DoorDash alternatives for restaurants: what each costs and who it fits
The alternatives to DoorDash for a restaurant fall in three groups: other marketplaces (Uber Eats, Grubhub), your own ordering (a site or a flat-fee platform that takes no cut of each order), and your own drivers. DoorDash takes 15% to 30% on delivery and 6% on pickup [1] [2]. Uber Eats is in the same range, Grubhub quotes a 5% to 15% marketing fee, and direct ordering costs a payment fee of about 3% plus a flat monthly fee or none [2] [3] [4]. Most owners keep one marketplace and move their regulars to their own link.
If you want the cheapest first step, build a free menu site with pickup ordering from a photo of your menu, then point regulars to it. Below: the options with their costs, one month worked on each, what you give up leaving DoorDash, and how to move customers without losing the ones the app brought you.
What DoorDash costs, so you have the baseline
DoorDash lists plans with different commissions on delivery (15% to 30% in the sources) and a 6% commission on pickup orders [1] [2]. We break the plans down in DoorDash commission for restaurants, and the pickup catch in does DoorDash charge commission on pickup orders. DoorDash also sells a free ordering product for your own site where you pay only the payment fee and can use its drivers for delivery; see DoorDash Storefront fees. That one is not really an alternative to DoorDash, it is DoorDash with a different front door.
The alternatives, side by side
| Option | What it costs | Who delivers | Who owns the customer |
|---|---|---|---|
| DoorDash | 15% to 30% delivery, 6% pickup | DoorDash drivers | DoorDash |
| Uber Eats | 15% to 30%, lower for pickup | Uber drivers | Uber |
| Grubhub | 5% to 15% marketing fee, plus 10% if it delivers | Grubhub drivers or you | Grubhub |
| Flat-fee ordering platform | A monthly fee (UpMenu lists $49 to $169) and 0% commission [4] | You or a courier | You |
| Per-order platform | About $1 an order on one platform [4] | You or a courier | You |
| Your own menu site with pickup | Payment fee only | Pickup, so nobody | You |
Rates shift. These are ranges from the pages ranking today, and many are written by companies that sell one of the options, so check the current number on each company's own page [1] [2] [3] [4].
Other marketplaces: Uber Eats and Grubhub
Uber Eats has about the same commission as DoorDash and one source says the rates went up in March 2026 [2]. The case for adding it is reach: some towns lean to one app, and a Seattle owner quoted in a vendor blog said 70% of their delivery came through Uber Eats because that is what the locals use [2]. Read Uber Eats commission for restaurants and DoorDash vs Uber Eats for the plans.
Grubhub prices differently: a marketing fee of 5% to 15% rather than one commission, and 10% more if its drivers deliver [2] [3]. The lower number is real if you deliver yourself. See Grubhub commission and Grubhub vs DoorDash. A third marketplace does not solve the underlying problem: each one takes a cut and keeps the customer.
Your own ordering: three ways
A flat-fee ordering platform
You pay a monthly fee and no commission. ChowNow, UpMenu and Owner.com are examples with different prices; see our guides on ChowNow alternatives, Owner.com alternatives and Popmenu pricing for what each one costs. They usually include a site and an app, and some do marketing. The catch: a monthly fee whether the month is busy or not.
Your own menu site with pickup
The cheapest. You pay the card fee only. It works well for pickup, which is the order type delivery apps charge least on, and it has no delivery. Our commission-free online ordering guide compares the free and paid versions.
Your own drivers
If you already have a driver, a site with a delivery option keeps the full order. Without one, a courier service can fill in. Costs vary by town, so quote it before you promise delivery in a menu.
One month on each, same orders
Say a restaurant sells $25,000 a month in delivery, on 714 orders averaging $35. Here is what the platform takes, before food and labor:
| Option | Platform takes |
|---|---|
| DoorDash at 15% | $3,750 |
| DoorDash at 30% | $7,500 |
| Grubhub at 5% marketing fee, your drivers | $1,250 |
| Grubhub at 5% + 10% with its drivers | $3,750 |
| Own ordering, 2.9% + 30¢ card fee | $940 |
| Own ordering plus a $169 plan | $1,109 |
The sums: 15% of $25,000 is $3,750. A card fee of 2.9% is $725 and 714 × 30¢ is $214, so $939 (rounded to $940); we assumed that rate, which is common for online card orders, so check your own. Own ordering moves $2,800 to $6,500 a month back to the restaurant at this size, but only for orders that actually come through your link. The marketplace sale you do not have is worth nothing, so the real plan is to move part of the volume, not all of it.
