The food delivery industry is highly competitive and profitable. But do you know how much does it cost to build a food ordering app like KFC?
The cost of developing such an app can vary widely, and factors such as the complexity of features, choice of technology, and expertise of the development team all contribute to the final price tag. The cost generally ranges between $30,000 to $300,000 or more.
As the food delivery landscape continues to evolve, countless restaurants offer convenient online ordering options, so investing in this business niche is profitable.
Projections indicate that the global fast-food market is experiencing significant growth. It surged from $610.66 billion in 2022 to $652.73 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach $772.17 billion by 2027. This growth is driven by convenience, smartphone penetration, and changes in consumer preferences.
Another example of this evolution is the popularity of food delivery apps like KFC, allowing customers to place online orders, pay with multiple options, and in-chat support, etc.
KFC is a world-renowned fast-food giant that offers a variety of chicken with nostalgic touches and lets people order their favourite fried chicken with a few taps. This makes food businesses invest in building food delivery apps like KFC to gain a competitive advantage.
However, developing a food delivery app requires careful planning, with expert app development partners and significant investment.
Let’s discuss the essential features, factors, and steps for building an app like KFC and its development cost.
Consumers prioritize convenience and competitive pricing when ordering food online. In fact, a study reveals that 71% prefer restaurant-specific apps for their ease of use and the benefit of home delivery. This trend suggests that developing a food ordering app similar to KFC could be a lucrative business opportunity.
However, the cost of building a food ordering app can vary significantly. Unlike a one-size-fits-all approach, the development process needs to be tailored to your specific needs.
Let’s understand the average cost to build a food ordering app like KFC, broken down by complexity.
App type | Estimated cost | Features |
Simple food ordering app | $30,000-$80,000 | With basic features |
Medium food ordering app | $80,000-$150,000 | With advanced features |
Advanced food ordering app | $150,000-$300,000 | With premium features |
Typically, the average cost for building KFC alternatives could range from $30,000 to $300,000 or more depending on several factors, such as the app's complexity, the developer's location, features, functionalities and other aspects, including marketing & maintenance services.
Investing in building a food ordering app like KFC has the potential to create significant market value for your business. However, the approach depends on your situation.
For existing food brands, the focus should be on scaling your existing business by integrating an app to boost sales and reach. While for the new launchers, developing a user-friendly app is crucial to gain a competitive advantage.
Look to KFC's app for inspiration – its focus on user-friendliness, featuring easy menu browsing, order customization, and secure payment options, helps reduce wait times and fosters customer loyalty.
Let's discuss more benefits of building a food ordering app like KFC.
With a well-designed app, you can meet your customers needs by offering them the convenience they crave. If your app is easy to navigate and provides various other benefits, they'll choose your app service over competitors.
KFC's app is a prime example of user-friendly design. Features like easy menu exploration, order customization, secure payment options, and accurate time order tracking can give your app a seamless user experience.
Developing a food delivery app allows your customers to order food to their place, which can significantly boost your sales. The app extends your reach beyond your physical location.
Customers can easily browse your menu, customize orders, and pay with just one tap from the comfort of their couch, significantly increasing your customer base and boosting sales.
When your app allows for personalized experiences, which can enhance customer loyalty, features like loyalty programs, personalized recommendations, and special offers make users return.
However, a well-designed app fosters customer loyalty by providing them with convenience and a positive experience. When customers feel valued and rewarded, they're more likely to stick with your brand.
A food delivery app can streamline operations by automating order processing for a food business. This reduces errors and speeds up the service, ensuring the customers get orders on time and correctly.
Customers can directly place orders through the app, eliminating phone calls or long wait times at the counter. This automation will also give your staff free time to focus on delivering quality food and service.
With a food ordering app, you can gather valuable data on customer preferences, ordering habits and peak times. This data can help you decide on menu changes, marketing strategies, and customer engagement initiatives.
Understanding your customers better allows you to serve them better, and you can make data-driven decisions to improve your overall business strategy.
