The 11 Best Grocery Delivery Services

Hive Brands is the best overall grocery delivery service

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grocery delivery hello fresh market
Photo: Hello Fresh

On days when you work late or barely have time for errands, it's incredibly convenient to order your groceries online. Not only can you stock up on fresh food and pantry staples at the click of a button, but you can also purchase personal care items, pet products, and cleaning supplies at most online supermarkets.

Just imagine all the benefits a virtual grocery shopping trip brings—no parking, cashier lines, hygiene worries, or wasted time going up and down the aisles. All you need to know is where to start. With the right services, you can even get same-day delivery, extra discounts, packaged deals, and easy communication with your shopper to make sure the order is just right.

Here are the best grocery delivery services to use today.

Best Grocery Delivery Services of 2023

Best Overall: Hive Brands

grocery delivery

Hive

Key Specs

  • Membership: No subscription or membership fees
  • Shipping: Free on orders over $65
  • Specialty: Healthy products with recyclable packaging

Why We Chose It

With top-quality products and a strong sense of social and environmental responsibility, Hive Brands is a grocery delivery service with integrity.

Pros & Cons

Pros
  • Low-waste packaging

  • Supports small businesses

  • Offers one-time purchases and subscriptions

Cons
  • No fresh produce

  • $35 order minimum

Overview

Hive Brands focuses on five pillars: Ingredient Integrity, Recyclable Packaging, Low Carbon Footprint, Commitment to Social Good, and Rave-Worthy Items. Simply put, the online marketplace works exclusively with brands that meet high standards of quality, taste, sustainability, and social impact.

According to the company, 98% of its product packaging is compostable and recyclable and 100% of its shipping materials are recyclable.

Hive Brands has an easy-to-navigate website and there are many ways to shop, but the most unique option is browsing products by cause. You can filter between products that support community and economic development, the environment, human and animal rights, education, and health and disease awareness as well as items that help reduce poverty and hunger.

If you're looking for specific brands and products, you can shop by different categories, such as pantry and household.

Best for Prime Members: Amazon Fresh

grocery delivery

Amazon

Key Specs

  • Membership: Free for Amazon Prime members
  • Shipping: Free on most orders over $35; delivery method fees may vary
  • Specialty: Fast, easy shopping with many items to choose from

Why We Chose It

If you're an Amazon Prime member, the service and selection you get with Amazon Fresh is hard to beat.

Pros & Cons

Pros
  • Access to over half a million products

  • Perishable and non-perishable items

  • User reviews of most products

Cons
  • Only available to Prime members

  • Free shipping on orders over $35 or $50, depending on your area

  • Some cities have a different free shipping threshold

Overview

Have an Amazon Prime membership? It offers more perks than fast shipping and Prime Video: You can get groceries delivered to your doorstep for free with Amazon Fresh.

The grocery home delivery service offers fresh produce, meat, and snacks, plus it includes a variety of products from Whole Foods.

Unfortunately, Amazon's grocery delivery only delivers to select cities currently, including Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Phoenix, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington D.C. Enter your zip code to find out if the service is available in your area.

Best for HelloFresh Fans: HelloFresh Market

HelloFresh Market items

Hello Fresh

Key Specs

  • Membership: Starts at $60.95 per week; Add-ons start at $4
  • Shipping: $10.99 for all meal plans; some discounts
  • Specialty: Meal delivery with grocery add-ons

Why We Chose It

HelloFresh has won many fans with its excellent meal kit service. Now, HelloFresh Market takes it a step further by eliminating the prep work and sending an impressive assortment of pre-made meals right to your door.

Pros & Cons

Pros
  • Good selection of convenient, prepared items

  • Breakfast options

  • Weekly deals

Cons
  • Only available with a meal kit subscription

  • Very few raw ingredients

Overview

In July 2021, HelloFresh launched HelloFresh Market, which allows you to receive groceries alongside ready-to-prepare meals. The Market has fresh produce, breads, meats, and pantry staples as well as lunch bowls and quick breakfast options for busy weekdays.

