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The delivery app cost in Saudi Arabia in 2026 ranges roughly from SAR 70,000 to 140,000 for a first version (MVP) serving one restaurant or chain, SAR 150,000 to 300,000 for a local platform bringing together several stores, and can exceed SAR 700,000 for a full city-wide platform similar in concept to Jahez and HungerStation. These figures are approximate and exclude 15% VAT, and they vary with the number of parties, the features and the development provider. But the most important question for a restaurant owner is not "How much will I pay for development?" but "When does my own app become cheaper than platform commissions?" We start by breaking the system down into its four components, then a price table in SAR for each stage, then the break-even point with two examples from the Saudi market, and finally the Transport General Authority requirements that directly affect what must be built.
The first mistake in estimating delivery app cost is picturing it as a single mobile app. In reality, any delivery platform, even for a single restaurant, consists of four connected systems that exchange data in real time, each with its own screens, logic and testing.
This is the interface people see: browsing the menu or products, the cart, choosing an address on the map, paying with mada, Apple Pay and cards, tracking the driver on the map, ratings, order history, and offers and loyalty points. This part takes the largest share of the design, because the ordering experience decides whether the customer comes back or returns to the platform they are used to.
A separate app with completely different functions: receiving an order and accepting or rejecting it, navigating to the restaurant and then to the customer, updating the order status, sending the location every few seconds, proof of delivery (photo or code), and an earnings history and wallet. It must run reliably in the background without draining the battery, which is one of the most technically difficult parts of the project. If you only need a driver app for your own fleet without a customer app, because orders reach you from your website or POS system, it is a smaller project priced on its own with a dispatch and tracking panel.
A screen in the restaurant or store that receives orders with a sound alert and lets staff accept an order, set the preparation time, pause an out-of-stock item, and edit the menu, prices and opening hours. For a single restaurant it can be a simple web panel on a tablet; on a multi-store platform it becomes a full app with accounts, branches and reports for each merchant.
The brain that connects everything: the algorithm that assigns each order to the nearest available driver, delivery fee calculation by distance or zone, managing commissions and settlements with stores and drivers, coupons, reports, customer service, and integration with the payment gateway, POS system and e-invoicing. Many cheap offers look complete on the mobile screens but cut corners on this part, so they collapse at the first order peak during Ramadan or on a weekend.
The following table summarizes the ranges we see in the Saudi market for developing a production-grade delivery app (code owned by the client, custom design and a scalable backend). These figures are approximate as of 2026, vary with the number of screens, integrations and team experience, and exclude 15% VAT and monthly operating fees.
| Stage / scope | What it includes | Approximate cost (SAR, excluding VAT) | Implementation time |
|---|---|---|---|
| MVP for one restaurant or chain | Customer app, simplified driver app, restaurant panel, admin panel, online payments, live tracking, notifications | 70,000 – 140,000 | 3 – 5 months |
| Local multi-store platform | All four systems in full, merchant accounts, commissions and settlements, driver wallet, coupons, reports | 150,000 – 300,000 | 5 – 8 months |
| Full city-wide platform | Smart order dispatch, dynamic pricing, multiple categories (restaurants, groceries, pharmacies), subscriptions, advanced analytics, high-load architecture | 300,000 – 700,000+ | 8 – 14 months |
In our mobile app development cost guide for Saudi Arabia, delivery apps fall under the higher-cost "on-demand apps" category, because they combine several apps, real-time data, maps and payments in one product. There, a city-wide delivery app starts at about SAR 120,000; a first version for one restaurant or chain costs less, because it needs no merchant accounts or settlements between them.
In a mid-sized project of, say, SAR 200,000, the effort is split roughly as follows: customer app 30–35%, backend and admin panel 25–30%, driver app 15–20%, store panel 10–15%, and testing and app store publishing 10%. Knowing this split helps you read quotes: if an offer puts two-thirds of the budget into design and leaves a token amount for the backend, that is a sign of a good-looking product that is weak in operation.
Development is paid once and is only half the picture of a real delivery app's cost; operations are paid every month and grow with order volume. Many project owners are surprised by this item after launch, so it must be included in the feasibility study from day one.
| Item | Approximate monthly range (SAR) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud hosting and databases | 800 – 5,000 | Grows with the number of concurrent orders and real-time location updates |
| Maps and routing services | 0 – 4,000 | Map providers offer free usage up to a monthly limit, then charge per thousand requests |
| SMS verification messages | 300 – 2,000 | Depends on the number of sign-ups and logins per month |
| Payment gateway | A percentage of each transaction | mada roughly 1% – 1.8%, and credit cards roughly 2.2% – 2.75%, depending on the gateway and agreement |
| Maintenance and ongoing development | 15% – 25% of the build cost per year | iOS and Android updates, fixes and improvements |
| App store accounts | USD 99 per year for Apple (about SAR 371), and USD 25 one-time for Google (about SAR 94) | Opened in your company's name, not the developer's |
On payments specifically: Saudi customers are used to mada and Apple Pay in delivery apps, and any app without them loses a noticeable share of orders at the checkout screen. We compared gateways and their fees in detail in our guide to online payment gateways in Saudi Arabia; what matters here is choosing a gateway that supports split payments if your platform brings together several stores, because manual settlements with merchants eat up the finance team's time every week.
