Best Grocery Delivery Services

Best Overall: Imperfect Foods

Why We Chose It: Imperfect Foods' mission to build a better, less wasteful food system, along with its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, help make it easier for consumers to do so.

Pros
Mission-driven company
Focuses on sustainable and fair trade goods
Unusual produce offerings
Concern for environmental impact

Cons
Inventory availability changes often
Inventory varies by location

Imperfect Foods sources cosmetically quirky, irregularly sized, surplus produce, along with other high-quality products that for various reasons might otherwise languish on traditional grocery store shelves. In addition to house-brand products, Imperfect also offers a solid selection of brand-name foods from companies such as Tillamook, Impossible Burger, Miyoko’s, and Hodo soy. If you don't mind if a bell pepper is a slightly wonky shape or if your lemons are a bit smaller than those you'd find in a store, this is the service for you.

No subscription is required and there are no service fees. Instead, shoppers can choose between three types of boxes. The Regular Box features conventional produce, while the Organic Box offers organic produce. Both boxes can be customized to include other grocery items, and are available in four sizes: small (starting at $11-$15 for regular; $15-$20 for organic), medium (starting at $14-$19 for regular; $22-$28 for organic), large (starting at $20-$25 for regular; $33-$39 for organic), and extra-large (starting at $25-$31 for regular; $39-$47 for organic). If you only want produce, an All Fruit Box or All Veggie Box is available in small (starting at $11-$15) and medium (starting at $14-$19).

When you sign up for the service, you share your preferences to create your grocery order. Deliveries are made on a weekly or biweekly basis, with a $5.99 delivery fee that's waived on orders over $60. Shopping and delivery windows are assigned, which can feel a bit frustrating, but since Imperfect’s system is designed to reduce carbon emissions and food waste, it's hard to be too annoyed. Though the service is not yet available nationwide, its extensive reach (as of June 2022) includes the West Coast, Midwest, much of the East Coast, and the West South Central Region (Texas and Louisiana).

Best Grocery Delivery App: Shipt

Why We Chose It: Grocery delivery apps can often feel clunky and challenging to navigate, but Shipt’s is sleek, intuitive, and easy to use.

Pros
24/7 customer service support
Snappy and user-friendly interface

Cons
Not as many store options as other services
Delivery fee for alcohol

In terms of shopping experience, Shipt feels very similar to Instacart. You can order groceries from a variety of local and chain stores, such as Costco, Winn-Dixie, Publix, Kroger, Target, Von's, and CVS via Shipt’s website or its app (available for iOS and Android). You can schedule deliveries as soon as one hour after placing your order, and shoppers are available anytime a store is open.

Unlike its competitors, Shipt requires a membership fee ($99 per year or $10.99 per month), but there are fewer fees to have to navigate. There’s also no minimum for orders. Orders over $35 have free delivery, and orders under $35 carry a $7 delivery fee. In areas where alcohol delivery is available, there may be a $7 delivery fee. As of September 2021, Shipt is available in more than 5,000 cities in the contiguous United States.

Shipt also offers excellent 24/7 customer service support; you can contact the help team by email, phone, or live chat.

Best for Small Orders: Walmart

Why We Chose It: With Walmart’s Express delivery option, there’s no order minimum.

Pros
Good for ordering more than groceries
User-friendly tutorials
No membership required for basic service

Cons
The app feels busy and jumbled

There’s no membership required to order grocery delivery from this popular American superstore chain, which has thousands of stores nationwide. As to be expected with the value-focused behemoth, prices are low. Delivery is available from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and fees range by time slot ($7.95–$9.95). The minimum order required is $35, however with the express delivery option (two hours or less), there’s no order minimum, making it a good option for placing smaller orders. Keep in mind that express delivery does cost $10 on top of any existing delivery charges.

Walmart also offers a membership model for $12.95 per month or $98 per year that includes free delivery (for both groceries and other items), members-only time slots, and other perks. If you want to try the service before committing, there’s a 15-day free trial.

