor Delivery requires you to use your own car while accounting for your own expenses and wear and tear. You also have to purchase your own Favor Delivery shirt and a cooler to keep food deliveries fresh.
PRO TIP: Scheduling your deliveries instead of being an on-demand courier will raise your earnings by up to 20%. That's because you can schedule your deliveries during busy times or times with bonuses.