How to Build a Food Delivery App Like Postmates in 2025: Complete Breakdown

About Postmates (Statistics and Facts)

If you’re from the United States, you probably know that Postmates is a sub-brand of Uber Eats. Postmates was acquired by Uber Eats in 2020 for $2.5 billion in an all-stock deal. Uber Eats is the second largest food delivery app, with a market share of 23% of the total market share of food delivery in the US, where 2% comes from Postmates.

According to Wikipedia, Postmates delivers food to over 2,940 US cities and 9.3 million people and it fulfills over 5 million orders in a month. Mexico City is the first and only international location where Postmates provide their food delivery services. In terms of revenue, Postmates generated $730 million in 2021 and showed 14% growth every year.

These are some statistics and facts about Postmates. Now the question is, why should you develop an app like Postmates? Let's look at the three factors that will give you a quick sense of why you should invest in a meal delivery app to expand your food business.

3 Reasons to Create a Food Delivery App Like Postmates

Investing in a food delivery business is always profitable if you do proper market research and understand customer needs. Today, if you create a food delivery app like Postmates, it can significantly boost your market presence. Let’s explore three compelling reasons to build a food delivery app:

1Rapidly Growing Market

In the United States, the revenue in the online food delivery market is projected to reach $429.95 billion in 2025. A high demand for convenience, time-saving services, a large number of restaurants, etc., are the reasons for this huge market, where a Postmates-like app is one of the popular platforms for food delivery. If you develop an app like Postmates, it allows you to tap into this ever-growing demand and secure a steady revenue stream.

2Multiple Revenue Streams

Food delivery app solutions like Postmates offer various monetization options, including delivery charges, restaurant commissions, subscription plans, and app advertising. Postmates’s multi-revenue approach not only ensures profitability but also minimizes financial risks. However, building a Postmates-like app with a multiple-revenue model requires features like AI-driven recommendations and other types of highly advanced analytics and operational features.

3AI-Driven Efficiency and Automation

AI is transforming the food delivery business by integrating into food delivery apps. The technology leverages AI to optimize delivery routes, manage orders, and predict customer preferences. Implementing similar technology in your app can reduce operational costs and increase efficiency. According to McKinsey, companies using AI in logistics report a 10-20% increase in productivity. This makes AI integration crucial for delivering faster services and improving customer satisfaction.

Factors to Consider When You Build a Food Delivery App Like Postmates

Taking into account the factors that contribute to the success of a Postmates-like food delivery app solution is crucial. Before spending time and money, you should take the following factors into account:

Market Research and Target Audience

The first factor to consider is doing market research and understanding the target audience. When you understand your target audience and local market preferences, you create an application that relates to them and suits their requirements. As a result, conduct surveys and analyze competitors to identify gaps and opportunities that your food delivery app, like Postmates, can capitalize on.

App Development Budget

After analyzing the local market and your target audience, you should decide on your app development budget. The budget can be considered during the market research phase as well. Set a realistic budget that covers app development, maintenance, marketing, etc. If you have a high budget or need a highly scalable and feature-rich app according to your business, custom app development must be chosen. A white-label solution is best for startups or businesses that want to launch their app quickly and cost-effectively.

Technology Stack and Integrations

Technology stack and integration consideration is essential in food delivery app development. In case you don’t know, a tech stack is the collection of technologies used to build an app. Choosing the right tech stack is crucial for app performance and scalability. Eventually, opt for robust technologies and integrate foremost features like real-time tracking, secure payments, AI-driven analytics, etc.

User Experience & Design

To enhance customer satisfaction, you must consider a user-friendly interface with smooth navigation. When considering this, you must focus on intuitive UI/UX design to provide a seamless ordering experience from browsing restaurants to tracking deliveries. The development team must be experienced and have expertise in food delivery app development to create a seamless user experience and design.

In addition, to properly launch a meal delivery app, marketing and client acquisition must be taken into account. You now know what to think about before spending money on developing a food delivery service like Postmates. It's time to learn how to create a food delivery app like Postmates.

10 Steps to Build a Food Delivery App Like Postmates

It is crucial to follow the right steps to build a food delivery app like Postmates. You must consider the robust development stage that can help you easily develop the app. Let’s examine the ten steps that will help you to create a food delivery app:

1Conduct Market Research & Define Your Niche

To build a food delivery app like Postmates, you must define your niche and conduct market research. Analyze the food delivery industry, study your competitors, and identify gaps in the market. Determine your unique selling proposition (USP) and target audience to build a differentiated platform. After doing this for at least a few months, you can go to the next step, which is, of course, choosing the business model.