For folks who are newer to ordering via a grocery delivery service, Walmart has an easy-to-follow new customer onboarding video tutorial on its website. You can also use the app (available for iOS and Android) to order non-grocery items like household furniture and electronics.

Best for Same-Day Delivery: Instacart

Why We Chose It: Instacart consistently offers an excellent range of delivery windows, including the option to schedule an order for delivery within two hours.

Pros
No membership required for basic service
Wide availability of stores
Senior support service for customers over age 60

Cons
Busy pricing and other fees
$10 order minimum

Like its main competitor Shipt, Instacart empowers shoppers to order groceries from their favorite stores. Instacart is available in all 50 states, offering access to retailers like Safeway, Costco, Sprouts, FoodsCo, Lucky, Target, and BevMo! In some areas, you can even get prescriptions delivered. No membership is required to use the basic delivery service. Delivery times are subject to store hours. Delivery fees start at $3.99 for same-day orders over $35. Service fees vary and are subject to change based on factors like location and the number and types of items in your cart. Alcohol orders also have a separate service fee.

If you want lower service fees and free delivery for orders of $35, consider an Instacart Express membership ($9.99 per month or $99 per year). For both the standard delivery and Instacart Express, there’s a $10 order minimum for delivery.

Instacart’s website and app, available for IOS and Android, are easy to use. In the U.S. and Canada, Instacart also offers special support for customers over the age of 60. This dedicated Senior Support Line specializes in helping older customers set up accounts and place orders. The service is available daily from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET.

Best for Low Fees: Amazon Fresh/Amazon Prime

Why We Chose It: When it comes to bang for your buck, Amazon Prime is heads above the rest. In addition to grocery delivery, membership gives you access to tons of other perks, including Amazon's entertainment and digital services.

Pros
Big buying power means big savings
Wide variety of products
Prime membership perks

Cons
Amazon Fresh not available everywhere

The buying power of this online shopping giant also means tons of brand variety and lower prices. You’ll also find plenty of weekly deals and coupons in the “Fresh Deals” section on the website and app. At $139 per year ($14.99 per month), Prime membership is on the pricier side; however, not only does it include grocery delivery, but there are loads of other perks as well, including access to its streaming, entertainment, and digital services, as well as free shipping benefits and other deals.

With Amazon Fresh, local delivery on orders over $35 (in most areas) is free and takes about two hours or less. If there’s a Whole Foods in your area, there’s also the option to shop and pick up directly from the Amazon-owned grocery store. Just keep in mind that Amazon Fresh isn't available everywhere.

Best for Shopper Communication: Thrive Market

Why We Chose It: In addition to having a robust and informative FAQ section, Thrive Market goes above and beyond the usual customer service setup by offering free 15-minute phone market guide consultations with one of their product specialists.

Pros
Diet-specific shopping
Ethical and sustainable sourcing
Gives back to those in need
No ordering minimums or limits

Cons
Longer delivery times
Alcohol orders may be shipped separately

Membership-driven grocery delivery services may not be for everyone, but what's especially nice about Thrive Market is that its customer service goes above and beyond by offering free, 15-minute phone market guide consultations with product specialists. Memberships cost $59.95 per year or $9.95 per month, and there are no order limits or frequency requirements. Shipping is free on orders over $49; orders less than that will cost $5.95. Most orders are delivered within two to five days of purchase.

Thrive rigorously vets thousands of products to make sure they align as much as possible with the company’s values (Non-GMO, USDA Certified Organic, and environmentally friendly). Using Thrive’s website or app (available for IOS and Android), you can easily personalize your shopping experience according to dietary or ethical concerns (vegan, ketogenic, organic, paleo, soy-free, etc.). The company also claims that customers save 25 percent to 50 percent off retail pricing and offers a savings guarantee: If you don’t make back your annual membership fee in savings by the end of the membership year, the company will give you the difference in credits for use at the market when you renew.

Although Thrive doesn’t accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) payments, for every annual membership purchased, the company donates a membership to a family in need.