Swiggy and Zomato Hike Platform Fees Again: Your Food Bill Just Got More Expensive
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Shaurya Thakur 2026-03-24 Swiggy Fee Hike 2026, Zomato Platform F 78
Ordering food online just got a little more expensive — again. Effective March 24, 2026, Swiggy has officially raised its platform fee to Rs 17.58 per order (inclusive of GST), matching a similar hike by rival Zomato that came just days earlier. If you have been keeping track of how much your food delivery bills have grown over the past couple of years, the numbers are frankly staggering.
The platform fee started at just Rs 2 in 2023. It now stands at Rs 17.58. That is an increase of over 800% in less than three years — and this is just Swiggy's fourth revision in seven months.
What Exactly Is the Platform Fee?
Before getting into why it is rising, it helps to understand what a platform fee actually is. When you order on Swiggy or Zomato, your total bill typically includes several components: the food cost, a delivery fee (which varies based on distance and demand), a small goods and services tax, and now the platform fee — a flat charge levied simply for using the app to place the order.
Unlike the delivery fee, which at least pays for the logistics of getting food to your door, the platform fee is essentially a charge for the convenience of using the platform itself. It is not tied to distance, order size, or any specific service. It is simply the cost of opening the app and pressing order.
Why Are Fees Rising Now?
Swiggy and Zomato are under significant financial pressure from multiple directions, and the platform fee is one of their tools for inching toward profitability.
Rising operational costs sit at the root of it. With crude oil prices elevated due to the ongoing West Asia conflict and the Strait of Hormuz disruption — which has already caused a premium petrol price hike of Rs 2.35 per litre in India — fuel costs for delivery riders have risen meaningfully. Both platforms absorb a significant portion of those logistics costs, and some of that is now being passed on.
The quick commerce war is the second major driver. Swiggy is pouring capital into Instamart — its 10-minute grocery delivery service — to compete with Blinkit (Zomato's quick commerce arm) and Zepto. This aggressive expansion requires enormous investment in dark stores, logistics infrastructure, and staffing. The platform fee on food delivery is effectively subsidising the quick commerce battle.
Profitability pressure is the third factor. Swiggy's Q3 FY26 results showed a widened loss of Rs 1,065 crore. The company is moving deliberately away from "discount-led growth" — the strategy of subsidising customers with offers and cashbacks to drive usage — toward unit-level profitability. Raising the platform fee is part of that shift: less subsidy, more revenue per order.
The Full Cost of an Order Now
To understand the real impact, consider what a typical mid-range food order looks like in a city like Hyderabad or Mumbai today:
- Food cost: Rs 250
- Delivery fee: Rs 25-40 (varies by distance)
- Platform fee: Rs 17.58 (up from Rs 14.99)
- GST: applied across multiple components
- Total bill: easily Rs 320-340 for Rs 250 worth of food
That gap between what the food costs and what you actually pay has been growing quietly but consistently. Many urban users who order food online two or three times a week are now paying thousands of rupees per month in fees alone — money that, in a household already managing higher fuel costs, grocery bills, and from April 1, revised salary structures, adds up quickly.
The Social Media Reaction
The internet, predictably, has not taken this quietly. Social media platforms have been flooded with screenshots of "inflated" bills and comparisons showing how dramatically the platform fee has grown since 2023. The viral anger is real — but it has not, so far, significantly dented order volumes on either platform.
The reason for that is the deeper problem: duopoly. With Swiggy and Zomato controlling the vast majority of India's organised food delivery market, most consumers have nowhere else to go. Both platforms have moved in near-lockstep on fee increases, eliminating the competitive pressure that would normally keep prices in check.
There is, however, one notable exception. Magicpin — the third-largest player in the space — has publicly announced it will not increase its platform fee for the time being, positioning itself as the price-sensitive consumer's alternative. Whether that translates into meaningful market share gains remains to be seen.
Ways to Reduce Your Food Delivery Costs
If you are feeling the pinch, there are practical ways to reduce what you pay:
Subscription programmes like Swiggy One or Zomato Gold often waive delivery fees, and while the platform fee may still apply at a discounted rate, the net savings on frequent orders can be meaningful if you order enough to justify the subscription cost.
Direct ordering from local restaurants has become a genuine alternative. Many restaurants in major Indian cities now offer their own websites, WhatsApp ordering, or in-app direct ordering at lower prices than the aggregators — and they often welcome it, since they pay 20-30% commission to Swiggy and Zomato on every platform order.
Brand-funded coupons within the apps can offset the platform fee on specific restaurants or categories — worth checking before checkout.
The Bigger Picture
The Swiggy-Zomato platform fee story is, at its core, a story about the price of convenience in a market where two companies have captured most of the demand. As India navigates an economically challenging period — with rising fuel prices, a weakening rupee, and the upcoming salary structure changes from April 1 affecting take-home pay for millions of salaried employees — every extra charge on everyday life feels more significant than it might have two years ago.
The food will still arrive. It will just cost a little more than yesterday.
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