Zomato Hikes Platform Fee by 19% to Rs 14.9 per Order: What Every Food Delivery User Needs to Know
Zomato hikes platform fee for the second time in under a year — and this time, the increase is harder to ignore. Effective March 20, 2026, the Gurugram-based food delivery giant quietly raised its platform fee from Rs 12.50 to Rs 14.90 per order, a 19.2% jump that shows up directly on your checkout screen. No press release. No fanfare. Just a new number staring back at you when you’re hungry at 11 PM.
The timing is anything but coincidental. The zomato platform fee hike lands in the middle of a perfect storm — rising energy costs, geopolitical disruptions, and a publicly listed parent company grappling with razor-thin profit margins. Add in a new challenger called Ownly muscling in with zero platform charges, and you’ve got the full picture. This isn’t just a price tweak. It’s a strategic move in a very high-stakes game.
What Is a Platform Fee, and Why Is It Different From Delivery Charges?
Before getting into the numbers, let’s clear up a common source of confusion. A platform fee is a fixed charge added to every order, completely separate from delivery charges and taxes. It’s the app’s way of covering operational costs — servers, technology, logistics management, and customer support infrastructure. Your delivery charge pays your rider. The platform fee pays Zomato. Two different line items. Both climbing.
The rising food delivery costs india consumers face today aren’t just about one charge. They’re a layered stack: platform fee + delivery charge + GST + surge pricing during peak hours. What started as a Rs 2 convenience charge in 2023 has grown to nearly Rs 15. Each step felt small. The cumulative impact? Enormous. And with online food ordering price trends pointing upward across global markets, don’t expect this curve to flatten anytime soon.
Zomato Hikes Platform Fee: A Timeline of Incremental Increases
Zomato first introduced the platform fee in August 2023 at just Rs 2 per order — almost laughably small. Since then, it has quietly but consistently scaled that number upward. The last revision before this one came in September 2025, when the fee climbed to Rs 12.50. Now, with the zomato platform fee hike to Rs 14.90, this marks the second increase within a single financial year. The trajectory is unmistakable — from Rs 2 to nearly Rs 15 in under three years, a staggering 645% increase on this single line item.
What makes the zomato platform fee hike particularly notable is the strategy behind it. Rather than one large headline-grabbing increase, Zomato has consistently raised fees in small Rs 2–3 increments, carefully testing consumer price sensitivity without triggering mass backlash. It’s a classic incremental monetization playbook. Small ticket increases across 24.9 million average monthly transacting customers translates to significant revenue at scale — without touching restaurant commission rates or alienating restaurant partners.
According to Entrackr, this fee has emerged as a key lever for improving unit economics, helping Zomato offset rising delivery costs, investments in logistics, and ongoing platform operations. The business logic is sound. Whether consumers agree is another matter.
Zomato vs Swiggy Platform Charges: The Fee War Nobody’s Winning
Here’s where the comparison gets genuinely interesting. When you look at zomato vs swiggy platform charges side by side, the picture is more nuanced than it appears. Swiggy charges Rs 14.99 per order inclusive of GST, while Zomato’s new Rs 14.90 fee is charged excluding GST — meaning after tax is applied, Zomato’s effective platform charge could actually exceed Swiggy’s. Subtle, but real.
The two platforms have a long history of mirroring each other’s pricing moves. When one raises fees, the other tends to follow within weeks. That’s precisely what happened earlier in 2025 — Swiggy moved first, Zomato followed. Now Zomato’s catching up again with this latest adjustment. For consumers examining zomato vs swiggy platform charges in practical terms, neither platform is the “cheap” option anymore. The difference now comes down to restaurant selection, delivery speed, and membership benefits — not which app charges less at checkout.
Both companies have been gradually increasing these charges since first introducing them, with Swiggy beginning at Rs 2 in April 2023 and Zomato following a remarkably similar trajectory. The duopoly dynamic means there’s little competitive pressure on either platform to hold fees down — a reality that a new entrant is now trying to exploit.
Impact of Fuel Prices on Delivery: The Geopolitical Trigger
Zomato hasn’t officially commented on the reasons for this particular increase. But the timing points clearly in one direction. The hike comes amid rising energy costs, including LPG and crude oil, which have been exacerbated by disruptions in the Middle East. The impact of fuel prices on delivery operations is both direct and immediate — delivery partner payouts are tightly linked to fuel costs, and as those expenses climb, platforms need revenue levers to compensate.
The impact of fuel prices on delivery goes well beyond rider payouts. Restaurants themselves are facing higher LPG and gas costs, which increases food preparation expenses and feeds back into the platform ecosystem. In Q3 FY26, Eternal’s total delivery expenses reached Rs 2,376 crore, a massive operational burden for a business reporting a net profit of just Rs 102 crore in the same period. The math practically writes itself. Each rupee in additional platform fees goes directly toward keeping delivery economics viable.
Online Food Ordering Price Trends in India: The Macro View
Zoom out and you’ll see that the rising food delivery costs india consumers are experiencing aren’t an isolated phenomenon. Online food ordering price trends across global markets have moved consistently upward since 2022, driven by inflation, fuel price volatility, and aggressive platform monetization strategies. India’s market is no different — and arguably more fee-sensitive given the large proportion of price-conscious, middle-class consumers.
