Need to know
- CHOICE compared product prices and fees for supermarket items on popular third-party delivery apps
- In addition to delivery charges, we found you’ll likely pay around 11% more on average for grocery items bought via the apps
- The biggest mark-up was on Coles ice cream cone four-packs, which were 42% more expensive via Uber Eats and DoorDash than instore
Grocery delivery is big business. Research by Statista suggests that the market is projected to be worth more than A$15 billion in 2025, with more than 30% of customers making use of these services.
So it's not surprising that there are plenty of options for those who want to avoid the trip to the supermarket and instead have their groceries brought to their door.
While Coles and Woolworths have well-established delivery services through their own websites, other platforms for grocery delivery, including DoorDash, Uber Eats and Milkrun have joined the party in recent years.
These services also have the distinction of allowing you to receive your order quickly, in some cases in less than an hour
These services also have the distinction of allowing you to receive your order quickly, in some cases in less than an hour – an offering that's especially attractive if you suddenly realise you're missing a crucial ingredient for tonight's dinner or you're running low on milk and bread.
While Coles and Woolworths have partnered with third-party platforms for several years to provide this expedited grocery delivery service, it was only in 2025 that Aldi began to offer this service with DoorDash.
Customers likely expect that if you're getting an express delivery of groceries to your door, you'll pay a delivery and service fee. But how much are you really paying for the convenience, and how do the different services compare?
Catering to convenience
It's a familiar situation for many: it's mid-week and you've realised you need a few groceries for dinner and a couple of things to tide you over to the weekend, plus perhaps a treat (we're not judging) to get you through the remainder of the work week. There's no time to pop to the supermarket, and you want the items fast for dinner prep and school lunches.
We used this scenario to create orders for a comparable list of 13 products. For Coles, we compared what you'd pay instore versus via Uber Eats and via DoorDash.
For Woolworths, we looked at how instore prices compared to prices through Milkrun and Uber Eats, and for Aldi we looked at instore costs and the price when delivery is made via DoorDash.
How much more are you paying?
Delivery costs, which may include service fees, delivery fees and sometimes bag fees, range from as little as $5 (for our Woolworths Milk Run order) to as much as $11.32 (for our Woolworths Uber Eats delivery). That's to be expected, but the additional costs don't end there.
Our comparison revealed that individual grocery items may cost significantly more when purchased via third-party delivery apps. On average, across the platforms we compared, the price of individual items was 11% more when purchased via the third-party service.
Prices compared
The biggest difference we found was in the price of Coles Vanilla Ice Cream Cone 4-packs: they were 42% more when bought via both DoorDash and Uber Eats ($5.25 compared to $3.70 instore).
Across the entire basket of goods, the Aldi basket bought through DoorDash had the smallest average mark-up (7%) and Coles DoorDash order had the highest (13%).
Of the 13 items we compared, seven of the products from Aldi were priced higher on DoorDash than instore.
For example, if you pick up a block of Aldi's popular Choceur milk chocolate instore, it will cost you $4.99. Want that same block delivered via Door Dash? It will set you back $5.79, and that's before you have paid the delivery and service fee.
The price of individual items was 11% more when purchased via the third-party service
In our Woolworths Milkrun order, 12 of the 13 items were priced higher. Every item in our Uber Eats order from Woolworths was more expensive, with the average across the whole basket being 12%.
For example, if you purchase a 400g tub of Lurpak instore at Woolies, it's $9. If you order it via Uber Eats, it will cost you a whopping $10.20.
Apart from six products in our Aldi DoorDash order and one in our Woolworths Milkrun order, for all other comparisons, the price of every item was higher when bought via the third-party service.
If you have a membership to services such as DashPass, Uber One, Woolworths Delivery Unlimited or Coles Plus, you may qualify for free or discounted delivery. We have not included any analysis of how these services would affect the total cost of rapid delivery.
Is it clear you'll be paying higher prices?
