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How Much Commission Do Swiggy and Zomato Charge Restaurants? The Real Cost in 2026
I have spent the last two years speaking with restaurant owners and reviewing their platform payout statements.
One thing keeps coming up.
Most owners believe they are paying around 20% to 27% commission to Swiggy or Zomato. But when we calculate the complete deduction, the actual impact often reaches 30% to 50%.
The reason is simple. The headline commission is only one part of the cost.
GST on commission, discount sharing, payment gateway charges, ads, and packaging expenses quietly reduce your final payout.
Your sales may grow, but your profit does not always follow.
What Do Restaurants Really Pay to Zomato and Swiggy?
Swiggy and Zomato usually charge around 20% to 27% commission depending on the restaurant category, location, agreement, and order volume.
But the real cost includes:
- Commission / Service Fee: 20%–27% (varies by city, category, and contract)
- Delivery Fee Recovery (Marketplace orders): ₹10–₹80+ per order (depends on distance/model)
- Payment Gateway / Collection Fee: 1%–2.5%
- GST on Platform Commission: 18% (charged on commission/service fees)
- Marketing / Sponsored Listing / Ads: As opted (budget-based or CPC)
- Promotional Discount Share: 0%–60% of the restaurant-funded portion (campaign dependent)
- Packaging Charges: Restaurant-defined (deducted only if applicable to settlement logic)
- Refund / Cancellation Recovery: Actual amount, depending on fault/responsibility
- Support / SLA Penalties: Example: ₹10 per support order beyond specified thresholds on Zomato, plus other quality-related deductions where applicable.
- TDS / TCS (Tax Deductions): As per applicable government regulations.
- Other Adjustments: Order disputes, missing items, quality claims, late handover penalties (contract dependent
A restaurant with a 22% commission plan may actually lose closer to 30% or more after all deductions.
Always calculate your business based on the final payout, not the advertised commission rate.
How Swiggy and Zomato Commission Works?
Platforms generally calculate commission on the order value after applicable discounts based on your agreement.
Example: How a ₹100 Order Becomes a Much Smaller Payout
Imagine a customer places an order worth ₹100.
The restaurant offers a 10% discount, reducing the food value to ₹90.
Now the platform starts applying different deductions.
- Restaurant Order Value: ₹100.00
- Restaurant-funded Discount (10%): −₹10.00
- Remaining Order Value: ₹90.00
- Platform Commission (25%): −₹22.50
- Delivery & Logistics Charges (example): −₹8.00
- Payment Collection Fee (2%): −₹1.80
- GST (18% on applicable platform charges): −₹5.81
Estimated Restaurant Payout: ₹51.89
That means from a ₹100 menu price, the restaurant may receive only around ₹52, before considering advertising costs, cancellation adjustments, refunds, TDS/TCS, or other settlement entries.
What If You're Also Running Ads?
The actual cost of acquiring an order can be even higher if you're relying on paid advertising to generate sales.
For example, if you're spending ₹40 in advertising to acquire one order:
- Estimated Restaurant Payout: ₹51.89
- Advertising Cost per Order: −₹40.00
Remaining Amount: ₹11.89
From this ₹11.89, the restaurant still has to cover:
- Food ingredients (COGS)
- Packaging costs
- Staff salaries
- Kitchen utilities
- Rent
- Taxes
- Operational overhead
- Profit
This example shows why many restaurants experience high order volumes but still struggle with profitability. If the cost of acquiring a customer through ads is too high and marketplace deductions are significant, your actual profit can quickly disappear. That's why successful restaurants don't focus only on increasing online orders—they closely monitor customer acquisition cost (CAC), contribution margin, and settlement reports to ensure every order remains profitable.
Note: This is an illustrative example. Advertising costs, commission rates, and payouts vary depending on your campaigns, restaurant category, city, and commercial agreement with the platform
Why Small Orders Hurt More?
QSRs, cafés, and dessert brands often feel higher pressure because their average order value is smaller.
A platform spends almost the same delivery effort on a ₹200 order and a ₹1,000 order.
For smaller orders, commission becomes a bigger percentage of your profit.
This is why restaurants need to understand their contribution margin before increasing online sales
What Does a ₹1,000 Order Actually Leave You With?
Let's assume a customer places an order worth ₹1,000 and the restaurant offers a 10% discount (₹100).
Here's how the payout may look:
- Menu Price: ₹1,000.00
- Restaurant-funded Discount: −₹100.00
- Net Order Value: ₹900.00
- Platform Commission (22%): −₹198.00
- GST on Commission (18%): −₹35.64
- Payment Collection Fee (2%): −₹18.00
- Delivery & Logistics Charges (Example): −₹40.00
- Packaging Cost: −₹25.00
Estimated Restaurant Payout: ₹583.36
From this ₹583.36, the restaurant still needs to pay for:
- Food ingredients
- Kitchen staff
- Rent
- Electricity & utilities
- Taxes
- Operational expenses
This is why online sales can look impressive while actual profits remain surprisingly low.
