breadmaxxer · learn
per-hour pay, with tips
| Uber Eats | DoorDash | Instacart | |
|---|---|---|---|
| gross / hour | ~$25 * | ~$11.63 | ~$12.51 |
| how it’s paid | base + tips | base + promos + tips | batch pay + tips |
| tips as a share | ~28% | varies | ~42% |
* Uber Eats is a 2023–24 Gridwise average including tips and bonuses; DoorDash and Instacart are 2025 medians (Gridwise), which run lower. After costs, the three converge — see below.
2025 data tells a humbler story than the recruiting ads. Gridwise puts DoorDash’s median around $11.63/hour and Instacart’s around $12.51 (tips are a big ~42% of Instacart pay). Uber Eats has often topped the list — about $24.68/hour in Gridwise’s 2023–24 figures — but that number includes tips and bonuses and is older than the 2025 medians, so treat it as a ceiling, not a promise.
Whatever the gross, the same three costs come off the top: gas, vehicle wear (the IRS values driving at 72.5¢/mile in 2026), and the 15.3% self-employment tax with nothing withheld. The better-paying apps often send you farther, so more of that gross gets eaten by miles. NerdWallet’s own road tests landed near $10/hour after gas, before tax. Realistically, most drivers net somewhere around $9–12/hour across all three.
It’s less “which app” and more “which app, where you are, in your car.” The levers that actually move your take-home:
No chart can tell you your number — your miles and your car decide it. Run one real offer through the worth-it calculator and you’ll see your actual $/hour after the drive.
check if an offer is worth it →
Gross, Uber Eats has historically topped the list (~$24/hr in 2023–24 Gridwise data, including tips and bonuses), while 2025 medians put DoorDash around $11.63 and Instacart around $12.51. After gas, mileage and self-employment tax, all three land near $9–12/hour.
After gas, vehicle wear (72.5¢/mile in 2026) and the 15.3% self-employment tax, most drivers net roughly $9–12/hour even when the app advertises more. Your real number depends on your market and your car.
No. On all three you cover gas and every vehicle cost yourself, which is why the advertised hourly overstates what you actually keep.
Often, yes. Running two apps at once and working peak hours fills dead time and lets you take only the offers that clear your rate — which is what protects your real hourly.
Run the pay, the miles and the minutes through a $/hr calculator that subtracts vehicle cost. An offer under about $1.50–2.00 per mile usually isn’t worth the drive once gas and wear come out.