Food Delivery App Development: Unveiling the True Costs
If you have ordered food online, you may have noticed just how many apps there are in the market. Doesn’t it feel like the food delivery industry is everywhere, and it is thriving?
With big players like Uber Eats enjoying their slice of the marketshare with smaller players, you may want to believe there is no room for new ideas. Alas! That’s far from the truth.
There are plenty of ways you can carve a niche and tap into opportunities that others have missed. If you are thinking of launching your very own food delivery app, now might be a great time. It is the need of the hour and several people are already interested in the increasing convenience.
But before you jump to the development stage, you must map out the budget for the app.
This guide will help you plan the budget, understand the estimates and know the actual cost of development. Reading this article will prepare your stakeholders to fund the food delivery application.
Factors Impacting Food Delivery App Development Cost
As a first step to determining your budget, you must know all the factors that influence the final application cost.
#1. Complexity of Features and Functionality
When you build an app with basic features, such as sign up, login and few restaurants to select from, you have built a simple application. You can use one designer, a developer and a testing specialist to deliver this solution.
However, as you expand the feature scope, you will need more specialists on board. For instance, you will need someone with AI understanding and the requisite infrastructure to add recommendations to your delivery app.
As the feature scope increases, the app complexity also goes up. This can engage more users but, it is built on increasing number of resources and money. GPS integration, payments and even scheduling options can increase the feature complexity and add to the backend logic.
As resources grow and complexity increases, the budget has to naturally go up. So, features and the overall complexity of app development can add to your budget.
#2. Technology Stack and Platform
The tech stack and platform you choose to develop your food delivery app plays a huge role in determining the cost. By picking the right technologies, you can stay well within your budget.
For example, if you go with native app development using Swift or Kotlin, the cost would be higher. On the other hand, if you use frameworks like Flutter or React Native, it will allow you to build an app for multiple platforms with a single codebase. This will save you a lot of money.
Your choice in backend technology matters too. While NodeJs can enhance the app’s performance, it can also increase the costs. Even the payment gateway choices can increase or reduce the cost.
#3. Design and User Experience Requirements
How your user interacts with the app can also determine engagement levels and finally retention. If it is easy to use, people will interact more and you will notice a traction in your user base.
To improve user interaction, you need to invest in a seamless and impressive interface. Choosing the right tools, and specialists can help you create engaging designs.
Figma is a tool that can help you create interactive prototypes at a low cost. however, if you choose Adobe XD, you may need to spend more. As you opt for personalized designs or native layouts, you may need to increase the budget for the app.
If you opt for more responsive designs for multi-platform layouts, you may gain more and spend less.
#4. Integration with Third-party Services and APIs
It is crucial to integrate your application with third-party services and API to extend its functionality. However, when you add more functionality to the application, it will cost you more. Additionally, you need to pay by hiring the resources to integrate the new apps and functionality.
You must also ensure complete compliance with the security standards while integration, which requires specialist team members. When you are integrating APIs to extend functionality, you need to pay specific dollars for the purpose.
When implementing services, such as restaurant menu management, customer reviews and loyalty programs, you need to pay for license fees and subscription models. You can extend the functionality seamlessly and influence the cost of the application.
#5. Security and Compliance Requirements
The next factor that influences the cost of your food delivery application is the overall cost of development and complexity of the regulations/compliances. You need to ensure complete protection of sensitive user data that gets added to the application in the form of payment and personal information.
Adding SSL encryption, multi-factor authentication and other security measures can take time and expertise. Conducting regular data audits and encrypting the entire data wealth can help you reduce lapses and ensure maximum protection. For this purpose, you need to add more budget according to the security measures you plan to take.
Mobile Payments: Average Cost to Develop a Food Delivery App
The approximate cost of developing a food delivery application is anywhere between $30,000 to $300,000.
We have listed all the factors that influence this cost range for developing food delivery application.
#1. Location of Development Team
The geographical location of the development team can impact the total cost of development. The hourly rates are higher for regions like North America and Western Europe. The Eastern Europe and Asian countries charge less, around $40 to $100 an hour.
#2. Feature Complexity
When you implement advanced features, you need specialists and even the time to introduce them. this would increase the cost of development and resources required.
#3. Total Platforms
The total platforms you are planning to develop the app for and the development approach will also determine the cost of development. If you are planning native application for dual platforms or cross-platform solutions, you will need separate budget for that.
#4. Backend Infrastructure
You can manage large volume of order and users with a scalable and robust backend. You must add resource or time cost related to cloud services and API gateways that contribute to the budget.
Breakdown of Costs by Platform
Knowing the platform-wise cost for your food delivery app can help you estimate the budget better.
Platform |
Cost Breakup |
iOS |
$30k to $70k |
Android |
$25k to $60k |
Hybrid |
$40k to $90k |
#1. iOS App Development
With a rigid design guideline and stringent review process, you need to ensure expert app development team for iOS applications. They understand the platform and can offer the best solutions for your business.
However, hiring experts means a good addition to your budget. Moreover, if you need specific features or functionality, you might need to include the experts for the same.
#2. Android App Development
Android being a fragmented platform requires developers who are at ease with delivering responsive designs and layouts. You may need to invest in specific expertise so that you get a high-quality and performance-driven app for your business needs.
#3. Hybrid App Development
Hybrid or cross-platform apps are built using a single codebase that can be used across Android and iOS platforms. Using this approach, you can save approximately 30-40% of the total cost. Hybrid apps cost anywhere between $40k and $90k.
Comparison with Average Cost to Develop Food Delivery App
If you are planning to budget the food delivery application, you must consider the features and app complexity as well.
