Instacart vs Fresh Direct: Which grocery delivery service should you choose

1. Introduction

Today, more and more people are taking an interest in grocery delivery services. And why not? So simple to use, you can order your favorites from the comfort of your sofas! People who are unable to leave their homes or who just do not have the time to go shopping would benefit greatly from using delivery apps like FreshDirect, and Instacart. 

There are a lot of minute differences when it comes to Instacart vs FreshDirect, the prominent one being that Instacart has partnered itself with several retail stores whereas FreshDirect has its farm.

However, there’s more to this. You should be aware of the costs and delivery times, cashback provided by each firm. The product selection, for one thing, is quite diverse. Read on to learn about the differences between the two services FreshDirect vs Instacart!

2. Instacart vs Fresh Direct: What are the differences between them?

As far as Instacart vs FreshDirect is concerned, here is a list of features reviews that can help you choose which one is the better among them for you!

2.1 What does the Prime subscription of Instacart and FreshDirect Cost?

Every delivery service nowadays has a prime membership scheme where some additional discounts, coupons, cashback are provided if you pay an additional monthly fee. So for Instacart, you can subscribe to Instacart Express membership for 

• $99 annual fee,
• where you get free deliveries on orders over $35

FreshDirect provides its prime membership in the form of FreshDirect DeliveryPass

• worth $129 a year 
• where you can have unlimited free home deliveries for orders as little as $5.

No doubt that FreshDirect is quite expensive in this case, however, it gives you the liberty to order from any available zone, no matter its distance from the FreshDirect store, and order worth any amount with absolutely no delivery charge. Whereas Instacart imposes a limitation on a minimum order price.

Winner: InstaCart

2.2 What is the Minimum cost to make an order?

You need to order anything worth $10 in InstaCart to make it a valid and deliverable order. For example, if you want items worth 5 dollars, you need to purchase something else worth another 5 to get it delivered. The same thing for FreshDirect is $30.

Winner: FreshDirect

2.3 In which places do FreshDirect and Instacart operate?

InstaCart is available in Over 5,500 cities across the US and Canada in 26 states. They even have a dedicated page where you can search if InstaCArt is available in your area or not. Some of the popular areas are Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, and many more.

However, FreshDirect is available in very limited places like Available in the NYC metropolitan area, plus parts of the mid-Atlantic. It’s not even available in the entire New York region so it’s yet to expand.

Winner: InstaCart

2.4 What is the Delivery Time?

For anything you order in Instacart, despite its cost, place, amount, or anything, it’s ensured that you will get the order within 2 hours from when the order is placed. So if you are looking forward to a party where suddenly you find the booze in limited quantity, you can order it and expect it while your guests are there.

FreshDirect on the other hand offers different slots each day however don’t expect your order to get delivered within 2 hours. You can get the order either in 5 hours or even 2 days, depending on the traffic in that area.

Winner: InstaCart

2.5 Ordering food at any time of the day

Well, Instacart allows to order 24/7 (we can understand your hunger pangs striking at 2 am) and yes, you can expect it within 2 hours as well, whereas although you might order on FreshDirect, but whether you can receive the order that night itself depends on the time slot availability.

However FreshDirect has a new feature of Express delivery where you can get your favorite items within an hour, but again depends on the availability of your favorite food.

Winner: Both

Special benefits for users

To be eligible for FreshDirect’s Chef’s Table reward program, customers must place 12 purchases or spend $500 or more over three consecutive calendar months. Among the rewards accessible to members are things like preferred shipping and discounts.

However, Instacart doesn’t have any such schemes or programs apart from Prime membership.

Winner: FreshDirect

2.6 What are the Partnered Stores of Instacart?

Well, this is something interesting.

Instacart has 40,000 partnering stores, the popular ones being ALDI, Costco, CVS, Kroger, Loblaw, Publix, Sam’s Club, Sprouts, etc. FreshDirect carries a wide variety of supermarket brands, farm-fresh produce, and chef-prepared meals from their farms and stores.

To make it simple You may place an online grocery order with Instacart and then pick up your items from a partner merchant nearby. FreshDirect has its warehouse, whereas Instacart relies on third-party merchants for its food deliveries.

So whatever you order from FreshDirect is their trademark product.

Winner: Both

2.7 Group Cart feature

Well, Instacart has this cool feature. With Group Carts, you may shop at the same time as your friends, family, and neighbors. So even if you cannot meet at other places due to social distancing, you all can order the same food and have a virtual party.

Winner: InstaCart

3. How to choose the Delivery Service as per your needs?

Well, it largely depends on 3 things:

• Time: Depending on how urgently you want it or you might need it within the following week, in such a situation the delivery time matters.
• Money: Who doesn’t like saving money? If you can get more or less the same product without disturbing your pockets, straightaway go for it.
• Availability in your area: Will, you don’t have much to do in this scenario. A particular delivery service might have the best features that you desire but alas! If it isn’t serviceable in your area, you need to try other relevant options.
• Cashbacks and other money-saving hacks: MOstly these kinds of apps have some discounts on their products regularly. Be assured to compare the products before purchasing them (of course only if you have that much time!).

