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The 7 Best Grocery Delivery Apps for 2021

best grocery delivery app

Grocery delivery apps can save you time and money. By ordering items on your phone, you don’t have to go to the store, stand in line, and unload all those bags from your car. Some of these apps offer exclusive savings, while others let you talk to your shopper and make changes after you place your order. Here is our list of the best grocery apps, and how much which ones have the cheapest delivery fees.

If you’d rather order takeout from your favorite restaurant, check out our list of the best food delivery apps.

Shipt: Most Diverse Grocery Delivery App

shipt best food delivery app
(Image Source: Apple App Store)
  • Membership: (required) $14 per month or $99 per year
  • Delivery Fee: Free for orders above $35, $7 for orders under $35
  • Minimum Order: None

Shipt offers same-day delivery on any orders over $35, and you can schedule your order to be delivered in as little as an hour or later. However, this subscription-based grocery delivery service is only available in 260 cities currently.

Unlike other grocery delivery apps, Shipt allows you to shop for products from retailers like Target, Costco, CVS, Kroger, Petco, and more. That means you can use one app to order groceries, home goods, pet supplies, exercise equipment, and more. You can even use the app to order alcohol (as long as your over 21, of course).

You’ll even get exclusive deals and access to rewards programs, like Costco membership benefits. However, Shift does add a small fee to your order to cover shipping and handling costs. The company says the average customer spends around $5 more for a $35 order than they would if they were shopping in-store.

Download: Apple App Store | Google Play Store

FreshDirect: Best Grocery App for the East Coast

freshdirect
(Image Source: Apple App Store)
  • Membership: (not required) $129 per year 
  • Delivery Fee: Between $5.99 to $15.99, free for members
  • Minimum Order: $30 ($99 for the Hamptons)

FreshDirect is a little different than other grocery delivery services. Instead of having shoppers go to your local grocery store to pick out items, FreshDirect ships fresh food directly from its warehouses. This online grocery store sources fresh food directly from farmers, fishermen, and artisans.

While FreshDirect is not available everywhere, it is the best grocery delivery app if you live in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, or Washington DC metro areas. Delivery is also available to the Jersey Shore and Long Island during the summer season. 

Aside from fresh produce and meat, FreshDirect also delivers prepared dishes, party platters, and farm share boxes. You can use the app to filter for gluten-free, organic, and kosher products. However, it usually takes at least a day to get your order delivered.

Download: Apple App Store | Google Play Store

Thrive Market: Best Organic Grocery Delivery App

Thrive Market
(Image Source: Apple App Store)
  • Membership: (required) $59.95 per year
  • Delivery Fee: $5.95 for orders under $49, Free for orders over $49
  • Minimum Order: None

Whether you’re looking for healthy, organic groceries, or you have dietary restrictions or allergies, Thrive Market is the best grocery delivery app you can get. This membership-based online market ships orders to all 48 contiguous states within 2-3 business days.

With more than 6,000 food, home, and beauty products from non-GMO brands, the app makes it easy to find almost anything you’re looking for (except fresh fruit and vegetables). You can even use filters to find items for all kinds of different diets and lifestyles, including vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, paleo, ketogenic, and over 70 more categories.

Thrive Market has some of the cheapest wholesale prices that will end up saving you 25% to 50% on your orders. In fact, the company claims that the average user saves $32 on every order. Plus, if you don’t save more than your annual membership plan costs, Thrive Market will automatically credit the difference to your account.

Download: Apple App Store | Google Play Store

Boxed: Best Grocery Delivery App for Bulk Shopping

boxed
(Image Source: Apple App Store)
  • Membership: (not required) $49 per year
  • Delivery Fee: Free for orders over $49, $6.99 for orders under $49
  • Delivery Fee (members): Free for orders $19.98 or up

Boxed lets you shop in bulk, which makes it one of the best grocery delivery apps for saving money. Just like Costco or Sam’s Club, Boxed offers warehouse pricing on groceries and household items without a membership fee.

