Introduction
Just as digital platforms continue to evolve in the tech world, the food delivery industry has also witnessed exponential growth in recent years.
With numerous food delivery mobile apps available in the market, ChowNow stands out as one of the best solutions, offering restaurants an efficient way to manage online orders without high commission fees. As more restaurants look for more customized solutions, understanding the food delivery app development cost becomes a key factor in decision-making.
If you are a restaurant owner looking to expand your reach through a food delivery mobile app development, you are probably thinking:
“How much does a food delivery app cost?”
The answer depends on various factors, including features, mobile app complexity, and the region where the mobile app is developed.
In this blog, we will break down the cost to develop an app like ChowNow, the best tech stack for food delivery app development, and cost-effective strategies to build a restaurant ordering mobile app that fits your business needs.
Key features of a food delivery app like ChowNow
To estimate the ChowNow app development cost, first explore the essential features that influence pricing.
Each of these features contributes to the user experience, operational efficiency, and overall success of the mobile app.
1. Restaurant ordering system
A main functionality in every restaurant ordering app development is to allow customers to browse menus, customize orders, and place them easily without any error. A well-mobile designed ordering system should support quick order placement, real-time order updates, and smooth checkout processes to increase the customer experience.
2. Custom branding & white-label solutions
Unlike on-demand food delivery app development platforms like Uber Eats, ChowNow provides restaurants with their own branded mobile apps, helping them establish a unique identity.
Creating such a custom food delivery app pricing model requires advanced UI/UX design, backend mobile app development, and API integrations to ensure a smooth branded experience.
3. Online payment integration
Secure payment gateways (such as Stripe, PayPal, or Razorpay) enable smooth transactions. You can provide multiple payment options, including credit/debit cards, digital wallets, and UPI, to increase customer convenience.
Additionally, integrating fraud prevention measures trust and security.
4. Delivery & pickup management
Efficient mobile app development cost for food delivery
depends on features like real-time order tracking, pickup scheduling, and restaurant management dashboards.
A well-built system should include GPS tracking, estimated delivery time updates, and clear coordination between restaurants, delivery drivers, and customers for an optimized experience.
5. Customer loyalty programs
Your mobile app can provide loyalty programs such as reward points, promo codes, and referral bonuses to encourage repeat orders and increase customer retention.
By integrating personalized offers, discounts, and special deals, restaurants can increase user engagement and improve customer lifetime value (CLV).
6. Push notifications & marketing tools
In food delivery mobile apps, providing automated notifications via SMS, email, and push alerts plays an important role in customer engagement and retention.
These tools help restaurants send order updates, promotional offers, and reminders, increasing sales and maintaining a connection with customers. Advanced marketing tools like AI-driven recommendations and geo-targeted promotions can further increase effectiveness.
How much does a food delivery app cost like ChowNow?
The food delivery app price estimations are different based on the mobile app’s complexity, feature set, and mobile app development approach. A basic mobile app with essential features costs significantly less than an enterprise-level mobile app with advanced functionalities.
Below is a detailed breakdown of the estimated cost to develop an app like ChowNow at different levels based on features and your budget as follows:
1. Basic food delivery app development cost (Essential features)
A basic food delivery mobile app covers essential features for online ordering and payments. It is ideal for small restaurants or startups looking for a cost-effective solution without advanced features like AI recommendations or multi-restaurant support.
- Features include: Basic restaurant listing, order placement, payment gateway, and simple UI/UX.
- Development Time: 3-6 months
- Estimated Cost: $25,000 – $50,000
2. Mid-range app development cost (Advanced features & integrations)
A mid-range food delivery mobile app offers increased features like real-time order tracking, marketing tools, and customer engagement features.
This is best for growing restaurant chains looking to improve customer experience with better UI/UX and business insights.
- Features include: Custom branding, loyalty programs, push notifications, analytics dashboard.
- Development Time: 6-9 months
- Estimated Cost: $50,000 – $100,000
3. Enterprise-Level app development cost (Scalability & custom solutions)
An enterprise-level mobile app is a fully customized solution for large restaurant chains or food delivery marketplaces, offering advanced automation, scalability, and third-party integrations for high mobile app performance and easy expansion.
- Features include: AI-driven recommendations, multi-restaurant support, API integrations, and high scalability.
- Development Time: 9-12+ months
- Estimated Cost: $100,000 – $250,000+
Best tech stack for food delivery app development
It is important to select the right tech stack for food delivery mobile app development to ensure high mobile app performance, security, and scalability. The right technologies help create a smooth user experience, efficient backend operations, and easy integrations with third-party services.
1. Frontend technologies (User experience & interface)
- React Native / Flutter: Cross-platform development for building mobile apps on both iOS and Android with a single codebase, reducing mobile app development time and costs.
