Cost to Build a Food Delivery App like UberEats
By idea2appAdmin
May 5, 2025
Table of Contents
If you’re hungry and do not want to cook, food delivery apps like UberEats is at your services. You can open your app for food delivery and order whatever you’d like, and it’s from your preferred restaurant. You’re at work in your office, and you are hungry. Order a burger on tap, or do you prefer pizza more? Tap again, pizza ordered. After a few minutes, the food is delivered. Amazing, isn’t it? However, you also have an entrepreneurial attitude, so why don’t you develop a similar app for food?
Food delivery is growing rapidly because of the ease of app like UberEats, DoorDash, and Deliveroo. These apps have brought thousands of jobs to the system, and customers can have their favorite meals delivered right to their doorstep with just a button. Statista estimates that the world’s online food delivery industry will be a staggering $1.89 trillion in 2029 and will grow at a rate of 7.83% from 2025 to 2029. DoorDash holds a market share greater than 50 percent for the U.S. alone, whereas UberEats remains the most loved food delivery service globally.
Food delivery apps are so popular that they have become an immediate delight on the App Store and Play Store. This has made them an innovative business concept that is bound to succeed. However, this has left an unanswered question in the app market: How much will it cost to create an app like UberEats, Swiggy, and Zomato? The answer is at the end of this article.
The on-demand or online food ordering and delivery business has been growing for several years. Particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic was declared a threat, demand for food delivery services experienced an enormous boost. Users use a variety of mobile apps to find food items and place orders online.
Restaurants can also use their own restaurant apps because of the benefits of an online food ordering system. But nowadays, food delivery is not restricted to merely food items that can be eaten. Today, people order tea, groceries, raw food items, and other food items. Many food delivery companies invest in cloud kitchen models to provide food delivery services.
Today, food tech startups are looking at building various apps for food ordering. This is why the number of food delivery apps has risen significantly over the last few years.
Today, people are looking for a wide range of food ordering and delivery apps that allow this service more easily and economically. Here are some statistics that show the growing need for such apps.
It would be fascinating to know as of 2022, the total number of users using food delivery apps worldwide will be 2.5 billion.
Cost estimation for food delivery app development requires a systematic approach. You must consider various aspects and follow a specific method to determine the correct cost estimate for your Food delivery app development. Here, we’ve shared a few tested methods to aid you in estimating the correct price of building an app for food delivery:
Study the food delivery apps currently available to find out their capabilities, design, and function. Numerous popular applications, such as DoorDash, Grubhub, UberEats, Postmates, and many more, are earning significant business revenues in the food delivery industry.
Examining your app’s strengths and weaknesses can help you discover the potential for improvement and differentiation. This will also allow you to determine your app’s requirements and costs more precisely.
Create a comprehensive scope document that lists all your application’s capabilities, features, and technical requirements. This document includes mockups, wireframes, and user stories that clearly explain the app’s structure and design. The document can serve as a reference guide for developers and assist in obtaining precise cost estimates.
Reduce the functions of your application into modules or smaller parts. They can be classified according to the user interface (UI) and backend development and operating system platform (iOS, Android), 3rd-party integrations, safety measures, and maintenance and support. Here, we have presented an average estimate of cost for the most important features of a food delivery app that has been successful:
We’ve compiled a comprehensive list of essential features of food delivery app or ordering platform that are must-haves for drivers, customers, and restaurant owners. Check out the most current features.
Allow customers to make purchases with a couple of taps. Give them a simple navigation that will direct them to the check-out process. For example, you can let them choose and add their favorite food item using the ‘add to order’ option.
Integrate your app, like Zomato or GrubHub, to payment processors like PayPal, Stripe, and Braintree. Let users pay with a debit or credit card. Be sure to give your customers multiple payment options.
These feedbacks are crucial to understanding the user’s experience with your app for food delivery. Allow your customers to give you feedback and rate your app so that you can investigate flaws and loopholes as they arise.