The food industry is highly competitive, and having a food ordering app like KFC is becoming a necessity rather than a luxury. It can help you reach a wider audience, whether targeting busy professionals, students, or families, with an app allowing them to order anytime, regardless of location.
However, many of your competitors already have an app. To stay competitive, you need to offer better services, which is a great way to attract new customers who prefer the convenience of online ordering.
The mobile food ordering market is booming, so by investing in an app now, you're positioning your business for future success and adapting to the ever-changing needs of your customers.
Developing a food ordering app like KFC depends on several factors, such as app complexity, platform, developer location, and features and functionalities. Understanding these crucial features gives you an overview of the budget needed to develop a food-ordering app like KFC.
Look at the factors affecting the development cost.
Choosing the right platform is crucial for app success. If you have a reasonable budget, you can choose native ( iOS or Android ); it typically requires a significant investment because of the separate development platform for each platform. The native app typically costs between $30,000 to $100,000, depending on complexity and per platform.
However, if you have budget constraints, choose cross-platform solutions; they can develop cheaply. With a single code base, it can be used on multiple platforms, but it will limit the native-only features. Cross-platform solutions range from $30,000 to $70,000 for a single app that works on iOS and Android platforms.
If your app has complex design elements, the development cost will be higher, ranging from $15,000 to $30,000. Designing a visually lucrative interface that resonates with brand appeal with simple designs can cost between $5,000 and $10,000.
If you want a smooth interface, you’ll need a skilled designer who understands your app's UI/UX elements. Thus, the app with stellar elements can set a competitive edge in the crowded market. Designing an app with high-quality design leads to more engagement and a loyal customer base.
The success of an app largely depends on the developer's expertise; with expertise comes higher price tags. But ensure a high-quality product and generate the ROI in the long run. It’s a one-time investment thing.
If you have enough budget, you can opt for in-house development that would cost anywhere from $30,000 to $300,000 annually, considering salaries, benefits, and infrastructure costs.
Moreover, if you want to outsource the location of your development team, the cost will also be affected. Generally, developers from Western European countries charge higher than those from Asian and Eastern countries.
Take a look.
Developer’s location | Hourly rates |
North America | $100 to $200 |
Western Europe | $70 to $150 |
Eastern Europe | $40 to $80 |
Latin America | $30 to $70 |
Asia | $20 to $50 |
Africa | $20 to $40 |
These are the rough estimates, if you want an exact price it's recommended to consult with them directly. Let’s talk about the other aspects that affect the cost of food ordering app like KFC is team composition includes, developers, designers, QA, testers and project managers.
Role | Estimated cost range |
Developers | $12,000 - $180,000 |
Designers | $5,000 - $60,000 |
Testers/QA | $3,000 to $60,000 |
Project managers | $3,000 to $60,000 |
Based on the above factors the cost to develop a food ordering app like KFC could cost anywhere from $30,000 to $300,000. This estimate depends on your choice regarding team composition.
Backend development is crucial to developing a food-ordering app like KFC. It involves setting up and managing the server, database, and various APIs and integrations that enable the app to function smoothly.
Take a look at the detailed components and their costs:
Servers host the backend infrastructure of your app, handling requests, processing data, and ensuring the app runs smoothly. Cloud services like AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure can be cost-effective and scalable. The cost ranges from $1,000 to $5,000 annually, depending on the scale and resources needed.
Databases store all the app’s data, including user information, order details, menu items, etc. Efficient database management is crucial for performance and security. The common choices include MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and Firebase.
However, the costs for setting up and managing a database depend on the complexity and size of your data, ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 per year.
APIs and integrations connect your app to various third-party services, adding functionality like payment processing, geolocation, and notifications. Integrating with payment services like Stripe, PayPal, or Square allows users to make secure payments. The cost varies from $2,000 to $5,000 for integration and ongoing fees based on transaction volume.
Third-party service enhances the functionality of your food ordering app, which includes payment gateways, SMS and push notifications services, and mapping and geolocation APIs. These services handle the most vital parts of your app, like payments, communication and location tracking.
