DoorDash offers restaurants three commission tiers: Basic at 15%, Plus at 25%, and Premier at 30%. On paper, choosing looks simple — lower commission is cheaper, right? In practice, the choice is more complicated. Each tier trades commission rate for order volume through different delivery radii, marketplace visibility, and DashPass subscriber access. Pick the wrong plan and you either pay too much commission or leave thousands in potential orders on the table.
This guide compares all three DoorDash plans head-to-head with the exact trade-offs, typical use cases, and the math on which plan generates the most net revenue for different restaurant profiles. By the end, you'll know which plan to choose — and how to verify DoorDash is actually charging you the tier you signed up for. For how to verify your current rate matches your contracted plan, our DoorDash reconciliation guide walks through the per-order audit process.
Quick answer: Basic (15%) is best only for restaurants with thin margins in dense urban markets. Plus (25%) is the best choice for most restaurants — higher commission but enough DashPass volume to generate more net revenue than Basic. Premier (30%) is worth it for new restaurants building delivery presence or chains with pricing power. For independent restaurants already operating on Plus, the marginal benefit of Premier rarely exceeds the 5-point commission jump.
DoorDash Basic vs Plus vs Premier: Side-by-side
| Feature | Basic | Plus | Premier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delivery commission | 15% | 25% | 30% |
| Pickup commission | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| Delivery radius | Smaller (~1 mile) | Larger (~2 miles) | Largest (~3+ miles) |
| DashPass eligibility | No | Yes | Yes |
| Priority placement | No | Standard | Maximum |
| Marketing programs | Limited | Full access | Full access + sponsored |
| Growth guarantee | None | None | Yes (conditional) |
| Typical effective rate* | 18-22% | 28-32% | 33-38% |
| Best for | Thin-margin urban restaurants | Most restaurants (default) | New restaurants / chains |
*Effective rate includes payment processing (2.5%), refund deductions, promotional charges, and error adjustments on top of base commission.
DoorDash Basic (15% commission)
DoorDash Basic is the entry-level plan. It provides a lower commission rate in exchange for reduced visibility, a smaller delivery radius, and no access to DashPass subscribers. For the right restaurant, this is the cheapest option. For the wrong restaurant, it's a ceiling on growth.
What Basic includes:
- 15% delivery commission on the order subtotal (before tax and tip)
- 6% pickup commission
- Marketplace listing in the DoorDash app and website
- Order processing and payment processing (2.5% additional)
- Standard customer support
What Basic excludes:
- DashPass subscriber orders (DashPass users see restaurants on higher-tier plans first)
- Expanded delivery radius (typically capped at ~1 mile)
- Priority or sponsored marketplace placement
- Participation in many DoorDash promotional campaigns
- Access to DoorDash's growth programs and enterprise tools
Who Basic works for: Restaurants in dense urban neighborhoods where the 1-mile radius still covers sufficient customer base, quick-service concepts operating on sub-10% food cost margins where 25% commission would destroy profitability, and restaurants with strong dine-in traffic that view delivery as marginal incremental revenue rather than primary channel.
Who Basic doesn't work for: Suburban restaurants where the smaller radius misses half the addressable customer base, high-end restaurants where DashPass subscribers represent the target demographic, and restaurants trying to grow delivery as a primary revenue stream.
DoorDash Plus (25% commission)
DoorDash Plus is the most common tier and the default choice for most restaurants. It provides a substantial marketplace presence boost over Basic in exchange for a 10-percentage-point commission increase.
What Plus includes:
- 25% delivery commission on the order subtotal
- 6% pickup commission (same as Basic)
- DashPass eligibility — access to subscribers who order more frequently and spend more per order
- Expanded delivery radius (typically ~2 miles)
- Standard marketplace placement and search visibility
- Full access to DoorDash promotional and marketing programs
What Plus excludes:
- Premium placement or sponsored listings (available as add-ons but not included)
- Enterprise features like multi-location management tools
- Guaranteed growth programs
Who Plus works for: The vast majority of independent restaurants. The 10-point commission jump from Basic to Plus typically generates more than 10% in additional order volume through the expanded radius and DashPass access, making Plus net-revenue-positive compared to Basic for most restaurant profiles.
