Comparison

Instacart vs Amazon

Instacart and Amazon both land on Depends.

Instacart

Depends

Confidence: Medium

Use it when convenience beats cost . car-free households and last-minute needs get same-day delivery from 300+ retailers.

Depends

Confidence: Medium

Use Amazon for cheap commodity goods and fast delivery.

Instacart versus Amazon
Compare	Instacart	Amazon
Verdict	Depends	Depends
Best for	Car-free households	Bulk commodity purchases
Who it's not for	Price-sensitive shoppers . markups and stacked fees add up	Buyers needing trustworthy reviews for big purchases
Privacy	Mixed record: repeated shopper-data incidents (2020-2025); returned no security page.¹⁵	No confirmed breach in sources, but active account-attack warnings and credential-abuse campaigns are reported.
Support quality	ConsumerAffairs and Reddit report poor outcomes	Multiple support channels exist; ConsumerAffairs lists service complaints
Public sentiment	Polarized: App Store users report satisfaction, while Reddit, Capterra, and ConsumerAffairs reviewers cite markups, fees, and service letdowns.^⁶	Opinions are polarized: many love the convenience, while a growing share complain about declining quality, review distrust, and pricing practices.
Biggest gotcha	Fees stack: delivery, service, tip; orders under $35 incur extra charges¹⁶	FTC lawsuit alleges hidden ad surcharges that can inflate what you pay