"I want a delivery app like the big ones" is a common request. It is also three separate apps plus a backend, so let us break down what that means before you set a budget.
The four pieces
- Customer app — browse, order, track, pay, rate.
- Driver app — accept jobs, navigate, update status, handle cash.
- Admin dashboard — manage vendors, menus, pricing, zones, disputes, and see the whole operation live.
- Backend — the server that ties them together, holds the data, and runs the dispatch logic.
Each of the three apps is its own design-and-build effort. This is why a delivery platform is a five-figure project, not a four-figure one.
The parts that are harder than they look
- Dispatch logic. How an order gets assigned to a driver — nearest, fairest, fastest, manual override — is real product design, not a setting.
- Live location. Tracking a driver on a map in real time is straightforward to demo and fiddly to make reliable on patchy connections.
- Cash handling. Most orders will be cash on delivery. The system has to reconcile what each driver collected against what they owe.
- Zones and fees. Delivery pricing by area, minimum orders, peak surcharges — all configurable, all edge cases.
How to make it affordable
- Start with one vendor type or one city. A working app for restaurants in one area beats a half-built platform for everything everywhere.
- Manual dispatch first. Launch with an operator assigning orders from the dashboard. Automate once you understand the real patterns.
- Cash and bank transfer first. Add card payments when they are available and worth the integration cost.
What Codrex brings
We have shipped logistics and tracking apps (see TrackIt) and payment platforms (see YalaPay). A delivery app combines both problem spaces, and we scope it in phases so you launch something real before the full platform is done.