Marketing Strategy
DoorDash vs Uber Eats Fees: Restaurant Commission
On delivery orders, DoorDash charges a US restaurant 15% (Basic), 25% (Plus) or 30% (Premier) of the order subtotal. Uber Eats charges 20% (Lite), 25% (Plus) or 30% (Premium). For pickup, DoorDash lists 6% on every plan and Uber Eats lists 7%. Both pages were opened on 2026-10-24 and neither shows a monthly fee.
This guide is for owners of cafés, restaurants and other food businesses in the US who are deciding which app to list on, or whether to be on both. The rates below come from each platform's own merchant pricing page. Rates can differ by city, so check your own Merchant Portal or Uber Eats Manager before you sign.
15-30%→
DoorDash delivery commission, Basic to Premier
DoorDash merchant page, checked 2026-10-24
20-30%→
Uber Eats delivery fee, Lite to Premium
Uber Eats merchant page, checked 2026-10-24
6%→
DoorDash pickup commission, all plans
DoorDash merchant page, checked 2026-10-24
7%→
Uber Eats pickup fee, all plans
Uber Eats merchant page, checked 2026-10-24
Estimates for illustration; actual numbers vary.
How Much Do DoorDash and Uber Eats Charge Restaurants?
Both platforms sell three tiers. A higher percentage buys more visibility in the app and a lower delivery fee for the customer. Neither page lists an activation or monthly subscription fee.
| DoorDash | Uber Eats | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry tier, delivery | Basic: 15% | Lite: 20% |
| Middle tier, delivery | Plus: 25% | Plus: 25% (30% on Uber One orders) |
| Top tier, delivery | Premier: 30% | Premium: 30% |
| Pickup | 6% on all plans | 7% on all plans |
| Intro offer | 0% for 7 days (Basic), 30 days (Plus, Premier) | 0% for 30 days (Plus, Premium) |
| Monthly or setup fee | None listed | None listed |
| Contract | "No contract"; switch or cancel any time | Not stated on the pricing page |
| Own-driver option | Not shown as a separate plan | Self-delivery: 15%, pickup 7% |
| Commission-free web ordering | Online Ordering by DoorDash, with a processing fee | Webshop: 2.5% plus $0.29 per order |
DoorDash says its percentage is charged on the order subtotal, not a flat rate. DoorDash states that its commission also covers credit card processing. Uber Eats lists payment processing among the benefits in all plans.
What Do the Plan Tiers Actually Change?
On DoorDash, Basic lists your store to nearby customers. Plus adds a wider delivery radius, a lower customer delivery fee and access to DashPass members. Premier adds the widest delivery range and automatic ads.
On Uber Eats, Lite gives discoverability in the app search. Plus and Premium add a lower delivery fee for customers and ad tools. Uber One members are the catch. On Plus you pay an extra 5% on Uber One orders, so those orders cost 30%. On Premium that is included at no extra cost. Lite merchants cannot take part in Uber One.
Uber Eats Premium also lists a protection: 0% fees in any of the first 6 months in which you get fewer than 20 orders, plus ad credit matching of up to $100 a month. DoorDash lists a similar guarantee on Premier for 20 orders a month.
Which Extra Fees Should You Watch?
The headline percentage is not the whole bill. From the pages:
- DoorDash: a Tablet costs $6 a week after the trial. Promotions and Sponsored Listings are optional paid tools. Online Ordering is commission-free but carries a payment processing fee, and the page does not state the rate, so ask before you rely on it.
- Uber Eats: ads are a paid option on every plan. The Webshop fee is 2.5% plus $0.29 per order. Uber Direct, for orders from your own site, starts at $7.99 per delivery.
- City exceptions: Uber Eats says the Lite plan starts at 15% in Portland, Washington DC, Minneapolis, NYC and Philadelphia, with different pickup and processing terms in some of them. In NYC it lists a 3% credit card processing fee.
Local rules can cap these fees, so a city page may beat the national one. Our guide to how to split a restaurant delivery marketing budget covers what to spend on top of commission.
What Does $10,000 in Delivery Orders Cost on Each?
All inputs here are assumptions, not platform data. Say a café has $10,000 of order subtotals in a month delivered by each platform's own couriers, and on Uber Eats 20% of those orders ($2,000) come from Uber One members.
| Plan | DoorDash | Uber Eats |
|---|---|---|
| Entry tier | Basic: $1,500 | Lite: $2,000 |
| Middle tier | Plus: $2,500 | Plus: $2,500 + 5% of $2,000 = $2,600 |
| Top tier | Premier: $3,000 | Premium: $3,000 |
The entry tiers differ by $500 a month on this volume, and the 7-day and 30-day intro periods do not change the long-run bill. If $2,000 of that month is pickup, DoorDash charges $120 (6%) and Uber Eats $140 (7%).
The cheap tier is cheap because it brings fewer orders. A lower fee on orders that never arrive saves nothing, so test one tier for a few weeks. DoorDash suggests two to three weeks before switching, and says plan changes take up to five business days.
How Do You Check Your Own Numbers?
A pricing page is the list price. Your payout report is what you actually paid. After a month on a plan, divide total fees by order subtotals for each platform and compare the result with the plan percentage. Separate out ad spend, tablet rental and any promotions you funded, because those sit outside the commission.
Also track how many orders are new customers and how many are regulars who would have called or walked in. A platform fee on a regular you already had is a cost, while the same fee on a new customer is the price of acquisition.
Who Should Pick Which?
Use these rules, then replace the assumptions with your numbers.
- Start on DoorDash Basic if you are new to delivery and want the lowest commission while you fix packaging and prep times. It is 5 points below Uber Eats Lite.
- Pick Uber Eats Plus or Premium if your area has many Uber One members and you want that traffic. Compare the 30% Uber One cost with the Premium flat 30%.
- List on both only if the order mix is incremental. If the same regulars order on both apps, you pay twice for one customer. Our multi-platform delivery strategy piece shows how to track that.
- Own drivers? Uber Eats has a 15% self-delivery plan. Check what DoorDash offers in your Merchant Portal.
- Regulars on your own site? Move them to commission-free ordering. Our guide to an online menu website explains the setup.
FAQ
Is DoorDash cheaper than Uber Eats for restaurants?
On the entry tier, yes: Basic is 15% and Lite is 20%. On the top tier both list 30%. Compare plans by the orders they bring, not only the rate.
Do DoorDash or Uber Eats charge a monthly fee?
Neither pricing page lists a monthly, activation or setup fee. DoorDash adds that there is no cancellation fee. Optional items such as the $6 a week DoorDash Tablet or paid ads are extra.
Can I switch plans later?
DoorDash says you can switch any time in the Merchant Portal, with changes taking up to five business days. The Uber Eats page did not state switching terms, so confirm them in Uber Eats Manager.
Is the credit card fee included?
DoorDash says its commission covers credit card processing. Uber Eats lists payment processing as a benefit, but city terms such as NYC add a separate 3% processing fee.
Should I advertise on the app too?
Both sell ads. They are optional and extra. Read our delivery app marketing strategy for restaurants before you spend.
Sources
- DoorDash for Merchants: Commission rates and pricing (opened 2026-10-24)
- Uber Eats for Merchants: Pricing and fees (opened 2026-10-24)
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Nataliia
Local marketing strategist with 10+ years at global agencies — OMD, Dentsu, GroupM, and BBDO. Now helping small businesses get the same data-driven edge. Based in Europe, working with clients in the US, UK, Australia, and beyond.
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