# DoorDash Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/doordash/ 15 people recommended DoorDash in Hacker News comments, 14 had mixed feelings and 95 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 7 of 12 months, in 8 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule. **Verdict:** Criticized more than recommended, mainly for high fees and worker pay concerns; those who recommend it cite convenient restaurant and grocery delivery, saving time and offering more options. Summary written by Claude from the comments below. ## What people warn about - Exploits gig drivers and workers (5 comments in the sample): "the part where they use tips to offset driver pay is evil and people should be in prison for it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49822669)) "Abusing my wanting to give hard-working drivers extra is where I draw the line, and it's a damn shame that this is legal." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46473684)) "DoorDash benefits from desperate people who slowly transform their vehicle into cash by laboring thousands of hours." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50291322)) - High customer fees and markups (5 comments in the sample): "IME the cost was much more than that, when you factor in the difference in menu price, the delivery fee, the tip…" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50292175)) "Delivery services charge ~30% and increasingly police the practice of charging different amounts for items in person vs. in app." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50292262)) "Doordash promptly increased their fees to customers by 30-50%, making it the most expensive place to get delivery in the country" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50296532)) - Unfair to restaurants and customers (2 comments in the sample): "there's no doubt the restaurant was incentivized to prioritize delivery orders over customers sitting in front of them" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50292311)) "I don't think the platforms or their terms are fair to restaurants, delivery drivers or perhaps even customers" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49823770)) - Unresponsive customer support (1 comment in the sample): "they just say some specialised team needs to look at it and they'll email you back, surprise, they never do." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49627920)) ## Why people recommend it - Wide choice of restaurants and groceries (3 comments in the sample): "Apps like Doordash have introduced me to many good restaurants which I've then visited in person." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47913811)) "DoorDash etc. gives us a variety of options that we mostly didn't really have before." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49828186)) "DoorDash has a ton of grocery delivery, it's the only one i use for that now" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50291373)) - Saves time and effort (2 comments in the sample): "DoorDash and Instacart are godsends for families on the go who don't have time to do all this stuff anymore." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50291264)) "I much prefer Doordash to having to call up the restaurant like in the old days" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47908932)) - Cheaper than alternatives (2 comments in the sample): "DoorDash, at least for a while for me, was significantly cheaper than Instacart for grocery delivery" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50294745)) "Only real option is to use an Uber which is more expensive than using DoorDash." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50299179)) - Fees worth it for convenience (1 comment in the sample): "But the fees are barely noticed when feeding my family of 5." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49822638)) ## Other grocery delivery services people recommend - [Instacart](https://hackerapproved.com/p/instacart/): 19 recommend, 2 mixed, 49 criticize - [Amazon Fresh](https://hackerapproved.com/p/amazon-fresh/): 11 recommend, 7 mixed, 21 criticize - [McDonald's app](https://hackerapproved.com/p/mcdonald-s-app/): 8 recommend, 3 mixed, 47 criticize - [Uber Eats](https://hackerapproved.com/p/uber-eats/): 7 recommend, 8 mixed, 37 criticize ## Where to get it - [Visit the official site](https://www.doordash.com/) ## The badge A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged. ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "DoorDash", https://hackerapproved.com/p/doordash/ (15 recommend, 14 mixed, 95 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026). Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.