HelloFresh Market regularly includes items from popular brands found at local grocery stores, and customers can try new products when different brands are added. Every item is hand-selected by the HelloFresh team, and market items are delivered with meal kits for subscribers.

Most Sustainable: Public Goods

grocery delivery

Public Goods

Key Specs

  • Membership: $79 annually with free 2-week trial
  • Shipping: Free on orders over $45
  • Specialty: Environmentally-friendly food and household goods

Why We Chose It

For every order you place, Public Goods plants a tree. How's that for sustainability?

Pros & Cons

Pros
  • Low-waste products

  • Discounted surplus store

  • Food and household goods

Cons
  • Annual membership fee

  • $45 minimum for free shipping

  • Only non-perishable items

Overview

It can be challenging to locate environmentally friendly products at your local grocery store. Thankfully, this online supermarket produces its own line of eco-friendly essentials.

Public Goods is your one-stop shop for pantry staples, personal care items, home goods, pet food, vitamins and supplements, and even candles and essential oils.

Additionally, every item comes in minimalist packaging and most products are certified organic. However, this grocery delivery service only offers non-perishable grocery items, so it won't necessarily check off everything on your list. We suggest going to a local farmer's market if there's one in your area to buy fresh produce.

Best Plant-Based: Hungryroot

grocery delivery

Hungryroot

Use promo code FOOD&WINE30 to receive 30% off + a free gift in every box.

Key Specs

  • Membership: Starting at $65 per week
  • Shipping: Free on orders over $70
  • Specialty: Groceries and plant-forward, easy recipes

Why We Chose It

Offering a large selection of plant-based foods delivered with simple recipes, Hungryroot makes healthy eating easy.

Pros & Cons

Pros
  • Easy recipes tailored to your deliveries

  • Filter by a wide variety of dietary preferences

  • Eco-friendly shipping materials

Cons
  • Overall system can feel complex at first

  • Recipes might be too basic for some

  • $7 shipping fee on orders less than $70

Overview

Hungryroot streamlines meal planning and grocery shopping for plant-forward eaters. To get started, you take a quiz to give the company an idea of what you like to eat and how many servings you need. Next, Hungryroot suggests corresponding groceries and chef-crafted recipes, leading to less wasteful and more thoughtful grocery hauls.

The curated grocery items are just recommendations, so you can alter your order to your liking. Customer-loved recipes include supergreens pasta made with Kite Hill spinach ricotta ravioli, kale pesto, and sweet baby broccoli and a coconut curry tofu rice bowl featuring four Hungryroot ingredients.

If you want quick and fresh meals, this grocery delivery service is for you.

Best for Premium Meat: Rastelli's

grocery delivery

Rastelli's

Key Specs

  • Membership: Optional subscription every 1, 2, 3, 4, or 6 weeks
  • Shipping: Free on packages over $200
  • Specialty: Farm-to-table fresh meats

Why We Chose It

For quality and transparency from farm to butcher to your table, Rastelli's has an impressive selection for those who want to know where and how their protein of choice is sourced.

Pros & Cons

Pros
  • Transparent sourcing

  • Strict animal welfare standards

  • Great variety

Cons
  • $10 shipping fee on orders less than $200, or $25 fee on orders less than $100

  • Relatively few organic items

Overview

This family-run meat delivery service is known for its quality and freshness. Rastelli's products are sourced in the U.S. and are free of antibiotics, steroids, and hormones.

You can buy a variety of meat—like beef, poultry, pork, and lamb—and wild-caught seafood, such as black cod and Chilean sea bass. There are also different cuts of organic chicken, pork, and beef available.

In order to maintain top-notch flavor, the meats are blast-frozen and vacuum sealed. Add butters, rubs, and sides (hello, crème fraîche mashed potatoes) to your package for an even more delicious meal.