Your app’s users can discover cafes, restaurants, bars, and restaurants by location or cuisine. You can also organize your search filters according to various restaurants and cuisines and your users’ most popular cuisines. It makes ordering food simple.
Monitoring their food delivery through an interactive map of geolocation as Google Maps integration assures customers that their packages will be delivered. Customers can also see the time they will need to travel to. This can help build trust in the service.
Let your customers check the availability of tables at different restaurants via your app for food development. Then, make sure that they’re able to reserve the space with just a few easy steps.
Control every step, from picking up to dispatch to scheduling orders. This allows you to efficiently manage orders and then deliver them in a timely manner to your customers.
Owners can set their own commission and payment rates and control them through the admin panel. They can then make payments to every partner.
Delivery drivers, driver schedules, canceled orders, and information related to drivers can be easily monitored via the administration panel.
Receive real-time updates and alerts about the driver and the restaurant owner whenever they have updated their profile and restaurant details or changed the availability of their services.
Keep your drivers’ profiles up-to-date. Complete the profile with an image, name, email address, telephone number, photograph, and other crucial details. Drivers can maintain their profiles up-to-date.
Drivers can also handle multiple food delivery orders at the same time and respond to all requests within close proximity to other delivery sites.
Let your drivers register in the app using social media platforms such as Gmail and Facebook. The login process should be simple: complete personal details to allow drivers to register within the application.
Drivers need to receive push notifications about the latest orders assigned to them. Even if the food delivery application is shut, drivers must be notified by sound of the particular order they have been assigned.
To allow the delivery driver to make a last-minute delivery and arrive on time, it is essential to select the fastest and most convenient route to the user’s destination. This will also assist him in reaching the right location according to the user’s request.
A great user experience with a food delivery app is key to attracting more customers and boosting brand image. Many variables must be taken into consideration in the development of an app like UberEats. Many elements affect the delivery service you design, from features to tech stacks and development phases.
The top seven elements that are most influential in the creation of an app similar to DoorDash are:
Apart from the above-mentioned costs In addition, here is the price break to have the essential features included in the app for food delivery:
The cost of constructing the app to deliver food is contingent upon the area of operation of the agency responsible for app development. The location, taxes local to the area, and other business expenses determine developers’ cost per hour. Costs for mobile app development vary based on the area of the.
The most expensive nations to build digital products are the UK, Germany, and Australia. Middle-to expert-level developers charge around 40-150 dollars per hour. The most affordable hourly development fees are in areas such as Pakistan, India, and Ukraine, and they range between $20 and $120 per hour.
The creation of a mobile application involves various phases. From identifying these types of apps to designing tests, maintenance, and testing, various costs are incurred in the process.
In addition to mobile app development, Companies also offer maintenance of apps for an additional charge of 22%. If you want to outsource the entire project, contact the top Flutter app development firm. Below are estimates of the cost of food delivery services. DoorDash will provide you with an overview of the costs incurred.
Food delivery apps are currently developed for Android or iOS platforms. Therefore, the cost varies according to the platform you select. Making a food delivery app for an Android platform is difficult compared to iOS, as Android requires various hardware.
App designs are built on customers’ preferences and choices. To do that, you have to study their ordering patterns and then design an intuitive interface with basic to advanced features. In this case, the importance of the Android and iOS platforms is vital and demands 30—to 35-inch screen designs and good code. The price varies between native apps on both platforms.
To develop an app that delivers food to Android and iOS platforms with the same functionality and a common codebase, you must engage a dedicated developer team proficiently developing Flutter-based apps. It is possible to contact a reputable Flutter app development business that will charge you less than developing native apps.
Food delivery apps require cutting-edge technology to deliver exceptional performance. They aim to increase the number of customers by incorporating cutting-edge technologies such as virtual real-time, augmented reality, cloud-managed infrastructure services, and machine learning algorithmic systems.
The more advanced functions an application comes with, the more expensive it becomes. There are also people working with an application development company that uses different frameworks for development, databases, and programming languages. Therefore, the total price is determined by the technology stack you decide to use to develop your application. Compared with Android platforms, iOS app development is more costly because it requires Swift developers. However, developing the same application by Kotline or a Java developer on the Android platform can cost about $50000.
