Food Rank 3 of 3 in Canada Best for groceries

Instacart

Shopping from local US and Canadian supermarkets with a personal shopper and same-day delivery.

United States instacart.com Last updated
Visit site Compare with 2 others
SeeMetric score -2 vs the category average (79)

In two sentences

Instacart shops at the real supermarkets in your neighbourhood and delivers the same day, across thousands of stores in the US and Canada. Prices in the app are often above the shelf price.

Founded
2012
Based in
San Francisco, United States
Business model
Grocery shopping and delivery
Available in
United States, Canada

Score by criterion, against the category

The tick on each bar is the category average; the signed number is the distance from it.

Restaurant and store range88-1
Price and delivery fees60-3
Delivery speed and accuracy84-1
Smart prediction and suggestions82-2
Order support and fixes70-2

Good fit for

  • Weekly grocery shopping in the US and Canada
  • Anyone loyal to a specific local store
  • Approving substitutions yourself while the shopper shops

Less suited when

  • Anyone outside the US and Canada
  • Price-sensitive shoppers

Strengths

  • Thousands of supermarkets and local stores in one app
  • Same-day delivery, sometimes in under two hours
  • Live chat with the shopper about substitutions
  • Repeat lists and suggestions from past orders

Opportunities for improvement

  • Room for improvement in: In-app prices can be above shelf prices, plus fees
  • Room for improvement in: Picking of fresh produce depends on the shopper
  • Room for improvement in: US and Canada only
Verdict

The best grocery service in North America; to save, compare Instacart+ and store prices.

What Instacart actually is

Instacart started in 2012 and works with existing supermarkets: a personal shopper buys from the store and brings it home, much like Okala in Iran.

What you pay and what you get

Stores set prices, sometimes above the shelf; service and delivery fees are separate. Instacart+ makes delivery free on larger orders.

Where it is strong

Store choice, same-day delivery and chatting with the shopper when an item is missing make orders accurate.

How it can improve, and what we could not verify

Fresh produce quality depends on the shopper. It operates only in the US and Canada.

Questions about Instacart

Does Instacart have its own stores?

No; it shops from existing supermarkets.

Why are Instacart prices higher?

Some stores set higher in-app prices and fees are added.

Which Iranian service is Instacart closest to?

Okala.

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Where it stands (Canada)

The option one place up, one place down, and the whole table.

One place up Uber Eats #2 This page Instacart #3

Full standings of Food

  1. 1

    DoorDash

    United States

    The largest food delivery service in the US, with grocery and local store delivery.

  2. 2

    Uber Eats

    United States

    Food and everyday delivery in dozens of countries, with the same Uber account and app.

  3. 3

    Instacart

    United States

    Shopping from local US and Canadian supermarkets with a personal shopper and same-day delivery.

Criterion by criterion

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