Apps
How much does it cost to build a delivery app like Talabat?
The four parts of a delivery app, what the first version needs, what drives the cost and the timeline, and how to launch in one area before you grow.
A delivery app looks like one app on the customer’s phone. Behind it there are at least four: one for customers, one for drivers, one for restaurants or shops, and a dashboard for you. That is why it costs more than most apps, and why the smartest launches start small. Here is what goes into one, and what it costs.
The four parts of a delivery app
| Part | Who uses it | Main features |
|---|---|---|
| Customer app | Buyers | Browsing, search, cart, payment, live order tracking, reordering, ratings |
| Driver app | Couriers | Accepting orders, navigation, pickup and delivery status, cash collected, earnings |
| Merchant app or panel | Restaurants and shops | Receiving and accepting orders, menu and stock, opening hours, sales reports |
| Admin dashboard | Your team | Zones and fees, commissions, drivers, support, promotions, reports |
What the first version needs
The first version should prove that people order and that you can deliver on time, in one area. Keep ordering, payment by cash and card, assigning orders to drivers, live status and basic reports. Leave loyalty programs, scheduled orders, extra wallets, advanced analytics and automatic dispatch across many zones for later.
What drives the cost
- Live tracking. Showing the driver on the map needs frequent location updates, a server built for them, and care for the phone’s battery.
- Dispatch. Assigning orders by hand from the dashboard is simple. Automatic assignment by distance and load is a project of its own.
- Payments and payouts. Card payments, cash collected by drivers and paying merchants their share all need careful accounting.
- Number of merchants. One restaurant chain is simpler than an open marketplace with hundreds of shops.
- Integrations. The POS systems at the merchants, maps, and SMS and WhatsApp notifications.
Cost and timeline
With one Flutter or React Native codebase for iPhone and Android, a delivery or marketplace app starts from about $7,000 with us, and the first release takes around six weeks. A single business delivering its own products, such as a restaurant with its own drivers, needs less: a customer app, a simple driver app and a dashboard. Our app cost guide lists the ranges for other kinds of apps.
Your own app, or the big platforms?
Joining a big delivery platform brings customers from day one and costs a commission on every order. Your own app costs more up front and keeps the customer relationship, the data and the margin. Many restaurants and shops do both: they stay on the platforms for reach, and use their own app and site to bring regular customers back without the commission.
Launch small, then grow
- Pick one area where you can deliver within the time you promise.
- Sign the first merchants, or start with your own products.
- Launch with a small driver team and assign orders from the dashboard.
- Measure delivery time, repeat orders and the cost of each delivery every week.
- Add the next area only when the first one runs well.
Questions about delivery apps
Can I start with a website instead of an app?
Yes. A fast ordering site with WhatsApp updates can test demand before you build the apps.
Who owns the app and the data?
With us, the apps are published under your own developer accounts, and the code and data are yours once the project is paid.
How are drivers paid?
The dashboard records every delivery and the cash each driver collected, so settling with drivers and merchants is a report, not a notebook.
See our mobile app service for how we plan and build apps.