DoorDash buys Instacart in a deal worth about $17 billion, announced on Thursday 29 October 2026. The agreement brings together the largest United States restaurant-delivery app and the leading grocery-delivery platform, and it is trending per news coverage from Reuters, CNN, The Wall Street Journal and other outlets because it would end Instacart as an independent company and reshape how millions of people order groceries online. Nothing changes for customers on day one: the two companies will keep operating separately until the deal closes, which is not expected until late 2027 or the first half of 2028.
This article explains the DoorDash buys Instacart deal in full: the price and the terms, what it means for customers, shoppers and grocers, why DoorDash wants Instacart now, when the deal could close, and what could still stop it. All of the figures below come from the companies' announcements and their third-quarter results, reported on 29 October 2026.
DoorDash Buys Instacart: The $17 Billion Deal in Brief
Under the definitive agreement, DoorDash will pay $65 for each Instacart share, giving Instacart an equity value of approximately $17 billion. The price is about 26% above Instacart's closing price of $51.68 on 22 October 2026, the last trading day before published reports that the company was pursuing a sale, and about 11% above its closing price of $58.42 on Wednesday 28 October. Instacart's corporate name is Maplebear Inc., and its shares trade on Nasdaq under the ticker CART. DoorDash trades under the ticker DASH.
At least 75% of the payment will be cash, and DoorDash stock will make up no more than 25% of the total. Instacart shareholders can choose $65 in cash for each share, 0.3372 DoorDash shares, or a combination of $48.75 in cash plus 0.0843 DoorDash shares, subject to proration and the overall stock cap. DoorDash said it would fund the cash portion with cash on hand and debt financing, backed by a 364-day bridge loan commitment from JPMorgan Chase, and that the deal has no financing condition. The company said it aims to keep investment-grade credit ratings.
Both companies' boards have approved the transaction. Holders of about 19% of Instacart's shares have agreed to vote in favour of it. Reuters reported, citing a regulatory filing, that Instacart would pay DoorDash a $650 million termination fee and DoorDash would owe Instacart $1.25 billion if the deal collapses under certain conditions. Those fees are part of the deal's protection for both sides, not money that changes hands on announcement.
- Price: about $17 billion in equity value, at $65 per Instacart share.
- Form: cash and stock, with at least 75% cash and stock capped at 25%.
- Brand and app: DoorDash expects to keep the Instacart brand, app and enterprise technology products after closing.
- Closing: expected in late 2027 or the first half of 2028, subject to shareholder approval and regulatory clearances.
- Until closing: the two companies will operate as separate and independent companies.
What DoorDash Buys Instacart Means for Customers
For customers, the most important fact is timing. Because closing is more than a year away, the Instacart app is not closing, accounts are not merging overnight, and no customer needs to take any action now. DoorDash said Instacart customers could gain access to more than 50,000 additional stores through DoorDash's network, on top of the nearly 100,000 stores already available through Instacart, which partners with more than 2,200 retail banners. In practice, that would widen choice rather than replace the weekly shop: DoorDash described Instacart as the service families use for the big weekly shop and DoorDash as the service used for meals and other items in less than an hour.
The clearest change after DoorDash buys Instacart is to subscriptions. DashPass and Instacart+ members would eventually pay a single membership fee instead of two, which DoorDash estimates could save members about $100 million a year in total. That is a company estimate for the combined saving, not a promise about any individual's subscription price, and neither company has said what the single fee will be or when it will start. Customers who pay for only one service should therefore not assume their price will fall, and customers who pay for both should wait for the combined offer before cancelling anything.
Delivery choice is the other promised benefit. The combined company would offer grocers and retailers DoorDash's delivery network alongside Instacart's grocery and fulfilment technology, plus the advertising and artificial intelligence tools each company has built. DoorDash also pointed to its DashMart Fulfillment Services, which it says can make delivery faster, more accurate and more affordable for grocers that use it. Faster and wider availability is plausible once the systems are combined, but it is not guaranteed: integration of two large platforms, store by store, takes time, and the companies have not published a timetable for adding stores or changing delivery times in any individual city.
Competition is the reason the customer impact matters beyond convenience. DoorDash is buying into groceries at a moment when Amazon continues to expand same-day grocery delivery, now at 2,300 locations, Walmart offers 30-minute delivery in some places, and Uber has expanded its offerings, including a recent deal with Costco, according to CNN's reporting on the deal. A larger DoorDash would be better placed to compete with those rivals, which could help choice and service. It could also, over time, give the combined company more influence over delivery fees and merchant terms, which is why regulators and city agencies are watching the deal closely. Readers comparing delivery options may find our Amazon Prime Big Deal Days 2026 guide useful background on how Amazon prices and promotes its own delivery offers.
What Happens to Instacart Shoppers and Grocers?