Moreover, the total annual cost of these third-party services can range from $5,000 to $13,000, depending on your app's usage and scale. Investing in these services ensures your app remains reliable, secure, and user-friendly.
Let's explore the cost of each third-party service.
The payment gateways handle the financial transactions between your app and your customers. They ensure payments are processed securely and directly through the app. Some of the standard providers are Stripe, Paypal and Square.
Cost | |
Payment gateway integration | $2,000 to $5,000 |
Transaction fees | A small percentage of each transaction (usually around 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction). |
These services allow you to send messages and notifications to your users. With SMS service, you can send order confirmation alerts, while push notifications can alert users of offers and promotions updates.
Moreover, SMS is the direct way to communicate important information to users, typically charging based on the volume of messages sent, which is $0.0075 per SMS.
While push notifications keep users engaged with your app by sending timely updates and offers. The annual estimate costs around $1,000 to $3,000, depending on usage.
Mapping and Geolocation APIs help users find your restaurants, track delivery drivers and get directions. They help provide users with accurate location-based services.
Thus, the familiar provider is Google Maps API; it charges based on the number of requests made to their services, which is annually estimated at around $2,000 to $5,000 depending on the number of users and how often they use the mapping features.
By going through the cost sections, you get an idea of how expensive the development of food-ordering apps like KFC is. But fret not; there are ways to manage and reduce costs without compromising the app's quality.
So, without any delay, take a look.
This is the most crucial step before starting with the KFC-like app development process. Selecting the right development partner can significantly impact your budget and the quality of the final product.
However, choose them by looking at their portfolio, expertise and positive client reviews. Ensure they offer transparent, detailed pricing to avoid unexpected costs.
Starting with MVP is always a good choice, as it lets you launch a basic app version quickly and at a lower cost, focusing on essential features first.
By developing an MVP, you can include the most critical features that solve the leading issues or the primary needs. You can use feedback from the early users to prioritize features for future development.
Moreover, you can gradually add more features and improvements based on user needs and behaviors, avoiding unnecessary expenses.
Cross-platform tools could be cost-effective; they enable you to develop one app that works on iOS and Android platforms. It is less costly than the native one and reduces development time and cost compared to developing native separately.
You can consider using frameworks like react native or Flutter, allowing a single codebase across multiple platforms. This process can save you up to 30-40% on development costs.
Last but not least, the best tip for reducing the development cost of food ordering apps like KFC is to use pre-built solutions and frameworks, which can speed up the development process and reduce costs simultaneously. This process will save you time developing everything from scratch.
You can create a robust app by utilizing open-source framework libraries that are well-supported and frequently updated. Plus, consider using app-templated or backend-as-a-service platforms to handle foundational aspects of the app.
Before considering these tips,, consult with the experts,, manage your budget effectively, and ensure a successful app launch.
KFC has a seamless user experience; if you want to build an app like KFC, you must include these key features. With these features, your users can smoothly navigate through the app, leading them to hassle-free free orders.
The success of an app is measured by how seamlessly a user can navigate through the entire food ordering process, so without any delay, let’s explore them.
Feature | Description |
1. User Registration and Login | Allows users to create an account and log in securely to access personalized features. |
2. Menu with Categories | Displays the menu items organized by categories (e.g., appetizers, main courses, desserts). |
3. Search and Filter Option | Enables users to search for specific items and filter results by category, price, or popularity. |
4. Cart Management | Lets users add, remove, and modify items in their cart before proceeding to checkout. |
5. Secure Payment Gateway | Integrates payment options (e.g., credit/debit cards, PayPal) to ensure secure and smooth transactions. |
6. Order Tracking | Provides real-time updates on the status of orders from preparation to delivery. |
7. Push Notifications | Sends notifications about order updates, promotions, and special offers to keep users engaged. |
8. Customer Support | Offers in-app support through chat or help center to assist users with their queries and issues. |
9. Ratings and Reviews | Allows users to rate and review menu items and overall service, providing feedback for improvement. |
10. Location-based Services | Uses geolocation to show nearby restaurants, track deliveries, and provide accurate delivery estimates. |
These are the essential features needed to build an app like KFC, but to set a competitive edge, you need advanced features to win over your competitors, which we will discuss further.
