Most people land here because Flex said no. You’re under 21, your car’s not a 4-door midsize, or there just aren’t any blocks near you.
Fair enough. Every gig below has a lower bar than Flex on at least one of those, and none of them asks you to be 21. (If you’re still deciding on Flex itself, here’s the Amazon Flex driver review.)
- Best for: closest to Flex
Spark DriverWalmart orders, 18+, any car that can deliver safely.
See the details - Best for: packages only
RoadieUp to $12 per local trip by its own numbers.
See the details - Best for: getting started fast
DoorDashIn 7,000+ US cities, from 18 in most states.
See the details - Best for: trucks and vans
GoSharePays by vehicle size, from a car up to a box truck.
See the details
Jobs like Amazon Flex compared
| Gig | What you deliver | Min age | Vehicle | Fast cash-out |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Flex (for reference) | Amazon packages and groceries | 21 | 4-door midsize sedan or bigger | Daily payday option, free to the Flex Debit Card |
| Spark Driver | Walmart and other orders | 18 | Any car that can deliver safely | Instant or weekly, depending on setup |
| Roadie | Package gigs | 18 | Your regular car | Weekly or instant payouts |
| DoorDash | Restaurant, grocery and convenience orders | 18 (19 or 21 in some states) | Car, scooter, motorcycle, or bike in select cities | Fast Pay once a day, $1.99 |
| Uber Eats | Food, groceries and packages | 18 on bike or foot, 19 by car | Car (2-door is fine), scooter, bike or on foot | Instant Pay up to 6 times a day, $1.25 each |
| Shipt | Groceries and package routes | 18 | A reliable car you are insured on | Instant Pay 3 times a day, after your first weekly payout |
| Instacart | Grocery batches | 18 | Access to a vehicle | Instant cashout for a small charge |
| Grubhub | Restaurant orders | 18 (21 in Las Vegas) | Car, motorcycle or bike | Ready 15 minutes after a delivery |
| GoShare | Cargo and moving jobs | 18 | Car, pickup, van or box truck, 2004 or newer | Direct deposit in 4 business days |
The 8 best jobs like Amazon Flex
1.Spark Driver
Best for: the closest thing to Flex, at 18
- What it is
- Walmart’s delivery gig. You deliver, or shop and deliver, Walmart and other orders from your own car.
- What you do
- Turn on Spark Now and take shop-and-deliver or delivery-only trips in your zone, between 6:00 AM and 11:00 PM.
- How much it pays
- Every trip is priced on distance and order size, with extra for things like heavy items and apartment drop-offs. Incentives and 100% of confirmed tips stack on top. You get paid either instantly or weekly, whichever way your account’s set up. No posted rates.
- The catch
- Zones fill up. If yours is full, you wait for a spot, which is basically the Flex interest list all over again.
Worth it? Yes if your zone is open and Flex turned you down for age or car. You need to be 18 with a license, an SSN, insurance and any car that can deliver safely (no motorcycles or scooters).
2.Roadie
Best for: packages, no restaurants
- What it is
- A delivery app where you pick up “Gigs” (packages and items going across town) in your regular car.
- What you do
- Grab a gig, pick it up, drop it off. Some gigs need certifications, and the bigger RoadieXD routes need a roomy vehicle and only run in select places.
- How much it pays
- Roadie says up to $12 per local trip, more on multi-stop deliveries, and pay varies by gig. You choose weekly or instant payouts.
- The catch
- That $12 is a ceiling, not an average, and there’s no hourly figure anywhere.
Worth it? Yes if you’re 18+ with a US driver’s license and an SSN and you like the boxes-over-burgers side of Flex. Registration takes about 5 minutes.
3.DoorDash
Best for: orders tonight, almost anywhere
- What it is
- DoorDash’s Dasher gig: restaurant, grocery, convenience and pet store orders, as an independent contractor.
- What you do
- Go online in the Dasher app whenever you want and take offers by car, scooter or motorcycle, or bike in select cities.
- How much it pays
- Each offer carries $2 to $10+ in base pay, and Peak Pay or Challenges can stack on it. You keep 100% of tips, and the number on the offer screen is your guaranteed minimum. Weekly deposit by default. Fast Pay gets it to you same day for $1.99, once a day, and the Crimson card does instant deposits free.
- The catch
- There’s no hourly range posted the way Flex has one, and you’ll see plenty of offers close to that $2 floor.
Worth it? Yes if you’re 18+ (19 in 13 states, 21 in California) and Flex isn’t hiring. It’s in 7,000+ US cities, so it’s the backup you can actually get.
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4.Uber Eats
Best for: a car Flex won’t take
- What it is
- Uber’s delivery side: food, groceries and packages through the Uber Driver app.
- What you do
- Deliver by car, motorbike or scooter, bike, or on foot, depending on your city. A 2-door car counts.
- How much it pays
- You earn a base fare, any promotions running, and every dollar of tips. The fare’s on screen before you say yes. It pays out weekly, or hit Instant Pay (up to 6 a day) for $1.25 a pop.