While some shoppers we spoke to knew that they were paying more for their groceries through third-party services, others seemed unaware.
"I expect to pay for delivery and service, but not extra for the items," says Mel.
Jo, a regular Milkrun user, thought the same. "I would expect to pay the same because Milkrun is owned by Woolies. The delivery fee is on me because I was disorganised enough to leave bloody cream off my list (again)," she says.
I expect to pay for delivery and service, but not extra for the items
Mel, online grocery shopper
On DoorDash, you need to click on the 'Pricing & Fees' link near the top of the page on either the app or website. For our Coles shop, the notification told us that the "merchant sets fees that are higher than in-store prices for this location". For Aldi, it simply states that "prices may be higher than in-store prices for this location".
We couldn't find any similar information on the Uber Eats platform.
On the Milkrun FAQ page, it states there is a small $5 delivery fee, but it doesn't make it clear that some items might be more expensive on the app than if you'd bought them direct from Woolworths.
Why are you paying more?
Nearly all the supermarkets and platforms told us that higher prices reflect the cost of convenience.
An Aldi spokesperson told us that they don't set the prices for items sold via DoorDash, but that they were committed to delivering the best value for shoppers on the platform.
They admitted that there was a cost to convenience on some items, but pointed out that many everyday essentials, including some fresh produce, meat, and dairy products, were priced the same on DoorDash as they are instore.
A Coles spokesperson told us that, like most merchants, including retailers and restaurants, products sold through third-party platforms are often priced higher.
Nearly all the supermarkets and platforms told us that higher prices reflect the cost of convenience
"This ensures we can offer the service to our customers wanting instant delivery options, particularly when they are in a time-crunch," they said, adding that they also offer better value options such as delivery or Click and Collect via Coles Online.
Woolworths told us that pricing on Milkrun was different due to the level of convenience offered, adding that all prices were clearly marked and delivery fees clearly disclosed.
DoorDash told us that the higher prices paid for individual items reflect the additional costs involved in providing a convenient, on-demand service, "such as technology, operations and delivery logistics".
Unit pricing
When we asked about unit pricing, DoorDash told us it "continues to work within platform capabilities to make the experience as clear and simple as possible".
Uber Eats confirmed that each merchant independently controls the pricing and range of its menu items on the platform. It also told us it had recently introduced unit pricing in New Zealand and planned to roll it out in Australia in the near future.
Rapid delivery direct from the supermarkets
Both Coles and Woolworths offer their own rapid delivery services separate from those provided by their third-party partners, though they may actually be fulfilled through those third-party partners.
To compare the cost of rapid delivery using the Coles and Woolworths websites rather than the third parties, we shopped for the same basket of products used in our comparison of the third-party apps and then selected the rapid delivery option.
Adding the rapid delivery fee put the final cost on par with the total prices (including delivery) we paid for our orders from DoorDash and Uber Eats
While the cost of individual items was no higher than it would have been if we had shopped instore, adding the rapid delivery fee ($15 for both Coles and Woolworths) put the final cost on par with the total prices (including delivery) we paid for our orders from DoorDash and Uber Eats.
For our Woolworths order, it meant that Milkrun was the cheapest option for a rapid delivery ($58.08 vs $51.60).
Are grocery delivery apps worth it?
Since 2022, our regular CHOICE Consumer Pulse surveys have consistently shown widespread concern about the cost of groceries.
In June this year, when we most recently surveyed, 86% told us they were worried about the price of food. Nevertheless, convenience is an important consideration, which is why people are willing to pay more when time is short.
If you do choose to use one of these rapid delivery services, it's important to be aware that the extra costs won't just be in the delivery and service fees, something that isn't always obvious.
It's also worth noting that the lack of unit pricing on some platforms can make it more difficult to find the best value.
While convenience is a huge factor for many, knowing that you might be paying 40% more for some items on your list could be enough to make you decide that perhaps you do have time for a quick run to the shops after all.
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Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
