Grubhub vs DoorDash for restaurants: the Zayos cost teardown
Published July 2026 · Updated July 26, 2026
DoorDash publishes fixed marketplace rates: 15%, 25% or 30% commission on delivery and 6% on pickup, with processing included. Grubhub quotes a negotiable marketing commission from 5%, adds a 10% delivery fee when Grubhub drives, and bills 3.05% plus 30 cents processing separately.
Every number on this page came off Grubhub’s and DoorDash’s own pricing pages on July 26, 2026. Sources are listed at the bottom. We sell a direct ordering platform, so read the last section with that in mind, and read the rest as arithmetic.
Why can’t I just compare the two percentages?
Because they are not the same kind of percentage. DoorDash sells one number that already contains delivery and card processing. Grubhub sells a marketing commission, then adds delivery as a second line and card processing as a third. Comparing 15% to 5% is comparing a finished total to a first ingredient.
What exactly does DoorDash charge?
Three published plans: Basic at 15% on delivery, Plus at 25%, Premier at 30%. Pickup is 6% on all three. DoorDash states there are no activation fees, subscription fees, software fees or cancellation fees, so on marketplace orders the commission percentage is the whole charge. The tablet is $6 per week after the trial. Basic opens with a 0% intro rate for 7 days; Plus and Premier open with 30 days.
What exactly does Grubhub charge?
Grubhub describes three packages with marketing commission as low as 5% (Basic), 10% (Plus) and 15% (Premium). Those are floors, not a rate card. When Grubhub drives the order there is a 10% delivery fee. Order processing is 3.05% plus 30 cents per prepaid transaction. A Sponsored Listing costs an additional 5% commission. Grubhub does not publish a separate pickup rate.
That difference is the single most useful thing to know before either sales call. DoorDash tells you your rate on a web page; Grubhub tells you your rate on a phone call. Neither is dishonest. One is just easier to budget against.
What does one order actually cost me on each?
Fees kept by the app on a single delivered order, before food cost, packaging or labor. Grubhub columns use the published 5% and 15% marketing floors plus the 10% delivery fee plus 3.05% and 30 cents processing. Your negotiated Grubhub rate may be higher.
| Ticket | DoorDash Basic 15% | DoorDash Plus 25% | Grubhub floor, they drive | Grubhub Premium, they drive | Grubhub floor, you drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $25 order 15% and 25% of $25. Grubhub floor = $1.25 marketing + $2.50 delivery + $1.06 processing. | $3.75 | $6.25 | $4.81 | $7.31 | $2.31 |
| $35 order 15% and 25% of $35. Grubhub floor = $1.75 marketing + $3.50 delivery + $1.37 processing. | $5.25 | $8.75 | $6.62 | $10.12 | $3.12 |
| $60 order 15% and 25% of $60. Grubhub floor = $3.00 marketing + $6.00 delivery + $2.13 processing. | $9.00 | $15.00 | $11.13 | $17.13 | $5.13 |
The one line worth writing on a sticky note: on a $35 delivered order, Grubhub at its published 5% floor costs about $6.62 and DoorDash Basic costs $5.25, but if you put your own driver in the car the Grubhub number falls to about $3.12. Self delivery is the biggest single lever either platform gives you, and only one of them separates it out.
Which one wins, for which restaurant?
You want to know your rate before you sign
Winner: DoorDashDoorDash prints three numbers on a public page and charges every restaurant the same three numbers. Grubhub publishes floors ("as low as 5%") and negotiates the rest, so the rate you actually get depends on the conversation.
You run your own delivery drivers
Winner: GrubhubGrubhub separates the marketing commission from the 10% delivery fee, so self-delivering drops one whole line. On a $35 order at the published 5% floor that moves the fee from $6.62 to $3.12. DoorDash bakes delivery into the commission percentage.
Most of your online volume is pickup
Winner: DoorDashDoorDash publishes 6% on pickup across all three plans. Grubhub does not publish a separate pickup rate on its pricing pages, so you cannot model it before a sales call.
You are brand new and want the app to carry some risk
Winner: DoorDashPremier is the only guarantee either company publishes: fewer than 20 orders in a month and DoorDash refunds that month’s commission. Read the plan terms before you count on it.
You want the cheapest possible headline number
Winner: Grubhub, with a caveat5% is the lowest published marketing commission of the two. It is also a floor, it excludes the 10% delivery fee, and it excludes 3.05% plus 30 cents of processing. Add all three and the floor plan lands above DoorDash Basic on a delivered order.
The full comparison table.
Where does Zayos fit in this comparison?
Nowhere, on the question this page answers. Zayos is not a marketplace and it will not bring you a customer who has never heard of you. Grubhub and DoorDash will. That is what the percentage buys, and for a new restaurant it is often worth paying.
Zayos is the other channel: ordering on your own site, on your own domain, where nobody takes a percentage of the food. Plans are $499, $599 and $699 per month per location, month to month, no setup fee. The only per order charge is a service fee the diner pays at checkout, $0.99 on pickup, $2.99 on delivery, $0 on dine in, 10% on catering. The restaurant keeps 100% of the food revenue and 100% of the tips.
The honest use of all three: keep the apps for discovery, then move the repeat customers to the channel that does not charge per order. Naya Grill in Pompano Beach and West Palm Beach is the restaurant live and taking direct orders on Zayos today, and keeps more than $48,000 a year that used to go to marketplace commissions, at about 3,000 orders a month. We are a Fort Lauderdale company and our customers are in South Florida.
More detail: Zayos pricing, how onboarding runs, and what Zayos actually is.
Questions owners actually ask about these two.
Is Grubhub or DoorDash cheaper for my restaurant?
Why does Grubhub say 5% when everyone tells me marketplaces cost 30%?
Does DoorDash charge a payment processing fee on top of the commission?
Both of them offer a free direct ordering site. Should I just use that?
Which plan tier should I pick on either app?
Can I run both at the same time?
Sources
Every figure above was read directly from the vendor’s own site on July 26, 2026. Marketplace pricing changes; check the source before you sign anything.
- DoorDash plans, pickup rate, tablet fee, trials and the Premier guarantee: merchants.doordash.com/en-us/pricing
- DoorDash 0% commission direct ordering: merchants.doordash.com/en-us/products/storefront
- Grubhub package floors, 10% delivery fee, 3.05% plus 30 cents processing, Sponsored Listing: get.grubhub.com/blog/grubhub-prices-guide
- Grubhub Direct free for eligible Marketplace restaurants: get.grubhub.com/products/grubhub-direct
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