Mobile App Development
Editorial Team
21 Nov 2025
Introduction
In recent years, lifestyle changes and the rapid growth of online technologies have revolutionized how people access food. Food delivery apps like Swiggy, Zomato, and their global counterparts have become central to everyday convenience, connecting millions of users with local restaurants and cuisines. If you’re wondering how much it costs to build a food delivery app like Swiggy or Zomato in 2025 this comprehensive guide breaks down the costs, features, development steps, and how Secuodsoft can help create powerful, scalable food delivery platforms tailored to your needs.
Why Build a Food Delivery App?
In 2025, owning a food delivery app is more than just a trend—it's a strategic asset. Here’s why:
- Expanding Market: Increased smartphone usage, faster internet, and seamless digital payments have democratized online ordering.
- Consumer Convenience: Instant access to diverse cuisines and doorstep delivery has changed consumer expectations.
- Business Growth: Restaurants and cloud kitchens gain direct customer access, reduce dependency on aggregators, and control branding and loyalty programs.
- Data & Analytics: Apps provide valuable data to optimize menus, promotions, and delivery logistics.
Whether you’re a startup, a single restaurant, or a food aggregator, a customized food delivery app offers scalability, customer engagement, and revenue growth.
Food Delivery Market Overview
- Swiggy and Zomato are leaders in India’s food delivery market, handling millions of orders daily.
- Similar global leaders like Grubhub boast over 24.6 million active diners and 3,00,000 restaurant partners (data as of Jan 2025).
- The food delivery industry thrives on convenience, coverage, and efficient logistics, leading to massive revenue growth year-over-year.
- Today’s users demand apps that seamlessly connect restaurants, delivery personnel, and customers while offering personalized experiences and real-time tracking.
Must-Have Features for Food Delivery Apps in 2025
When designing a successful food delivery app, the following features are essential to compete with industry leaders like Swiggy or Zomato.
User Panel Features
- Easy Registration & Login: Support social media and email login for quick onboarding.
- Smart Search & Filters: Search by cuisine, restaurant, price, and menu items with intuitive filtering.
- Order Placement & Scheduling: Enable instant or scheduled orders with a smooth cart and checkout.
- Real-Time Order Tracking: Use GPS to track order preparation and delivery status live.
- Recommendations: Save past orders and suggest restaurants based on preferences.
- Multiple Payment Options: Support UPI, wallets, cards, and cash on delivery.
- Coupon & Promotions: Push targeted offers and discounts to drive engagement.
- In-App Support: Provide real-time chat support to resolve order issues quickly.
Restaurant Panel Features
- Dashboard for Orders and Menu Management: Update menu, prices, and restaurant info.
- Order Confirmation and Delivery Assignment: Manage preparing orders and coordinate drivers.
- Payment Tracking & Analytics: Monitor transactions and customer feedback.
Delivery Partner App
- Delivery Assignment: Accept or reject delivery tasks.
- Route Optimization & GPS Navigation: Minimize delivery times using smart routing.
- Status Updates: Inform customers about pickup, transit, and delivery completion.
- Delivery History: Track earnings and past orders for commission calculations.
Admin Panel
- User and Restaurant Management: Oversee app users, restaurants, and delivery staff.
- Order Management & Analytics: Real-time tracking and detailed reports.
- Promotions & Content Management: Manage coupons, advertisements, and announcements.
- Payment & Commission Management: Control finances and payouts.
Factors Influencing Development Cost
Platform Choice
Building for Android, iOS, or both directly affects cost. Cross-platform development is an economic option but native apps offer better performance for complex features.
Features and Complexity
A basic single-restaurant app costs significantly less than a multi-restaurant aggregator like Swiggy or Zomato due to added logistics, real-time tracking, and AI-powered recommendations.
Technology Stack
Use of AI recommendation engines, chatbots, cloud integration, and third-party APIs increases cost but adds competitive edge.
Team Size and Location
Indian development teams offer world-class skills at competitive rates. Working with a reputed Indian company like Secuodsoft helps reduce costs without quality compromises.
UI/UX Design
Modern, intuitive, and personalized designs require extra investment but contribute hugely to customer satisfaction.
Maintenance and Upgrades
Ongoing updates, bug fixes, and compliance with evolving OS requirements add to long-term costs.
