Curri Review: Is Driving for Curri Worth It in 2024?

As mentioned, Curri is an industrial delivery platform. As a driver, you’ll mostly deliver construction supplies (e.g., tools and materials) from one business to another.

This means that Curri has several major differences from other delivery gig apps:

• Order size: Curri’s deliveries will often be much larger and heavier than on other apps. You won’t be handling pizza boxes or bags of groceries; you’ll be lifting metal siding and piping, bricks and masonry, machinery, etc. You’ll have a better time with this side hustle if you have a larger vehicle, such as an SUV or a truck.
• Driving distance: Curri also features gigs that involve driving much longer distances than other apps, like DoorDash. Instead of delivering groceries to people in your neighborhood, you might have to deliver supplies to another city. Some Curri gigs are even overnight trips, although accepting them is optional.

Those differences give Curri a substantially different “feel” than other delivery apps, even though in most other respects, it operates a lot like its competitors.

How Curri works: reviewing orders in the app

When you sign up for Curri, you’ll register the type of vehicle you drive, which will determine the kinds of offers you get.

You’ll receive delivery requests in two ways: via text and in the app (which will send you a push notification).

Each offer will indicate:

• Where you’ll have to go
• The time you’ll have to complete the order
• What kind of vehicle you need

Curri won’t tell you exactly what you’ll be picking up, so you’ll be operating on limited information when you decide whether or not you want to apply for the gig.

Accepting orders

If you’re interested in a job, you can place a bid for it. In contrast to many apps, which assign orders on a first-come, first-served basis, acceptance on Curri isn’t automatic. The app’s algorithm will evaluate whether or not to assign the job to you based on your:

• Proximity to the pickup site
• Track record on the app
• Vehicle type

If you land the gig, you’ll be able to visit the “deliveries” section of the app to see more details about it.

Completing orders

After landing an offer, you’ll drive to the pickup location and collect the items. Like most delivery apps, Curri will provide you with directions and a GPS-enabled map

It’s your responsibility to make sure that the items are correctly loaded, secured, and made safe for transport. You’re expected to load and unload anything under 50 lb yourself; some orders may require you to handle more, but that will be clearly indicated before you accept the job. (If an offer neglects to mention that the items are heavier, you can contact Curry’s support team so that they don’t penalize you if you back out of the job.)

You’ll need to take a picture of the items you’re picking up and upload it to Curri before you leave for your destination.

Once you arrive, you’ll contact the customer and hand off the items. You’ll have to take a second picture of the items and collect the customer’s signature to complete your delivery and get paid.

The rates on Curri can be extremely variable. You’ll be paid on a per-order basis; in general, gigs may pay anywhere from $20 to $500, depending on what you’re delivering and how far you have to drive.

It probably goes without saying that the more lucrative an offer is, the longer you can expect it to take. Orders on Curri that pay hundreds of dollars generally involve driving to a different city. When you factor in your return trip, they’ll generally turn into all-day affairs.

In extreme cases (overnight, cross-country trips), you can earn thousands of dollars on a single order, although jobs like that are quite rare.

How much will you earn per hour?

Your effective hourly rate with the jobs you’ll find on Curri may vary wildly, too.

The rates for some jobs will translate to around $10 per hour, which is above the federal minimum wage of $7.25, but below the minimum wage in 29 states and Washington, DC. 1

Other jobs may offer rates that translate to around $30 per hour, which is a perfectly respectable wage and well above what other delivery apps offer (in general, apps like DoorDash, Instacart, and Uber Eats pay $15–$20 per hour).

Factoring in your expenses

When you evaluate Curri, bear in mind that you won’t actually get to keep everything you make. You’ll be responsible for several substantial expenses (including gas, which Curri won’t help you pay for).

Your exact expense ratio will depend on several factors, such as how fuel-efficient your vehicle is, but in general, you’ll want to set aside the following:

• Fuel expenses: 10% of your earnings
• Vehicle maintenance: 10% of your earnings
• Taxes: 15% of your earnings

All of this will eat into your gross earnings by 35%, leaving you with just 65% of what you made. Put another way, if you accept a job for $20, you’ll actually pocket just $13 (65% of $20 is $13). Bear this in mind when you decide whether or not Curri is worth it.

How you’ll get paid on Curri

On Curri, you have two payment options:

In general, it’s best to opt for Curri’s standard payments to avoid losing any of your earnings to fees, but it’s nice to have the option to cash out instantly in case you ever need your money urgently.

Note: Previously, Curri offered free instant payouts. Other reviews claim they still do, but that information seems to be outdated. Expect to pay a 1% fee if you cash out via Instant Pay.

To work for Curri, you need to meet these requirements:

• At least 18 years old
• Have a valid SSN, TIN, or EIN
• Have auto insurance that covers commercial driving (check your policy—not all insurers cover this)
• Have a valid and current US driver’s license (not a provisional license)

Somewhat surprisingly, Curri doesn’t list any explicit vehicle requirements on their site, although in a post on their blog, they recommend the app to anyone who owns a “sedan, pickup truck, or van.” For obvious reasons, if you drive a smaller car or a motorcycle, Curri probably isn’t for you.

Curri’s background check

Curri runs background checks on all of their drivers. They contract with Checkr, a third-party service, to do this.