2Choose the Right Business Model

Choose the right business model to create a food delivery app like Postmates since it comes with multiple revenue models. You have to understand all revenue models and compare them with your business goal and your competitors. Also, decide whether you want to operate as an aggregator, a logistics-focused platform, or a full-stack delivery service. Your business model will determine your revenue streams and operational requirements.

3Finalize Key Features & Tech Stack

Finalizing key features and tech stacks plays an essential role in the success of food delivery app development. First, make a list of all the features that must be integrated into your app, including real-time order tracking, multi-payment integration, AI-based recommendations, route optimization, etc. After confirming the features, choose the right technology stack between React Native, Flutter, Node.js, AWS, etc., to ensure smooth app performance.

4Partner with Restaurants & Delivery Providers

Partnering with restaurants and delivery providers is not directly a part of the food delivery app development process, but it is a crucial step in building a successful app like Postmates. You must collaborate with restaurants, cloud kitchens, and independent delivery providers to build a strong network. As an entrepreneur seeking to create a food delivery app, you have to secure agreements that define commissions, payment terms, and delivery policies.

5Develop the MVP (Minimum Viable Product)

After partnering with restaurants and delivery products, start with an MVP development that includes the core functionalities of your food delivery app. An MVP is a minimum viable product that is developed with basic but essential features that help businesses to launch the application and get feedback from customers in less money and time. An MVP for food delivery offers features including order placement, tracking, payments, notifications, etc.

6Integrate AI & Automation for Efficiency

In today’s digital world, AI in food delivery app development plays a crucial role in automating and streamlining food delivery operations and making businesses successful. You must use AI-driven solutions for smart order matching, demand forecasting, automated dispatching, and personalized recommendations. This helps businesses enhance efficiency and improves overall user experience and, of course, sales.

7Ensure Robust Security & Compliance

Food delivery app solution development without considering robust security and compliance is risky. As an entrepreneur, you must ensure that your business app is developed with full security to protect sensitive user data like credentials, payment details, and order histories, building trust and preventing cyberattacks. Your development team will help you to secure your app by implementing data encryption, securing payment gateways, GDPR compliance, and fraud prevention measures.

8Test, Optimize, and Launch

After ensuring robust security and compliance, it's time to test, optimize, and launch your food delivery app like Postmates. Testing is essential to eliminate bugs and improve app performance. Thorough QA testing by developers and beta testing feedback optimizes the app and helps you successfully launch the application on the App Store and Google Play. The ultimate goal of testing is to guarantee app stability, ultimately leading to higher user satisfaction and retention.

9Implement Marketing & Growth Strategies

Launching the application is not the end, but it's a beginning because it's a time to implement marketing and growth strategies. Utilize SEO, social media marketing, influencer partnerships, referral schemes, and many in-app promotions to gain users' attention and get your app noticed. This increases brand recognition and helps you gain users. Your app can be marketed with the assistance of the on demand app development company that created it.

10Continuously Update & Scale

Your app will not necessarily continue to grow after being recognized by users. As a result, it is foremost to continuously update and scale your app. Post-launch, monitor performance metrics and release regular updates with new features, improved UI/UX, and bug fixes to keep your app competitive and engaging.

So this is how you build a food delivery app like Postmates. However, the app development process changes when you choose a white-label solution. Let’s understand the white-label solution.

White Label Solution for Postmates-like App

Indeed, developing a Postmates-like food delivery app solution from scratch can be time-consuming and costly. One of the best alternatives to save money and time is choosing a white-label solution, which significantly reduces development time and expenses. In case you don’t know, a white label solution is a prebuilt app that comes with core features. A white-label food delivery app offers features including:

• Order management
• Real-time tracking
• Multi-payment support
• User-friendly interfaces
• Delivery address management
• Customizable and scalable capability
• Push notifications
• Filters and search

However, the major advantage that a white-label solution offers is its customizability and capability of reducing app cost and time to market. A white label solution allows you to:

• Personalize UI/UX and the app’s branding.
• Integrate additional features as per business needs.
• Quickly launch the application and generate revenue.
• Maintain a professional and unique brand presence.

