Amazon Flex vs Spark: Spark nets about $14 an hour, Flex $6

The numbers

Assumptions: gross is the 2025 Gridwise median (Flex, Spark). Costs are miles × the IRS rate of 76¢ a mile. Flex is costed at 80 miles per 4-hour block, and Spark miles come from Gridwise’s pay per mile. Tax is 15.3% self-employment tax only.

Walmart’s Spark pays more than Amazon Flex. Before costs the gap is 85 cents an hour. After costs Spark is about $8 an hour ahead, and that is with Flex on its most favorable mileage assumption. Two inputs create the gap. Spark drivers get tips (median $5.54 an hour) and Flex drivers mostly don’t (median $0). The Spark data also implies about half as many miles per hour. The hourly figure leaves out two things Flex does better: free commercial insurance, and guaranteed pay on blocks without tips. Both are covered below.

All arithmetic is done to the cent, and headline figures are rounded to the nearest dollar. This is arithmetic on published data, not tax or financial advice, so swap in your own numbers.

Assumptions

1. Gross pay is Gridwise’s 2025 median from its app users: Flex block pay plus tips, and Spark base pay plus tips. Gridwise doesn’t say whether an “hour” is active time or logged-in time, for either app.
2. A Flex block lasts 4 hours. Median pay per block ($83.14) ÷ median hourly pay ($20.89) = 3.98 hours, which we round to 4.
3. Flex miles are 80 per block, the low end of Gridwise’s 80 to 150 estimate. 80 ÷ 4 hours = 20 miles an hour.
4. Spark miles are $21.74 an hour ÷ $2.06 a mile = 10.55 miles an hour. That divides one median by another, so it is rough. Gridwise measures Spark miles point to point, which probably leaves out some unpaid driving.
5. Vehicle cost is 76¢ a mile, the IRS rate from July 1, 2026 (it was 72.5¢ from January 1 to June 30). We use it as a stand-in for the full cost of running the car, not as cash spent on gas.
6. Tax is 15.3% self-employment tax, applied to the whole net figure. Federal and state income tax are left out because they depend on your bracket and your state.
7. The base case includes no bonuses or incentives.

Who pays more, Flex or Spark, row by row

Gridwise’s 2025 figures. Gross is before expenses, and net uses the mileage costs from the opening table ($15.20 an hour for Flex, $8.02 for Spark):

Spark comes out higher on every line. Before costs the two apps are close to a tie. After costs they are not.

The median Spark tip is about 25% of gross pay ($5.54 ÷ $21.74). The median Flex tip per block is zero. Amazon says “most delivery partners earn $18-$25 per hour,” a range that includes tips. Its FAQ says Amazon’s own share is at least $15 to $19 per scheduled hour, depending on location and demand. The Gridwise numbers suggest that for most Flex drivers, Amazon’s share is nearly the whole paycheck.

The apps also pay in different ways. Flex pays by the block. On blocks without tips, the offered amount is guaranteed even if you finish early or late. On tip-eligible blocks the offer shows a guaranteed minimum, and tips are added on top. Spark pays by the delivery: the median is $10.25 per delivery, at 2.10 deliveries an hour. The Spark FAQ calls offer earnings estimates. You turn on Spark Now to receive offers, and accepting any one of them is your choice.

Why Flex costs nearly twice as much in car expenses

Gross pay on the two apps is within a dollar, but the Flex data implies close to twice the miles per hour:

Flex:  80 miles / 4 hours        = 20.00 miles/hour
       20.00 x $0.76             = $15.20/hour

Spark: $21.74 / $2.06 per mile   = 10.55 miles/hour
       10.55 x $0.76             = $8.02/hour

Per mile:

Flex, 80-mile block:   $83.14 / 80  = $1.04 gross per mile
Flex, 150-mile block:  $83.14 / 150 = $0.55 gross per mile
Spark median:                         $2.06 gross per mile
IRS rate:                             $0.76 per mile

At the long end of Gridwise’s range, a median Flex block pays less per mile than the IRS rate. Break-even:

$83.14 / $0.76 = 109.39 miles

Costed at the IRS rate, a median-paying Flex block longer than about 109 miles nets less than zero. Most Flex comparisons come down to this per-mile figure; see Amazon Flex vs DoorDash.