On tracking: updating the driver's location every 5 seconds instead of every 30 seconds gives the customer a better experience but doubles the load on the server and map requests. This is a technical decision with a direct financial impact, and the developer should discuss it with you rather than make it for you.
This is the real decision. According to a 2022 report by Al Eqtisadiah newspaper, delivery app commissions in Saudi Arabia ranged from 15% to 23% of the order value, averaging 18%, and more recent market sources cite a range reaching up to 30% depending on the agreement and visibility level. Actual figures vary from one restaurant to another, so the only reference is your contract with the platform. But comparing the commission with the development cost alone is wrong; the correct formula includes everything you will bear yourself.
Monthly savings = (orders moved to your app × average order value × commission rate) − (payment fees + net delivery cost per order × orders moved + monthly operations + app marketing and loyalty)
Payback period in months = build cost ÷ monthly savings
Note the word "moved": not all your customers will leave the platform because you launched an app. Platforms bring you new customers searching for "shawarma" or "burger" who do not know your name, while your app mostly serves repeat customers who already know you. A realistic estimate is moving between 20% and 40% of orders during the first year, if you back it with exclusive offers and a loyalty program.
Assume 1,500 orders per month through the platforms, averaging SAR 75 with a 20% commission, and the restaurant succeeded in moving 40% of them (600 orders) to its app:
Result: 9,000 − 9,400 = a loss of SAR 400 per month before we even count the build cost. Frankly, a restaurant of this size does not need its own delivery app right now. It is better served by a simple ordering website, an organized WhatsApp channel and a stronger presence on the platforms, steps we explained in our guide to restaurant and café marketing in Saudi Arabia.
Assume 6,000 orders per month, averaging SAR 80 with a 20% commission, and the chain moved 35% of them (2,100 orders) to its app:
Monthly savings: 33,600 − 23,860 = about SAR 9,740. If the app cost SAR 180,000, the chain recovers its investment in about 18–19 months, after which the savings become pure profit, plus a gain that does not appear in the formula: owning customer data, phone numbers and order history, which the platforms do not give you.
Is your own delivery app cheaper than platform commissions?
Send us your monthly order volume and average order value, and we will calculate the break-even point with you before you spend a single riyal on development.
| Your situation | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| One branch and fewer than 2,000 orders per month | Stay on the platforms, and add an ordering website or WhatsApp channel for repeat customers |
| 3 or more branches and 4,000 or more orders per month | Your own MVP app alongside the platforms, with a loyalty program that pushes customers to the app |
| A large chain or a brand with a strong following | A full app linked to POS and loyalty, with the platforms used for discovery only |
| A startup that wants a delivery platform for multiple stores | Start with one city and one category, and secure the license before launch |
This section is missing from most articles on delivery app cost, even though it directly affects what must be built. The Transport General Authority regulates the order delivery activity. It published the activity's implementing regulation in 2025, prohibited operating without a license, and has previously suspended delivery apps that operated without one. Because the requirements are updated periodically, review the current version on the Authority's website before signing any development contract.
According to what has been published about the implementing regulation for the order delivery activity, whose current text is available on the laws and regulations page of the Transport General Authority, the basic requirements include:
The license is issued for three years, and the applicant is given 30 days to complete the requirements, otherwise the application is canceled.
Starting in April 2024, the Authority began applying regulatory decisions for the sector, including gradually requiring non-Saudis to work through licensed light transport companies, a unified uniform for them, and rules for motorcycles in coordination with the traffic department, while Saudi citizens continue to work through the apps. The Authority also stressed that restaurants and stores contracting a third party for delivery must limit their contracts to licensed companies.
A restaurant that delivers its orders with its own drivers and vehicles may need a permit and approvals from the authorities overseeing its activity, in addition to the municipal requirements for home delivery. A platform that connects multiple stores with drivers, on the other hand, is practicing the order delivery activity and needs the Authority's license. The line between the two cases depends on your business model, so ask the Authority or a regulatory advisor about your case before development, because the operating model determines whether you need integration with the Authority's platform and face verification at all.