You will get certain perks for signing up for a $49 per year Boxed Up membership, such as free deliveries on orders over $19.98, 2% cash back, and exclusive discounts. Without a membership, you will have to pay a delivery fee on any orders under $49.

Boxed ships to all 48 contiguous states in about 1-3 business days. You can even get your order delivered to a business address, so you can stock up on office supplies for less. However, Boxed only features a curated list of hundreds of items, so you might not be able to find your favorite brand or any fresh fruit, vegetables, or meat.

Download: Apple App Store | Google Play Store

Walmart Grocery: Best Grocery Delivery App with Pickup Option

walmart
(Image Source: Apple App Store)
  • Membership: (not required) $12.95 per month
  • Delivery Fee: Free for orders $35 and up, Free with Walmart+ membership
  • Minimum Order: $30 for pickup, $35 for delivery

The Walmart Grocery app lets you shop for groceries, household essentials, and millions of other items you can find at your local Walmart. You can either have your order delivered to your door in as little as two hours or pick them up at select Walmart locations.  

With free curbside pickup available at thousands of locations, Walmart Grocery is the best grocery delivery app for pickups. You can schedule a time to pick up your groceries within four hours of ordering them, however, you will have to wait a day to pick up orders made after 4:00 PM.

The best part is Walmart does mark up the prices of any items when you have them delivered. That means you’ll pay the same for products, whether you get them in-store, have them delivered, or pick them up yourself. You can also have orders over $35 delivered in under two hours, but you’ll have to pay a $10 delivery fee.  

Download: Apple App Store | Google Play Store

Amazon Prime Now: Best Grocery Delivery App for Amazon Prime Members

amazon prime now best grocery delivery app
(Image: Apple App Store)
  • Membership: (required) $119 per year 
  • Delivery Fee: Free for orders over $35 from Amazon and Whole Foods, $4.99 for orders under $35
  • Minimum Order: None

If you want your groceries delivered fast, Amazon Prime Now is one of the best apps you can get. Prime Now lets you order groceries and tens of thousands of other items, which can be delivered for free in two hours or less.

Prime Now is available “from morning to night,” meaning you won’t be able to get your groceries delivered at 2:00 AM. But you can use the app to schedule what time you want your order delivered, so you won’t have to worry about your ice cream melting. If you want your groceries delivered within one hour, you will need to pay a higher delivery fee.

You can order from local grocery stores, Whole Foods, and even popular restaurant chains, like Five Guys and Red Lobster. During checkout, you can also add special delivery instructions, like building access codes or which doorbell to ring. After checkout, you will get a text message with real-time tracking updates.

Prime Now is only available to Prime members, and you can only use the service in around 100 cities currently. However, the delivery service is constantly expanding. So, if it might be available in your area soon.

If you want to know how to create a shopping list with Alexa, check out our step-by-step guide.

Download: Google Play Store

Instacart: Best Grocery Delivery App Overall

insacart best grocery delivery app
(Image Source: Apple App Store)
  • Membership: (not required) $99 per year
  • Delivery Fee: Starts at $3.99 for non-members, Free for orders $35 and up for members
  • Minimum Order: $10

With a wide selection of grocery stores, a feature-rich app, and friendly service, it’s no wonder Instacart is the most popular grocery delivery app today. According to research, Instacart is currently available for 85% of all households in the US.

You can use Instacart to order groceries and other items from more than 40,000 retailers including Costco, Walmart, Shop Rite, Ralphs, and more. The service is available in 5,500 cities across all 50 states.

You don’t need a membership to use the Instacart app, but it does come with its perks. The non-member delivery fee starts at $3.99 for each order, while Instacart Express members get free shipping on orders over $35.

While most retailers offer “everyday store prices” on Instacart, you will have to pay service fees, depending on your location and the items in your order. Members will have reduced service fees.

Once you place an order, you can text your shopper to make changes and track their location in real-time. You can also schedule a delivery for as fast as an hour or up to a week in advance. Delivery times start as early as 9:00 AM and end as late as midnight.

Download: Apple App Store | Google Play Store

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