How Much Does a Food Delivery App Cost to Build?

Mobile apps have revolutionized how people eat. Simply open an app, choose your favorite food, and have it delivered to your doorstep within minutes. The culture of on-demand food delivery has become essential, with the industry thriving due to growing consumer demand and market innovation.

• Global Market: Projected to reach $483.9 billion by 2032, growing at a 12% CAGR.
• USA Market: Estimated revenue of $353.30 billion in 2024.

Considering launching your own food delivery application is a wise decision in this booming industry. However, development costs can be challenging, especially for startups with limited budgets. Innovative features and strategic planning are crucial to stand out in this competitive market.

In this blog, we will cover everything you need to estimate food delivery app development cost and provide tips on reducing these costs.

Cost Breakdown for Food Delivery App Development

The expenses associated with creating a food delivery application can range between $40,000 and $150,000. This cost varies based on several factors, such as the development company’s location, skills, features included, and the app’s complexity.

The app size also affects the overall cost.

App Type	Pricing	Features
Small App	$40,000 to $70,000	Basic features such as user profile, food search, profile management, etc.
Medium App	$70,000 to $120,000	Social media integration, chat support, push notifications, etc.
Complex App	$120,000 to $150,000	AI integration, loyalty programs, and more.

The cost to build a food delivery app can also differ based on the team’s location. Hiring Android or iOS developers from the USA will generally be more costly than hiring from other countries.

Here’s the hourly rate for app development in different countries:

Country	App Development Cost (Hourly)
USA	$90-$150
Australia	$70-$120
Europe	$60-$100
Middle-East	$50-$80
Asia	$20-$50

Factors Affecting the Cost of Making a Food Delivery App

Features

The more features you want in your app, the higher the cost. A food delivery app can offer a broad range of services. It can focus on providing only food ordering and delivery services, or it can also provide restaurant management or table reservation services alongside food ordering. Based on your services, your app will need these features. Consequently, developing these features will impact the overall cost of food delivery apps.

UI/UX Design

UI/UX design is a significant factor that can increase or decrease the cost of building a food delivery app like Deliveroo.

• Simple or Generic Design: Opting for a simple or generic design will cost you less.
• Complex Design: The more complex the design, the higher the cost.

Wireframes, prototypes, and testing iterations also affect the overall cost. More iterations mean higher costs.

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Multi-Platform Development

Developing an application that works across various platforms (iOS, Android, web) will increase the cost compared to creating it for just one platform. Each platform has its development requirements, design guidelines, and testing processes, contributing to the overall development time and cost. Furthermore, optimizing the app for various screen sizes and resolutions adds to the complexity and expense.

Time Required for App Development

The time to develop an app is a major factor you can’t overlook. Developers charge based on the time they invest in your project. Here’s an overview of how long it typically takes to create different components of your app:

Component	Time Taken
Customer Panel	600-800 hours
Vendor Panel	700-800 hours
Delivery Panel	500-700 hours

In addition to these, other essential tasks such as UI/UX design, front-end and back-end development, technical documentation, mobile app testing, and bug fixing also add to the development time.

In terms of overall timeframe, developing an app like Deliveroo typically takes 4 to 6 months, but this can increase depending on the complexity of your project.

Support and Maintenance

Launching your app is just the beginning; support and maintenance services are crucial for its continued success. You don’t want an app on the Play Store or App Store that no one downloads anymore. Keeping the app functional and bug-free is essential.

Regular bug fixes, feature updates, and maintenance can increase the overall cost of developing a food delivery app like Deliveroo. Generally, these services will cost about 15% to 20% of the initial development cost. This percentage can vary based on your product needs and the changes made.

We have covered the most crucial elements affecting the expenses involved in creating a food delivery application.

With many hidden costs involved, you might be interested in ways to reduce those costs, outlined below.

Steps to Estimate Food Delivery App Development Cost

Calculating the expenses for developing a food delivery application involves a systematic approach. You need to consider various factors and follow certain steps to get an accurate cost estimation for your project. Here are some proven methods to help you estimate the cost:

1. Prepare a Detailed Scope Document

Create a comprehensive scope document that outlines all your app’s features, functionalities, and technical requirements. Include wireframes, mockups, and user stories to communicate the app’s design and functionality clearly. This document will act as a guide for developers and help obtain accurate cost estimates.

2. Research Existing Food Delivery Apps

Research existing food delivery apps in the market to understand their features, design, and functionality. Many famous apps, such as DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats, Postmates, and others, are generating impressive business revenue in the food delivery industry.

