DoorDash is the marketplace most restaurants already know intimately, and its tiered commission structure is designed to reward restaurants that pay more for better in-app placement. This piece lays out DoorDash's real commission tiers, what independent reporting suggests the effective rate often becomes once marketing costs are added, and how that compares to AUANI's own marketplace fee.
What DoorDash Actually Offers
DoorDash offers:
- Access to one of the largest existing delivery audiences in the United States
- In-app discovery placement
- A driver network already covering most metro areas, with no fleet for the restaurant to manage
DoorDash sells three commission tiers, commonly referenced as Basic, Plus, and Premier, each unlocking more marketing visibility and features at a higher commission rate.
What DoorDash Actually Costs
DoorDash's published delivery commission tiers run 15, 25, and 30% depending on the plan, with a separate, lower 6% fee structure for pickup-only orders. Optional paid promotions sit on top of these base rates.
Restaurant operators on DoorDash's own community forums commonly report that once marketing surcharges, promotional co-funding, and phone-order commissions are all counted, the effective rate on a real month of sales often lands closer to 33 to 38%, well above the published tier alone.
| Tier | Delivery Commission | Pickup Commission |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | 15% | 6% |
| Plus | 25% | 6% |
| Premier | 30% | 6% |
What AUANI Offers Instead
AUANI's marketplace fee has no tiers to climb and no separate advertising surcharge:
- Free: a flat 10% marketplace fee
- Monthly: 5%, or 3% across the whole account once a second location is added
- Monthly's direct widget: 0% on anything a guest orders through it
Side by Side
| Feature | DoorDash | AUANI |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest published commission | 15% (Basic tier) | 10% (Free), 5% (Monthly), 3% (2+ locations) |
| Highest published commission | 30% (Premier tier) | 10% is the ceiling on any tier |
| Reported effective rate with all fees | 33% to 38% (independent reporting) | Matches published rate, no separate ad surcharge |
| Direct ordering option at 0% | Not applicable, DoorDash is marketplace-only | Yes, on the Monthly tier's widget |
| Own courier network | Yes, DoorDash drivers | Uses Uber's courier network for dispatch |
Running a $3,000 Month Through Both
A restaurant doing $3,000 in monthly delivery sales on DoorDash's Plus tier, at the published 25% rate, pays $750 in commission before any marketing surcharge. If the effective rate lands at 35% once those surcharges are counted, the real cost climbs to $1,050.
- DoorDash Plus, published rate: $750 (25% of $3,000).
- DoorDash Plus, reported effective rate: roughly $1,050 (35% of $3,000).
- AUANI Free, same volume through AUANI's marketplace: $300 (10% of $3,000).
- AUANI Monthly, same volume through AUANI's marketplace: $150 (5% of $3,000), plus the $300 plan cost.
The gap widens further for any share of that $3,000 a restaurant can move to AUANI's own 0% direct widget on the Monthly plan, since that portion carries no marketplace fee at all.
The Real Trade-Off
What DoorDash's Commission Buys
DoorDash's commission buys access to an enormous, already-built customer base actively browsing the app for food right now, along with a driver network covering nearly every market. For discovery specifically, that reach is difficult for any smaller platform to match.
What AUANI's Lower, Flatter Fee Buys Instead
AUANI's lower, flatter fee buys a lower cost per order on its own marketplace, plus a genuine path to 0% once a guest orders directly, something no marketplace-only platform like DoorDash offers by design.
Who DoorDash's Model Doesn't Fit At All
A thin-margin restaurant that cannot absorb an effective rate near a third of every delivery sale will find DoorDash's economics genuinely difficult at volume, particularly once optional promotional spend is added on top of the base tier.
An Honest Case for Choosing DoorDash Anyway
For pure discovery, reaching a guest who has never heard of a restaurant and is actively browsing nearby options right now, DoorDash's existing audience size is real and difficult to replace. Many restaurants reasonably keep DoorDash for that discovery role while building a direct channel alongside it rather than instead of it.
Best For
DoorDash suits a restaurant that wants access to its large existing delivery audience and is willing to pay a higher commission for that reach. AUANI suits a restaurant that wants a lower marketplace fee with a genuine 0% path once repeat guests start ordering directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is DoorDash's actual commission rate?
DoorDash's published tiers are 15, 25, and 30% for delivery, and 6% for pickup, though independent reporting suggests the effective rate with marketing fees included often runs higher.
Does DoorDash's commission include marketing costs?
Not entirely. Optional paid promotions and marketing surcharges can sit on top of the base commission tier, which is part of why the effective rate reported by operators often exceeds the published number.
What is AUANI's marketplace fee?
10% on the Free tier, 5% on Monthly, and 3% across the whole account once a second location is added.
Does AUANI use its own delivery drivers?
AUANI dispatches delivery through Uber's courier network today. DoorDash Drive was built with real JWT authentication and was sandbox-testable, but going live additionally required DoorDash's own production-access approval, which DoorDash's developer portal states has no committed timeline — rather than leave it built-but-waiting, it was retired outright. Grubhub was retired earlier the same way, having existed only as unregistered scaffolding with no working settings screen. Neither is a near-term option; a future integration with either would start fresh.
Can a restaurant use both DoorDash and AUANI at the same time?
Yes. Many restaurants keep a marketplace like DoorDash for discovery while building a direct ordering channel through a platform like AUANI alongside it.
DoorDash sits alongside every other platform in the master fee comparison table. For the equivalent breakdown on Uber Eats specifically, see AUANI vs. Uber Eats Marketplace. For the full picture beyond fees, see the Restaurant & Bar online ordering guide.