Autonomous delivery is becoming an increasingly important part of the last-mile delivery ecosystem as companies look to improve speed, efficiency and the overall customer experience. Within this backdrop, Serve Robotics Inc. SERV and DoorDash, Inc. DASH are well positioned to benefit from the growing shift toward autonomous delivery solutions. Advances in AI, robotics and intelligent logistics are helping reshape local commerce, while delivery platforms and autonomous technology providers are expanding partnerships to support broader adoption.
Serve Robotics is expanding its autonomous delivery platform and physical AI capabilities to operate safely in complex, human-centered environments while broadening partner integrations and delivery platforms. DoorDash is strengthening the local commerce platform by building the best end-to-end shopping experience and advancing its autonomous delivery strategy through multiple delivery formats and robotics partnerships. Both companies are helping drive the evolution of autonomous last-mile logistics, but their business models, growth strategies and long-term opportunities differ in important ways.
Let's dive deep and closely compare the fundamentals of the two stocks to determine which one is a better investment now.
The Case for Serve Robotics Stock
Serve Robotics is expanding its autonomous delivery network as the adoption of sidewalk robotics increases across urban markets. The company has deployed 2,000 robots across 44 cities, 14 states and more than 150 neighborhoods, reflecting continued expansion of its delivery footprint. In the first quarter of 2026, the company said fleet revenues grew an order of magnitude from about $200,000 in the prior-year period to nearly $2 million. The deployed fleet also became 7x larger year over year, while daily active robots increased 10x and daily supply hours rose 13x, supported by broader merchant coverage, additional delivery platforms and expansion across new markets.
The company is also broadening its autonomy platform beyond food delivery. Software services accounted for about one-third of total revenues in the first quarter, while just under half of total revenues were recurring. The acquisition of Diligent Robotics has expanded operations into healthcare automation, providing exposure to hospitals and additional real-world operating environments. The company believes this broader operating footprint strengthens its proprietary data, improves AI models and enhances the long-term value of its autonomy platform.
However, profitability remains under pressure as Serve Robotics continues investing in autonomy development, AI, software infrastructure and platform integration. Gross margin remained negative during the first quarter as the company supported a larger fleet and integrated healthcare operations. The company also expects slower growth in the second quarter as efforts remain focused on improving operational efficiency, robot utilization and geographic coverage rather than deploying additional sidewalk robots.
Looking ahead, Serve Robotics expects operational improvements, broader partner and delivery platform integrations, and expansion into additional cities to support growth during the second half of 2026. The company is also exploring international opportunities and additional software commercialization initiatives as it continues building a multi-domain autonomy platform.
The Case for DoorDash Stock
DoorDash is strengthening its leadership in local commerce by expanding the marketplace, improving the end-to-end shopping experience and advancing autonomous delivery capabilities. In the first quarter of 2026, total orders increased 18% year over year and Marketplace GOV grew 20%, supported by growth across restaurants, grocery and newer retail categories. The company also continued gaining market share across its operating regions while reporting record engagement across membership programs, reflecting strong customer retention and increasing order frequency.
The company is expanding its autonomous delivery platform by developing different delivery formats across land and air while working with robotics partners to improve delivery efficiency. Alongside these efforts, DoorDash is investing in AI-powered discovery, search and customer support capabilities to enhance the shopping experience. Ongoing investments in its global technology platform are also expected to improve product development, feature delivery and operational efficiency while allowing innovations to be deployed across multiple markets and brands.
However, DoorDash continues to make significant investments in technology infrastructure and platform development, which could weigh on near-term profitability. The company also remains exposed to higher operating costs from strategic initiatives and external factors, while execution remains critical as it scales autonomous delivery capabilities and integrates the global technology platform.
Looking ahead, DoorDash expects continued growth across local commerce as improvements in selection, logistics, AI capabilities and autonomous delivery strengthen customer engagement. Expansion across grocery, retail and international markets, together with broader deployment of its technology platform and autonomous delivery initiatives, is expected to support long-term growth.
Stock Performance & Valuation
As witnessed from the chart below, in the year-to-date period, Serve Robotics' share price performance has stood below that of DoorDash and the Zacks Computer and Technology sector.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Considering valuation, Serve Robotics is currently trading at a premium compared with DoorDash on a forward 12-month price-to-sales (P/S) ratio basis.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Comparing EPS Estimate Trends of SERV & DASH
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for SERV’s 2026 loss per share has remained unchanged at $2.67 in the past 30 days, as shown below. Also, the estimated figure indicates a wider loss from the year-ago estimated loss of $1.63 per share.
SERV's EPS Trend
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
DoorDash’s earnings estimates for 2026 have decreased in the past 30 days to $2.40 per share. This indicates expected earnings increase of 12.7% year over year.
DASH’s EPS Trend
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Which Stock Has More Upside Now?
Serve Robotics and DoorDash are both positioned to benefit from the growing adoption of autonomous delivery, but they offer different investment profiles. SERV is focused on scaling its autonomous delivery platform through fleet expansion, software commercialization and healthcare automation. Although the company remains in an investment phase, growing commercial deployments, broader platform integrations and expanding AI capabilities provide meaningful long-term growth potential.
DoorDash operates a larger and more diversified local commerce platform, supported by strong customer engagement, expanding marketplace activity and continued investments in AI and autonomous delivery. However, ongoing spending on technology infrastructure and platform expansion, together with softer earnings estimate revisions, could limit its near-term investment appeal.
With Serve Robotics carrying a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and DoorDash having a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), the former appears to be the more attractive stock at current levels. While the company carries higher execution and profitability risks, its expanding autonomous delivery footprint and larger long-term growth opportunity offer greater upside potential for investors willing to accept a higher level of risk. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
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Serve Robotics Inc. (SERV): Free Stock Analysis Report
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).