Which delivery app is cheaper for restaurants?

Chefzi is not affiliated with Just Eat, Deliveroo or Uber Eats. Rates and terms change, and every contract is different.

Restaurant owners ask "which food delivery app is cheaper?" all the time, and they get confident answers that don't survive contact with their own invoice. Published rates are a starting point, but the number that matters is what you actually paid last month, divided by what you actually sold. This guide explains how delivery apps make money, how to work out your real rate in four steps, and what to ask before you sign. For the published figures, see our page on current UK commission rates, which lists its sources and the date each was checked.

How delivery apps make money

Delivery apps earn from both sides of the order. Knowing where each charge comes from makes your statement much easier to read.

Commission on each order. This is the main charge. The app takes a share of each order's value. The rate is set in your contract, so two restaurants on the same street can pay different amounts.

Marketplace delivery or your own delivery. Most apps offer two kinds of contract. If the app's couriers deliver, the commission is usually higher, because the app is paying for the rider. If you deliver with your own drivers, or the customer collects, the commission is usually lower, but your drivers' wages, fuel and insurance are yours. Compare the two only after adding your own delivery costs to the cheaper-looking option.

These are optional, but they show up as extra lines on the statement and can change your real rate more than the headline commission.

Customer-side fees. Many apps also charge the customer a service fee, a delivery fee or a small-order fee. These don't come out of your payout directly, but they make your food look more expensive on the app than it does in your shop, and that can affect how often people order.

Other charges. Depending on the app, there may be a sign-up or activation charge, equipment, packaging or adjustments for refunds. Read every line, not just the commission.

Work out your own figure in 4 steps

You don't need an accountant for this. You need last month's statements and twenty minutes.

1. Take last month's statement from each app. Download the invoice or payout statement from each partner portal. If you're not sure where to find it, see our guides to the Just Eat Partner Centre and the Deliveroo Partner Hub.
2. Compare by order type. Split delivery orders from collection orders where the statement allows. An app can be competitive on collection and expensive on delivery, or the other way round.
3. Put your numbers into the calculator. Use the commission calculator to see what the fees cost you over a year at your real order volume, and what the same orders would cost through your own ordering site.

Do this for each app you use, and repeat it every few months.

Mistakes to avoid when comparing

• Forgetting your own delivery costs. An own-delivery contract looks cheaper until you add drivers, fuel and insurance.
• Using one quiet month. Compare a normal month, or several, so one bank holiday or a bad week doesn't skew the answer.
• Comparing different order types. Put delivery against delivery and collection against collection.
• Ignoring customer fees. If the customer pays more on one app, they may order less often from you there.

Questions to ask each app before you sign

The rate is only part of the deal. Before you sign or renew, ask each app:

• What is the notice period? How much notice do you need to give to leave, and is there a minimum term? The published terms of the three big UK apps differ; see how to leave Just Eat, Deliveroo or Uber Eats.
• Are there price-parity terms? Some contracts limit how your prices on other channels, including your own website, compare with the app.
• When are payouts made? Weekly or more often, and what is held back for refunds? See when Just Eat pays restaurants for an example of how payout timing works.

Get the answers in writing, and keep a copy of the contract version you signed.

Are food delivery apps worth it?

For many restaurants, yes, for the right job. Delivery apps are good at putting you in front of people who have never heard of you. A new customer who finds you on an app, likes the food and orders again is worth having, even after the commission.

The cost bites when your regulars keep ordering through the app too, because then you're paying commission on customers you already won. That's why most independents end up using both: an app for discovery, and their own ordering site for repeat orders. The question isn't whether to use apps at all, but how much of your trade goes through them.

If you want to shift that balance, see how to move customers from Just Eat to your website, which works the same way for the other apps, and our Just Eat alternative and Deliveroo alternative pages.

Where your own ordering site fits

Your own ordering site is the channel for people who already know you. With Chefzi there's 0% commission on orders through your own site. It's from £9 a month per location billed annually (£12 if billed monthly), with your own domain included (your own branded app is on Pro). Prices are per location and exclude VAT, with no setup fee. Orders arrive in the Chefzi app on a phone or tablet you already have, and it rings until someone answers.

Chefzi doesn't connect to the delivery apps or pull their orders in, and it doesn't supply couriers: delivery from your own site uses your own drivers, or the customer collects. Orders placed on the apps still pay those apps' commission. See our takeaway website page for what your own site includes.

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Frequently asked questions

Which food delivery app is cheaper for restaurants?

There isn't one answer for every restaurant. The cost depends on your contract, whether the app delivers or you do, the add-ons you choose, your average order value and how many orders come through each app. Divide the total fees on last month's statement by the order value for each app, then compare.

Which delivery app is best for a small takeaway?

It depends on which app your local customers use and on the contract you're offered. Ask each app for its terms, check where people near you order, and compare your real cost per order once you have a statement.

Are food delivery apps worth it for restaurants?

They can be. Apps bring new customers who don't know you yet. Your own ordering site keeps repeat orders free of marketplace commission. Most independents use both.

How do food delivery apps make money?

Mainly through commission on each order, which usually differs between app-delivered and own-delivery contracts.

Can I charge lower prices on my own website?

Check your contract first. Some delivery app terms include price-parity clauses that limit how your prices elsewhere compare with the app. Our commission guide covers what the published terms say, but read your own agreement. This isn't legal advice.