Instacart shoppers are central to the deal, because grocery delivery depends on people picking items in stores, choosing substitutes and keeping frozen food cold. Reports put the number of Instacart's independent shoppers at about 600,000. DoorDash said shoppers would keep the flexibility to choose how much they work and which orders they accept, and would be able to choose whether to take DoorDash orders or continue shopping only through Instacart. Dashers, DoorDash's delivery workers, would likewise gain a broader range of orders, including grocery work, if they want it.
That flexibility matters, but it is not the same as a guarantee about earnings. More available orders do not automatically mean higher pay, because earnings depend on order volumes, fees, delivery distances and local market conditions. Shoppers should therefore treat the companies' statements as a description of how the combined platform is intended to work, not as a promise about future pay rates, which will depend on how DoorDash operates the combined business after closing and on local labour rules.
For grocers and retailers, the pitch after DoorDash buys Instacart is that stores of every size would gain the best of both companies in one service. Small retailers that cannot afford to build their own nationwide delivery operation or online shopping platform could use Instacart's technology to run their own websites and reach customers online, and DoorDash's network to fulfil orders. DoorDash said grocers will not have to use it exclusively and can continue to work with any delivery platform. That non-exclusivity point is important for independent stores, which often list on several platforms at once, and it will be worth checking in the final merger terms whether it holds in practice.
Why DoorDash Wants Instacart Now
DoorDash co-founder and chief executive Tony Xu put the strategic case in a single image. "Grocery is one of the hardest things to get right online," Xu said. "Someone has to pick a ripe avocado, find a substitute you'd choose yourself, and get the ice cream to you before it melts." Instacart, he said, "has spent years learning to do that well for grocers, while DoorDash has built a delivery network and technology that local stores rely on every day. Together, we could give stores of every size more of those tools and unlock the potential of grocery delivery."
Instacart chief executive Chris Rogers made the complementary case from the grocery side. "Over the last 14 years, Instacart has transformed online grocery by helping retailers of all sizes compete and grow, and joining forces with DoorDash allows us to do even more," Rogers said. He described combining Instacart's grocery technology and retailer and brand relationships with DoorDash's consumer reach and logistics capabilities, so the combined company could create new opportunities for retail and brand partners and a better experience for customers and shoppers.
The timing also reflects a wider consolidation wave in delivery. Reuters noted DoorDash's purchase of Wolt and of Deliveroo in the United Kingdom in 2025, Just Eat Takeaway's acquisition of Grubhub, and Uber's deal for Delivery Hero earlier in 2026, as companies chase growth in grocery and retail while restaurant delivery matures. The two companies had also explored a combination before: reports said DoorDash and Instacart discussed a deal in 2021, when Instacart's valuation was reported at between $40 billion and $50 billion, but those talks produced no deal. Instacart went public in 2023, and its value on the terms announced on 29 October 2026 is far below that earlier reported figure, which helps explain why DoorDash moved now. Instacart had also held preliminary sale talks with Uber, but those talks were no longer active by 26 October 2026, according to reporting on the deal.
One estimate shows how large the combined grocery position could be. The New York Post reported Bernstein research estimates that the deal could give DoorDash an estimated 88% share of third-party online grocery marketplaces, accounting for roughly 23% of all online grocery sales in the United States. Those are estimates from a research firm, not figures published by the companies, and the eventual market share will depend on how the deal is reviewed and on what Amazon, Walmart and Uber do next. Even so, the estimate explains why the deal is being read as a bet on grocery scale rather than a simple takeover of a rival app.
DoorDash Instacart Deal: When It Could Close and What Could Stop It
The deal is not expected to close until late 2027 or the first half of 2028. Before then it needs approval from Instacart shareholders, clearance under the United States Hart-Scott-Rodino antitrust review, and approvals in other countries, including Canada and Israel. That long timetable is normal for a deal of this size, and it is one reason the companies stressed that they will operate separately in the meantime. It also means the $17 billion price, the membership plan and the store additions are all subject to a long review period in which terms can be examined, conditions can be imposed, and, in the extreme case, the deal can be blocked or abandoned.
Antitrust scrutiny is the main obstacle to watch. Reuters reported that New York City's consumer and worker protection agency criticised the proposed merger amid concerns about growing concentration in the delivery sector. A separate regulatory development arrived the day before the deal was announced: on 28 October 2026, the Federal Trade Commission issued orders under Section 6(b) of the FTC Act to nine companies, including DoorDash and Instacart, asking how they use personal data to set prices and worker pay, with 45 days to respond. The FTC said the orders are study orders, not enforcement actions, and it has not accused any of the nine companies of breaking the law. The inquiry is distinct from merger review, but it shows that pricing and pay practices at both companies are already under formal regulatory examination, and any findings could shape the wider debate about the combination.
For readers, the practical test is simple: watch for the shareholder vote, the antitrust filings and any conditions regulators attach. A clean approval would let the companies proceed to integration planning. Conditions, such as commitments on fees, data use or shopper terms, would change what customers and workers actually experience. A challenge would leave both companies operating as they do today, with Instacart still independent and DoorDash still building its grocery business through partnerships such as Kroger, Safeway and Aldi.
