Postmate Vs UberEats: the Ultimate Showdown for Delivery Drivers and Customers

In the face-off between Postmate vs UberEats, you need to know more than just who’s faster or cheaper. Our head-to-head comparison gives you a clear breakdown of each service’s pros and cons from both a customer’s and a driver’s perspective, without the fluff.

Key Takeaways

Uber’s acquisition of Postmates in December 2020 has combined the broad local services of Postmates with the restaurant-focused offerings of Uber Eats under one umbrella, targeting a wide customer base across different market segments.
While Uber Eats is considered slightly more cost-effective with a dynamic pricing model and an established network for faster delivery times, Postmates provides discounts and promotional deals that may appeal to budget-conscious customers.
Both Postmates and Uber Eats aim for quick delivery, but Postmates’ larger variety of services may lead to variable delivery times compared to Uber Eats, which usually ensures efficient food delivery from restaurants with an average time of 30 minutes.

Delivery Services Explained

Postmates, the brainchild of 2011, offered a broad range of delivery options from local eateries to retail stores, making it a jack-of-all-trades in delivery services. Uber Eats, on the other hand, born from the Uber family in 2014, carved out a niche in restaurant deliveries, spreading its wings across more than 45 countries and over 6,000 cities. They now operate under the same umbrella following Uber’s acquisition of Postmates in December 2020.

Both services, being part of the same company, provide a platform where customers can select from various restaurants or merchants to place their orders.

Postmates

Postmates embraced the motto of delivering ‘anything, anywhere, anytime’, sourcing from a wide array of businesses, including:

restaurants
stores
convenience stores
pharmacies
retail outlets in some markets

Whether it’s a piping hot pizza, a bag of groceries, or a new phone charger, Postmates had it covered. This broad spectrum of services distinguishes it from other delivery services.

Uber Eats

Conversely, both Uber Eats adopts a more specialized approach among food delivery apps. It primarily delivers restaurant food, thereby offering a curated food delivery experience for Uber Eats customers. The service is designed to be swift and efficient, with drivers picking up pre-prepared orders from restaurants and delivering them to customers.

Being integrated into the larger Uber platform, Uber Eats benefits from an established app and technology, making it a robust player in the food delivery market.

Comparing Costs for Customers

Understanding the cost differences between these two services is vital. On average, Uber Eats tends to be marginally less expensive than Postmates. This difference is due to varying fee structures between the two platforms.

For instance, even if a dish has a higher base price on Uber Eats, the total cost might end up being lower than on Postmates.

Postmates Pricing

Postmates offers customers various discounts, including promotional codes, available through their app or email campaigns. These discounts can make a significant difference in the total cost of the order, potentially making Postmates a more attractive option for budget-conscious customers.

Uber Eats Pricing

In contrast, Uber Eats adopts a dynamic pricing model, which affects the Uber Eats pay. The delivery fee for an order varies based on location, courier availability, and platform activity volume, all influencing the final cost to the customer. There may also be an additional ‘Small Order Fee’ if the order doesn’t meet a minimum price threshold.

During peak times, Uber Eats incentivizes drivers with features like Boost and Surge, ensuring availability and prompt delivery.

Delivery Speed and Efficiency

Speed and efficiency are paramount for any food delivery service. Both Postmates and Uber Eats strive to deliver orders as swiftly as possible, but various factors can influence delivery times. These include ordering and dispatching methods, restaurant partnerships, and even the time drivers spend waiting at the restaurant.

Postmates Delivery Times

Given Postmates’ wide selection of services, delivery times can vary. For instance, delivery drivers may need to shop for items, as opposed to simply collecting pre-prepared orders, adding to the delivery time.

Deliveries from non-partnered restaurants or stores can also be slower, potentially causing extended wait times for customers.

Uber Eats Delivery Times

Uber Eats, with its primary focus on restaurant deliveries, often has food ready upon the uber eats delivery drivers’ arrival at the restaurant, minimizing waiting time and improving efficiency. The service claims an average delivery time of 30 minutes, reflecting their commitment to prompt delivery.

Customer Service and Support

Customer loyalty and satisfaction largely depend on the quality of customer service. In this regard, Uber Eats has garnered recognition for better customer service compared to Postmates. The reasons for this are:

The reliability of Uber Eats’ app contributes to a more dependable customer service experience
Uber Eats has a larger network of drivers, which means faster and more efficient delivery
Uber Eats offers a more user-friendly interface and better tracking options for customers

These factors could potentially influence customer preference between the two platforms.