With customization options for orders, you can allow users to modify menu items based on specific preferences. This feature will enhance user satisfaction by catering to individual tastes and dietary requirements.
Don't just let users order food; let them personalize it exactly as they like it. For example, you can add options like extra sauce or cheese, swapping ingredients, choosing specific portion sizes and special instructions for the kitchen staff.
While creating a food ordering app like KFC, you can implement loyalty programs and rewards to increase customer retention. For example, users can earn points with every order they place.
Later, they can redeem for discounts, free items or special offers. You can create different tiers in your loyalty program, with more benefits for users who order more often. This feature encourages repeat business and helps build a loyal customer base.
They are integrating social media platforms while the food ordering development process allows users to share their order reviews and experiences with their network. They can share pictures with their friends and followers.
Moreover, they can tag restaurants in their posts to give you a shout-out, increasing the app's visibility and attracting more users through social sharing and recommendations.
This advanced feature helps you in expanding your customer base. The multi-language support makes the app accessible to a broader audience by catering to users of different languages.
For instance, if your app can translate the entire interface into different languages, it will be valuable in diverse or international markets. And ensure that language barriers don't prevent potential customers from using the app.
With this feature, you can set a competitive edge in the market. The pre-ordering and scheduling feature allows users to place orders in advance and select a specific time for pickup or delivery.
This feature is perfect for busy people who don't want to wait in line or for users who wish to plan their meals ahead of time and ensure that their food is ready when they need it.
This feature is a boon for people with disabilities. Voice search capability lets users find menu items and place orders using voice commands.
By adapting this feature to your app, you can enhance user convenience, especially for busy people who prefer hands-free operation. Also, the overall user experience can be improved by making the app more accessible and easy to use.
With this feature, users could use their phones to see a 3D model of a menu item, like a juicy burger or a towering sundae.
With AR and VR menu visualization, users get an immersive experience to see 3D representations of the menu items. This would give them a better idea of what they're ordering and make the whole experience more interactive and engaging.
Creating food ordering apps like KFC and integrating them with intelligent assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant is a necessary feature. It allows users to place orders using voice commands through their smart devices.
It's like having a personal assistant for their hunger pangs, which adds another layer of convenience, enabling users to order food even when not directly using their phones or computers.
If you want to gain valuable insights into your customer's behavior, opt for features like analytics and insights. These features help business owners understand customer behavior, track sales, and monitor app performance.
However, business owners will gain insight into the following:
After gathering this data, you can tailor your menu to your customers. Plus, create targeted promotions and marketing campaigns.
Keeping your customers excited about special deals and discounts can attract new customers and retain existing ones, including flash sales on popular food items and new menu items available for a short time.
These offers can be personalized based on user behaviour and preferences, making them return to see more. Special offers create a sense of urgency and encourage users to make more frequent purchases.
Building a fast food ordering app like KFC involves more steps than making it similar to this successful formula. So, let's dive into the step-by-step process of building a food ordering app like KFC.
The initial phase begins with market research that gives you customer preferences and industry insights which you can consider to make your app unique.
This planning stage is essential for setting a solid foundation and creating your app's unique selling proposition (USP).
Once you have completed your research and planning, define your app's specific features and requirements, as the app features and functionalities affect the overall development cost.
Decide on the essential functionalities like user registration, menu display, order customization, payment options, and more. A clear list of features will guide the development process and ensure everything is noticed.
In this next step, choose how you want to develop your app. You can opt for these two approaches:
Focus on designing a user-friendly and attractive interface. The UI should be intuitive and easy to navigate, while the UX should ensure a seamless and enjoyable user experience.
