Shipt is a solid gig until it isn’t. A slow Tuesday afternoon, a zone full of shoppers, and you’re staring at an empty offer screen.
So don’t pick a replacement. Pick a backup. Here’s what pairs well with Shipt, grouped by what kind of work you’re after.
What to run next to Shipt
| Gig | What you haul | What you need | Posted pay? | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instacart | Groceries you shop | Car, 18+ | No | Apply |
| Spark Driver | Walmart orders | Car, 18+ | No | Apply |
| DoorDash | Food, groceries, convenience | Car, scooter or bike, 18+ | Base pay range only | Try it |
| Uber Eats | Food, groceries, packages | Car, bike or your feet, 18+ | No | Try it |
| Amazon Flex | Amazon packages and groceries | 4-door car, 21+ | Yes, an hourly range | Apply |
| Roadie | Packages, local and multi-stop | Car, 18+ | “Up to” per trip | Apply |
| GoShare | Furniture, freight, moves | Truck, van or car, 18+ | “Up to” hourly averages | Apply |
More grocery orders
If you like the Shipt job and just want more of it, start here. Same skills, more stores.
Instacart
- What it is
- Grocery shopping gig with the biggest name in the business. Full-service shoppers are contractors, same as Shipt.
- What you do
- Accept a batch, buy the groceries on Instacart’s card, bring them over.
- How much it pays
- Each batch pays by miles, number of items and how long the shopping should take. Tips are all yours, and heavy orders add $2 or more. Direct deposit comes weekly. After 5 batches you can pay a little to cash out right away.
- The catch
- Instacart doesn’t publish what instant cashout costs, and the payment card takes 5 to 7 business days to show up in the mail.
Worth it? Yes, and it’s the first one to add. Having Shipt and Instacart open together is the easiest way to cut dead time.
Spark Driver
- What it is
- Walmart’s driver app, for shop-and-deliver and delivery-only trips.
- What you do
- Go online in your zone and accept trips. Hours run 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM.
- How much it pays
- Trips pay more for longer drives, bigger orders and heavy or awkward stuff. Incentives and all confirmed tips are on top. Choose instant or weekly payouts at setup. No rate card is public.
- The catch
- New drivers can get waitlisted when a zone is full.
Worth it? Only if your zone has room. Check that before you bother with the paperwork.
Food orders for the dinner rush
Add a food app and you’ve got something to run when grocery offers dry up. People order dinner even when nobody’s ordering paper towels.
DoorDash
- What it is
- Dashing for DoorDash. Restaurant food mostly, with grocery, convenience and pet store runs mixed in.
- What you do
- Accept offers in the Dasher app. Car, scooter and motorcycle all qualify, and bikes do in select cities.
- How much it pays
- Every offer starts with base pay somewhere in the $2 to $10+ range. Promos (Peak Pay, Challenges and so on) and all tips stack on that. The weekly deposit usually hits by Wednesday night, or use Fast Pay once a day for $1.99.
- The catch
- The low-end offers aren’t worth the gas. Decline freely.
Worth it? Yes for evenings. It’s in more places than anything else on this list.
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Torn between these two? Here’s DoorDash vs Uber Eats for drivers, side by side.
Uber Eats
- What it is
- Uber’s delivery work, run through the Uber Driver app. You carry meals, groceries or packages.
- What you do
- Your city decides the options: car, motorbike, scooter, bicycle, even walking.
- How much it pays
- You see the full fare, upfront tip included, before you say yes. On top of base fare come promos and your tips, all of them. Money moves weekly on its own, or tap Instant Pay (6 times a day max) and pay $1.25 per tap. Uber Pro Card holders skip that charge.
- The catch
- Want to deliver by car? You need to be 19, and 21 in California and New York State.
Worth it? Yes if you want cash the same night. Six cash-outs a day beats Shipt’s three.
Packages, like Shipt’s routes
Shipt has package delivery routes too. If that’s the part you like, these two are all packages, all the time.
Amazon Flex
- What it is
- Amazon’s own delivery gig: packages, plus grocery blocks for Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods.
- What you do
- Reserve shifts (called blocks) days ahead, or snag one the same day, then drive the route.
- How much it pays
- Per Amazon, most drivers land between $18 and $25 an hour, and its guaranteed part never dips under $15 to $19 per scheduled hour (it depends on the area). Tips, where allowed, are all yours. Pay arrives on whichever weekday you pick, and moving it to Amazon’s Flex Debit Card is free.
- The catch
- 21 and up only, and small cars are out: think midsize 4-door sedan or larger.
Worth it? Only if you meet the car and age rules. If you do, it’s the steadiest-looking pay on this page.
Roadie
- What it is
- A delivery app where you pick up “Gigs”: packages headed somewhere nearby or along a multi-stop route.
- What you do
- Sign up (Roadie says about 5 minutes), grab gigs that fit your day, deliver them in your regular car.
- How much it pays
- Roadie’s own figure is up to $12 for a local trip, with more for multi-stop runs. Every gig pays differently. Cash out weekly or instantly.
- The catch
- That $12 is a ceiling, not an average, and the bigger RoadieXD routes are only in select places with roomy vehicles.
Worth it? Only as a gap-filler. Fine for picking up a delivery that’s on your way, not something to build a week around.
Got a truck or van?
- What it is
- A delivery and moving app for people with pickup trucks, cargo vans, box trucks or regular cars, plus labor-only jobs.
- What you do
- Haul furniture, appliances and freight, or help with the lifting, depending on your vehicle.
- How much it pays
- GoShare lists “average earnings up to” by vehicle: $46 an hour for cars and SUVs, $60 for a pickup, $105 for a full-size cargo van, $188 for a box truck, $84 for labor only. Direct deposit in 4 business days.
- The catch
- Those are ceilings with no explanation of the math, there’s no instant cash-out listed, and only a 2004 or newer vehicle that passes inspection gets in.
Worth it? Only if a pickup or van is already sitting in your driveway. Then it pays for heavy work that grocery apps never will.
How to stack apps without getting burned
Running two apps sounds easy. It mostly is, with a few rules.
Don’t accept two orders you can’t finish on time. A late order means an annoyed customer, and annoyed customers don’t tip.
Watch the cash-out math. Fast Pay on DoorDash runs $1.99 a pop and Uber’s Instant Pay $1.25. Do that every day and it adds up, so either batch your cash-outs or get the free card each app offers.
And keep the customer side in mind. Good service is what gets tipped, and tips are the part of the pay you keep 100% of. Here’s how Shipt tipping works from the customer’s end, so you know what you’re working with.
FAQ
What job is most like Shipt?
Instacart. It’s the same shop-then-drive job, you’re a contractor, and pay is per batch plus tips. Spark Driver is close behind for Walmart orders.
Can you work for Shipt and Instacart at the same time?
Yes. Neither one employs you, so you can keep both apps open and take whichever order is better. Just don’t accept two you can’t finish on time.
Which app like Shipt pays the most?
There’s no honest ranking, since the grocery apps keep average pay to themselves. Amazon gives a range for Flex ($18 to $25 an hour for most drivers), and GoShare posts bigger “up to” numbers that only apply to trucks and vans.
Next step
Want the grocery-only list? See these jobs like Instacart.
Find every gig you can run from your phone in the app-based gigs hub. And for side money that doesn’t need a car at all, look at what’s paying right now.
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