If you’re thinking about starting work as a delivery rider, the delivery app you choose could make a huge difference to your earnings. Each app has a slightly different approach to delivering, and one approach may suit you significantly better than another.

While you’ll want to do your own research to make sure you’re happy with your delivery app of choice, the key takeaways are:

• UberEats: Tends to offer the highest pay out of the three, but competition may be high.
• Deliveroo: Very flexible for riders, but you might find better rider’s incentives on UberEats.
• Just Eat: Shift model means less competition for riders but has the lowest earning potential of the three. 

Still need help deciding on the best app for you? Let’s get into it!

There’s a lot that you’ll want to take into consideration when you’re deciding which delivery app is best for you. 

Here, we’re looking at some of the most common questions you’ll want to ask yourself to help you decide. 

Deciding to be a full-time or part-time delivery rider will depend on your own lifestyle and what you’re looking to get out of delivery riding. 

Just Eat, Deliveroo or UberEats could all work well for a full-time or part-time delivery rider, but with Just Eat you’ll have to set your availability the week before to be assigned shifts, meaning you won’t be able to just start working if you have some unexpected time available. 

If you’re delivery riding alongside another job or other responsibilities, then the flexibility of working as a self-employed rider with UberEats or Deliveroo – giving you more control over your hours – may be the right choice for you. 

However, if having a more consistent income is a bigger priority for you, then Just Eat may be a better fit. 

The company’s shift work model means the amount of riders on the road meets the expected demand, so you will most likely have less competition for deliveries. 

UberEats and Deliveroo are strong choices if you need a lot of flexibility, as you’re able to start working at any time. 
Deliveroo will also allow you to reject a delivery request for any reason, with no negative impact on your future earnings. 

You can also decline delivery requests from UberEats, but having a lower delivery acceptance rate may impact your access to promotions.

While Just Eat is slightly less flexible thanks to its shift-based approach, you’ll still get a lot of choice when choosing your working hours. 

Although you’re not guaranteed all the shifts you put yourself down for (especially during peak demand periods) the shifts you do work will likely have less competition. 

Buying a bike for delivery work is a pretty hefty investment, so you’ll want to save money where you can on your initial start-up costs.

Deliveroo offers scooter riders a free core kit bundle when they start, which includes:

• An insulated backpack.
• A small thermal bag.
• A phone mount
• A jacket.

By contrast, if you choose to deliver with UberEats or Just Eat, you’ll be responsible to buy your own equipment. 

If you live outside of a major city, you’ll likely have a lower level of demand for deliveries. 

Commuting to a city may be a good way to earn more money if you live near one, but travelling long distances will eat into the money you’re earning. 

While UberEats, Deliveroo and Just Eat mainly focus on cities, Just Eat has a stronger reach in rural areas, as it has the highest level of coverage across the country. So, if you’re working in a smaller town or village, you’re more likely to be able to pick up deliveries with Just Eat. 

Neither self-employed nor contracted delivery work is better, and the decision depends entirely on your own circumstances. 

Just Eat, Deliveroo and UberEats all have slightly different approaches to the way they manage their delivery couriers, so you’ll want to make sure you research each company to make sure the way they work suits you. 

Overall, UberEats is considered to be the best app for self-employed couriers, as it offers driver incentives such as Boosts, where you can earn more for specific deliveries. Unlike Deliveroo, UberEats calculates payments per mile, so you’ll know that your earnings are relative to the distance you’re travelling. 

If you’re looking for something more regular, Just Eat might be a better option for you. 

With Just Eat, you’ll submit your availability and then be assigned shifts based on predicted demand – meaning you should have less competition for deliveries and be able to earn more. 

One of the main reasons people choose to work as delivery riders is because of the level of flexibility offered compared to other roles. Here’s how the top three delivery riding apps stack up in terms of shift flexibility. 

Deliveroo has the best flexibility out of the three main delivery apps. With Deliveroo, you’re able to start working at any time and reject any delivery with no consequence to your future earnings. 

Similar to Deliveroo, UberEats allows you complete flexibility over your start and end times. 

However, as we mentioned earlier, turning down too many deliveries may impact your eligibility for some promotions, meaning that you’ll want to keep your minimum acceptance rate as high as possible. 

Just Eat has a less flexible model than UberEats and Deliveroo, as your shifts are assigned for the week based on your availability – meaning you can’t just go online as and when. 

Although the amount you can make will vary hugely based on the times you’re working, the conditions you’re delivering in are just plain luck. Looking at the average salaries of delivery riders across UberEats, Deliveroo and Just Eat can tell us a lot about your earning potential. 

According to Glassdoor, UberEats typically pays delivery riders between £21k and £35k, giving you the highest earnings potential out of the three. This is partially due to Uber paying per mile (between £1.10 and £1.50, depending on where you’re based)  as well as offering rider incentives like Uber Boost, where you can be paid extra for deliveries in specific areas. 

Glassdoor suggests that Deliveroo riders can expect to earn between £16K and £35K, which is the widest range on our list. Unlike UberEats, Deliveroo doesn’t pay per mile, but instead the fee you’ll earn is calculated based on the time of day, the distance you’ll need to travel and a range of other factors. 

Just Eat riders tend to earn between £22k and £31k, according to Glassdoor. Similar to Deliveroo, you’ll be offered a payment per delivery that’s determined by several factors, including the estimated time to complete the delivery and the route you’ll need to take. 

You’re also more likely to get matched with orders if you have a high acceptance rate. 

While all three of the main delivery riding apps will allow you to keep 100% of your tips, they each offer slightly different incentives to help you boost your earnings.

UberEats is a great option for a delivery rider, thanks to its excellent rider incentives.

Boost allows riders to earn extra money for deliveries starting in a specific area, while Quests allow riders to get a reward for completing a quest (for example, £10 for completing five deliveries).

Deliveroo also offers incentives for riders, with fee boosts and supplementary surges sometimes offered in busier periods, bad weather or festive days. When you start riding with Deliveroo, you’ll also be given a free core kit, which includes a jacket, an insulated backpack and a phone mount. 

Plus, the company has additional perks on offer, such as a fuel discount of 4p per litre at Shell and discounts on some safety equipment, although these may be subject to change.

Just Eat will occasionally offer run incentives, where you can earn a boosted fee in exchange for completing deliveries within a specific time frame.

There’s no fee to join UberEats as a courier, but you will need to pay for your own equipment. If you choose to use an unbranded bag, you’ll need one that can help prevent spills and insulate the food, as per UberEats guidelines. 

The application process for becoming a Deliveroo rider is free, and you’ll be provided with free kit, including one insulated bag and other safety gear such as a thermal jacket and phone mount.

Like UberEats, there’s no fee to start riding for Just Eat, but you’ll need to purchase your own equipment. 

This can be done via Just Eat during your application process, or use an unbranded bag – provided that it meets Just Eat requirements.

Overall, UberEats, Deliveroo and Just Eat are all great options for delivery riders, but each app has its unique pros and cons – so one may be much more suited to you than the others. 

Well, there you have it. I hope this article will help you decide which delivery platform is best for you.   

If you’re interested in becoming a delivery rider, it’s important to make sure you have the correct insurance, so don’t forget that you can get a specialist delivery rider insurance quotation direct with Lexham!