Another option is to create cross-platform mobile applications suitable for Android and iOS. To do that, you’ll need competent multi-platform developers with the best Flutter application development company. This is the most efficient and cost-effective option for your company.
Data privacy and application security are two of the most important features users seek. Furthermore, you must obtain the official approval of Google’s publication guidelines. If you are considering a delivery app, these concerns significantly impact the app’s performance because the app keeps track of users’ addresses for business and residential addresses.
Users sign up using details like telephone names, addresses for email, and various financial credentials to complete the payment process. This requires strict QA programs and testing solutions from the developer’s side. This ensures total security and privacy, eliminating data loss and harmful viruses and ensuring the applications work without error codes. To protect the software from hacking and other malware, the QA team must conduct tests to detect hacker activity, conduct an end-to-end encryption process, and conduct penetration testing. In general, these services are priced between $1000 and $5000.
In this process, it’s hard to stay clear about UberEats’ approaches to earning money from their services. Here are UberEats principal methods of monetization:
In addition to delivery charges, UberEats also charges a service fee for each order. This charge is a portion of the order’s total value and pays for transaction completion and customer service.
If you believe that the subscription-based monetization model is a common practice only for streaming platforms, UberEats is a great alternative. UberEats’ approach serves as an absolute refutation. It provides a subscription service referred to under the names UberEats Pass or Eats Pass. Customers pay a monthly cost to enjoy perks such as free delivery for orders of more than the specified amount and lower service charges.
App like UberEats charges their clients a delivery charge for every order made through the platform. The fees are not usually fixed and can vary depending on various factors, such as the distance between the pickup location and the client, the demand for food apps that are online during the time of the order, and local pricing rules. Collecting delivery feeds is an easy method for a company to make money directly from its customers.
UberEats takes a commission from restaurants for each order placed through the platform. According to the agreement signed between UberEats and the particular restaurant, the commission typically ranges from 15 percent to 30 percent of the total value of an order. It is a major source of revenue that permits app like UberEats to onboard as many restaurants as possible.
Developing a food delivery app has challenges. The most common issues are
If you’re just beginning to set up your business, this could cause a problem even though it doesn’t have anything to do with UberEats or Zomato’s app development cost and food delivery app development expenses. The best thing to do is focus on smaller establishments that require publicity instead of stepping behind the top names. At this point, you should focus on increasing your partner count instead of naming restaurants popular with the millennials.
Another challenge that your agent for developing restaurant apps can solve is deciding which MVP features should be included in the application and which ones to eliminate. MVPs can also significantly influence the price of developing apps for food delivery.
As you’re just getting started in the field, it is crucial for you to try the waters prior to going fully-fledged. The only method to do this without much cost and restriction is to use an MVP. The partner agency you choose to work with will help you create an MVP that can help you raise funds for your business.
The most significant challenge entrepreneurs face when developing an app like UberEats and Swiggy is the already saturated market. This market has already been saturated by companies that are leaders in their own fields.
In such a scenario in which you are faced with this, you must provide something that other competitors do not, either in terms of features or the app’s UX/UI. With the food delivery app you have created, the firm will need to discover new ways to draw in restaurants that are already working with other competitors in the market. Simultaneously, you must ensure you offer better services in terms of discounts or alternatives to customers ordering food.
While it’s a vital aspect of developing online food ordering apps, it can be a daunting choice because the purpose of each screen is distinct and individualized to the users’ needs. However, that’s where your trusted mobile app design firm will be able to help. They’ll need to design an experience that is a blend of design and motion that is consistent across each of the screens and responds to totally different needs.
Finding an agency that can transform your idea into a fully functioning application company can be daunting. There are a myriad of questions you should ask before deciding on a mobile app development company. While it can be difficult, choosing the right team to transform your vision into reality will aid you in navigating the ever-growing on-demand food delivery apps.
