Updated Date: Jun 25, 2025
Key Highlights
- USD 15,000* to 150,000+ is the approximate food delivery app development cost.
- App complexity and platform choice (Android, iOS, or Hybrid) are the key factors that affect food delivery app development costs.
- Custom design, advanced features, and third-party integrations increase both functionality and budget requirements.
Did you know? An average American spends USD 1850 yearly to order food through food delivery apps (Source: USA Today). Also, the food delivery app industry is projected to reach a 165 billion USD market size by 2029 (Source: Business of Apps).
Considering these numbers, it’s obvious that every second startup is interested in developing food delivery apps. If you are ignoring this golden opportunity, then you are missing a chance to build a profitable business.
But before proceeding with this food business idea, you should estimate how much it costs to develop a food delivery app. So, you can plan an effective budget strategy for launching a new business or expanding an existing one. In this blog, we will discuss all the necessary factors that influence the cost to develop a food delivery app like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and GrubHub.
How Much Does It Cost to Build a Food Delivery App?
The food delivery app development cost ranges between USD 15,000* to 150,000+ approximately.
To determine the cost of developing food delivery apps like UberEats and Doordash, you should consider app complexity, level of feature integrations, tech stack selection, design complexity, etc., as key aspects.
The approximate cost of building a food delivery app with essential features such as meal ordering, menu surfing, user registration, and payment API integration is USD 15,000 to 35,000.
Creating complex food delivery apps with features such as real-time order tracking, intricate backend, and loyalty programs costs you almost USD 40,000 to 70,000. An app with the latest trends like AI, augmented reality, virtual reality, or advanced technology costs you over USD 70,000.
However, if you want to know the exact calculation of food delivery app development cost based on your requirements, then you must consult a reputed mobile app development company like aPurple.
Top 10 Factors that Influence the Food Delivery App Development Cost
The cost of developing a food delivery app depends on many factors, such as app complexity, team location, feature integrations, and customization. Below are the top ten factors involved in the cost of on-demand food delivery app development.
[Please note that the following prices are rough estimates for an online food delivery business plan. They can vary depending on the region, expertise, experience, and specific feature requirements.]
1. App Complexity
The more you want, the more it costs. As the number of features and app complexity increases, food delivery app development costs also increase. If you provide food ordering and delivery services or create an app that manages restaurant and table reservations, prices vary depending on the functionality you need.
However, all those expenses are worthwhile if you are fulfilling the demands of the final consumer by finding gaps in the competitors’ apps.
| App Complexity | Per Hour Rate | Estimated App Development Cost | Development Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic App | USD 15 to 30 Per Hour | USD 15,000 to 35,000 | 3 to 6 Months |
| Moderate App | USD 30 to 60 Per Hour | USD 40,000 to 70,000 | 6 to 9 Months |
| Highly Complex App | USD 65 to 150 Per Hour | USD 70,000 to 150,000+ | 9+ Months |
2. Platform Choice
Developing a food delivery app for multiple platforms, such as iOS, Android, and the web, will cost you more than building it for only one platform. Each platform development has its unique requirements, design guidelines, and testing procedures. And the cost varies according to them.
Additionally, optimizing the app feasibility in different screen sizes and resolutions also affects the complexity and cost.
| Development Type | Basic App | Advance App | Custom App |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android Development (Single Platform) | USD 15,000 to 30,000 | USD 35,000 to 60,000 | USD 40,000 to 65,000 |
| iOS Development (Single Platform) | USD 20,000 to 33,000 | USD 37,000 to 65,000 | USD 65,000 to 80,000 |
| Hybrid Development (Cross-Platform) | USD 22,000 to 40,000 | USD 45,000 to 100,000 | USD 80,000 to 130,000+ |
3. Design (UI/UX) Complexity
The level of app user interface design influences the food delivery app development cost. A simple design of an app costs you less than a custom app design. The complex design components, graphics, animations, and branding elements increase the food delivery app UI/UX design cost.
Also, the time and effort required to complete the complex and custom design from UI/UX designers is higher, which also results in a higher cost.
| Design Level | Estimated Design Cost | Inclusions |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Design | USD 2,000 to 7,000 | Standard UI/UX Design with Minimal Customization. |
| Custom Design | USD 7,000 to 25,000 | High-quality UI/UX Design to Match Your App Branding & Give the Best User Experience. |
4. Selection of Key Features & Functionality
Your feature requirements vary according to the on-demand business model you choose for food delivery services. Highly complex features and a whole stack model come with a great price range, while essential meal delivery services cost you less.
