Best Paying Driving Apps – Hit the Road With These Top 10 Picks

If you love the idea of making money while you drive, you’ve got plenty of options for that. Lucky for you, various apps will pay you to work as a delivery driver. But if you are new to the driving app world, you might be looking for more information on which ones pay the best.

What are the best paying apps? The best paying driving apps include the following:

1. Lyft
2. DoorDash
3. Postmates
4. HopSkipDrive
5. Amazon Flex
6. Uber
7. Roadie
8. Shipt
9. Instacart
10. Grubhub

While there are multiple apps available, these are the ones that pay the most. Some may be better for certain people than others. To help you decide which one you want to drive for, keep reading for more details about how they work and how much they pay for driving services.

What Are the Best Paying Driving Apps? 

Below is a further breakdown of each delivery app and the pay, so you can decide which one is for you.

1. Lyft

Lyft is a ridesharing app where you get paid to transport passengers to their destinations. It is similar to Uber but is known to pay more, typically. Many drivers trying to maximize their earnings will drive for both. With Lyft, you also get to set your own schedule.

The Pay: Lyft drivers make up to $35 an hour, but it depends on your location. In general, expect to make between $20 and $35 an hour.

2. DoorDash

DoorDash is one of the best food delivery apps, and it accepts Cash App. You will be spending time going in and out of your car to pick up food and deliver it to customers. However, for those who don’t want to have to carry out conversations with passengers, a food delivery service might be a better option for you than a ridesharing app. 

DoorDash also has competitive pay, with customers giving out generous tips. The best part about this best food delivery app is that it lets you know your potential earnings upfront before ordering.

It also allows delivery drivers to know when they need to deliver the food, so they’ll know how much pay they’ll get for the time that you spend. That way, you have more choice in what deliveries you accept.

Because DoorDash structures their app this way, many DoorDash drivers get a lot of customer tips because clients know that their orders will keep getting passed over if they don’t. Customers who want their food delivered quickly, and hot, will tip for that. You also get to make your own hours. 

The Pay: According to DoorDash, you should expect to make about $15 to $25 an hour. It will depend on your area, though, and how generous the customers tip. If you live in a high-income area or a big city, the tips will likely be higher. 

3. Postmates

Postmates is another food delivery services app that works with local restaurants. It is similar to DoorDash, but the main difference is that you don’t get to see your payment until after you complete the delivery. This gives you less control over what deliveries you accept. However, the tips can still be quite generous, so there is potential to make some more money. 

The Pay: According to Postmates, you can also earn up to $25 an hour. In my experience, you’ll usually make around $4 base pay for 20 minutes of driving. That’s approximately $16 an hour without tip. 

4. HopSkipDrive

HopSkipDrive is one of the highest-paying driving apps on this list. However, it’s fourth on the list because it isn’t necessarily viable for as many people as the first three are. HopSkipDrive is not a food or grocery delivery service app. Instead, you provide transportation services for children.

However, you need at least five years of experience caring for children to qualify. This is an excellent way to make money by driving if you are eligible. If you’re a mom or dad, you’re the perfect candidate. 

The Pay: According to HopSkipDrive, you can expect to earn up to $32 an hour for deliveries completed!

5. Amazon Flex

Amazon Flex is a little different than other delivery apps because you need to schedule a block of time to deliver Amazon packages. Most other driving apps don’t require you to schedule a block of time. Instead, you can turn on the app and start getting orders. 

Additionally, with Amazon Flex, you won’t have to deliver all over the place. Instead, you’ll be given a tight area to make your deliveries where drop-off locations are relatively close together, which means less driving to get the job done. Finally, what is beneficial about Amazon Flex is that the pay is fixed for each shift. That way, you know how much you’ll get paid (minimum) every time.

With Amazon Flex, there is also still a possibility to get tips. Amazon Flex delivery app jobs are best for those who want certainty in getting paid and don’t want to be at the whim of other people’s generosity or lack thereof. 

It’s important to note that this job does require some more heavy lifting since you’ll be delivering packages and not food. Additionally, Amazon Flex is only available in 50 cities in the U.S., which means that, even though it is one of the apps that pay well, it’s only viable for a small number of people compared to Postmates and DoorDash. 

