Instacart+ vs DashPass: Which Saves More on Groceries?

Quick answer: Instacart+ usually makes more sense if most of your weekly delivery spending is groceries across multiple stores. DashPass makes more sense if your delivery habit is split between restaurants, convenience, retail, and occasional grocery orders. If you only order groceries once in a while, neither membership may be worth keeping.

Instacart+ and DashPass look similar at first glance because both are roughly $10-a-month delivery memberships.

That surface comparison is the trap.

The real question isn’t which membership has the longer benefits list. It’s which one matches the way your household already orders food. A weekly grocery household and a Friday-night takeout household are solving different problems, even if both apps promise “savings.”

For most people, the decision is simple: keep Instacart+ if groceries are the main event, keep DashPass if restaurants and mixed delivery orders are doing most of the work, and cancel one of them if both are quietly sitting on the same card.

Instacart+ vs DashPass at a glance

Membership	Typical price	Best fit	Main weakness
Instacart+	$9.99/month or $99/year	Multi-store grocery delivery	Service fees, tips, and possible retailer pricing differences still apply
DashPass	$9.99/month or $96/year	Restaurant, convenience, grocery, and mixed DoorDash orders	Grocery value depends heavily on local stores and eligible order terms

As of April 2026, Instacart lists Instacart+ at $9.99 per month or $99 per year. Members get $0 delivery fees on grocery and retail orders of $10+, Costco orders of $35+, and eligible restaurant orders of $25+. Service fees still apply. (Instacart+)

DoorDash lists DashPass at $9.99 per month or $96 per year. DoorDash says DashPass members get $0 delivery fees and reduced service fees on eligible orders that meet the subtotal minimum shown in the app. In other words, the grocery value can depend on your area, store options, and order size. (DoorDash DashPass)

Choose Instacart+ if groceries are the weekly habit

Instacart+ is the cleaner fit when your delivery spending starts with groceries, not dinner.

That sounds obvious, but it matters. A household that orders produce from one store, bulk items from Costco, and a few pantry staples from a local supermarket isn’t just buying convenience. It’s buying store flexibility.

That’s where Instacart+ has the stronger argument. The membership is built around grocery and retail delivery across many stores. If your week already includes multiple grocery stops, the value isn’t just the waived delivery fee. It’s the ability to consolidate errands without committing to one retailer’s ecosystem.

Instacart+ fits if:

You order groceries at least twice a month.
You use more than one grocery store.
You care more about store variety than restaurant delivery.
You regularly hit the order minimums without adding filler items.
You already use Instacart enough that delivery fees are the pain point, not the membership fee.

Instacart+ fails when your grocery delivery habit is occasional. One small order every few weeks is usually not enough to justify another recurring membership, especially once service fees, tips, and possible item pricing differences are included.

Worth reading next: Walmart+ vs Instacart+: Which Grocery Membership Saves More on Delivery Fees?

Choose DashPass if delivery means more than groceries

DashPass becomes more interesting when your delivery habit isn’t strictly grocery-based.

That’s the real difference. DashPass sits on top of DoorDash, so its value can come from restaurants, convenience stores, retail orders, and grocery delivery. If DoorDash is already your default app for weeknight takeout and last-minute essentials, DashPass may save money across more categories than Instacart+.

But that broader use case cuts both ways.

If you’re trying to spend less on delivery, DashPass can quietly make ordering feel easier. A membership that lowers the friction of takeout is only a savings tool if it replaces fees you were already paying, not if it creates extra orders you wouldn’t have placed.

DashPass fits if:

You already use DoorDash for restaurants several times a month.
You sometimes use DoorDash for grocery, convenience, or retail orders too.
You usually meet eligible order minimums without changing your cart.
Your local DoorDash grocery options are strong enough to replace a separate grocery app.
You want one mixed-use membership instead of separate restaurant and grocery memberships.

DashPass fails when you only want grocery delivery and your best local grocery options are still stronger on Instacart. It also fails when the membership encourages extra takeout orders under the illusion that waived delivery fees equal lower spending.

Worth reading next: DashPass vs Uber One: Which Membership Saves More on Delivery and Rides?

The break-even test: count orders, not benefits

The easiest way to choose between Instacart+ and DashPass is to ignore the marketing for five minutes and count last month’s orders.

Don’t count orders you wish you had placed. Count the ones that actually happened.

Your real monthly pattern	Better starting point	Why
2+ grocery orders, mostly from different stores	Instacart+	Store variety is the main value
2+ restaurant orders plus some grocery or convenience orders	DashPass	Savings can spread across more order types
Mostly one grocery store	Maybe neither	A retailer-specific membership may fit better
One delivery order every few weeks	Neither	Membership fees can outrun fee savings
Already paying for both	Cancel one	Overlap is usually where waste hides

The danger isn’t choosing the “wrong” app. The danger is keeping both because each one sounds useful in a slightly different way.

That’s how delivery memberships become subscription clutter. They each solve a real problem, but not always a problem that exists in the same household.

If you already have both, cancel the one that does less real work

If Instacart+ and DashPass are both active, the decision shouldn’t start with price. They are too close in price for that to be useful.

Start with actual use.

If most orders were groceries: keep Instacart+ and cancel or pause DashPass.
If most orders were restaurants: keep DashPass and cancel Instacart+ unless grocery savings are clearly covering the fee.
If you used both once or twice: cancel both and pay per order until the habit is real.
If one membership came free through a partner benefit: keep the free one only if it doesn’t push you into extra orders.

A paid membership should reduce the cost of a habit that already exists. It shouldn’t become the reason the habit grows.

Not sure which memberships are still worth keeping?

Run a 10-minute subscription check to spot forgotten renewals, overlapping memberships, overpaid tiers, and services you may be able to cancel or swap.

No filler emails. Unsubscribe whenever.

Run the 10-minute check

What about Walmart+, Target Circle 360, or Uber One?

Instacart+ vs DashPass isn’t always the final comparison.

If your household is loyal to one store, a retailer-specific membership may be cleaner. Walmart+ can make more sense for Walmart-heavy grocery and household restocks. Target Circle 360 can make more sense for Target-heavy households. Uber One can make more sense if rides and Uber Eats are both part of your routine.

The better question isn’t “Which delivery membership has the most perks?”

It’s this:

Where did your household already spend delivery money last month?

If the answer is Walmart, start with Walmart+. If the answer is Target, start with Target Circle 360. If the answer is restaurants, start with DashPass or Uber One. If the answer is several grocery stores, Instacart+ is the more natural fit.

Related comparisons:

Bottom Line

Instacart+ is usually the better grocery-first membership. DashPass is usually the better mixed delivery membership. The wrong move is keeping both without checking which one actually did more work last month.

Keep Instacart+ if: you order groceries regularly from multiple stores and already hit the order minimums without padding your cart.

Keep DashPass if: you use DoorDash for restaurants, convenience, retail, and some grocery orders often enough to justify one mixed-use membership.

Switch if: your real pattern changed. Grocery-heavy households should lean Instacart+. Restaurant-heavy households should lean DashPass.

Cancel one if: both memberships are active but only one shows up in your actual order history.

Cancel both if: you order delivery only occasionally. Paying per order is often cheaper than keeping a membership for a habit you don’t really have.

Before the next renewal, open your last 30 days of delivery orders. Count grocery orders, restaurant orders, and convenience orders separately. The membership with the most real use gets to stay. The other one should earn its place, or leave the bill.