Shopolo vs Grubhub

Grubhub alternative — direct orders with 0% commission

Grubhub takes 15–25% commission (plus marketing fees for better placement) and keeps your customer data. Shopolo gives you a direct ordering link — commission-free, with full customer ownership and loyalty built in.

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FeatureShopoloGrubhub
Commission per order0% — small flat platform fee only15–25% commission + marketing fees on top
Marketing fee (optional)NoneAdditional 3–10%+ for better placement in app
Customer dataFull name, email, order history — yoursNo customer contact details shared with restaurant
Direct email marketingIncluded — campaigns built inNot possible — Grubhub owns customer data
Menu controlInstant updates from your dashboardVia Grubhub portal
PayoutStripe — direct to your bank (2 days)Weekly deposits, net of all fees
Gift cardsIncludedNot available
Loyalty programIncludedNot available for merchants
Pickup ordersIncludedPickup supported
Order interfaceShopolo dashboard on any deviceGrubhub tablet or app
Branded experienceYour own storefront URLListed on Grubhub with Grubhub branding

Grubhub commission rates vary by contract and market. Shopolo platform fee is 0.9–2.5% depending on plan.

Commission stacking and customer ownership are the core issues

Grubhub charges commission plus optional marketing fees.

Grubhub's base commission is 15–25%. But to get better visibility in the app, many restaurants pay an additional marketing or sponsored listing fee of 3–10%+. A restaurant paying 25% commission plus 7% for better placement is giving away 32 cents of every dollar to Grubhub — before food cost.

Your Grubhub customers are not your customers.

Grubhub collects the customer's name, email, and payment details — not you. If Grubhub changes its algorithm, raises commission rates, or removes your listing, you have no way to reach those customers directly. Shopolo gives you every customer's email and order history from day one.

Direct ordering converts repeat business away from Grubhub permanently.

The first order through Grubhub costs you 15–25%. Every repeat order from that same customer costs you the same. With Shopolo, you capture that customer once via a direct link or QR code — and every future order is commission-free. The ROI of converting even 20% of Grubhub orders to direct is significant.

When Grubhub is the right choice

Grubhub provides marketplace discovery for customers who don't already know your restaurant. If you're in a market where Grubhub has strong user adoption and you need that discovery, it has value for acquiring new customers. The problem is paying the same commission rate on every repeat order. Use Grubhub for new customer acquisition; convert repeat customers to Shopolo direct ordering.

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No hardware. No setup fees. Gift cards, loyalty, ordering, and bookings — live in under 10 minutes.

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