Two caveats. First, the two mileage figures were measured differently. Gridwise’s Flex figure is an estimate for a whole block, while its Spark figure is point to point and may miss unpaid driving between orders. Second, the IRS rate is not what you pay at the pump. Count only cash costs such as gas and both nets go up. Flex’s goes up more, because it drives more miles. Plug in your own fuel cost per mile to see by how much.

Worked example: one four-hour shift on each app

Amazon Flex, one median 4-hour block, 80 miles:

Block pay (median)          $83.14
Vehicle cost: 80 x $0.76   -$60.80
Net                         $22.34
SE tax: $22.34 x 15.3%      -$3.42
After SE tax                $18.92
Per hour: $18.92 / 4         $4.73

Spark, four hours at median pace:

Deliveries: 4 x 2.10              8.4
Pay: 8.4 x $10.25 (median)     $86.10
  of which tips (4 x $5.54)    $22.16
Miles: 4 x 10.55                42.2
Vehicle cost: 42.2 x $0.76    -$32.07
Net                            $54.03
SE tax: $54.03 x 15.3%         -$8.27
After SE tax                   $45.76
Per hour: $45.76 / 4           $11.44

These differ slightly from the opening table because they use per-block and per-delivery medians, not hourly medians. The gap is about the same size either way.

Remove all of Spark’s tips ($21.74 - $5.54 = $16.20) and its net is $16.20 - $8.02 = $8.18 an hour. That is still above Flex’s best case of $5.69. Tips explain most of Spark’s lead, and lower mileage explains the rest.

When Flex can pay more than Spark

On the medians it doesn’t. To find out what it would take, solve for the point where Spark falls to Flex’s best case of $5.69:

Spark miles needed:   ($21.74 - $5.69) / $0.76 = 21.12 miles/hour
                      21.12 / 10.55            = 2.0x the median
Spark idle time:      1 - ($5.69 / $13.72)     = 58.5% unpaid

Flex can come out ahead in four cases:

• Your Spark zone is spread out. If store runs and long drives back push you past about 21 miles an hour, Spark drops to Flex’s level. Point-to-point tracking misses those miles, so log your own.
• Your Spark zone is slow. Spark pays per order, so waiting time earns nothing. Spark has to sit unpaid for close to 59% of your logged-in time before it matches Flex. Flex pays for the block you booked, and on no-tip blocks that pay is guaranteed.
• Your Flex blocks are short on miles. Every mile under 80 per block improves Flex by 76¢. Even so, closing an $8.03 hourly gap would take $8.03 ÷ $0.76 = 10.57 fewer miles an hour, which means a 4-hour block of about 38 miles.
• Your city sets a pay floor. See California and Seattle below.

What changes the answer

Miles per hour (gross held at the median, 76¢ a mile):

The earlier mileage rate. For miles driven from January to June 2026, use 72.5¢. Flex’s best case becomes $6.39 an hour (20 × $0.725 = $14.50) and Spark becomes $14.09 (10.55 × $0.725 = $7.65).

Top earners. At base-case miles, Flex’s top 10% net $25.96 - $15.20 = $10.76 an hour, and Spark’s top 10% net $30.26 - $8.02 = $22.24. Top earners may also drive more, so treat these as upper bounds.

Bonuses. With incentives and other earnings included, Flex nets $21.35 - $15.20 = $6.15 and Spark nets $22.57 - $8.02 = $14.55. Spark lists four incentive types: lump-sum, tiered, earn-per-trip, and multi-trip earnings guarantees. At the median they move the result by less than $1.

Unpaid waiting. Suppose Gridwise’s Spark “hour” counts only active time, and we assume 25% of your logged-in time is spent waiting without driving. Spark’s net per logged-in hour becomes $13.72 × 0.75 = $10.29, which is still ahead of Flex.

Your city. In California (Prop 22), app-based pay before tips must be at least 120% of the minimum wage for engaged time, plus $0.37 per engaged mile in 2026. At the $16.90 state minimum, that is 1.2 × $16.90 = $20.28 an hour, and higher where the local minimum wage is higher. The mileage payment is less than half the IRS rate. In Seattle, app-based work in 2026 pays at least the greater of $0.47 a minute plus $0.80 a mile, or $5.34 per offer, before tips. $0.47 × 60 = $28.20 an hour before the mileage pay. Both are rules for app-based workers in general, so check how your city’s or state’s rules apply to each app in your zone.