The DashPass factor: DashPass subscribers pay DoorDash a monthly fee for free delivery on eligible orders. These subscribers order 2-3x more frequently than non-subscribers and have higher average order values. Losing access to this segment on Basic is what makes Basic economically worse for most restaurants despite its lower headline rate.
DoorDash Premier (30% commission)
DoorDash Premier is the top-tier plan with priority placement, maximum marketplace visibility, and DoorDash's growth programs. It's designed for restaurants prioritizing volume over margin.
What Premier includes:
- 30% delivery commission on the order subtotal
- 6% pickup commission (same as Plus and Basic)
- Full DashPass eligibility
- Largest delivery radius (typically 3+ miles)
- Maximum marketplace visibility and priority search placement
- Sponsored listings and featured placement opportunities
- Growth guarantee: DoorDash offers new Premier restaurants a money-back-if-you-don't-grow program (terms vary, typically conditional on program compliance)
- Access to DoorDash enterprise tools and account management
The 5-point question: Is the additional order volume from Premier's priority placement worth 5 percentage points more commission than Plus? For most independent restaurants, the answer is no. Premier's advantages compound at scale — chains with 10+ locations or restaurants in hyper-competitive markets see meaningful volume differences. Single-location independents typically don't see enough additional orders from Premier to offset the commission increase.
When Premier actually pays off: A new restaurant launching with zero brand recognition benefits from Premier's growth guarantee and priority placement. A chain expanding into a new market can justify Premier to establish presence quickly. A restaurant in a saturated market (e.g., multiple pizza places in a downtown neighborhood) may need Premier's sponsored placement to avoid being buried.
Commission rate math: which plan actually costs the least?
Headline commission rate isn't the same as net cost. Here's the math for a restaurant doing $10,000 in monthly DoorDash sales on each plan:
On DoorDash Basic (15%):
- Gross delivery sales (smaller radius, fewer customers): $6,500
- Gross pickup sales: $3,500
- Commission on delivery: -$975 (15%)
- Commission on pickup: -$210 (6%)
- Processing fees (2.5%): -$250
- Refund deductions (1.5%): -$150
- Net revenue: $8,415
On DoorDash Plus (25%):
- Gross delivery sales (larger radius + DashPass): $11,500
- Gross pickup sales: $3,500
- Commission on delivery: -$2,875 (25%)
- Commission on pickup: -$210 (6%)
- Processing fees (2.5%): -$375
- Refund deductions (1.5%): -$225
- Marketing/promotional (~1.5%): -$225
- Net revenue: $11,090
On DoorDash Premier (30%):
- Gross delivery sales (largest radius + priority placement): $13,000
- Gross pickup sales: $3,500
- Commission on delivery: -$3,900 (30%)
- Commission on pickup: -$210 (6%)
- Processing fees (2.5%): -$412
- Refund deductions (1.5%): -$247
- Marketing/promotional (~2%): -$330
- Net revenue: $11,401
The takeaway: Plus generates $2,675 more net revenue than Basic, despite the 10-point commission jump. Premier only adds $311 over Plus — barely enough to justify the risk of lower effective margins if the volume boost doesn't materialize.
How to switch DoorDash plans
Changing DoorDash plans requires working with your DoorDash account manager or support team. Restaurants can typically request a plan change at any time, though there may be contract terms that restrict mid-term downgrades. The process:
- Request the plan change through the DoorDash Merchant Portal support or via your account manager if you have one. Independent restaurants usually submit a support ticket.
- Confirm the new rate in writing before the change takes effect. The merchant portal should reflect the new tier after the change is processed, typically within 1-2 business days.
- Verify the new commission rate on actual orders within the first week after switching. DoorDash sometimes applies the old rate on in-flight orders or orders placed during the transition window — these should be disputed as commission errors if they continue beyond a few days.
- Reconcile the first full payout on the new plan against expected rates. The transition period is when commission errors are most common. Our DoorDash payout reconciliation guide includes the exact steps for verifying your effective rate matches your contracted plan.