As your customer base grows, you can add new features or integrate third-party services like AI-driven analytics or automated dispatch systems. A white label solution is the primary choice for startups and small to medium-sized businesses looking to enter the food delivery market efficiently and affordably. Investing in a white-label solution is a smart move for entrepreneurs aiming to build a food delivery app like Postmates.

We’ve covered the development steps to create a food delivery app like Postmates. Understanding the functionality you need to include in your Postmates-like app is now essential. Let's examine the ten features that will encourage people to place food orders through your app.

Top 10 Features of a Postmates-Like Food Delivery App Solution

The most crucial component of an application is its features, which, if well integrated, may draw users in and, if poorly integrated, can drive them away. Eventually, it is crucial to incorporate the right features into your Postmates-like app. The ten features that you must consider when you build a food delivery app like Postmates are as follows:

1Easy Registration and Onboarding

Easy registration allows users to sign up effortlessly using email, phone number, or social media accounts. A smooth onboarding experience increases user retention and enhances the chance to grow the business.

2Smart Search and AI-Based Recommendations

When you develop an app like Postmates, you must consider smart search and AI-based recommendations. This occurs by integrating an AI-powered search feature. The feature suggests restaurants and dishes and offers based on user preferences and order history.

3Real-Time Order Tracking

Real-time order tracking can be done by enabling GPS tracking in your app so customers can monitor their order status from preparation to doorstep delivery. This ensures transparency and convenience and enhances the chance to repeat the order.

4Multiple Payment Options

You must integrate multiple payment options to support various payment methods. These methods include credit/debit cards, digital wallets (PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay), and cash on delivery for a hassle-free experience.

5Contactless Delivery and In-App Chat

A contactless delivery and in-app chat is a crucial feature of a Postmates-like app. This feature offers contactless delivery for safety and allows users to communicate with delivery drivers and restaurants via in-app chat or call.

6AI-Based Route Optimization for Drivers

When you integrate an AI-powered route optimization, it helps delivery partners find the fastest and most efficient routes. This reduces delays and improves customer satisfaction, which leads to repeat purchases.

7Customizable Order Scheduling

Customizable order scheduling is one of the trending features of a food delivery app like Postmates. It allows users to schedule orders in advance for later delivery. This adds convenience for those who plan their meals ahead of time.

8Ratings, Reviews and Feedback System

How can a food delivery app solution be built without integrating ratings and review features? Of course, it can’t. A feedback system feature enables customers to rate restaurants and delivery drivers while leaving feedback. This helps maintain service quality and transparency.

9AI-Driven Demand Forecasting

AI-driven demand forecasting plays a crucial role in boosting sales. The feature uses machine learning algorithms to predict peak hours and optimize delivery resources accordingly, ensuring efficient operations.

10Promotions, Discounts and Loyalty Programs

Integrate features that allow your app to show promotions, discounts, and loyalty programs. Integrating promo codes, referral rewards, and loyalty points to retain customers and encourage repeat orders.

Your Postmates-like app can provide a remarkable experience, increase user engagement, and spur revenue development when you incorporate these ten features. You've now looked at the development process and features to incorporate into your Postmates-like food delivery app.

Now, the question is: How much does it cost, and how long does it take to build a food delivery app? Let's look at that.

Cost to Develop a Food Delivery App Like Postmates

To create a food delivery app like Postmates, you may spend between $20,000 and $100,000 or even more for custom app development. However, a white-label food delivery app like Postmates can be launched for $5,000 and $40,000. Custom and white-label app development has major cost differences and offers their unique benefits.

White-label or on-demand app development costs less than custom solutions. Let’s analyze a table to understand the development cost, time to launch, and benefits of both custom and white label solutions.

Let’s break this down to understand more clearly about custom and on-demand app development costs:

Custom Food Delivery App:

White Label Food Delivery App:

Factors Affecting Food Delivery App Development Cost and Time

The factors that affect food delivery app development costs are as follows:

• App complexity, like basic, medium, or complex, or the number or type of features integrated.
• App development platforms like hybrid and native or built for iOS, Android, or both.
• The user interface and experience and customization of the application.
• Development company and team experience and expertise in food delivery app development.
• Technology stack and integration you choose to develop your app.
• App maintenance and future updates based on customer feedback.