The latest trends in food delivery determine the future direction of online food ordering and on-demand food delivery apps. These trends have just made a few small appearances today and are likely to alter the business in 2025.
Let’s examine the food delivery trends that you should focus on to get your food delivery app a success in the future and even today. Ensure that you contact your food delivery app developer to discuss the possibility of expanding an application.
In addition to standard food ordering channels such as websites and Mobile apps, consumers will soon be able to find newer ways to place orders online. Channels include Social Media, virtual Assistants, Smart Objects, Smart TVs, and Wearables, or even via Your Car Dashboard.
It’s time to make your boring restaurant app smart, and the only technology that can play a key part in this is AR/VR. While initially, they’ll be focused on the app’s marketing aspect, they’ll eventually serve as a primary way to engage users by keeping customers hooked on the app even if their food orders are taking a while to arrive.
The booming market for Blockchain technology has also led to an exciting new service for the food delivery industry online: crypto food ordering. Customers worldwide can pay for delivery online or takeaway meals using cryptocurrency.
In relation to the current trend in the market for food delivery apps, various companies like PizzaForCoins, Levy Restaurants, and Feastly have begun accepting up to 50 cryptocurrency. That means you must look before it becomes commonplace and makes your business concept appear obsolete.
The only direction that app-based food delivery is towards an upgraded version of traditional food delivery. Companies like Postmates are starting to provide a formidable challenge to companies that focus solely on delivering food from restaurants to consumers. The answer to how they operate lies in the app’s function as an on-demand platform where customers can place orders for food items, food preparation equipment, and even alcohol with a live note.
We suggest you get a thorough knowledge of Postmates and its business model and then debate the development methods to develop your own Postmate app with your app development partner business.
In addition to the new ordering options, the on-demand food delivery system will explore emerging trends shortly. Delivery options are evolving toward a future where food will be delivered via drones, parachutes, or robots. This means that you have to make sure that the mobile food delivery application that you’re investing in is designed to integrate into these types of delivery.
Big data in the food industry is considered a specialized sector at present, but the future will transform. The coming years will bring many adaptations to the power of technology within the field of food.
The business model behind apps, which is currently focused on helping customers connect with restaurants in one place, will evolve into more diverse business models like:
As a result, we’ve come to the end of this insightful piece on the food delivery apps industry and the food delivery online application fees you’ll be required to spend to be among the most prominent names in the industry.
Most startups ignore hidden costs that can greatly impact their budget and the expected profit. Here are a few of the most frequently encountered ones:
Failure to consider legal issues in the beginning can be costly in the future. Startup companies try to avoid the essential expenses of legal costs for contract trademarks, patents, and other legal documents and compliance with industry regulations. All of these costs can be more than anticipated, especially in highly regulated areas.
Support and customer service are essential to keeping your app’s loyal users. To address customer issues and complaints, resources such as help desks, CRM tools, or response-management systems may be needed. These frequently go unnoticed.
Cutting corners while creating an app for food delivery could result in “technical debt,” which is the cost of repairing problems with infrastructure or code in the future. Not investing in a stable tech stack for successful development can result in more expensive costs in the long run.
The development costs of this app for food delivery are associated with internal hiring. Finding and keeping talent for the long haul will cost more than just wages. The costs are mainly related to hiring, benefits, insurance, and training. You can also employ offshore developers through an experienced app development company.
We have discussed that the cost of developing a food delivery app is affected by numerous aspects, from the choice of platform to experience of food delivery app development company. If you are able to strategically manage your budget and make the correct decisions during the development process, you will be able to achieve positive returns on your business plan.
If you opt for a hybrid approach to development, using open-source frameworks and focusing on the core features to cut down on the costs of developing an app that delivers food, be sure to plan for scale. Using third-party services and weighing in hidden costs are essential for keeping your app operating and affordable in the long run.
With these clever strategies, you’ll be on your way to establishing an effective online food delivery service without spending a fortune. However, it requires careful research and an expert understanding of the industry.