Costs that the mileage figure leaves out

• Insurance. Flex gives free commercial auto insurance in every state except New York. It covers liability, uninsured/underinsured motorist, and contingent comprehensive and collision. It applies only while you are actively delivering during a block, and claims are denied if anyone other than you was driving. Spark requires proof of your own auto insurance. A 2023 KDKA/CBS Pittsburgh report found that “Spark doesn’t carry commercial liability coverage for its drivers,” and a driver in that report had her claim refused by her personal insurer. Ask your insurer whether delivery driving is covered, and subtract any add-on they quote from Spark’s hourly figure. Spark keeps its lead unless the add-on costs more than $8.03 per hour you drive.
• Phone. Flex needs iOS 17 or newer, or Android 14 or newer with at least 3GB of RAM and a 4,500mAh battery. Spark runs on iOS or on Android 11 or newer. If your phone doesn’t meet Flex’s requirements, a new phone is a start-up cost.
• Parking and tolls. Amazon doesn’t reimburse mileage, parking or tolls.
• Return trips. Undelivered Flex packages go back to the station by the end of the block or by 10 AM the next day, and some stations want them by 10 PM the same day. Those miles are unpaid.
• Cash-out fees. On Flex, payouts to the Flex debit card and standard bank transfers are free. A Real Time Payment transfer or a payout to another debit card costs $0.50 (the card’s own math is in the Amazon Flex card breakdown). On Spark, if OnePay is your earnings account, instant trip pay is free. Tips arrive 24 to 48 hours later and incentives are paid weekly on Tuesdays.

Who can sign up

Flex has more scheduling rules. To drop a block without penalty you have to forfeit it at least 45 minutes before it starts, and repeated late cancellations can affect your standing. On Spark, every offer is optional.

Running both apps

If your car meets Flex’s vehicle rule, nothing stops you from doing both. The math points to a simple split: book Flex blocks that are short on miles, and fill the remaining hours with Spark offers. In any slot where Spark offers are slow, a guaranteed Flex block can beat waiting around, because waiting on Spark pays nothing. Track miles and hours separately for each app, since your own per-mile figure is the one that settles the comparison.

Legal history, briefly

In 2021, Amazon agreed to pay $61,710,583 to settle FTC charges that it withheld part of Flex drivers’ customer tips. Amazon did not admit wrongdoing. In December 2025, Seattle announced a $3,777,924.10 settlement with Amazon Flex. The city alleged violations of its gig worker premium pay and paid sick and safe time rules, and Amazon denied them. In December 2024, the CFPB sued Walmart and Branch Messenger, alleging they illegally opened deposit accounts for Spark drivers. The CFPB dismissed the case with prejudice in May 2025, so the allegations were never proven.

Tax works the same on both apps

Drivers on both apps are independent contractors, and the IRS treats them the same way. (This is general information, not tax advice. A tax professional can check your situation.)

• Self-employment tax is 15.3% once net self-employment earnings reach $400. Income and expenses go on Schedule C, and the tax itself on Schedule SE.
• Keep a dated mileage log. Miles before July 1, 2026 use 72.5¢, and miles from July 1 use 76¢. Commuting rules also affect which miles you can deduct.
• For tax years beginning after 2025, the threshold for information returns on certain payments is $2,000. Income below it is still taxable.
• If you expect to owe $1,000 or more, pay estimated tax quarterly (April 15, June 15, September 15 and January 15).
• The no tax on tips deduction (2025 to 2028, up to $25,000) covers app-based delivery drivers under the IRS’s final occupation list. It reduces income tax but not self-employment tax, so it doesn’t change the after-tax row above. With a $5.54 median hourly tip it helps Spark drivers. With a $0 median it does little for Flex drivers.

Compared with Uber, DoorDash and minimum wage

Flex’s best-case net of $5.69 is $1.56 below the federal minimum wage. Spark’s $13.72 is above it, though your state’s minimum may be higher. Neither app comes with the employer-paid benefits or the vehicle-risk protection of a wage job. For the Flex-only picture, see Is Amazon Flex worth it?.

Sources

• Gridwise: Amazon Flex driver pay
• Gridwise: Spark driver pay
• Amazon Flex FAQ
• Spark Driver FAQ
• IRS standard mileage rates
• KDKA/CBS Pittsburgh on delivery driver insurance

Verdict in one number

$8 an hour: that is how much more the median Spark driver keeps than a Flex driver on the shortest typical block, with the car costed at the IRS rate, and every extra mile on a Flex block widens the gap.