New Delhi: Food delivery giant Zomato has once again raised its platform fee, increasing the overall cost of ordering food through its mobile application. The company has revised the base platform fee to ₹14.90 per order (before GST), up from the earlier ₹12.50.
This marks another price hike by Zomato following a similar revision introduced in September 2025, reflecting a broader trend of rising service charges across India’s online food delivery sector.
Including taxes, rival platform Swiggy is currently charging around ₹14.99 per order, indicating that both major players continue to maintain closely aligned pricing strategies in a highly competitive market.
Competition Intensifies With New Entrant
The fee increase comes at a time when competition in the food delivery industry is heating up. Ride-hailing startup Rapido has entered the food delivery segment with its new service Ownly, launched in Bengaluru.
Rapido has attempted to differentiate its offering by announcing that it will not charge platform or additional convenience fees to customers or restaurants, apart from standard delivery charges. The move could increase competitive pressure on established players already facing customer concerns over rising food delivery costs.
Rising Costs Impact Industry
Industry experts point out that increasing crude oil prices have significantly raised operational expenses for delivery platforms. Higher fuel costs directly impact delivery partners and restaurant margins, often prompting companies to revise fee structures to maintain profitability.
Customers have increasingly raised concerns about growing add-on charges such as platform fees, packaging costs, and surge pricing, which collectively increase the final bill value.
As competition expands and operational costs remain volatile, pricing strategies among food delivery platforms are expected to remain a key factor shaping consumer behavior in the coming months.
