Is Instacart or Sellfy better?

Neither clearly leads. Instacart starts at Free and Sellfy at $22/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Instacart or Sellfy?

Instacart has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Instacart and $22/month for Sellfy.

Does Instacart or Sellfy run on more platforms?

Instacart runs on iOS, Android, Web. Sellfy runs on Web.

Can I use Instacart for free?

Yes. Instacart has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Sellfy starts at $22/month.

What is Instacart best used for?

Instacart is most often used for a household with limited time wanting groceries delivered same day from a familiar supermarket chain, a frequent orderer comparing whether an instacart+ subscription pays off against per-order fees, someone using snap ebt benefits at a participating retailer through the app, a shopper who wants to order ahead and collect at pickup to avoid the delivery fee entirely. Of those, a household with limited time wanting groceries delivered same day from a familiar supermarket chain and a frequent orderer comparing whether an instacart+ subscription pays off against per-order fees are not what Sellfy is typically brought in for.

What can Instacart do that Sellfy cannot?

Instacart covers Multi-retailer marketplace, Instacart+ membership, Same-day and scheduled delivery, Pickup option. Sellfy covers Physical & digital products, Membership/subscription sales, Email marketing, Marketing automation.

E-Commerce · head to head

Instacart vs Sellfy

Instacart

E-Commerce

US and Canada grocery delivery and pickup marketplace with a paid membership tier

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Sellfy

E-Commerce

Ecommerce platform for creators and entrepreneurs

From: $22/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Instacart has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Instacart item prices shown in the app are frequently higher than the same items in the physical store, and this markup is not clearly separated from delivery and service fees at checkout, making true cost comparison difficult.; Sellfy every plan caps annual sales volume: $10k on Starter, $50k on Business and $200k on Premium
They diverge on capability: Instacart covers Multi-retailer marketplace, Sellfy covers Physical & digital products.
Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Instacart and Sellfy actually diverge.

Attributes where Instacart and Sellfy differ
Attribute	Instacart	Sellfy
Starting price	Free	$22/month
Pricing model	Free to download; item markups plus delivery and service fees per order, optional subscription	subscription
Free tier	Yes	No
Platforms	iOS, Android, Web	Web
Founded	Unknown	2013

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (E-Commerce).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Instacart

Multi-retailer marketplace
Instacart+ membership
Same-day and scheduled delivery
Pickup option
Item substitution controls
Instacart Ads and retail media

Only in Sellfy

Physical & digital products
Membership/subscription sales
Email marketing
Marketing automation
Affiliate program
Analytics
Mobile app
Multi-currency support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Instacart

A household with limited time wanting groceries delivered same day from a familiar supermarket chainnot Sellfy
A frequent orderer comparing whether an Instacart+ subscription pays off against per-order feesnot Sellfy
Someone using SNAP EBT benefits at a participating retailer through the appnot Sellfy
A shopper who wants to order ahead and collect at pickup to avoid the delivery fee entirelynot Sellfy

Sellfy

Selling digital downloads, subscriptions or print on demand goods from a hosted storefrontnot Instacart
Running a small creator store without building a sitenot Instacart

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Instacart

Item prices shown in the app are frequently higher than the same items in the physical store, and this markup is not clearly separated from delivery and service fees at checkout, making true cost comparison difficult.
Shoppers are a mix of employees and independent contractors depending on market and retailer, and gig-classified shoppers have raised pay and working-condition complaints that have drawn regulatory attention in several US states.
The service fee and delivery fee combination means a small grocery order can carry a large proportional surcharge, making Instacart uneconomical for frequent small top-up shops.
Item substitutions chosen by a shopper when stock runs out can differ meaningfully from what was ordered, and refund handling for a poor substitution requires customer support intervention.
Availability is limited to the US and Canada, and even within those countries, delivery zones and retailer coverage vary block by block in a way that is not obvious until you enter an address.

