Instacart

instacart.com
E-commerce
Weekend Project

Grocery Delivery or Pickup from Local Stores Near You

How to Replace Instacart

Overview

Instacart is the largest online grocery marketplace in North America, connecting customers with over 80,000 stores to shop for groceries and household items. The platform offers same-day delivery or curbside pickup with personal shoppers who select and deliver items with care. Customers can choose from over 1 billion products across 14,000 cities in the U.S. and Canada.

Features

23 features across 14 categories

Communication(1)

Item Communication

Chat directly with your shopper about items while they shop and deliver

Also in: Jobber, Jira, Insightly

Customer Assurance(1)

100% Quality Guarantee

Guarantee on every order ensuring quality of delivered or picked up items

Also in: Smartling, Zazzle

Customer Support(1)

Issue Reporting

Report missing items, incorrect items, damaged items, poor replacements, or delivery timing issues

Delivery(2)

Leave at My Door Delivery

Contactless delivery option allowing customers to have groceries left at their door without contact

Same-Day Delivery

Receive grocery orders on the same day with flexible delivery time options

Also in: Litmos, Mux, AWeber

Membership(1)

Instacart+ MembershipPremium

Optional membership providing $0 delivery fee on orders over $35 across the platform

Order Customization(2)

Delivery Instructions

Set custom delivery instructions in advance for your shopper to follow

Item Replacement Preferences

Set preferences for out-of-stock items including best match selection, specific replacements, or no replacement option

Order Management(2)

Order Modification

Update or cancel your order before or during shopping, including approval of replacements

Real-Time Order Tracking

Track your order's progress and communicate with your shopper in real-time via app or website

Payment(1)

EBT Payment Support

Ability to pay for eligible items using EBT cards

Also in: Square Payroll, IdoSell, Calendly

Pickup(1)

Curbside Pickup

Place an order and choose a pickup time for convenient in-store pickup without leaving your car

Planning Tools(1)

Grocery Budget Calculator

Tool to help customers estimate and plan their grocery spending

Platform(2)

Mobile App

Native app for iOS and Android allowing full shopping, tracking, and communication functionality

Web Platform

Full-featured web interface at Instacart.com for browsing and ordering

Promotions(3)

Gift Card Delivery

Send gift cards through Instacart

Online Deals

Access special offers and deals available on the Instacart platform

Promos & Coupons

Access promotional codes and digital coupons for discounts

Shopping(4)

Department Categories

Browse organized departments including Food Pantry, Seafood, Baked goods, Dairy, Fresh produce, Deli, Frozen food, and more

Multi-Store Shopping

Shop from over 500 retailers and trusted local grocers across North America in one marketplace

Shop by Location

Filter and shop from stores in your specific location or region

Warehouse Club Ordering

Order from warehouse clubs like Costco, Sam's Club, and BJ's Wholesale Club without membership

Shopping Service(1)

Personal Shopper Service

Personal shoppers pick items with care and deliver orders, with the ability to chat during shopping

Pricing

Free (No Membership)

Free
  • Same-day delivery
  • Curbside pickup
  • Access to 80,000 stores
  • Personal shopper service
  • Order tracking

Instacart+

Popular
Custom
  • $0 delivery fee on orders over $35
  • All free tier features

Cost Calculator

Pricing data not available for Instacart. Check their website for current pricing.

Build vs Buy

Should you build a Instacart alternative or buy the subscription? Estimate based on 23 features.

Buy Instacart

Better Value
Monthly costContact Sales
3-year totalVaries
Time to deployDays

Build Your Own

Development cost$12,000
Maintenance$180/mo
3-year total$18,480
Dev time~1 months

Buying Instacart saves ~$18,480 over 3 years vs building.

Estimates based on 23 features and a BuildScore of 5/5. Actual costs vary.