Food delivery platform Zomato has increased its platform fee to Rs 14.9 per order from the previous Rs 12.5. Live on the app, the change marks a hike of about 19.2% per order. Zomato’s platform fee has seen a steep increase from Rs 2 in 2023. With the latest hike, its platform fee is now close to what rival Swiggy charges which is Rs 14.99 per order (inclusive of GST). The platform fee is charged on every order placed through the app. The latest increase comes months after the previous revision in September 2025. The move comes at a time when operating costs in the food delivery sector are rising, which may impact both restaurants and delivery partners.
Platform fee a ‘high-margin revenue lever’
While the platform fee may seem modest at customer level, it “is among the highest-margin components of the business,” an Economic Times report says. The publication quotes an unnamed senior executive at a food tech firm who said: “Platform fees are one of the cleanest levers in the model. Unlike delivery or discounts, there’s minimal associated cost, so most of it straightaway contributes to the profit”.“There is no incentive for either player to undercut on platform fees. These are now an accepted part of the consumer bill, much like convenience fees in ticketing,” the executive added.“In quick commerce, users tend to respond to rising fees by either increasing basket sizes to justify the cost, or cutting down on frequency of orders,” another executive told the publication. “The same dynamic is likely to play out in food delivery, especially among price-sensitive users that platforms are currently trying to bring back. Companies are also separately targeting value conscious consumers,” he added.