Postmates Customer Support

Postmates provides customer support through multiple channels, including:

A help center
Direct phone lines
An email address for queries
Social media platforms for direct messaging

However, the timeliness and effectiveness of issue resolution can vary, which might affect customer satisfaction.

Uber Eats Customer Support

Uber Eats offers the following customer support options:

Telephone support, enabling customers to resolve issues by talking directly with customer service representatives
A help center with articles on frequently asked questions
A specific dashboard feature for Uber for Business users

This direct communication channel and additional support features are distinctive services that may not be matched by Postmates.

Driver Requirements and Earnings

For those pondering a driver role at either Postmates or Uber Eats, it’s important to grasp the requirements and potential earnings. Postmates and Uber Eats have unified their driver requirements, with Postmates having less stringent conditions in some areas, such as minimum driver age and vehicle documentation.

Postmates Driver Requirements and Pay

Postmates requires postmates drivers to be at least 18 years old and offers the flexibility to deliver using a bicycle, scooter, or even on foot in some markets. Drivers earn a base amount calculated based on the postmates delivery fee from the total order amount, and they receive weekly payments through direct deposit or can cash out anytime in the Postmates app.

Uber Eats Driver Requirements and Pay

Uber Eats drivers, who are also considered as uber drivers when not delivering food, need to be at least 19 years old (or 21 or older in certain markets like Canada) and must provide various documents for verification. The pay is determined by a model that takes into account factors such as estimated delivery time, driving distance, delivery address, total mileage, and tips. This helps ensure fair compensation for the work done.

Interestingly, the merger with Postmates helped alleviate Uber’s driver shortage for both its rideshare and delivery services.

App Functionality and User Experience

The productivity and income of a driver can be greatly influenced by an app’s functionality and user experience. Drivers prefer simple app interfaces that do not undergo frequent changes.

Functionality is considered more important than visual design, with an emphasis on non-complex usability.

Postmates App

Postmates designed a user experience testing platform to improve their app. The platform uses machine learning to identify growth areas, get feedback on experiments, and improve the qualitative user experience.

This continuous improvement approach has enhanced Postmates’ three-sided marketplace, which includes restaurants, couriers, and consumers.

Uber Eats App

Uber Eats is integrated within the broader Uber platform, offering a streamlined experience for users. The app offers different pricing plans and an Uber One membership program that provides benefits such as zero delivery fees and order discounts. The app’s performance and user approval are reflected in its high user rating on Google Play and the iOS app store.

A company’s success and customer preference are frequently hinted at by its market share and popularity. The merger between Uber Eats and Postmates in 2020 gave the unified entity a significant boost, accounting for a 25% share of sales in the food delivery market as of June 2023.

Postmates, before its merger with Uber, held a 2% market share in the U.S. for all food delivery services. The merger led to a consolidation of services under the Uber umbrella.

Uber Eats, with a 23% market share, is the second-largest meal delivery service in the U.S. as of February 2024. The merger with Postmates has only strengthened its position in the market, reflecting in its impressive 54% year-over-year increase in users in 2020.

Summary

The world of food delivery is vast, but two names consistently stand out: Postmates and Uber Eats. Both services have their strengths and weaknesses, from delivery options to pricing, efficiency, customer service, driver requirements, app functionality, and market share.

Despite the merger, they continue to provide distinct experiences to customers and drivers alike. Whether you’re considering using these services as a customer or as a driver, understanding the key differences will help you make an informed choice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Does Postmates Look Like Uber?

Postmates looks like Uber because Uber bought out Postmates, making them both part of the same company.

Is Uber Eats the Same as Postmates?

Yes, Uber Eats and Postmates are the same now, as Uber Eats acquired Postmates and their orders are now fulfilled by Uber Eats drivers.

What Is the Main Difference Between Postmates and Uber Eats?

The main difference between Postmates and Uber Eats is that Postmates offers a wide range of delivery options from various businesses, while Uber Eats specializes in restaurant deliveries.

How Does the Pricing Differ Between Uber Eats and Postmates?

Uber Eats is generally slightly less expensive than Postmates due to different fee structures. Consider this when choosing between the two.

Which Platform Offers Better Customer Service?

Uber Eats provides better customer service than Postmates.