The Pay: The pay will depend on your location, the time of day you make the deliveries, and the number of packages you can carry in your car. However, Amazon Flex drivers can expect to make between $18 to $25 per hour. With tips, it can sometimes be even more! 

6. Uber

You’ve likely heard of Uber. As previously stated, it is a ridesharing app like Lyft. You also get to set your hours with Uber. If you like the idea of driving passengers around and conversing with them, Uber may be for you. With both Lyft and Uber, you can also use meeting passengers as a networking opportunity to promote other side hustles.

There’s also Uber Eats, and it is among the best food delivery service apps to work for. With Uber Eats, you deliver restaurant meals, groceries, and more.

The Pay: According to a study done by TechCrunch, Uber drivers can expect to make up to $19 an hour . Uber Eats pays 2.61% more than Grubhub, with the average delivery driver pay at $12.25 hourly.

7. Roadie

Roadie is one of the best delivery apps, but it’s slightly different because you don’t just deliver food. Instead, you can provide medications, cupcakes, surfboards, and more. It is best for long-distance gigs all over the U.S. and also offers an alcohol delivery service.

However, those who want to work with this delivery driver app must be 21 years or older and have a valid driver’s license. Delivery drivers must ask for the recipient’s valid ID at the drop-off and use the Roadie app to scan it.

Roadie is great for those who like to take road trips frequently. That’s because you can make deliveries along the way to help pay for gas and other expenses that you would have already had without using the app.

The only issue with this app is that the local gigs aren’t as abundant as with other gig economy apps like Postmates and DoorDash. 

The Pay: Determining the hourly wage for Roadie is a bit more complicated, but you can expect to make anywhere from $8 to $60 for local deliveries and up to $650 for long-distance ones. 

8. Shipt

If you prefer to put less wear and tear on your car, you can instead deliver for Shipt. You’ll shop and deliver groceries to homes as an independent contractor. Most of your time on the job will be spent in the store doing the actual shopping. You also get to set your own hours. 

It’s important to note, though, that while it can sometimes look like the pay for an order is high, the compensation can drastically be affected by how long you take to shop for the groceries. For example, finding items can take time if you go shopping at a new store. Therefore, your hourly pay diminishes if it takes too long to find the groceries. 

Therefore, although, yes, there is less wear and tear on your car, the pay can sometimes turn out to be a lot less hourly than a typical ridesharing or food delivery app. In addition, the delivery company guarantees 100% tips and other incentives for completing deliveries in record time.

The Pay: According to Shipt, you can expect to earn an average of $16 and $22 per hour (not including tips). Once again, though, this can be affected by how quickly you shop.

9. Instacart

Instacart is another grocery delivery app. You’ll work as a full-service shopper buying groceries for people whenever you want; you don’t need to set any schedule. All you have to do is see what orders are available and decide if you’re going to deliver. Again, full-service Instacart shoppers spend most of their time shopping instead of driving. 

The Pay: Your pay will vary based on your location. But according to Indeed.com, you can expect to make between around $13 to about $19 an hour. 

10. Grubhub

Grubhub is another app for delivering food. Like other apps, the hours are entirely flexible. As a Grubhub driver, you can work with multiple delivery apps to make the most of your earnings. 

The Pay: The delivery app pays between $3 and $4 an order. Again, you have the opportunity to make more through tips. According to Indeed.com and Glassdoor.com, though, the peak pay is between $10 to $12 an hour. 

Delivery Driver’s Checklist

There are skills and qualifications you must possess to work with delivery companies. They include:

• A valid driver’s license, and if required, a commercial driver’s license
• Knowing how to handle materials safely like as food or chemicals
• Knowing how to use navigation systems
• Effective time management to ensure deliveries are made on schedule
• Excellent vision and hand-eye coordination for safety while driving
• Physical ability to load and unload heavy cargo

Some delivery companies require you to have car insurance. Other delivery apps may stipulate you pass a background check. If you don’t, you’ll be unable to work for such companies.

Wrapping Up: Best Paying Driving Apps

Now you know the best delivery services apps that pay the most. If you go with ridesharing, becoming a driver for multiple apps will help you maximize your earnings. The same goes for delivery, whether that’s for food or groceries. The beauty of these side-hustles is that you aren’t just limited to one!