What the Numbers Say After DoorDash Buys Instacart
Both companies reported third-quarter results on the same morning as the deal announcement, and both reported growth. DoorDash said revenue rose 34% to $4.6 billion, total orders rose 28% to 993 million, and marketplace gross order value rose 36% to $33.9 billion, or 23% excluding Deliveroo, the United Kingdom delivery company it bought last year. Adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation rose 41% to $1.06 billion, and net income rose to $466 million. DoorDash also forecast fourth-quarter marketplace gross order value of $35.4 billion to $36.4 billion. The results arrived in a busy earnings season for large technology companies, covered in our Microsoft and Alphabet earnings report for October 2026, in which cloud growth, rather than delivery, drove the largest market moves.
Instacart reported what Rogers called its best quarter as a public company. Gross transaction value, the total value of goods sold through its platform, grew 15% year over year to $10.528 billion, orders rose 10% to 91.4 million, and total revenue grew 17% to $1.095 billion. Net income was $147 million, up 2%, and adjusted EBITDA rose 23% to $342 million. Advertising and other revenue grew 23% to $331 million, about 30% of Instacart's total revenue, which underlines how much of what DoorDash is buying is an advertising and retail-media business as well as a delivery service. Instacart suspended its financial guidance, withdrew its previously issued long-term outlook and cancelled its earnings call previously scheduled for 5 November 2026, as is customary while a takeover is pending.
Together, the numbers show why DoorDash was willing to pay a premium and why Instacart's board accepted it. DoorDash brings scale, with nearly 1 billion orders in a single quarter, while Instacart brings a growing, profitable grocery platform with deep retailer relationships. The question for investors and customers alike is whether combining them creates more value than either company could create alone, once integration costs, regulatory conditions and competition from Amazon, Walmart and Uber are taken into account. The share market gave an early, mixed signal: Instacart shares rose about 5% to $61.25 in premarket trading, below the $65 offer price, reflecting the long wait until closing and the regulatory risk, while DoorDash shares rose about 7% to 10% in early trading, according to market reporting on 29 October.
What to Watch Next in the DoorDash Instacart Deal
Five developments will tell readers whether the promises in the DoorDash buys Instacart announcement become reality. First, the Instacart shareholder vote and the antitrust reviews in the United States, Canada and Israel, which will decide whether and on what terms the deal closes. Second, the FTC's personalised-pricing study, for which DoorDash and Instacart are among nine companies with 45 days to respond from 28 October, and any disclosure that follows. Third, the combined membership offer: the single DashPass and Instacart+ fee, its price, and when it starts. Fourth, the store rollout: whether Instacart customers do gain access to more than 50,000 additional stores, and in which areas. Fifth, shopper and grocer terms after closing, including whether flexibility and non-exclusivity are preserved in practice.
Until those steps happen, the safest summary is the companies' own: two separate apps, two separate memberships, and no immediate change to how an order is placed or delivered. Anyone ordering groceries online should keep using the app they already use, keep their existing membership until a combined offer is announced, and check delivery fees and substitution settings on each order, as with any online shop. Our online shopping safety guide sets out the checks worth making before paying on any delivery platform.
The DoorDash buys Instacart deal is, at its heart, a wager that grocery delivery works better at larger scale, with one delivery network and one grocery technology platform behind it. If regulators agree and integration works, customers could see more stores, one membership and faster delivery. If review imposes conditions or competition intensifies, the benefits could be smaller or slower. The next year of filings, votes and earnings reports will show which outcome is closer, and this article will be worth revisiting when the shareholder vote and the first regulatory decisions are known.
Sources: Reuters reporting on the $17 billion deal, the $65 per share price, the premiums, the closing timetable and the consolidation context; CNN reporting on the deal, the end of Instacart as an independent company and competition from Amazon, Walmart and Uber; The Wall Street Journal reporting on the cash-and-stock terms, the JPMorgan Chase bridge loan and the share-price moves; TechCrunch reporting on the boards' approval, the retention of the Instacart brand, app and technology, and the separate operation until closing; DoorDash and Instacart statements as reported on 29 October 2026, including the Tony Xu and Chris Rogers quotations, the 50,000 additional stores, the 100,000 stores and 2,200 retail banners, and the $100 million membership-saving estimate; Instacart third-quarter 2026 results via PR Newswire, including gross transaction value, orders, revenue, net income, adjusted EBITDA and advertising revenue, and the suspension of guidance and cancellation of the 5 November earnings call; DoorDash third-quarter 2026 results as reported, including revenue, orders, marketplace gross order value, adjusted EBITDA and net income; Federal Trade Commission statements on the 28 October 2026 Section 6(b) orders to nine companies, the 45-day response period and the study nature of the inquiry; and Bernstein estimates as reported by the New York Post on third-party online grocery market share. Where reports differed on share-price moves or on the shopper count, this article follows the attributed figures and says so.