Grocery delivery services make getting the necessary items and ingredients more accessible than ever. Most services offer daily delivery to your doorstep, eliminating the need to take weekly runs to the grocery store — because who really wants to do that? (Rather, who has the time to do that?) Although there are a handful of services to use, FreshDirect and Instacart are two of the top contenders. So, what makes them worth it? Ahead, we did a deep dive into both brands and explored their perks and what customers had to say.
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FreshDirect vs. Instacart: What Are the Difference & Who’s Better?
Both FreshDirect and Instacart are popular grocery delivery services that offer affordable delivery when you need it. Although both have similar features and benefits, they also have unique key differences. Ahead, learn more about the two services and what shoppers praise about each one.
FreshDirect
Founded in 2002, FreshDirect has “pioneered online grocery shopping.” The brand serves fresh, best-in-season picks, local goods, and chef-prepared meals to the greater New York City metropolitan area, with seasonal service to eastern Long Island and the Jersey Shore. FreshDirect offers six-month and one-year memberships, which helps save you money on delivery fees, making the service worth it to shoppers. Plus, your food arrives protected and always cool in the brand’s custom packaging.
FreshDirect Promise: “FreshDirect is driven by innovation: We deliver the highest quality, freshest food. We create food experiences. We drive simple, healthy solutions that make every day better. You deserve a life that is joyful and delicious, which is why our team and the partners we work with are committed to delivering only the very best to you,” FreshDirect says on their website.
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FreshDirect
$39+
Buy Now Choose from a midweek delivery (6-month term), anytime delivery (6-month term), anytime delivery (1-year term), or a minimum of $30 when you need it! You can shop from a variety of brands and local suppliers, all from the comfort of your home. Shoppers love the organic options and vast brand selection that FreshDirect offers; the only con we’ve learned about is that the online grocery supplier is only available in areas within the greater New York region.
Delivery availability: New York (Brooklyn, The Bronx, Manhattan, Nassau, Queens, Rockland, Staten Island, Suffolk, Westchester), New Jersey (Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Union), Connecticut (Fairfield), Jersey Shore (summer only), and the Hamptons (summer only)
Membership costs: Minimum $30 order without subscription, $39 for a midweek delivery, $79 anytime delivery (6 months), $129 anytime delivery (1 year)
Fees: Delivery fees start at $6 and range to $16 (the Hamptons) depending on the area
Overall offerings:
Organic options
Excellent quality and freshness
Flexibility with orders
Versatility with brand options
What we personally think of FreshDirect
“It was incredibly easy to order things online, the user experience was so simple and if any products were out, they did a great job with recommending new ones,” Danielle Giarratano previously wrote in our review . There were so many options to choose from, I was honestly surprised! Anything from produce to cleaning and even health and beauty products. It felt like I could have done all of my shopping through FreshDirect.”
She added, “When I chose a timeslot, they arrived promptly in the morning to drop off my package and we’re very communicative about when it would arrive. I think the only critique I have is that there was no ice pack/cooling agent inside of the box to keep any refrigerated or frozen items cold. I know the point is for you to be home when you receive this box, but if an emergency came up, that would be a bummer to have to discard some items due to them not being refrigerated. Other than that, it was a great experience, and I will absolutely use them again!”
Instacart
Instacart was founded in 2012 by Apoorva Mehta, Max Mullen, and Brandon Leonardo and was first launched in the San Francisco Bay area. Instacart is unique because the online grocery service “hires shoppers to purchase groceries from nearby stores, such as supermarkets, pharmacies, pet stores, and office supply stores, and then deliver them to customers’ homes the same day,” the brand says. They also offer shopping via an app to streamline your experience.
Instacart Promise: “We value you as a member of the Instacart community,” the Instacart website says. “We strive to proactively provide you with the support and safety that makes your shopping experience as seamless as possible and protects you while you work. Whether you shop to pay for the day-to-day or to save for the future, we’re here to help you make it happen.”
Instacart
Buy Now $10+ Instacart offers a vast selection of fresh groceries from your favorite local grocery stores. The brand employs shoppers to do the grocery shipping for you and also complete the delivery shipment, making it a fast and efficient way to get your shipping done. The main con of the service is that the shoppers can replace sensitive items that are out of stock.
Delivery availability: Available across the United States and Canada
Membership costs: Flat fee of $99 for the year or $10 for the month (members enjoy unlimited free delivery on orders of $35 or more)
Fees: $2 priority fee (if you select), No delivery fees on $35 or more per retailer
Overall offerings:
Can shop at multiple stores
Contact free delivery
Shoppers scan pickup and delivery in as little as 1 hour
What we personally think of Instacart:
“I had used Instacart for a few years when I was living in Los Angeles city and grocery shopping was a logistical nightmare. It was very helpful! The app interface is pretty easy, I could generally get my groceries delivered at a preferable time, and the grocery locations were pretty plentiful (and the service kept adding more and more options),” Gina Vaynshteyn, senior commerce director, says.
“The biggest con for me was the quality of shopping. Some days, my shopper was super on top of it and selected all the products on my list and was careful about produce (aka, no bruised fruit, or veggies gone bad already), but some days we either got products we didn’t ask for, or stuff that was damaged. It just wasn’t ideal for how much we were paying for the membership as well as tip.”
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