By focusing on a user-friendly UI and a seamless UX, you can create a food-ordering app that's functional and a delightful experience that keeps customers coming back for more.
This stage will bring your food-ordering app to life, and the actual development phase involves building your app's front and back ends. Since they both seem separate, they work best in harmony.
However, by combining user-centric front-end development with a robust back-end infrastructure, you can build a food ordering app with solid features, providing your customers with a smooth and enjoyable experience.
Before launching, thoroughly test your app to identify and fix any bugs or issues. This includes testing for functionality, usability, performance, and security.
Protecting user data is paramount, so rigorous testing must be conducted to ensure users have a smooth and error-free experience.
Once testing is complete and you are satisfied with the results, deploy your app to the app stores (Google Play and Apple App Store) and make it available for users to download.
It would take around one week to pass on these platforms. Just ensure that you follow all the guidelines for app submission to avoid any delays or rejections.
After launching your app, invest in marketing and promotion to attract users. Use channels like social media, online ads, and collaborations with influencers to spread the word.
Develop a marketing strategy and promote your app on different social platforms. Highlight your app's unique features and benefits to draw in more users.
Finally, even the best app can have hiccups, so regularly maintain and update your app to fix bugs, add new features, and improve performance to ensure a smooth user experience.
Listening to user feedback and making necessary updates ensures that your app stays relevant and continues to meet user needs.
If you follow these steps, you can develop a successful food-ordering app that stands out in the market and meets the needs of your users.
Building a food ordering app such as KFC's involves more than just coding. It requires a deep understanding of the market, user expectations, and the technical landscape.
However, a successful food ordering app must seamlessly integrate user-friendly features, robust technology, and strategic business models.
Here are key considerations to guide you through this process.
Before developing a food-ordering app like KFC, decide on the business model for your app. You can choose between two business models: Platform to customers or Restaurant to customers.
In the first model, customers order food from the platform and confirm it at their place. Then, the platform or the Restaurant might deliver it. Uber Eats is the best example of this model.
In the restaurant-to-customer model, restaurants directly connect with customers, including delivery. For example, you order directly from restaurants, and they have delivery partners who deliver to your doorstep. KFC has a delivery mechanism that lets users order through their platform and deliver it to their doorstep.
Several brands in the food market are well-established, and you are new here. To establish yourself in this highly competitive market, you need to offer something new that no competitor offers.
To create a unique USP, you need to ask yourself two questions: What is your USP, and how is it serving your audience? To get answers to these questions, you need to do an in-depth competitor analysis where you can find the loopholes or unexplored areas that you can use to create your USP.
When you create a food-ordering app, you need to start thinking about the budget, as developing one is a costly venture. But this is where you decide on the development approach or platforms that can significantly help you with the budget constraints.
However, the budget depends on several factors, such as the complexity of your app, the features and functionalities you have chosen, and the type of platform and framework you choose for app development. Budget is the most important factor to consider while developing food delivery apps. It's better to consult a mobile app development company and clearly communicate your budget.
Security is crucial when users pay online; they expect a secure payment gateway that protects their credit card details or debit card numbers. When developing a food ordering app like KFC, you must establish a secure payment gateway that users can trust.
If you use customer data, ask for their consent. This will help build trust and loyalty among users.
While developing a food ordering app, effective monetization strategies are necessary to generate revenue, ensuring the business's long-term sustainability and profitability. Thus, successful monetization allows the app to reinvest in product development, technology upgrades, and marketing.
Some popular monetization strategies include commission charges, typically 10-30% on each order placed through the platform. This is the most common revenue source for most of the delivery apps. Also, most food ordering apps charge delivery fees, which you can take from $2-$3 per order. Other areas are advertising and sponsored listings, and the most successful food delivery apps often use a combination of these monetization strategies to maximize their revenue potential.
Business-specific regulations are necessary to manage food orders, as the food delivery industry is subject to various local, state, and national rules, such as food safety standards, labor laws, and transportation requirements.