It depends on you and your business needs, which service you will choose between a custom and white-label food delivery app like Postmates. If you’re a startup or medium-sized business, a white-label solution is best for you.

Also Read: Cost to Build a Food Delivery App Like HungerStation!

Technology Stacks for Postmates-Like App Development

You must pay attention to the strong tech stacks to build a food delivery app like Postmates. You can select the best tech stacks for effective app development with the assistance of a full-stack development company. In case you don’t know, tech stack is a collection of programming languages, frameworks, libraries, tools, and platforms used to make an application run.

Let’s understand different types of tech stacks for various use cases through a table to successfully develop an app like Postmates:

Your app development provider will help you choose the right tech stack. Now, almost everything is covered except for the monetization of the food delivery app. Let’s examine that also.

Revenue Model of a Food Delivery App Like Postmates

How your food delivery app solution will make money is a must to know before investing your resources in it. The revenue model of a food delivery app like Postmates are as follows:

Commission from Restaurants

Postmates, a food delivery app, charges partner restaurants a commission for each order placed through the platform. The fees for such food delivery apps range from 15% to 30%, covering service, technology, and marketing support.

Delivery Charges

An app like Postmates charges users a delivery fee based on distance and order size. This money compensates drivers, covers logistical expenses, and contributes significantly to the overall platform’s revenue.

Surge Pricing

Surge pricing or peak hour fees generate a major revenue through high delivery charges. Food delivery apps like Postmates experience busy hours, and at that time, the platform surges the price automatically.

Subscription Model

Highly demanded, Postmates-like apps offer subscription plans like Postmates Unlimited. This gives users perks like free deliveries for a fixed monthly fee. A loyalty program ensures steady income and builds user loyalty.

Advertising and Promotions

Advertising and promotions are another way that helps Postmates-like apps generate more money. Restaurants pay the platform to be promoted on the app and have inverse visibility among users. These sponsored listings and deals provide a lucrative income stream to Postmates-like apps.

Challenges & Solutions in Developing a Food Delivery App Like Postmates

You can’t deny the fact that you can experience challenges when you create a food delivery app like Postmates. Well, if there is a challenge, there must be a solution as well. Let’s explore the challenges and their solutions when you build a food delivery app:

• Real-time Order Tracking

Challenge: When you develop an app like Postmates, you may find that a real-time order tracking feature is difficult to implement due to GPS inaccuracies and connectivity issues.

Solution: However, advanced GPS APIs and integrating mapping services like Google Maps can ensure precise tracking and easily tackle the issue. Implement caching mechanisms to handle temporary connectivity loss.

• Payment Gateway Integration

Challenge: Secure and seamless payment processing can be challenging due to the risk of data breaches and user mistrust.

Solution: To tackle this issue, integrate PCI-compliant gateways like Stripe or PayPal. The application must use encryption and tokenization for sensitive data and enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for added security.

• Scalability During Peak Hours

Challenge: One of the common challenges in food delivery app development is high demand during peak meal times. This led to server overload and slow app performance.

Solution: To enhance app performance in such a situation, use cloud-based infrastructure (like AWS or Google Cloud) with auto-scaling capabilities. Optimize backend architecture to handle sudden traffic spikes efficiently.

Also Read: Top 10 Food Delivery Apps That Made History!

Quickworks Can Build an AI-Integrated Food Delivery App Like Postmates

You’ve covered everything that will help you build a food delivery app like Postmates. Now, it is crucial to understand the importance of choosing a reliable food delivery app development company.

Choosing a company that can build an application as per your business needs is essential. To fulfill this requirement, Quickworks is the right choice. Quickworks is a food delivery app development company that has years of experience in app development like Postmates.

When you partner with a reliable on demand app development company like Quickworks, it makes a significant difference in the success of your food delivery app like Postmates. We’ve decades of experience in building robust, scalable, and AI-integrated ready to launch food delivery solutions. The best part of choosing us is that we understand the market dynamics and customer expectations.

Our team of expert developers leverages the latest technology stacks, including AI and automation, to ensure smooth operations, real-time order tracking, and an exceptional user experience. Whether you need a custom solution or a white-label app, we tailor our offerings to meet your unique business requirements.

Choose Quickworks to transform your food delivery business vision into reality and stay ahead of the competition with a AI powered future-ready application.

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