Checkr will look at your driving record, as well as your criminal history (or lack thereof). This isn’t a particularly stringent background check; you’ll only have trouble if you have felonies on your record or significant vehicular offenses from the past 7 years. (Minor tickets probably won’t be enough to disqualify you, unless you have a lot of them.)

Curri claims that this check will normally take around 2 weeks, but that it may sometimes take over a month to complete. 2

However, Checkr also provides background checks for other major gig apps, including Uber Eats and DoorDash. We’ve interviewed many of their drivers, who’ve told us that their checks cleared within just a few days. Our hunch is that Curri’s estimate is on the pessimistic side and that you probably won’t have to wait that long.

Where can you drive for Curri?

Third-party sources claim that Curri operates in all 50 US states. Curri doesn’t explicitly confirm this, although they say they have a “nationwide presence” and that they “operate in most metropolitan areas.” 3

As of March 2024, we’re not aware of any way to check whether Curri is active in your area without taking the plunge and signing up. We’ve contacted Curri for clarification and to date have not heard back.

To register as a Curri driver, you need to download the Curri Driver app from the App Store (for iOS devices) or Google Play (for Android). Use the buttons below.

Where to download Curri Driver

App Store Google Play

Once you’ve installed the app, click it to launch it. Select “New to Curri” and fill in your information to create your account.

You’ll need to confirm your phone number. Enter the one that corresponds to the phone you intend to use while on the job; you’ll receive notifications via text message to that number when new deliveries become available.

After confirming your number, you’ll need to add more information about yourself and the vehicle you’ll be driving to fulfill your orders. As mentioned, the offers you receive will depend on what you select.

Once you’re done providing your information, Curri will ask for:

• Your Social Security number (for their background check)
• Your driver’s license number and state
• Photos of the back and front of your license

Next, you’ll need to accept Curri’s terms of service, add your signature, and submit. After that, there’s nothing to do but wait for your background check to clear.

As mentioned, the rates on Curri are comparable to what you’ll find on other driving-related gig apps (like DoorDash), but with significantly more variation. This means that how you use the app affects whether or not it’s a worthwhile gig.

Curri can be worth it as long as you use it strategically. Like all driving side hustles, it comes with significant costs. You have to pay for your own gas and taxes, and it will put a lot of strain on your vehicle, requiring more frequent trips to an auto shop than you might be used to.

To reiterate, if you use Curri, look for gigs that pay at least $1.50–$2 per mile. Anything less than that and you’d be better off with another delivery app (or just a part-time job).

Note that sticking to this might mean rejecting most of the orders you see (including many of the highest-paying jobs, which, although they pay more in absolute terms, reportedly pay less per mile). This will limit the amount of work you’ll be able to get on the app, which means that in contrast to many other gig apps, driving for Curri on a full-time basis isn’t realistic, even if you discover that you really enjoy it.

What do actual gig workers say about Curri?

Curri is a niche app, and relatively few people have heard of it. To get a clearer idea of what its drivers think about it, we’ve collected anecdotes from several online discussions.

Here’s a look at what people are saying about Curri:

Case A: Curri can be a decent source of gigs, but the work isn’t reliable

One user on Reddit claims to make around $150–$300 per week with Curri, with an average of 3–4 deliveries that each pay $60–$80.

They note that most of the worthwhile offers are for relatively quick deliveries that take under an hour to complete. While Curri sometimes offers them gigs that pay around $400, these require driving for hours, and the associated fuel expenses mean they aren’t worth it.

This comment confirms our own impression of Curri: it can be worth it if you filter out the lowball offers, but the volume of work you receive won’t be very high, so don’t count on the app to be a major source of income.

Case B: Curri just isn’t worth the hassle

Another former Curri driver is considerably harsher, writing that Curri’s gig offers were frustratingly scarce (and that they usually had mediocre pay).

They tell a story about a local warehouse that they frequently accepted gigs from. Initially, the staff took care to prepare their deliveries before they arrived, but they began to slip up, and the driver found themselves waiting in line for a long time before they were able to collect their items. (Note that if this happens, Curri won’t compensate you for your wasted time.)

The Redditor goes on to claim that when they got frustrated and canceled an order, Curri punitively banned them from the platform. They conclude by saying that using Curri led to “many horrible experiences that were never compensated” and that they don’t miss driving for the app.

Case C: Curri’s support for drivers is unhelpful and unresponsive

A third user has several complaints about Curri’s driver support. They claim that Curri miscategorized a heavy load as a light one, leading to a mismatch between the price ($40) and the work (which they say should have paid at least $80).

When they called Curri’s dispatcher to complain, they say they initially received no response, although later (after they’d already driven away), Curri contacted them and offered more money, which they declined.

They go on to cite another horror story involving a dispute over a payment that Curri never sent them, despite repeated attempts on their part to reach out.

Reports like this are anecdotal, and we haven’t independently confirmed them. That said, they are worrying, and you should take them seriously if you’re considering driving for Curri.

The takeaway: Curri might be worth a try, but be on your guard

In the end, if you have a large vehicle and you’re interested in giving Curri a try, there’s no real reason not to—you don’t have to make a long-term commitment when you sign up to drive for them, and you can quit any time you want, so the risks are minimal.

However, we recommend keeping your expectations modest. Pay attention to how lucrative the gigs are and whether your customers are respectful of your time. The work on Curri is scarce enough that it probably won’t be a major blow to your income if you ultimately conclude that the app isn’t worth it.