Generally, an app requires four different UI to complete the food delivery model. This includes separate UIs for the user app, restaurant owner app, delivery partner app, and an admin panel. Several features you integrate into the respective panel can affect your final food delivery app development cost.
| Panel Type | Estimated Features Cost | Feature Examples |
|---|---|---|
| User Panel Features | USD 5,000 to 25,000 |
|
| Restaurant Partner Panel Features | USD 3,000 to 15,000 |
|
| Courier Panel Features | USD 5,000 to 15,000 |
|
| Admin Panel Features | USD 5,000 to 20,000 |
|
5. Development Team Location (In-House vs. Outsourcing)
As the living expenses are different in different regions, the cost of food delivery app development varies. Developed countries such as the USA and Western Europe may cost you more if you outsource developers from there. On the other hand, hiring developers from developing countries like India, the Philippines, and Ukraine may cost you less because of low living expenses.
Pro Tip: Outsource food delivery app developers with industry experts like aPurple to match your price as well as development expectations.
You can get quality work for USD 20 per hour if you hire developer from India. Meanwhile, outsourcing with USA developers costs you USD 95 per hour to get the same work with the same quality standards. However, you can consider in-house developers, which may cost you around USD 50 to 150 per hour (based on US/Europe*).
| Development Team Region | Hourly Rate of Developers |
|---|---|
| USA | USD 95 to 120 Per Hour |
| Western Europe | USD 80 to 95 Per Hour |
| Australia | USD 70 to 90 Per Hour |
| UAE | USD 60 to 70 Per Hour |
| Eastern Europe | USD 50 to 60 Per Hour |
| Asia (India, Ukraine) | USD 20 to 35 Per Hour |
Read How to Hire Developers for a Startup – Guide to Help You With Talent & Cost-effective Hiring!
6. Third-Party Integrations
Integrating APIs for payment gateways, mapping & geolocation, analytics tools, and customer support is crucial to offering the best food delivery services. But all these third-party integrations affect the final price of on-demand food delivery app development. Some third-party services need licensing fees or API charges, which can influence the overall development cost.
| Third-Party Integrations | Estimated Integration Cost | Integration Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Payment Gateway Integration | USD 2,000 to 5,000 |
|
| Maps & Geolocation Integration | USD 2,000 to 10,000 |
|
| SMS & Push Notifications | USD 1,000 to 5,000 |
|
7. Tech Stack Selection
The tech stack you select for food delivery mobile app development also affects the overall cost. Some technology stacks ask for licensing fees or have higher development costs with higher maintenance than others.
In some cases, advanced technology needs an expert and experienced developer, which increases your hiring cost. For example, if you want to integrate generative AI or implement a machine learning algorithm, you should be ready to pay more.
All this ultimately affects the final price of developing a food delivery app. However, investing in powerful frameworks and backend technology saves your costs from future maintenance and ensures better performance and scalability.
8. Security Measures
The food delivery app needs sensitive information, such as user contact details, and functionality, such as payment transactions. Integrating robust security measures is crucial for protecting user data.
Therefore, food delivery app developers must implement encryption protocols, secure authentication, data protection, and compliance with policies such as GDPR and HIPAA. These add additional expenses.
9. Maintenance & Support Expenses
It’s not a good idea to ignore app maintenance. Testing and upgrading are ongoing needs to keep your food delivery app running smoothly. App maintenance ensures performance, security, and better functionality.
The food delivery app maintenance cost includes regular updates, bug fixing, enhancements, and server maintenance. The cost of getting regular food delivery app maintenance and support ranges between 30-40% of the project cost per year.
10. Food Delivery App Launch & Marketing
When your food delivery app is successfully developed, you need to launch it in app stores such as Google Play Store and Apple App Store. These platforms will charge you a launching fee to get successfully listed on the App Store.
After that, you can start marketing your app to get users and revenue. Many marketing strategies need investment for better performance, such as app store optimization, Google Ads, Meta Ads, email marketing, influencer marketing, branding services, and more. Marketing cost depends on an individual startup budget. Still, it may cost you USD 5,000 to 20,000+ on average.