India’s online food delivery market was valued at approximately $9 billion as of early 2026, with Zomato commanding 55–58% of gross order value and Swiggy holding 42–45%. The long-term online food ordering price trends point to continued market expansion — with a projected CAGR of 22.18% from 2026 to 2034. More scale means more orders, which means platform fee revenue multiplies dramatically even from small per-order increases. At 24.9 million monthly active customers, adding Rs 2.40 per order isn’t a small change — it’s a strategic revenue injection.
Rapido Ownly Zero Fee Delivery: The Disruptor Waiting in the Wings
Enter rapido ownly zero fee delivery — arguably the most structurally disruptive development in India’s food delivery sector this year. Rapido formally launched Ownly city-wide across Bengaluru on March 3, 2026, after a pilot phase that began in August 2025 in select neighbourhoods including Koramangala, HSR Layout, and BTM Layout. The model is radical by industry standards: zero commissions from restaurants, zero listing fees, zero subscription fees. Customers pay only a flat Rs 30 distance-based delivery charge. That’s it.
The rapido ownly zero fee delivery proposition puts direct pressure on the Zomato-Swiggy fee structure. Unlike existing platforms that charge restaurants between 16–30% commission, Ownly promises restaurants 100% of their food revenue. For consumers, this structure could mean meals priced approximately 15% lower compared to orders placed on established rivals. The platform already claims around 20,000 restaurant partners and has expansion plans targeting Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, and Chennai through 2026.
Whether rapido ownly zero fee delivery can sustain this model at scale remains the billion-dollar question. History provides some sobering context — previous challengers including Ola Café and Uber Eats India both exited the food delivery market by 2019 and 2020 respectively, despite having logistics networks and deep pockets. But here’s the difference: Zomato hikes platform fee to near-Rs 15 levels at exactly the moment Ownly launches — and that timing makes Ownly’s pitch to price-sensitive users more compelling than any previous challenger has managed.
What Should Consumers and Restaurants Do Now?
Here are the most actionable takeaways from the Zomato hikes platform fee development:
- Check your final bill carefully. The Rs 14.90 fee is charged on a pre-GST basis. Your final checkout total will be higher after applicable taxes are applied.
- Gold and Pro subscribers, take note. The platform fee applies regardless of membership status, meaning even “free delivery” subscribers are paying this charge on every order.
- If you’re in Bengaluru, explore Ownly. The rapido ownly zero fee delivery model is live city-wide and worth comparing for your regular restaurant orders.
- Compare both platforms before every order. With zomato vs swiggy platform charges now nearly equivalent, delivery speed, restaurant availability, and discount offers matter more than ever.
- For restaurant owners: Rising food delivery costs india-wide are a signal to diversify. Building direct order channels alongside platform presence gives you negotiating leverage.
The era of subsidised, loss-leading food delivery in India is firmly over. Platforms are now squeezing every rupee out of unit economics, and platform fees are a key instrument in that strategy. Stay informed, compare your options, and don’t be afraid to vote with your wallet.
Frequently Asked Questions
By how much has Zomato increased its platform fee in 2026?
Zomato raised its platform fee from Rs 12.50 to Rs 14.90 per order on March 20, 2026, representing a 19.2% increase of Rs 2.40 per order. This is charged on a pre-GST basis and applies to all food delivery orders on the app.
How does Zomato’s platform fee compare to Swiggy’s?
Swiggy currently charges Rs 14.99 per order as its platform fee, inclusive of GST. Zomato’s new fee of Rs 14.90 is charged excluding GST, which means after tax, Zomato’s effective platform fee may actually be slightly higher than Swiggy’s in practice.
When did Zomato first introduce the platform fee?
Zomato first introduced the platform fee in August 2023 at a nominal Rs 2 per order. It has since been raised multiple times, reaching Rs 12.50 in September 2025 and now Rs 14.90 as of March 2026.
Does the platform fee apply to Zomato Gold subscribers?
Yes. The platform fee is a mandatory charge that applies to all users, regardless of membership status. Even Zomato Gold subscribers who enjoy free delivery benefits are still required to pay the platform fee on every order.
Why did Zomato increase the platform fee at this time?
While Zomato has not issued an official statement, the hike is widely attributed to rising energy costs including LPG and crude oil driven by the West Asia crisis, increasing delivery partner payouts, and the company’s need to strengthen unit economics. Eternal’s
What is Rapido’s Ownly, and how does it differ from Zomato and Swiggy?
Ownly is a food delivery app by ride-hailing platform Rapido, launched city-wide in Bengaluru on March 3, 2026. It operates on a zero-commission model, charging restaurants nothing and collecting only a flat Rs 30 delivery fee from customers. Unlike Zomato and Swiggy — which charge restaurants 16–30% commission — Ownly promises restaurants 100% of their food revenue.
Will Zomato’s platform fee continue to rise in the future?
Based on the historical pattern, yes. Zomato has raised the platform fee from Rs 2 in August 2023 to Rs 14.90 in March 2026. With India’s online food delivery market projected to grow at a CAGR of 22.18% through 2034, platforms have strong financial incentives to incrementally increase per-order revenue through fee mechanisms as long as order volumes remain resilient.