By establishing and enforcing clear delivery regulations, food ordering apps can ensure the safety and satisfaction of their customers, manage operational and financial risks, and position themselves for long-term growth and success.
Food delivery services are subject to various laws and regulations governing food safety, consumer protection, labor practices, transportation requirements, and other issues. Compliance with these regulations is a legal obligation and an ethical responsibility to protect the well-being of customers, employees, and the general public.
Failure to comply with regulatory requirements can result in hefty fines, legal penalties, and even the suspension or revocation of the app's operating license. These financial and legal consequences can severely impact the app's profitability, reputation, and ability to continue operations. By prioritizing regulatory compliance, food ordering apps can mitigate legal and financial risks, maintain a trustworthy brand image, protect public welfare, and position themselves for sustainable long-term growth and success.
The ToS and privacy policy clearly and transparently inform users about the app's practices, rights, and responsibilities. This helps ensure users understand the terms under which they are using the app and how their personal and financial data will be handled.
By having clear and comprehensive ToS and privacy policies, food ordering apps can protect users, mitigate legal and operational risks, build trust, and position themselves for long-term growth and sustainability.
Developing a food ordering app like KFC can revolutionize your food business. PixelBrainy, a leading mobile app development company, can be your ideal partner for building fast-food ordering apps, specializing in custom solutions similar to top brands like KFC.
We go beyond mere app development to create digital experiences that resonate with your customers and strengthen your brand.
PixelBrainy offers tailored solutions that align with your brand’s unique needs, integrating innovative features that enhance user engagement and loyalty.
Our apps are scalable, ensuring they grow with your business and adapt to new trends. We utilize data-driven insights to refine your strategies and boost customer retention, all while maintaining robust security for a safe user experience.
Our expertise extends to marketing, where we help you craft effective strategies that drive app downloads and user engagement. From launch promotions to continuous digital marketing efforts, we ensure your app stands out in the competitive food delivery market.
So are you ready to transform your fast-food delivery service? Partner with PixelBrainy to create a remarkable digital experience and elevate your business. Contact us today to get started.
The fast food market is highly competitive and high in cost. Developing fast-food ordering apps similar to KFC requires careful planning and a clear understanding of the essential factors that affect the development price.
Therefore, the investment, typically $30,000 to $300,000, demands thoughtful consideration and strategic decision-making.
By partnering with experienced app developers or a reputable development company, you ensure that your app is cost-effective and delivers a high-quality, user-friendly experience aligned with your brand’s goals.
The proper development team is crucial for creating a successful and profitable app. If you have a food ordering idea like KFC, you can Partner with us to convert your food delivery app idea into reality.
Developing a food ordering app like KFC typically takes between 16 to 20 weeks. This timeframe includes planning, design, development, testing, and deployment. The exact duration can vary based on the app’s complexity, the feature set, and the responsiveness of feedback cycles.
Yes, reusing pre-built components is an effective way to minimize development costs. By leveraging existing frameworks and modules for common features such as user authentication, payment processing, and order management, development time is reduced, leading to significant cost savings while maintaining high quality.
The cost to develop a food ordering app similar to KFC ranges from $30,000 to $300,000. This range depends on various factors including the app's complexity, feature requirements, design intricacies, and the geographical location of the development team. A detailed estimate can be provided after evaluating your specific needs.
Yes, we can redesign and enhance your existing food ordering app to meet your needs. Whether you need a complete overhaul or targeted upgrades, we can develop a solution that aligns with your current business goals and future growth plans.
About The Author
Sagar Bhatnagar
Sagar Sahay Bhatnagar brings over a decade of IT industry experience to his role as Marketing Head at PixelBrainy. He's known for his knack in devising creative marketing strategies that boost brand visibility and market influence. Sagar's strategic thinking, coupled with his innovative vision and focus on results, sets him apart. His track record of successful campaigns proves his ability to utilize digital platforms effectively for impactful marketing efforts. With a genuine passion for both technology and marketing, Sagar continuously pushes PixelBrainy's marketing initiatives to greater success.
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