#1. Basic Application
The cost of a basic application is anywhere between $30k-$50k. The features such as user registration, restaurant listing, menu browsing and order functionality. You don’t need an extensive backend or advanced functionality to enhance the usability.
#2. Medium-complexity App
The medium complexity application costs about $50k-$100k. These apps include the advanced features of real-time order tracking and payment options. You need to implement complex backend infrastructure like GPS and payment gateways for the app to function.
#3. Advanced Application
You can also consider these apps to be enterprise-grade as they include advanced features like AI-based recommendations, language support and data analytics. As you need more high-end algorithms and multiple API integrations, you need to invest in more resources and timelines.
Custom Food Delivery Solutions: Development Costs and Benefits
A custom food delivery app is built to meet your unique food business needs. From personalizing the features to making the interface usable, you can tailor the entire app for your end users.
By integrating the custom payment systems and delivery tracking features, you can enhance the application. Custom food delivery solutions can ensure the flexibility and scalability needed by your business to give you a competitive edge.
There are several factors influencing the food delivery app development cost.
- The broad scope of the project, such as the app types and dashboard features, can impact the cost of development. The different components or app type requires different development efforts, which computes into the overall cost.
- The complexity of the features you plan to add to the application can also increase the overall cost. When you add complex functionality like dynamic pricing and AI-based recommendations, you need more time and resources. This eventually increases the budget for the food delivery application.
- The technology stack has a significant impact on your custom food delivery app development. Whether your budget increases or stays manageable largely depends on the tools and approach you select.
- The team’s size will also play a role in the cost estimates. If you hire a skilled team to deliver high-quality solutions faster, they will charge more. When implementing specialized technologies like AI and AR/VR, you need the experts who will charge more.
Estimated Costs for Custom Food Delivery App Development
A basic app with essential features for both users and restaurants can cost anywhere between $30k and $50k. As you add more features to the application, the price can climb up to $50k. in case of complex applications, you may need to pay anywhere between $50k and $150k.
The technology choices can also influence the numbers. Cross-platform development costs anywhere between $40k and $80k. Native tech stacks can cost you more, somewhere between $60k and $100k.
Food Delivery Talent Acquisition: Hire App Developer Costs
When you hire dedicated food delivery app developer, you can use one of the three engagement models.
- The freelancer model offers flexibility at a lower cost. Depending on the expertise, the freelancers charge $20 to $100 per hour. This model is ideal when you are planning small projects or working on a startup application. However, you might face quality issues when hiring freelancers.
- The in-house team gives you complete control on the project development. The seamless communication and iterative development can help you deliver applications seamlessly. However, this can become expensive for your business.
- Outsourcing development can be cost-effective for your business. Depending on the scope and complexity, you can define the team and charges.
Several Factors Impact the Cost of Hiring Food Delivery App Developer
- The location of the developer matters when you are defining the budget for the food delivery app development. If you hire someone from the US or Western Europe, you need to pay anywhere between $100 and $200. However, the Asian regions, especially India can cost less. You need to pay anywhere between $20 and $50 for the developer.
- You need developers with extensive experience in creating food delivery app solutions. You will need an experienced developer if you want to incorporate real-time tracking and payment features.
- The market demand also influences the overall cost of the app development. If the demand is high for a particular technology, you need to invest more. You may want to go to regions that have affordable and skilled developers.
Estimated costs for hiring a food delivery app developer
Here’s a look at the estimated cost of hiring a food delivery application.
- The hourly rates differ according to the region. It is about $100 to $200 in Western Europe while it is about $20-$50 per hour in India and Asia.
- Fixed-price contracts are best for smaller projects. It can cost you anywhere between $30000 to $50000 for the basic application. In case of a complex application, it will cost anywhere between $50k to $150k.
Food Delivery App Team Costs
Role |
Location |
Cost Range ($/year) |
Designers |
US |
$70k to $120k |
UK |
$65k to $90k |
|
India |
$25k to $40k |
|
Europe |
$30k to $45k |
|
Developers |
US |
$80k to $150k |
UK |
$60k to $110k |
|
India |
$20k to $55k |
|
Europe |
$35k to $80k |
|
Business Analyst |
US |
$65k to $115k |
UK |
$50k to $100k |
|
India |
$25k to $70k |
|
Europe |
$25k to $70k |
|
QA Engineer |
US |
$85k to $140k |
UK |
$60k to $140k |
|
India |
$25k to $60k |
|
Europe |
$40k to $90k |
|
Project Manager |
US |
$55k to $100k |
UK |
$50k to $80k |
|
India |
$15k to $40k |
|
Europe |
$25k to $60k |
Food Delivery App Cost Estimator: App Development Cost Calculator
The food delivery app cost calculator can help estimate the overall cost of developing a solution that fits your needs. The tool can simplify planning and budget estimation for your business. By adding all the essential factors, you can identify how much you need to pay to get the app development.
The online tools for calculation include Clutch.co, Buildfire, Toptal and GoodFirms. Each of these websites have their calculators that can help know a detailed budget breakdown based on market data.
Conclusion
Investing in a good food delivery application increases growth opportunities for your business. however, to release the best application, you need to plan well. From understanding the market demand to focusing on user-friendly features, there is a lot to understand before you build the application.
Examples like Uber Eats and DoorDash can help you understand how strategic development with innovation can enhance the app’s success.
You should invest in cost-saving strategies like reduced costs and open-source technologies to boost the app’s brilliance. Adopting current technologies like Blockchain can also enhance the app’s features.
Expert App Devs can support your vision of translating your concept into a food delivery application. Connect with our team to understand the best way forward and the estimates to build the solution.
Read More:
- The Top Strategies That Helped Deliveroo with 72% Revenue Leap
- Top 10 Food and Beverages App Development Ideas for Startups