Estimated Development Cost of Food Delivery Apps in India 2025
Building a food delivery app’s cost is influenced by various factors: platform, complexity, features, design, and team location. Here’s a rough estimate based on app types:
| App Type |
Estimated Cost (INR) |
Estimated Cost (USD) |
Typical Users |
| Basic Single-Restaurant App |
₹3,50,000 – ₹6,00,000 |
$4,000 – $8,000 |
Local cafés, small restaurants |
| Mid-Level Multi-Restaurant App |
₹6,00,000 – ₹12,00,000 |
$8,000 – $16,000 |
Regional chains, startups |
| Advanced Aggregator App |
₹12,00,000 – ₹20,00,000+ |
$16,000 – $27,000+ |
Large platforms like Swiggy/Zomato |
Higher costs come with added complexities like real-time GPS tracking, payment gateways, loyalty programs, ratings, AI recommendations, and cloud scalability.
How Secuodsoft Builds Food Delivery Apps
Secuodsoft Technologies is a leading Indian technology company specializing in mobile app and web app development that combines innovation, security, and scalability. Here’s how Secuodsoft approaches building food delivery solutions:
Discovery and Strategy
Secuodsoft begins with understanding your business goals, target audience, competitive landscape, and platform preferences. This phase ensures a clear roadmap aligned with your vision.
Custom UI/UX Design
Creating an engaging, user-friendly interface that drives higher conversions and loyalty is a core strength of Secuodsoft’s design team.
Feature-rich Development
Secuodsoft leverages advanced tech stacks to build comprehensive customer, restaurant, delivery, and admin modules with real-time order processing, integrated payment gateways, push notifications, and AI-powered personalization.
AI & Smart Analytics
As an AI-first company, Secuodsoft integrates machine learning algorithms for delivery route optimization, demand forecasting, and personalized offers, enhancing operational efficiency and user experience.
Quality Assurance and Testing
Robust testing, including functional, performance, security, and usability testing, ensures a reliable product before market launch.
Deployment and Support
Secuodsoft supports seamless launch on app stores, offers cloud hosting solutions, and provides ongoing updates and technical assistance.
Client Success Stories
Secuodsoft has delivered successful food delivery applications with secure payment integration, efficient delivery management, and customer retention features, trusted by startups and enterprises across India and abroad.
Conclusion
Building a food delivery app like Swiggy or Zomato requires a strategic blend of user-centric features, robust technology, and a scalable business model. In 2025, costs in India for such apps range from ₹3.5 lakhs for simpler apps to ₹20 lakhs or more for complex aggregators.
Partnering with experienced and innovative developers like Secuodsoft guarantees a secure, efficient, and cutting-edge platform that can compete strongly in your target market with high user engagement and operational excellence.
Ready to Build Your Food Delivery App?
Contact Secuodsoft to get expert guidance and customized solutions that turn your food delivery app vision into a reality with optimized cost and superior quality.
Frequently Asked Questions
A food delivery app enables customers to browse restaurant menus, place orders, pay digitally, and
track deliveries in real-time using their mobile devices or web browsers.
Depending on features, platform, and development partner, a basic app may cost ₹3.5 lakh–₹6 lakh while
a complex aggregator could exceed ₹20 lakh in India in 2025.
Must-have features are easy registration, smart search, real-time order tracking,
multiple payment options, reviews, coupons, in-app support, restaurant and delivery panels,
and admin dashboard.
Popular models include commission-based aggregators, order-only platforms, cloud kitchens, and
restaurant-to-customer delivery. Each has unique revenue and scalability strategies.
Focus on UX/UI, integrate AI for recommendations and delivery optimization, support contactless
technology, provide multi-platform compatibility, and update frequently with new features.
Scalable stacks like React Native, Flutter, Node.js, Python, MongoDB, and AWS/GCP are commonly used
for modern food delivery solutions, supporting real-time tracking and secure payments.
Development time ranges from 2–3 months for a single restaurant MVP to 9+ months for a full-featured
multi-restaurant platform with complex integrations.
Partnering with experienced companies like Secuodsoft ensures quality, scalability, efficient project
management, AI expertise, and ongoing support for maximum ROI.
Secuodsoft offers discovery, UI/UX design, feature-rich development, AI integration, rigorous testing,
secure deployment, and post-launch support for customized food delivery solutions.
AI-powered personalization, IoT kitchen integrations, voice ordering, eco-friendly delivery,
blockchain transparency, advanced analytics, and dynamic pricing lead the way.