What it means
If you move 20% of those orders ($5,000 a month) from DoorDash at 20% to your own link, you keep about $1,000 minus a card fee of about $190, so roughly $810 a month more. That is the size of the prize for a restaurant with this much volume. It is not a reason to leave the app, it is a reason to put your link in the bag.
What you lose by leaving DoorDash
- New customers. The app shows you to people who never searched for you. Your own link only reaches people who already know you.
- Drivers. You must run delivery yourself or hire a courier.
- Habit. Some guests open the app first and never search the web.
That is why most sources say to pair one marketplace with direct ordering rather than quit [2]. The decision is easy to test: raise your direct share for a month and see what the app orders do.
How to move customers to your own link
- Put a card in every bag with a short link and the line "order direct, pickup is ready faster".
- Put the link on your Google profile. See Google Business Profile for restaurants.
- Print a QR code on the table tent and the window.
- Keep the menu prices fair. If you raise app prices to cover commission, say so on your own site and keep yours lower. See does DoorDash mark up prices.
- Offer something on direct orders that you can afford, like a free drink on a pickup over $30. Keep it small.
How to choose in four questions
- Do you have a driver? If yes, your own ordering keeps the whole order. If no, a marketplace or a courier service has to carry delivery.
- How many of your orders are pickup? Pickup is the cheapest to move, because it needs no driver. Start there.
- What share of orders come from regulars? Regulars follow a link on a bag. New guests only find you in an app.
- How much does one commission point cost you? Multiply your monthly app sales by 1%. At $25,000 that is $250 a month for each point, and you can compare any plan with that.
A 30-day test before you change anything
You do not need to quit an app to learn what a direct link is worth. For 30 days: add your ordering link to the bag card, the table tent, the receipt and your Google profile. Count orders by source each week: app orders, direct orders, phone orders. At the end, compare the direct share with the start. If direct is under 5% of orders, the link is not being seen yet; move it somewhere visible. If it passed 15%, you have a case to lower the app's share, for example by turning off the plan with the highest commission or by pausing it at the quiet hours. Write the numbers down, because they are the proof you need before a bigger change.
Two cautions. First, do not cut app prices and your own prices in a way that confuses guests; keep your direct price at or below the app price. Second, do not tell guests not to use the app. Give them a better reason to order from you.
On Uber Eats instead? See Uber Eats alternatives for restaurants.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest alternative to DoorDash for a restaurant?
Your own menu site with pickup ordering: you pay only the card fee. Delivery needs your own driver or a courier.
Is Uber Eats cheaper than DoorDash?
About the same, 15% to 30% in the sources, with a lower pickup rate [2].
Is Grubhub cheaper than DoorDash?
Its marketing fee runs 5% to 15%, but it adds 10% if its drivers deliver [2] [3].
Can I use DoorDash and my own ordering together?
Yes, and most owners do. The marketplace brings new guests; your own link keeps the regulars.
Do alternatives to DoorDash have a contract?
Some do. Ask about term and cancellation before you sign.
How do I take orders without DoorDash?
Build a free menu site with pickup orders and share the link. More answers are in all our guides.
See also ChowNow vs DoorDash and Grubhub alternatives.
Sources
- DoorDash Fees for Restaurants, UpMenu, as shown in search results Nov 11, 2026 (a rival).
- 8 Uber Eats Alternatives for Restaurants and DoorDash vs Grubhub for Restaurants, Owner.com and Sauce, as shown in search results Nov 11, 2026 (vendors).
- Which delivery service is best for restaurants, DoorDash for Merchants, as shown in search results Nov 11, 2026 (Grubhub marketing fee and the 10% driver fee).
- Best DoorDash Alternative For Restaurants, UpMenu, as shown in search results Nov 11, 2026 (a vendor; $49 to $169 plans, $1 per order platform).
Rates change and many of these sources sell the option they describe. Confirm on each company's own page.