Best for Big-Box Stores: Shipt

grocery delivery

Shipt

Key Specs

  • Membership: $99 annually or $10.99 per month
  • Shipping: Free on orders over $35
  • Specialty: Easy delivery from large nationwide stores

Why We Chose It

From Target and major grocery stores to 7-Eleven, Shipt shops at national stores in your area and delivers to your door.

Pros & Cons

Pros
  • Shop a wide variety of stores

  • Excellent mobile app

  • Delivery available whenever stores are open (even 24/7)

Cons
  • Can't consolidate orders from different stores

  • $35 minimum for free delivery, even with a membership

Overview

If you prefer to shop at Target, CVS, and other national stores, check out Shipt. First, enter your zip code to see the entire list of stores available for Shipt delivery in your area.

To get started, place your order via the Shipt app on your phone or via computer. Once your order is ready to be submitted, you can schedule your groceries to be delivered to your home in as little as one hour.

What's more, you can chat with your personal shopper over text in case you need to swap or add products. Keep in mind that the delivery minimum is $35 for free shipping; for orders less than $35, shipping costs $7.

Best Organic: Thrive Market

grocery delivery

Thrive Market

Key Specs

  • Membership: $60 annually or $12 per month
  • Shipping: Free on orders for groceries over $49, frozen food over $120, or wine over $79
  • Specialty: Organic food and dietary restrictions

Why We Chose It

Not only does Thrive Market carry a huge selection of organic groceries, but the company also makes it easy to find products based on criteria like ingredients, social and environmental causes, and certifications like fair trade and halal.

Pros & Cons

Pros
  • Great for those with special diets

  • Stocks obscure items like monk fruit and collagen peptides

  • Excellent wine selection

Cons
  • No fresh produce

  • No same-day delivery

  • Shipping ranges from $6 to $20 if the delivery doesn't meet the free shipping threshold

Overview

Thrive Market delivers natural food, beauty, and home products straight to your door. With over 500 trusted organic brands available (like Simple Mills and Seventh Generation), you can stock up on popular items and try new products with ease.

Navigating the online grocery store is a breeze thanks to its easy-to-browse sections, including product category, food preference, and brand. You can also check filters (such as woman-founded businesses or low-sugar products) to find exactly what you want.

Bonus: Thrive Market carries its own product line, which helps you save money on a variety of sustainable products. The company also offers a deals section with plenty of options for more affordable orders.

Best for East Coast Dwellers: FreshDirect

grocery delivery

Freshdirect

Key Specs

  • Membership: $129 annually or $79 per month
  • Shipping: Free with membership on orders over $30
  • Specialty: Easy grocery delivery to limited metropolitan areas

Why We Chose It

If you live on the East Coast, FreshDirect is hands down your ultimate grocery delivery solution. With just a few taps of your phone, customers can find an impressive selection of items and (typically) have them delivered that same day.

Pros & Cons

Pros
  • Large selection of perishable and non-perishable items

  • Same-day delivery available in many areas


  • Mobile app

Cons
  • Membership required for free delivery; otherwise, between $6 and $16 per order

  • Delivery is only available in parts of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut

Overview

Large grocery hauls in the city either require a vehicle or an extra pair of hands. That's where FreshDirect comes in, offering fresh grocery delivery to folks on the East Coast.

The company works with local farms, fisheries, and dairies to taste more than 800 products every day to ensure you're receiving five-star quality food. If you're in a rush, consider FreshDirect's chef-prepared meals. There are plenty of vegan, vegetarian, and high-protein options.

Tip: On Thursdays, look for new deals on peak-season meat and produce.

Best on a Budget: Walmart Plus

grocery delivery

Walmart

Key Specs

  • Membership: $98 annually or $13 per month (subject to taxes)
  • Shipping: Free for members on all orders, except express delivery ($10)
  • Specialty: Affordable grocery and goods delivery in many regions

Why We Chose It

For less than $100 per year, your Walmart Plus membership gets you free delivery from your local Walmart, free shipping from Walmart.com, and a handful of other time- and money-saving perks.

