Instacart vs Shipt: Fees, Prices and Thanksgiving Delivery Slots

Instacart vs Shipt for Thanksgiving Groceries: Fees, Prices and Delivery Slots

Instacart vs Shipt comes down to the store you shop at and the size of your order. Both memberships cost $99 a year. Instacart+ is $9.99 a month and waives the delivery fee on orders from $10. Shipt is $10.99 a month and waives it on orders over $35. Shipt prices at Target match the shelf for Target Circle 360 members, while on Instacart some stores price items above the shelf. For Thanksgiving week, the fees matter less than getting a delivery slot at all.

Instacart vs Shipt at a glance

Prices from each company's own pages, checked on October 24, 2026. Fees vary by city and store, so treat these as the starting point, not your final bill.

	Instacart+	Shipt
Membership	$99 a year or $9.99 a month	$99 a year or $10.99 a month
$0 delivery fee	Orders of $10 or more ($35 at Costco)	Orders over $35
Small orders	Not eligible for delivery under $10	$7 fee under $35
Service fee	Yes, varies by order	May apply if you are not a Target Circle 360 member
Item prices	Set by each store, some higher than in store	Slightly above shelf, Target Circle 360 members pay shelf price at Target
Free trial	14 days, then $99 a year	14 days, then the plan you choose

Sources: Instacart+ and Instacart fees, Shipt membership and Shipt pricing.

Where the money actually goes

The membership price is the easy part. The rest of the bill comes from three places.

Item prices. On Instacart, each store sets its own prices, and some stores carry a "No markups" label while others do not. Shipt says its prices "vary slightly from in-store prices" for non-members of Target Circle 360, giving the example of a loaf of bread at $2.29 in the store and $2.59 on Shipt, or about $5 more on a $35 order. For Target Circle 360 members, Shipt says there are no markups on orders in the Target or Shipt app through December 2026, except some alcohol.

Fees. Instacart charges a service fee on delivery orders, separate from the delivery fee, and it changes with the size and type of the order. Priority windows cost extra. Shipt charges a $7 fee on orders under $35 for members.

Tips. Neither company counts tips as part of the fee. A big Thanksgiving order takes longer to shop, so plan a tip that matches the work.

For a holiday order of $150 or more, the free delivery line is met on both. The difference is mostly item prices and the service fee, so the store you want to shop at decides it.

Which one fits your holiday order

A few common cases:

You shop at Target and already pay for Target Circle 360. Shipt is the natural pick, since Shipt says members get unlimited delivery on orders over $35 and no markups at Target.
You shop at a regional supermarket or Costco. Instacart lists far more stores. Check the store page for its pricing label before you build the cart.
You place small top-up orders through the week. Instacart+ waives delivery from $10, while Shipt adds $7 under $35.
You only need delivery once, for the holiday. A free trial on either can cover it, as long as you note the date it turns paid. Or pay per order without a membership, with the delivery fee shown at checkout.
You split one order between two stores. Each store is its own order on both apps, so each one needs to reach the free delivery line by itself.

Whatever you pick, compare the final checkout total, not the membership price. That total, with service fee, item prices and tip, is the real cost of the order.

Thanksgiving week: the slot is the hard part

Thanksgiving 2026 is Thursday, November 26. Many people want groceries delivered on Tuesday or Wednesday, and those windows go first. The delivery fee does not help if there is no window left.

Pick your service by the store first. If your turkey and sides come from one store, use the service that carries it.
Place the big order early in the week. Shelf-stable items, drinks and baking supplies can come the weekend before. Leave Wednesday for fresh things only.
Check the windows as soon as they show. Both apps show the delivery windows when you check out. If the day you want is not shown yet, check again the next morning.
Have a backup. Pickup orders on Instacart have no service fee, and a store pickup slot can be easier to find than a delivery window.
Watch the trial date. If you start a 14-day trial for Thanksgiving, it turns into a paid membership. Our free trial tracker shows what to write down on day one.

Our Thanksgiving planning timeline has the full week by week plan, from guest list to the day before.

Where Tracy fits

Tracy, the assistant in dEssence, keeps the things you send her. Send a screenshot of the order confirmation with the delivery window in Telegram or iMessage, or a note with your two-part grocery plan. She reminds you to place the order on the day you choose, again before the delivery window, and before a free trial turns into a paid membership. She does not order groceries, pick slots or cancel anything for you.

Frequently asked questions

Is Instacart or Shipt cheaper?

The memberships cost the same, $99 a year. Shipt is cheaper at Target for Target Circle 360 members, since prices match the store. Instacart can be cheaper for small orders, since free delivery starts at $10, but service fees and store markups apply.

Does Shipt charge a service fee?

It can. Shipt's help page says non-members of Target Circle 360 may see a service fee at checkout, and one-time orders without a membership pay both a service fee and a delivery fee. Its item prices are slightly above the shelf for non-members of Target Circle 360, and members pay $7 on orders under $35.

Does Instacart deliver on Thanksgiving Day?

Where stores are open, delivery may be available, but many stores close or shorten hours on Thanksgiving. Plan for Tuesday or Wednesday instead.

How early should I order groceries for Thanksgiving delivery?

Order shelf-stable items the weekend before and book the fresh order as soon as Tuesday or Wednesday windows appear in the app.

Can I try Instacart+ or Shipt for free?

Both offer a 14-day free trial. Instacart's trial renews into a $99 a year plan, and Shipt's into the plan you choose, unless you cancel first.