Kitchen Tips How To Buying The Best Grocery Delivery Services to Use in 2021 When you need fresh groceries fast, these services (literally) deliver. By Mary Claire Lagroue Mary Claire Lagroue Mary Claire Lagroue works as an associate commerce editor at Food & Wine. A former associate editor at Allrecipes, she joined Dotdash Meredith in 2019. She has written about food since 2017, and her work can be found in Cooking Light, Southern Living, and more. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Published on January 18, 2021 Share Tweet Pin Email We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. Some days, you just can't make it to the grocery store. Whether you're busy with the demands of life, sick, or homebound for other reasons, using a grocery delivery service to do the shopping for you changes everything. Considering membership and minimum costs, delivery rates, delivery time, substitution policies, and more, we scouted out the best grocery delivery services. Best of all, our top picks cover your favorite grocery stores and bring your order right to your door with same-day and next-day delivery. 6 Best Grocery Delivery Services at a Glance Best Investment: Amazon Fresh Best Budget: Walmart+ Best Deal for Membership: Shipt Most Versatile: Instacart Best Health Food Option: Prime Now Best Regional: FreshDirect Amazon Fresh Amazon Fresh is only available in select cities, but if you live in one of them and have an Amazon Prime account, it's an excellent deal. Really, the perk of Amazon Fresh would be reason enough to get Prime, as you can use it to check off basically anything on your usual grocery list. Whole Foods regulars can even shop products from its 365 line. Membership: $119/year or $12.99/month for free delivery with Amazon Prime Delivery fee: $5 to $10 for orders under the minimum Minimum order: $35 to $50 depending on location Delivery time: As soon as 1 hour Substitutions: Choose before checkout; no communication with shopper FreshDirect Northeastern favorite FreshDirect features an excellent selection of food, and its position as a regional service allows you to snag local foods — produce, dairy, meat, seafood, beverages, baked goods, pasta, and other local specialties. If you're not convinced, sign up for a DeliveryPass trial for 60 days of free delivery. Membership: $129/year for free delivery with DeliveryPass Delivery fee: Starting at $6 for orders without paid membership Minimum order: $30 Delivery time: Next day; as soon as 2 hours for New York City Substitutions: FreshDirect shopper chooses substitutions Onfokus / Getty Images Instacart It's hard to rival the selection of stores Instacart serves. Grocery stores like Costco, Aldi, Kroger, and Albertsons all deliver through it. But you can also use it to shop CVS, Best Buy, Bed Bath & Beyond, Petco, Sephora, and more. You can use Instacart without a membership for a relatively low cost, making it a great option for testing out the world of grocery delivery services. But a membership will no doubt give you bang for your buck. Membership: $99/year for free delivery on orders $35 and up with Instacart Express Delivery fee: Starting at $4 for orders without paid membership; member fees vary for orders under $35 Minimum order: $10 Delivery time: As soon as 1 hour Substitutions: Choose before checkout; approve changes during shopping Prime Now If you live near a Whole Foods Market, you can shop your local store with Amazon's convenient Prime Now service, another perk of a Prime membership. You'll love it for all the reasons you love Whole Foods, with the convenience of delivery. Membership: $119/year or $12.99/month for free delivery with Amazon Prime Delivery fee: Starting at $5 for orders under $35 Minimum order cost: None Delivery time: As soon as same day; as soon as 1 to 2 hours for $5 fee Substitutions: Choose before checkout; no communication with shopper Shipt Being the only service that delivers from Target gives Shipt an edge, but it also covers regional chains like Meijer, H-E-B, Publix, Piggly Wiggly, and Jewel-Osco. You also have access to stores like CVS, Bed Bath & Beyond, Office Depot, and PetCo. This range of stores — plus the money you'll save on the service's relatively steep delivery fees — makes Shipt worth the membership. Membership: $99/year for free delivery with Shipt Everyday Delivery fee: Starting at $8 per order without paid membership Minimum order cost: $35 Delivery time: As soon as 1 hour Substitutions: Choose before checkout; communicate with shopper through text Walmart+ Move over Walmart Grocery. The new Walmart+ boasts same-day delivery for groceries and other goods from your local store, as you can shop up to 180,000 items without leaving home. Plus, order items from Walmart.com (no minimum on shipping) with free next-day or two-day shipping. Best of all, Walmart+ prices are the same as those in stores. Membership: $98/year or $12.95/month for free delivery with Walmart+ Delivery fee: $8 per order without paid membership; as soon as 2 hours for $10 fee Minimum order cost: $35 Delivery time: As soon as same day Substitutions: Choose before checkout The Best Sites to Buy Groceries Online In 2021 Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit