The verdict in three sentences
An in-house delivery app gives you back the customer relationship and removes the 20 to 30 % commission aggregators take on every order. Development costs ₦900 000 to ₦2 400 000 depending on features: delivery zones, prep times, rider tracking and Paystack/M-Pesa payment. Paired with a cloud kitchen (a kitchen with no dining room), the model becomes highly profitable because it concentrates costs on production and delivery.
The real cost of aggregators
Delivery platforms charge a commission on every order, plus sometimes sign-up and promotion fees. For a high-volume restaurant, that eats an enormous share of the margin.
| Channel | Commission per order | Customer relationship | Fixed cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aggregator like Glovo/Bolt Food | 20 to 30 % | Owned by the platform | Sometimes a subscription |
| Own app + in-house riders | 0 % (excl. mobile money ~1.5 %) | Yours | One-off dev cost |
| Own app + freelance riders | Fixed rider cost/trip | Yours | One-off dev cost |
| Hybrid (both) | Mix | Shared | Dev cost + commission |
On ₦18 000 000 of delivered sales per year, a 25 % commission = ₦4 500 000 paid to the aggregator. An own app at ₦1 800 000 is paid back in a few months.
Development costs in 2026
| Package | Scope | 2026 cost (ballpark) | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delivery MVP | Catalogue + cart + Paystack/M-Pesa + 1 zone | ₦900 000 - ₦1 200 000 | 5-7 weeks |
| Standard | + multiple zones + rider tracking + notifs | ₦1 300 000 - ₦1 800 000 | 8-10 weeks |
| Premium | + rider app + multi-brand cloud kitchen | ₦1 900 000 - ₦2 400 000 | 12-16 weeks |
| Monthly SaaS | Shared turnkey platform | ₦20 000 - ₦55 000/month | A few weeks |
In Lagos or Nairobi, a cloud kitchen with an own app escapes Glovo/Bolt Food fees and lets you launch several virtual brands from a single kitchen, with Paystack/M-Pesa payment.
Mini case study
Blessing operates a cloud kitchen in Lagos doing ₦2 700 000 in delivered sales per month, 80 % of it via an aggregator at 25 % commission. She therefore pays ₦2 700 000 x 0.8 x 0.25 = ₦540 000 in commission per month.
She invests ₦1 700 000 in a Standard app and shifts 70 % of her orders to direct. She saves ₦540 000 x 0.7 = ₦378 000 per month (excluding mobile money fees ~1.5 %). The app is paid back in a little over four months, and she gets customer data back to build loyalty.
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Become a Kolonell referral partner
Do you know restaurateurs or cloud kitchens bleeding on aggregator commissions? Refer them and become a Kolonell referral partner. Our partner commissions:
| Project type | Sale commission | Recurring |
|---|---|---|
| Showcase website | 15 % | 5 % |
| E-commerce / delivery app | 12 % | - |
| Marketplace | 10 % | - |
| Institutional | 8 % | - |
A delivery app at ₦1 800 000 earns you ₦216 000 as a partner. Just introduce us.
FAQ
How much does a food delivery app cost in 2026? From ₦900 000 to ₦2 400 000 in development depending on features, or ₦20 000 to ₦55 000/month as shared SaaS. The single-zone MVP lets you start fast.
Why leave aggregators? They take 20 to 30 % commission and keep the customer relationship. An own app removes that commission and returns the data so you can build loyalty and re-engage.
What is a cloud kitchen? It is a kitchen with no dining room, dedicated to delivery. It cuts costs (no floor service) and lets you launch several virtual brands from one location.
Do I need my own riders? Not necessarily: you can employ in-house riders, work with per-trip freelancers, or a hybrid model. The app handles assignment and tracking in every case.
Is mobile money payment supported? Yes, Paystack/M-Pesa in anglophone markets, Wave and Orange Money in francophone ones, with fees around 1.5 % per transaction, far below an aggregator's commission.
Let's talk about your project. We build your in-house delivery app with zones, rider tracking and mobile money payment, so you take back control of your margins. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