Sellfy

Every plan caps annual sales volume: $10k on Starter, $50k on Business and $200k on Premium
Exceeding the cap forces a plan upgrade rather than an overage charge, so growth is a step change in cost
Maximum file size per digital product is tied to the plan, at 10 GB, 15 GB and 20 GB
Email marketing credits are metered per plan, from 2,000 to 50,000
Cart abandonment, upselling and the affiliate programme all require the Business plan
Payment processing fees from PayPal or Stripe are charged on top of the subscription

Pricing, plan by plan

Instacart

Free

Pay per orderFree
- Item prices often marked up versus in-store
- Delivery fee varying by store and delivery window
- Service fee of roughly 5 percent of order subtotal
Instacart+$9.99/month
- Delivery fees waived on orders over a store minimum
- Reduced service fees
- Also offered at a discounted annual rate

Sellfy

$22/month

Starter$22/month
- From $22/month with annual billing (or $39/month with monthly billing)
- Basic e-commerce features for digital and physical products
Business$null/month
- Mid-tier option with expanded capabilities
Premium$null/month
- Highest tier with up to 20GB per digital product file storage

Which should you pick?

Choose Instacart if

You need multi-retailer marketplace.
You want to start without paying.
You work on iOS, Android, Web.
You also want instacart+ membership.

Instacart review

Choose Sellfy if

You need physical & digital products.
You also want membership/subscription sales.

Sellfy review

Questions people ask

Is Instacart or Sellfy better?: Neither clearly leads. Instacart starts at Free and Sellfy at $22/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Instacart or Sellfy?: Instacart has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Instacart and $22/month for Sellfy.
Does Instacart or Sellfy run on more platforms?: Instacart runs on iOS, Android, Web. Sellfy runs on Web.
Can I use Instacart for free?: Yes. Instacart has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Sellfy starts at $22/month.
What is Instacart best used for?: Instacart is most often used for a household with limited time wanting groceries delivered same day from a familiar supermarket chain, a frequent orderer comparing whether an instacart+ subscription pays off against per-order fees, someone using snap ebt benefits at a participating retailer through the app, a shopper who wants to order ahead and collect at pickup to avoid the delivery fee entirely. Of those, a household with limited time wanting groceries delivered same day from a familiar supermarket chain and a frequent orderer comparing whether an instacart+ subscription pays off against per-order fees are not what Sellfy is typically brought in for.
What can Instacart do that Sellfy cannot?: Instacart covers Multi-retailer marketplace, Instacart+ membership, Same-day and scheduled delivery, Pickup option. Sellfy covers Physical & digital products, Membership/subscription sales, Email marketing, Marketing automation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Instacart: Are Instacart prices the same as in the store?

Often not. Many retailers set higher item prices for Instacart orders than for in-store purchase, on top of delivery and service fees.

Sellfy: How much does Sellfy cost?

Sellfy starts at $22/month for the Starter plan with annual billing ($39/month with monthly billing). Higher tiers (Business and Premium) are available but specific pricing requires contacting sales or visiting the pricing page.

Source

Instacart: Does Instacart+ pay for itself?

Only for households ordering often enough that the waived delivery fees exceed the subscription cost; occasional orderers usually do not break even.

Sellfy: Does Sellfy charge transaction fees?

No, Sellfy charges zero transaction fees on sales, unlike competitors such as Gumroad which charges 10%. If revenue exceeds a plan limit, a 2% fee may apply unless you upgrade to a higher tier.

Source

Instacart: Are Instacart shoppers employees?

It depends on the market and retailer; Instacart uses a mix of directly employed and independent contractor shoppers.

Sellfy: Does Sellfy offer a free trial?

Yes, new users can access a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. During the trial you can customize store design and add product types, but upgrading to a paid plan is required to start selling.

Source

Instacart vs Sellfy

Instacart

Sellfy

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Instacart

Only in Sellfy

What people use each for

Instacart

Sellfy

Where each one falls short

Instacart

Sellfy

Pricing, plan by plan

Instacart

Sellfy

Which should you pick?

Choose Instacart if

Choose Sellfy if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Instacart

More on Sellfy

Keep looking

Other head to heads