Negotiating a custom DoorDash commission rate
The published Basic/Plus/Premier tiers are the default commission structure. Restaurants with volume or brand leverage can sometimes negotiate custom rates outside this framework. The conditions that unlock negotiation:
Monthly order volume. Restaurants doing more than 2,000 DoorDash orders per month (~$60,000 in gross revenue) typically have standing to negotiate. Below that volume, DoorDash has little incentive to offer a custom rate.
Multi-location operation. Chains with 5+ locations can often negotiate enterprise agreements with commission rates 3-5 points below the published Plus or Premier tier. The larger the chain, the bigger the discount.
Exclusivity. Restaurants willing to drop Uber Eats and Grubhub in exchange for exclusive DoorDash partnership can sometimes negotiate commission reductions. This is risky because it concentrates your delivery revenue on a single platform, but for restaurants where DoorDash already generates 80%+ of delivery volume, it may be worth exploring.
Longer contract term. Committing to a 2-3 year agreement (vs. the typical month-to-month) can sometimes unlock rate reductions. Again, this concentrates risk — if your restaurant's fundamentals change, you're locked into a rate that may no longer serve you.
If you do negotiate a custom rate, get every term in writing and verify the rate is actually being applied to your orders. DoorDash's commission implementation can lag contract changes by days or weeks — reconciling your first post-negotiation payout catches these errors early.
How DeliverGuard helps verify your DoorDash plan
The biggest trap with DoorDash plans isn't picking the wrong one — it's being on the right plan and getting charged as if you're on the wrong one. Commission tier errors happen surprisingly often, especially during plan transitions, after promotional periods, and when DoorDash reorganizes its fee structure.
DeliverGuard verifies the exact effective commission rate you're paying on every DoorDash order. Upload your DoorDash Merchant Portal statements, and the system calculates commission divided by subtotal on every line item. If you're on Plus (25%) but some orders are being charged at 28%, you'll see it. If Premier restaurants are being charged at 32% instead of 30%, you'll see it. These 2-3 point differences add up to hundreds or thousands of dollars per month on meaningful order volume.
For restaurants considering a plan change, the same analysis shows whether your current plan is delivering the expected volume boost. If you switched from Basic to Plus and your order volume didn't increase enough to justify the commission jump, DeliverGuard surfaces the gap so you can either downgrade or dispute whether DashPass and radius benefits are actually being applied.
Verify you're being charged the correct DoorDash commission rate. Free scan, no credit card required.
Run a Free ScanFrequently Asked Questions
DoorDash offers three commission tiers for restaurants. Basic charges 15% commission with a small delivery radius and no DashPass access. Plus charges 25% commission with a larger delivery radius and DashPass subscriber eligibility. Premier charges 30% commission with the largest radius, priority marketplace placement, and full DashPass access. The main trade-off is commission rate versus order volume potential.
DoorDash Basic is the cheapest at 15% commission. However, cheapest-per-order doesn’t always mean lowest total cost. Basic restaurants see fewer orders because of the smaller delivery radius and no access to DashPass subscribers, which can result in less total revenue. For most restaurants, DoorDash Plus at 25% generates more net income despite the higher rate because order volume is higher.
Choose Basic if your restaurant has thin margins that cannot absorb 25%+ commission, or you’re in a dense urban area where the smaller delivery radius still captures enough customers. Choose Plus if you want DashPass subscriber access, you’re in a suburban or mid-density market where the larger delivery radius matters, or your food quality supports a higher effective rate. Most restaurants choose Plus as the default.
DoorDash Premier makes sense only when the additional order volume from priority placement exceeds the 5-percentage-point commission increase over Plus. For most independent restaurants, Premier’s volume boost doesn’t offset the higher cost. Premier works best for new restaurants trying to establish delivery presence quickly, restaurants in hyper-competitive markets, and chains with pricing power to absorb the higher rate.
Yes, but only at scale. Independent single-location restaurants are generally offered the standard Basic/Plus/Premier tiers without negotiation room. Multi-location chains, high-volume restaurants doing more than 2,000 DoorDash orders per month, and restaurants willing to sign exclusivity or longer-term agreements can often negotiate custom commission rates below the published tiers. Enterprise deals for chains with 10+ locations typically include commission rates 3–5 percentage points lower than the standard tiers.