Delivery app cost and the features that drive it

A delivery app is three apps

When people say "a delivery app" they usually picture the customer side: browse, order, track. Behind it there are two more products. Someone has to pick up and drop off, so there is a driver or courier app with its own login, job list and status updates. Someone has to decide who takes which order and handle problems, so there is an admin or dispatch dashboard.

All three read and write the same orders, so they share one backend and database. That shared backend, plus the rules for who can see and change what, is a large part of the build. It is also why a delivery product rarely fits a small package, even when each individual app looks simple.

Where each feature lives

Most delivery features touch more than one of the three apps. This is the map I use when scoping one.

The features that push the cost up

I look at these first, because each is bigger than it sounds.

• Live tracking: the driver app has to send location regularly, the backend has to pass it on, and the customer app has to show it without draining batteries. Location updates every few seconds are real-time work, which I scope carefully and may quote separately.
• Dispatch logic: manual assignment from the dashboard is straightforward. Automatic assignment by distance, zone, load or driver rating is a rules engine, and every rule needs testing against edge cases.
• Payments: card payment through one provider is a defined piece of work. Split payouts to drivers or restaurants, wallets, refunds across parties and several payment providers make it a complex payment gateway, which is quoted separately.
• Cash on delivery: it sounds free, but it adds a status for cash collected, a record per driver and reconciliation in the dashboard.
• Notifications: three audiences with different messages, triggered by status changes.
• Proof of delivery: camera access, photo upload, storage and a way for the dashboard to view it.

Maps bill you per use after launch

Most delivery apps use a maps platform for address search, map display and routes. Google Maps Platform, for example, uses a pay-as-you-go pricing model where each service is billed per use, with a monthly amount of free usage for each core service. Its own pricing pages list the current rates.

That means maps cost little while the app is small and grow with every order, search and tracking screen. I design the app to call the maps service only when it needs to, and I list the maps account in your name in the scope, because third-party fees are not included in the build price.

A checklist before you ask for a quote

Answer these in writing and any developer can price your delivery app far more accurately.

• What is delivered: food, parcels, groceries, services?
• Do you have your own drivers, or are drivers independent?
• Is dispatch manual at first, or automatic from day one?
• Which payment methods: card, cash on delivery, both?
• Does anyone else get paid through the app, such as drivers or partner stores?
• Does the customer need live tracking, or are status updates enough for version one?
• What proof of delivery do you need: photo, signature, a code?
• Which cities or zones will you start in?

Delivery app or courier software?

A consumer delivery app is a product you launch to the public. A courier company running bookings, waybills, branches and billing needs business software for its operations, which is a different build. If that is closer to what you need, my page on logistics and courier software covers it.

Which package fits a delivery app

Scale, at $2,500, is the package I frame for delivery. Its scope covers up to 50 screens, which is room for a customer app and a driver app, custom UI/UX across app and dashboard, a Node.js backend and PostgreSQL database, an admin dashboard scoped to your operations, integrations with the services you use, and push notifications where supported. Real-time streaming and complex payment gateways are quoted separately, and the written scope says whether your live tracking falls under that. Third-party fees such as maps, hosting and maintenance are not included. The exact scope is agreed in writing before work starts.