And do not forget the Personal Data Protection Law: a delivery app collects customers' locations, home addresses and phone numbers, as well as drivers' real-time locations. The app must set out a clear privacy policy, obtain consent and restrict access to this data by permission level, in line with what is published by the Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA).
Search results are full of offers for ready-made delivery apps, which are a legitimate option for testing an idea in one neighborhood within weeks, as long as you know in advance what you are buying. This is an approximate comparison that varies widely by provider:
| Option | Approximate cost | Code ownership | When it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ready-made version bought once | Tens of thousands of riyals (we have seen advertised offers at about USD 15,000, roughly SAR 56,000) | Varies: some hand over the full code, others only a usage license | Quickly testing an idea on a limited budget |
| Monthly subscription to a delivery platform (SaaS) | Monthly fees that scale with the number of orders and branches | No ownership; the service stops when the subscription stops | A restaurant that wants a direct ordering channel without a development project |
| Custom development | From about SAR 70,000 for the first version | Full ownership if the contract states it | A project planning to scale, with special integrations |
Before buying a ready-made version, ask three questions: Do I receive the source code or a usage license? Does the provider set up integration with the Transport General Authority platform and driver identity verification? And are the apps published on App Store and Google Play accounts in my company's name? If the trial succeeds, plan for a rebuild or serious development before the template becomes a ceiling on your growth.
Before requesting a quote, decide which model you want, because each model produces a different system at a different cost.
A customer app under your brand, a panel for branches, and a driver app for your team or for the drivers of a licensed light transport company you work with. There is no need for a commission system between merchants; the focus is on loyalty, fast repeat ordering and POS integration. This is the most economical option and usually falls within the MVP range. If you use Odoo in your restaurant, sending orders directly to the kitchen and point of sale saves daily manual entry, as we explained in our guide to Odoo for restaurants and point of sale.
The idea of a delivery platform for a neighborhood, a city or a category (groceries, sweets, pharmacies). It needs all four systems in full, financial settlements for each merchant, a commission system and a Transport General Authority license. It costs more, and more importantly, its success depends on marketing and operations more than development: bringing in merchants, drivers and customers at the same time is an operational challenge before it is a technical one.
You stay on the big platforms to discover new customers, and use your app for repeat customers with exclusive offers, faster delivery and loyalty points. This model is the most realistic for most mid-sized Saudi chains, and it is the one we based example two on above.
We put together a more comprehensive checklist for development contracts in our guide to choosing an app development company in Riyadh. And if you want to see how we work on app projects from analysis to publishing, the page for Bateel's mobile app development service summarizes the methodology and stages.
Delivery app cost for one restaurant or chain starts at about SAR 70,000 to 140,000 for an MVP, rises to SAR 150,000–300,000 for a multi-store platform, and can exceed SAR 700,000 for a full platform. The figures are approximate as of 2026 and exclude 15% VAT and monthly operating fees.
Yes, if your platform practices the order delivery activity by connecting stores or customers with drivers: the Transport General Authority prohibits operating without a license and requires integrating the technical system with its platform and registering drivers and vehicles. A restaurant that delivers its own orders should check with the authorities overseeing its activity for the permits its case requires.
It becomes cheaper when the commission saved on orders moved to your app exceeds the combined payment fees, delivery cost, operations and marketing. In practice, this usually starts with multi-branch chains handling thousands of orders per month, while a small restaurant benefits more from staying on the platforms with a direct ordering channel.
An MVP for a restaurant or chain takes 3 to 5 months, a local multi-store platform 5 to 8 months, and a full platform 8 to 14 months. The timeline shortens when requirements are written precisely before starting, and grows with each additional integration such as POS or the Authority's platform.
The most important are mada and Apple Pay, as they are the most used for mobile ordering, followed by credit cards, with the option of adding cash on delivery under controls. Choose a Saudi payment gateway that supports automatic refunds, and split payments if your platform brings together several stores, to simplify weekly settlements and reduce manual errors in merchant accounts.
Delivery app cost is not a single number but an investment decision that depends on your order volume, the commission rate you pay, the operating model you choose and the regulatory requirements the system must meet. A chain that honestly calculates these elements before starting builds an app that pays for itself and gives it ownership of its customers, while those who start with a cheap version without doing the math pay twice.
At Bateel Tech Solutions, we first calculate the break-even point for your case, using the approach we have applied in more than 120 projects for more than 50 clients, then design and develop the customer app, driver app and admin panel with code you own and full Saudi integrations, and market it after launch through our digital marketing services. Contact us on WhatsApp or through our Contact Us Page and get a free consultation and a clear estimate of your project's cost.