What If You're Running Ads Too?
Now imagine you're also promoting your restaurant through Swiggy Ads, Zomato Ads, Meta Ads, or Google Ads, and your customer acquisition cost (CAC) is ₹200 per order.
- Estimated Restaurant Payout: ₹583.36
- Advertising Cost per Order: −₹200.00
Remaining Amount: ₹383.36
From ₹383.36, you still need to cover food costs, staff salaries, rent, packaging, utilities, and every other operating expense.
The question isn't just:
"How many online orders did I receive today?"
The more important question is:
"How much profit did each order actually generate after every deduction?"
Disclaimer: This is an illustrative example to explain how restaurant settlements generally work. Actual deductions vary based on your agreement with Swiggy or Zomato, commission structure, city, restaurant category, discount participation, logistics model, and advertising spend.
Hidden Costs Restaurants Often Miss
GST on Commission
Restaurants already manage GST on their food sales.
However, platforms also charge GST on the commission they provide as a service.
Many owners do not include this cost while calculating margins.
TDS and TCS
TDS and TCS deductions are not always permanent costs.
Restaurants can claim eligible amounts through proper tax filing.
Keep your documents updated and share platform certificates with your accountant.
Platform Ads
Ads can increase visibility, but restaurants should treat them as a marketing expense.
Track:
- Money spent
- Orders generated
- Cost per customer acquired
If ads do not generate profitable customers, they are only increasing your expenses.
Swiggy vs Zomato: Which Is Cheaper?
The difference between platforms is usually small.
One platform may appear cheaper by a few percentage points, but switching between platforms rarely solves the bigger problem.
The bigger question is:
How much of your business should depend on someone else's platform?
The Biggest Cost Is Not Commission. It Is Customer Ownership.
A restaurant spends time, money, and effort creating great food and experiences.
But when customers order through aggregators, restaurants often do not build a direct relationship with those customers.
You may know what they ordered, but you may not know who they are, when they return, or how to bring them back.
After the first order, continuing to pay high commissions on repeat customers becomes expensive.
The long-term goal should be simple:
- Use aggregators for discovery.
- Build direct relationships for growth.
How Can Restaurants Reduce Their Dependency on Swiggy and Zomato?
1. Build Your Own Online Ordering Channel
Create a direct ordering experience where customers can order through your own website, QR ordering, or WhatsApp.
2. Convert Repeat Customers
Your existing customers are your biggest opportunity.
Encourage direct ordering through:
- QR codes on packaging
- Table QR ordering
- Loyalty benefits
- Direct ordering offers
3. Track Direct Order Growth
Do not aim to remove aggregators completely.
A better strategy:
- Use platforms to acquire new customers
- Move repeat customers to your own channel
Even shifting 20% to 30% of repeat orders directly can create significant savings.
Where BeSpeakk Fits
BeSpeakk CommerceOS helps restaurants build their own digital ordering and customer ecosystem with:
- QR ordering
- WhatsApp ordering
- Online ordering
- POS and billing
- CRM
- Loyalty programs
- Customer insights
Your restaurant should not only generate orders.
It should build relationships with customers and own its data.
Aapka data aapke paas. Aapke customer aapke paas.
Book a free BeSpeakk demo.
Final Thought
Swiggy and Zomato are valuable platforms. They help restaurants reach customers they may not find otherwise.
The problem is not using aggregators.
The problem is depending only on them.
The future belongs to restaurants that combine marketplace visibility with direct customer relationships.
Check your latest payout statement.
Find your real commission cost.
Then start building the channel that keeps more value inside your business.
Frequently Asked Questions
What commission does Zomato charge restaurants in 2026?
Zomato commission generally ranges between 20% and 27%, depending on the restaurant agreement, category, and business factors.
What commission does Swiggy charge restaurants in 2026?
Swiggy commission generally ranges between 18% and 30%, depending on the restaurant profile and agreement.
Does GST apply to Swiggy and Zomato commission?
Yes. Platforms charge GST on the commission amount as it is a service charge.
Are platform ads compulsory?
No, but many restaurants use ads to improve visibility. Restaurants should measure whether the spending generates profitable orders.
Should restaurants stop using Swiggy and Zomato?
Not necessarily. Aggregators are useful for customer discovery. The better approach is to use them while building a direct customer channel.
How can restaurants reduce commission costs?
Restaurants can reduce dependency by building direct ordering channels, loyalty programs, customer databases, and repeat ordering strategies.