Pros & Cons

Pros
  • Not limited to groceries

  • Gas discounts

  • Free shipping on Walmart.com orders

Cons
  • Smaller selection than Amazon Prime

  • Only useful if you live near a Walmart

Overview

Walmart Plus offers incredible perks for its members. The monthly or yearly subscription gives you access to free next-day and two-day home delivery, mobile scan-and-go during in-store trips (pay on your phone without waiting in line), and discounted fuel prices at Walmart and Murphy gas stations.

If you want to try it before signing up, Walmart offers a free 30-day trial. All in all, this online grocery delivery service allows you to reap the benefits of Walmart's low prices without having to make a trip to the store.

Plus, it's not limited to grocery items: You can add whatever you need to your virtual shopping cart as long as it's available at your local store.

Best for Fast Deliveries: Instacart

Instacart

Instacart

Key Specs

  • Membership: Optional; $99 per year or $9.99 per month
  • Shipping: Starting at $3.99 for orders over $35 or free for members
  • Specialty: Fast delivery from local grocery stores

Why We Chose It

Instacart offers quick local delivery from popular grocery stores, and its optional membership allows subscribers to receive free deliveries on all orders over $35. Most orders are expected to arrive within 2 to 5 hours of being placed.

Pros & Cons

Pros
  • Membership available for free deliveries on orders over $35

  • Lets users order from local grocery stores for all types of items

  • Easy to communicate with shoppers for item replacements

Cons
  • Fees on orders lower than $35

  • Items aren't always available

Overview

Instacart is a local grocery delivery service that's available across the United States and Canada. Users can create their shopping list on the app or website, then their shopper will visit the store to complete their order.

While Instacart offers memberships, they're not required to use the service. If you have groceries delivered regularly, Instacart Plus is available for $99 per year or $9.99 per month, which makes all deliveries free on orders over $35. If you don't choose to join, delivery fees start at $3.99.

It's also easy to make sure you get the best items, even if your favorites aren't available at the store: The service allows each user to add instructions for each item, so if something is out of stock, it can be replaced with the best match (at the shopper's discretion) or a specific replacement noted by the user.

Final Verdict

Hive Brands is our pick for the best overall grocery delivery service. In addition to the company's strong commitment to social and environmental issues, it allows customers to shop different categories for an easy experience finding the best items for their needs.

Since Hive Brands does not deliver fresh produce, the service will not be the perfect solution for everyone. However, because of the integrity of Hive's products, we believe it is the best choice overall for your pantry and other household needs.

Compare the Best Grocery Delivery Services

Company Membership Shipping Specialty
Hive Brands Best Overall No subscription or membership fees Free on orders over $65 Healthy products with recyclable packaging
Amazon Fresh Best for Prime Members Free for Amazon Prime members Free on most orders over $35; delivery method fees may vary Fast, easy shopping with many items to choose from
HelloFresh Market Best for HelloFresh Fans Starts at $60.95 per week; Add-ons start at $4 $10.99 for all meal plans; some discounts Meal delivery with grocery add-ons
Public Goods Most Sustainable $79 annually with free 2-week trial Free on orders over $45 Environmentally-friendly food and household goods
Hungryroot Best Plant-Based Starting at $65 per week Free on orders over $70 Groceries and plant-forward, easy recipes
Rastelli's Best for Premium Meat Optional subscription every 1 to 6 weeks Free on packages over $200 Farm-to-table fresh meats
Shipt Best for Big-Box Stores $99 annually or $9.99 per month Free on orders over $35 Easy delivery from large nationwide stores
Thrive Market Best Organic $60 annually or $12 per month Free on orders for groceries over $49, frozen food over $120, or wine over $79 Organic food and dietary restrictions
FreshDirect Best for East Coast Dwellers $129 annually or $79 per month Free with membership on orders over $30 Easy grocery delivery to limited metropolitan areas
Walmart Plus Best on a Budget $98 annually or $13 per month (subject to taxes) Free for members on all orders, except express delivery ($10) Affordable grocery and goods delivery in many regions
Instacart
Best for Fast Deliveries
Optional; $99 per year or $9.99 per month Starting at $3.99 for orders over $35 or free for members Fast delivery from local grocery stores