These frameworks offer pre-built UI components, making the mobile app development process faster and more efficient. - Swift (iOS) / Kotlin (Android) – Native mobile app development provides better performance, security, and device optimization, ensuring a smooth user experience.
Native mobile apps also allow better integration with platform-specific features like GPS tracking and push notifications.
2. Backend technologies (Server & database)
- Node.js / Django / Ruby on Rails: These backend technology frameworks offer fast and scalable server-side processing, ideal for handling real-time order updates and user interactions.
They support RESTful APIs and WebSockets, making them perfect for instant data synchronization. - PostgreSQL / MongoDB / Firebase: These database solutions ensure efficient data storage and retrieval, supporting large volumes of orders, customer data, and restaurant details. NoSQL databases like MongoDB offer flexible schema structures, making them ideal for dynamic food menu updates.
3. API & payment integrations
- Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay: Secure and reliable payment gateways to handle transactions smoothly, supporting multiple payment methods like cards, wallets, and UPI.
These gateways also offer fraud detection and encryption features to increase payment security.
- Google Maps API: Enables real-time order tracking, location-based services, and route optimization for delivery personnel. This ensures efficient delivery management by providing the fastest routes and estimated delivery times.
- Twilio / Firebase Cloud Messaging: Provides instant push notifications and SMS updates for orders, promotions, and customer engagement. These tools support personalized notifications based on user behavior, increasing engagement and retention.
4. Hosting & cloud solutions
- AWS, Google Cloud, Azure: Cloud hosting ensures scalability, high uptime, and security, making the mobile app capable of handling high traffic in user activity. These platforms also offer serverless computing and auto-scaling for cost efficiency.
- Firebase / Sentry: You can use tools for real-time mobile app performance monitoring, error tracking, and analytics, helping maintain mobile app stability and optimize performance.
Firebase also supports A/B testing and remote configuration, allowing businesses to test new features before a full rollout.
Estimated development timeline & costs
The cost to build a multi-restaurant food delivery app depends on the timeline and feature set.
Below, we provide you with an estimated cost breakdown for different mobile app development phases:
| Development Phase | Tasks Involved | Estimated Time | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Market Research & Planning | Competitor analysis, feature list finalization | 2-4 weeks | $2,000 – $5,000 |
| UI/UX Design | Wireframing, prototyping, UI design | 4-6 weeks | $5,000 – $15,000 |
| Frontend & Backend Development | App interface, database setup, API integration | 4-8 months | $20,000 – $80,000 |
| Payment Gateway & Third-Party Integrations | Secure payments, maps, push notifications | 2-4 weeks/td> | $5,000 – $15,000 |
| Testing & QA | Bug fixing, performance testing | 4-6 weeks | $5,000 – $10,000 |
| Deployment & Launch | App store submission, server deployment | 2 weeks | $3,000 – $8,000 |
| Post-Launch Support & Maintenance | Updates, security patches, new feature additions | Ongoing | $10,000+/year |
Future trends in food delivery mobile app development
As technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, staying ahead of the latest trends is important for success in the on-demand food delivery app development industry.
The landscape of restaurant ordering mobile app development is constantly changing, driven by innovations in AI, automation, and user experience.
Here are some of the most impactful trends shaping the future of food delivery mobile apps:
1. AI & machine learning for personalized recommendations
Using AI & machine learning-powered personalized food recommendations based on customer choices, order history, and local trends will increase customer engagement and increase sales.
2. Drone & robot deliveries
Many companies like Uber Eats and Domino’s are experimenting with drone and robot-based deliveries to reduce delivery times and operational costs.
3. Voice ordering & smart assistants
With the rise of smart devices like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, voice-based food ordering is becoming more popular. You can integrate voice AI into food delivery mobile apps could improve accessibility and user convenience.
4. Subscription-based food ordering models
Many restaurants are shifting to subscription-based models, they are offering unlimited deliveries for a monthly fee. This Subscription-based trend helps restaurant businesses increase customer retention and generate recurring revenue.
5. Blockchain for secure transactions
Blockchain-based food delivery mobile apps can increase transparency, improve payment security, and ensure food authenticity with supply chain tracking.
6.Augmented reality (AR) for virtual menu experience
Restaurants are using AR technology to showcase 3D models of their dishes, providing customers with a more interactive ordering experience.
Conclusion
The cost to develop an app like ChowNow varies from $25,000 for a basic version to over $250,000 for a fully customized, enterprise-level solution. Some of the key factors influencing food delivery app development cost include features, platform choice, and region.
For businesses looking for a cost-effective restaurant ordering app development cost, outsourcing to expert mobile app developers in India or using a hybrid mobile app development model can significantly reduce expenses.
If you are looking to develop a restaurant mobile app for online ordering, AlphaKlick can help. You can contact us today for a customized solution!