- The catch
- Car delivery starts at 19 (21 in California and New York State), and Uber doesn’t post a pay rate.
Worth it? Yes if Flex said no to your car. Uber Eats takes 2-door cars, bikes and, in some cities, walkers.
5.Shipt
Best for: groceries plus package routes
- What it is
- Target-owned Shipt’s gig for personal shoppers and package delivery drivers.
- What you do
- Shop and deliver grocery and household orders, or skip the shopping and run package delivery routes.
- How much it pays
- Each order’s offer pay reflects the time and effort Shipt expects it to take. Bonuses and 100% of tips go on top. Friday is payday for last week’s work, and once you’ve had one weekly payout you can use Instant Pay up to 3 times a day.
- The catch
- No instant cash until that first Friday payout clears, and you must be insured on whatever car you drive.
Worth it? Yes if you want Flex-style package routes at 18 and you’ve got a reliable car.
6.Instacart
Best for: grocery runs, or an hourly in-store job
- What it is
- Grocery shopping and delivery as a full-service shopper (independent contractor). In-store shoppers are employees.
- What you do
- Take batches in the Shopper app: shop and deliver, shop only, or deliver only.
- How much it pays
- Batches pay for the driving, how many items (and how heavy), and how long the shopping should take. Tips are 100% yours. Direct deposit comes weekly, or cash out instantly for a small charge, which the Shopper Rewards Card skips.
- The catch
- You need access to a vehicle for deliveries, and Instacart doesn’t post what instant cashout costs.
Worth it? Only if Shipt is quiet where you live. Or take the in-store role if you’d rather have an hourly wage (up to 29 hours a week) than chase batches.
7.Grubhub
Best for: scheduling blocks, Flex style
- What it is
- Restaurant delivery for Grubhub, by car, motorcycle or bike.
- What you do
- Book your blocks ahead, which feels a lot like Flex, or hop on at short notice when you’ve got a free hour.
- How much it pays
- Base pay covers mileage, the type of delivery and your time. Add 100% of tips and bonuses from missions. Your money’s available 15 minutes after each drop-off, through Instant Cash Out or direct deposit.
- The catch
- No published pay figures, and Grubhub doesn’t say what Instant Cash Out costs.
Worth it? Only as a second app. But if you miss planning your week in blocks, it’s the one that does that.
Best for: pickup trucks and cargo vans
- 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
- Move goods in whatever you drive, or take labor-only jobs where you’re the muscle.
- How much it pays
- GoShare posts “average earnings up to” figures by vehicle: up to $60 an hour for a pickup truck, $105 for a full-size cargo van, $188 for a box truck and $46 for a car, SUV or minivan. Direct deposit lands in 4 business days.
- The catch
- Those are ceilings with no stated method behind them. Your vehicle has to be 2004 or newer and pass an inspection, and there’s no instant pay listed.
Worth it? Yes if you own a truck or a cargo van. Nothing else on this list is built around one.
How to pick
Under 21? Spark, Roadie, Shipt and DoorDash all start at 18. So does Uber Eats if you’re on a bike or on foot.
No 4-door car? Uber Eats takes a 2-door. Spark takes any car that can deliver safely, and Roadie runs in a regular passenger car.
You liked Flex because it’s packages? Roadie, Spark and Shipt’s package routes are the closest match. Uber Eats sends packages too.
You miss booking your week ahead? Grubhub lets you schedule blocks in advance.
And honestly, sign up for two. Order volume swings by the hour, and the driver with two apps open waits less. If you’re stuck choosing between the big food apps, here’s DoorDash vs Uber Eats, and the best gig economy apps covers rideshare, freelance and rental gigs too.
FAQ
What job is most like Amazon Flex?
Spark Driver. It’s Walmart’s version: shop-and-deliver and delivery-only trips in your own car, and it starts at 18. Roadie is the closest for pure package deliveries.
Which delivery jobs hire at 18?
Spark Driver, Roadie, Shipt, Instacart, GoShare and Grubhub (21 in Las Vegas) all start at 18. DoorDash does in most states (19 in 13 states, 21 in California), and Uber Eats does on a bike or on foot.
Do any of these pay by the hour like Flex?
Not with a posted range the way Flex does. DoorDash has a time mode with a guaranteed minimum hourly rate for active time, but doesn’t say how much on its pay page. GoShare posts “average earnings up to” figures by vehicle.
Is there a job like Amazon Flex that doesn’t need a car?
Yes. Uber Eats lets you deliver on a bike or on foot where your city allows it, and DoorDash and Grubhub take bikes in some places.
Next step
Want food delivery instead? The best food delivery jobs lines up DoorDash, Uber Eats, Shipt and the rest on pay and cash-out speed.
More gigs you can run from your phone are in the app-based gigs hub. Or check what’s paying right now, and these apps that pay you real money for the slow hours.
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