Guide to Choosing a Grocery Delivery Service

Where to Order Groceries Online

Online grocery shopping allows you to choose a store that aligns with your needs. Companies like Hive Brands and Public Goods focus on healthy, highly curated products and recyclable packaging, while Amazon Fresh and Walmart Plus offer leading brands and budget-friendly prices for fuss-free virtual shopping trips. Live on the East Coast? FreshDirect is a popular weekly grocery delivery service for those who reside in parts of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. If you need a quick delivery made from your local grocery store, Instacart is available nationwide and offers optional memberships for extra savings.

There are also plenty of options for individuals with specific eating preferences, such as organic and plant-based. If you're vegan, Hungryroot is bound to become your go-to place for groceries and recipes. After taking a quiz, the online grocery provider customizes a flexible shopping list and meal plan based on a number of factors. Thrive Market is the best online grocery store for organic shoppers thanks to its selection of more than 500 natural food and home brands. For steak and seafood lovers, check out Rastelli's online butcher shop. You can choose from a variety of premium proteins, including wild-caught fish, prime cuts of steak, and organic chicken.

In addition to these online grocery stores, there's a new supermarket available in the virtual world: HelloFresh Market. The meal kit leader, HelloFresh, is expanding into online grocery delivery to offer customers fresh produce, snacks, desserts, spices, and more alongside its weekly meal subscription boxes.

How to Get Groceries Delivered

Some companies charge a weekly, monthly, or yearly membership fee, while others don't require any sort of commitment. Many supermarket deliveries have minimum order amounts and/or free shipping if you meet the threshold. Luckily, if you need your items ASAP, most stores offer overnight or same-day delivery.

Every online grocery delivery service has the same concept—delivering groceries to your doorstep—but varies in pricing, product offerings, and principles. And similar to in-person shopping, each digital store provides a different experience. Keep scrolling to find out which service fits your lifestyle and cooking needs.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Grocery Delivery Service

Each grocery delivery service offers different membership options, perks, and items. To find the best service for your needs, consider these factors:

  • Membership requirements and price
  • Order minimums
  • Shipping costs
  • Average shipping time
  • Delivery area
  • Types of items available (fresh produce and meats, pantry items, and/or household goods)
  • Sustainable packaging
  • Healthy foods and dietary restriction filtering options
  • Animal welfare for meat and dairy products
  • Extra member perks

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What Is the Most Popular Grocery Delivery Service?

    Grocery delivery services like Instacart, Walmart Plus, Thrive Market, and Amazon Fresh are popular among customers in a large number of regions for nationwide service. For more specific grocery needs, companies like FreshDirect, Rastelli's, and Hungryroot can service either certain regions or certain types of food.

  • What App Brings Groceries to Your Door?

    There are several different apps to choose from to get your groceries delivered to your door. A few common options include Amazon Fresh, Walmart Plus, and Instacart.

  • What Are Three Disadvantages of Grocery Shopping Online?

    Online grocery shopping has a few disadvantages for some customers. First, if items are not available in-store for your shopper to purchase, they may have to substitute them with similar products (which may not be desirable to everyone). Next, some services require paid memberships before customers can place an order. A third disadvantage is that most grocery delivery services require order minimums, and shipping can cost extra if customers don't meet the threshold.

  • Which Is the Cheapest Grocery Store Online?

    Walmart Plus is our pick for the most affordable online grocery delivery service. This service is also available nationwide to reach many different customers and offers extra perks to make its memberships even more worth it.

Methodology

To find the best online grocery delivery services, we thoroughly researched the top 10 companies and evaluated them with regard to selection, quality, service, price, sustainability, customer service, site navigability, and user reviews.

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