App Development Cost Estimation Based on Popular Food Delivery Apps Like Deliveroo & DoorDash
As we already mentioned, the overall cost depends on the specific requirements of your project. However, if you are planning to opt for a business model of app like GrubHub, Uber Eats, Instacart, or other well-known brands, then the following table is for you to consider food delivery app development cost.
| Popular Food Delivery App | Level of App Complexity | Leading Country (Primary Market) | Approximate Development Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrubHub | Complex | USA | USD 80,000 to 150,000 |
| Instacart | Complex | USA and Canada | USD 90,000 to 120,000 |
| Doordash | Complex | USA | USD 100,000 to 180,000 |
| UberEats | Complex | USA, Canada, Australia, and UK | USD 90,000 to 130,000 |
| Deliveroo | Moderate-Complex | UK | USD 60,000 to 80,000 |
| Zomato | Moderate-Complex | India | USD 40,000 to 70,000 |
| Postmates (Now Owned by UberEats) | Moderate | USA | USD 50,000 to 120,000 |
How to Reduce Food Delivery App Development Costs? [Pro Tips for Startups]
Getting your on-demand solution in the list of the best food delivery apps needs a smart approach, especially regarding development cost. As an expert and experienced software product development company, we have listed some practical tips that really help you to reduce the cost of developing food delivery app.
- Prioritize Features: Focus on core functionality in the beginning. Try using an MVP development and integrate the main features to get real users’ feedback. It costs less than full-fledged development.
- Use Open-source Tools: You can save licensing fees by leveraging free and reliable open-source libraries (e.g., ReactJS, Socket.io) and development frameworks (e.g., React Native, Flutter).
- Choose Cross-platform Development: Creating a hybrid app with a single codebase for both iOS & Android cuts down your development and maintenance expenses.
- Cloud Hosting & BaaS: Utilize cloud services and Backend as a Service (BaaS) to efficiently scale your food delivery app without investing in expensive infrastructure and backend development.
- Outsourcing: Hire skilled developers with a top startup app development company like aPurple from cost-effective regions to cut labor costs.
- Design for Future Growth: Design the app with scalability in mind. So, you can easily integrate advanced features later without costly system overhauls.
- Clone Your App: Instead of building a food delivery app from scratch, you can clone an app like Doordash to save money and effort.
Hidden Costs in Food Delivery App Development – Every Startup Should Know
Most startups overlook many hidden costs that can significantly affect their allocated budget and expected profitability. Here are some of the most common ones:
1. Unexpected Technical Debt
Shortcuts during the development of a food delivery app can result in “technical debt,” which is the cost of fixing code or infrastructure issues later. Ignoring investing in a reliable tech stack for successful development will result in higher long-term costs.
2. Legal & Regulatory Fees
Not considering legal activities at an initial stage can cost you more as a penalty later. Legal fees for contracts, patents, trademarks, and compliance with industry regulations are the necessary expenses that startups try to avoid. And all these expenses can be higher than expected, especially in highly regulated sectors.
3. Employee Benefits & Recruitment
This food delivery app development cost is associated with in-house hiring. Hiring and retaining talent long-term can cost you more than just salaries. Mainly, it includes recruitment costs, benefits, insurance, and training expenses. Instead, you can hire offshore developers from top app development companies like aPurple.
4. Customer Support & Service
Customer support and services are crucial to retaining your precious app users. Addressing all the customer’s issues and complaints can require resources like support teams, CRM tools, and response management systems, which often go unaccounted for.
Pro Tip: Spending your valuable money here and there without any guidance can cause you huge losses. Instead, collaborate with an experienced startup consulting service provider like aPurple, who will assist you through your business idea to final launch.
Final Takeaways on Food Delivery App Development Cost
As we have explored, food delivery app development cost is influenced by many factors, from platform choice to feature prioritization. By strategically doing your budget planning and making the right decisions throughout the development process, you can get positive ROI on your business model.
By opting for hybrid development, using open-source frameworks, and focusing on core features, you can reduce the cost of developing a food delivery app. Remember, planning for scalability, utilizing third-party services, and considering hidden costs are key to keeping your app running and cost-effective in the long run.
Considering all these smart strategies, you’ll be well on your way to developing a successful on-demand food delivery app without breaking the bank. However, it needs thorough research and excellent industry knowledge. It is recommended to hire an expert food delivery app development company to build and estimate the project cost.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The food delivery app development cost is influenced by app complexity, platform choice, feature selection, design complexity, development team location, technology stack, and third-party integrations.
The approximate food delivery app development cost ranges between USD 15,000* to 150,000+ based on app complexity, platform, technology, and features.
Hybrid or cross-platform food delivery app development is generally cheaper than native app development. It can use a single codebase for both iOS and Android, whereas native apps require separate development for each platform.
Food delivery app development time typically ranges from 3 to 6 months for basic and moderate apps, while it takes approximately 9 months for complex apps.