4. FreshDirect vs InstaCart Review: At a Glance

5. Pros and Cons of InstaCart delivery service

5.1 InstaCart Pros

• Groceries and other household supplies may be delivered to your door via Instacart, a time-saving service. Wait for your shipment at home and you’ll have all the information you need about your order. To avoid making impulsive purchases, you’ll be more prepared.
• You’ll have your groceries within an hour of placing your order. A time slot may be set up for you to pick up your order, so you can collect it when it’s convenient for you.
• Retail options might vary widely depending on where you reside. The ability to compare prices before making a purchase is further aided by this feature

5.2 InstaCart Cons

• Several items are more expensive on Instacart than they are at the store. Before making a purchase, verify each store’s price policy to ensure that you aren’t overpaying.
• In-store shopping might have saved you money, but you’ll have to pay for it now. In addition to the delivery fee (which starts at $3.99) and the service charge, your customer expects you to include a tip in the total (which is about 5 percent ). The price difference between purchasing online and visiting the store is at least $5.99.

6. Pros and Cons of FreshDirect Grocery delivery service

6.1 FreshDirect Pros

• You may quickly place or modify an order for groceries to be delivered from your mobile phone.
• We’ve made it easy to locate just what you’re looking for, whether it’s through our search, browseable categories, or our custom lists.
• Get a taste of what’s in season right now by browsing our best-selling fruits, vegetables, and seafood.
• Choosing an expedited or same-day delivery option is an option if you reside in a location that offers it.
• In just a few minutes, you may finish your grocery shopping using your previous orders, lists, and preferences.

6.2 FreshDirect Cons

• The minimum cost of items ordered should be $30 to make a valid order.
• They are not available everywhere in the US, thus not everyone has the option to order from here.
• They do not have partnered with any store, nor do they deliver their products. As a result, you cannot order anything if you like from a particular store.

7. Some Best Features of FreshDirect and InstaCart

Well in the war between InstaCart vs FreshDirect, you cant surely miss out on these features common to both the apps:

• The company also provides frozen dinners, meats, and alcoholic beverages in addition to fresh vegetables and baked goods the same day with same-day delivery.
• It’s ideal for people who don’t have time to go grocery shopping and prefer the convenience of having their food delivered right to their door.
• Buying groceries online gives you the convenience of contactless delivery and contactless curbside pickup.
• Because they use contactless delivery and pickup, both you and your clients are safe.
• Both of the services are fully available with the same dynamic features in-app as well as their website.

8. Final Verdict: What to choose between FreshDirect vs InstaCart

No doubt both the sites, FreshDirect and InstaCart grocery delivery app provides a lot of intuitive features and discounts, but after thorough research, we can conclude that:

8.1 Choose FreshDirect under these cases:

• Farmers, fishermen, and ranchers gain from a bigger profit margin since we buy directly from them rather than via intermediaries, and you get better-tasting food as a result.
• Even though it’s more expensive than a conventional grocery shop, green market devotees will be perfectly at home. FreshDirect gives you direct access to local farmers, so you can save a lot of money on things like heirloom apples and foraged mushrooms.
• FreshDirect can be a good option for people who want their weekly supplies delivered at specific times of the day or night.

8.2 Choose InstaCart under these cases:

• If you urgently want some food at any time of stay.
• YOu want your favorite food from your favorite store.
• If you don’t have FreshDirect in your area which most likely might happen.
• For little, last-minute purchases, FreshDirect may not be the best option due to the high cost of items. There is a $30 minimum purchase requirement and a delivery window that normally begins the next day for those who want meals delivered. A tiny fuel surcharge is added to each delivery, even though the company does not charge any service fees.

9. Want to get Apps for your business as good as FreshDirect and InstaCart?

We hope you were successful in finding what you were looking for today while choosing the best among FreshDirect vs InstaCart grocery delivery apps. By following the steps and procedures outlined above, you will be able to begin grocery shopping with ease.

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Please contact us through email at [email protected] to discuss your needs and receive a personalized price for working with top website developers on your application.

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10. FAQs

Do you tip Instacart delivery men?

Tipping is not required, but it is a nice way to express your gratitude to your customers for their exceptional service. For each store delivery, there is a suggested gratuity of $2.

How much does Instacart cost if you don’t have a subscription?

Delivery rates for same-day and next-day purchases of $35 or more have been reduced from $5.99 to $3.99 across North America, except New York City, where the fee went from $7.99 to $5.99, and club store orders, which will carry an $8.99 fee.

How can you obtain free shipping from FreshDirect?

By signing up for their Delivery Pass, you may get free delivery on all of your online grocery purchases. Grab one of our freebies if you’re already a fan of their 60-day free trial!