Evaluate their strengths and weaknesses to uncover opportunities for differentiation and improvement in your app. This research will help you better define your app requirements and estimate the cost more accurately.

Here is the recent data about the market share of popular food delivery apps in 2024:

3. Break Down Features into Components

Break down your app’s features into smaller components or modules. You can categorize them based on the user interface (UI), backend development, OS platform (iOS, Android), third-party integrations, security measures, and maintenance/support.

Here is an average cost estimation for key features of a successful food delivery app in Asia:

Food Delivery App Features	Cost in Asia ($)
Cuisine listings, sub-menus, and products	1500-2500
Search filters for pricing, delivery costs, and diverse cuisine options	500-800
Add to cart and order history	700-1500
In-app messaging and chat support	2500-4000
Signup with 2FA	1000-1500
Sign in or order as guest options	700-1500
Delivery tracking via live location	1500-2500
Online payment	500-1000
Push notifications	700-1500
Reviews & ratings	1000-1500

4. Consult with Experienced Developers

Consult with experienced developers or companies that provide dedicated food delivery app development services. They will offer better insights into the cost factors specific to your project requirements. You can discuss your app requirements, features, and design preferences with them to receive professional guidance and cost estimation for your food delivery app development.

Ways to Reduce the Cost of Developing Food Delivery Apps

While there are many costs that you can’t overlook, you can use these strategies to help reduce the costs of developing a food delivery app:

1. Open-Source Libraries & Frameworks

Open-source libraries help developers with code reusability and provide easy access to frequently used codes. They eliminate the need to start everything from scratch every time.

Tools like Node.js offer several benefits for businesses:

• Cost Efficiency: They are free to use, which reduces development costs.
• Community Support: They have a large community that provides extensive resources and support.
• Speed of Development: Reusable code speeds up the development process, reducing labor costs.

Utilizing these tools can help significantly reduce the cost of developing a food delivery app.

2. Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

Although an MVP is optional, investing in it can be highly beneficial. Let us elaborate: MVP app development involves creating a streamlined version of your application containing essential features to receive feedback on your ideas.

Here’s how an MVP can help:

• Gather Feedback Early: By releasing a basic version of your app, you can gather user feedback early on. This helps you understand what features are essential and which ones can be improved.
• Reduce Complexity: Developing an MVP allows you to focus on the core functionalities, avoiding unnecessary complexities in the initial stages.
• Cost Efficiency: By refining your app based on user feedback, you can avoid costly iterations later on. This ensures that the final version of your app is more aligned with user expectations, reducing the chances of expensive redesigns or feature overhauls.

Investing in an MVP can save you time and money while ensuring that your app effectively meets market demands.

3. Agile Methodology

You can choose from different agile methodology approaches to divide the project into different phases. This not only increases the speed of development but also reduces the cost.

Here’s how agile methodology can help:

• Phased Development: By breaking the project into smaller, manageable phases, you can focus on completing important tasks first. This ensures that high-priority features are developed and tested early on.
• Iterative Process: Agile allows for iterative development, where continuous improvements and changes can be made based on feedback and testing. This minimizes the risk of committing time and resources in features with less value.
• Improved Efficiency: Agile methodologies emphasize collaboration, flexibility, and ongoing improvement, which can result in more efficient resource use and faster development cycles.
• Reduced Waste: By focusing on delivering small, incremental updates, agile reduces the risk of wasting time and resources on unnecessary features, ultimately reducing the overall development cost.

4. Competent Project Management

A proper project management approach is necessary to reduce development time and costs.

Here’s how competent project management can help:

• Set Milestones & Deadlines: Establishing clear milestones and deadlines helps to keep the project on track. This avoids dragging the project out longer than necessary and ensures timely delivery of features.
• Effective Resource Management: By managing resources more effectively, you can allocate tasks based on team strengths and availability, reducing idle time and increasing productivity.
• Cost Control: Competent project management includes regularly monitoring and controlling the project budget. This helps identify and address cost overruns promptly.
• Risk Management: Effective project management involves identifying potential risks early and implementing mitigation strategies, which helps in avoiding costly issues later.

Overall, these are some of the ways to reduce food delivery app development costs. Through thorough planning and a strategic approach, you can still achieve better user engagement and revenue for your business.

Conclusion

The food delivery industry is thriving, and launching your own app can be a game-changer. However, development costs can be a major challenge. You can create an effective and innovative app on a budget by understanding cost factors and employing smart strategies like using open-source libraries, developing an MVP, and adopting agile methodologies.

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