Zomato and Swiggy Commission: What It Really Costs Restaurants
Zomato and Swiggy commission runs 15 to 30 percent per order, and once GST, payment fees, and forced discounts pile on, the real cost is higher.
How much is Zomato and Swiggy commission actually costing you? The headline number is 15 to 30 percent per order, but that's only the start. Once GST, payment charges, packaging, ad spend, and forced discounts stack on top, the slice that leaves your account is bigger than the rate card suggests. Here's the honest math, and the one part of the bill you can take back.
Key takeaways
- Zomato and Swiggy commission commonly runs 15 to 30 percent per order, often around 18 to 25 percent.
- The rate card isn't the real cost. GST, payment fees, packaging, and ad spend stack on top.
- Dine-in programs like Zomato Pay and Swiggy Diner ask for a cut plus a mandatory diner discount, even when the guest is sitting in your restaurant.
- You can't make delivery commission vanish, but orders placed at your own table don't have to pay aggregator rates at all.
How much commission do Zomato and Swiggy charge?
Both platforms commonly take between 15 and 30 percent of each delivery order, with most restaurants landing around 18 to 25 percent. The exact figure depends on your city, cuisine, order volume, and whatever your account manager negotiated. In 2025 both moved to tiered models, so two restaurants on the same street can pay different rates.
That percentage is the commission alone. It isn't the full cost, and the gap between the two is where margins quietly disappear.
What it really costs: the full stack
The commission is one line on a longer bill. Here's what actually comes off a delivery order.
| Cost layer | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Base commission | 15% to 30% | The headline rate, tiered by plan and city |
| GST on commission | 18% of the commission | Tax on the platform's fee, per GST rules |
| Payment gateway | About 1.5% to 2% | Often bundled into the deduction |
| Packaging | Per order | Paid by you unless you pass it on |
| Ads and visibility | Optional, but common | Pay to rank higher in a crowded list |
Stack those and a "22 percent" deal rarely means you keep 78 percent. After tax and fees, the real deduction often sits a few points higher, before you've spent a rupee on the food itself.
A ₹500 order, broken down
Numbers make it concrete. Take a single ₹500 delivery order at a 22 percent commission.
The platform keeps ₹110 in commission. GST on that fee adds roughly ₹20. Payment handling takes another ₹10 or so. Before packaging or any ad spend, you're down to about ₹360 from a ₹500 order. Now subtract your food cost, say 30 percent or ₹150, and you're left with around ₹210 to cover rent, staff, gas, and everything else. The order looked like ₹500. It behaves like ₹210.
These figures move with your rates and your menu, so treat them as a worked illustration, not a quote. The shape, though, holds for most kitchens.
The dine-in twist: paying to seat your own guests
Delivery commission at least buys you something: reach, logistics, a customer you might never have found. Dine-in is where the logic strains.
Through programs like Zomato Pay and Swiggy Diner, restaurants have reported paying a per-transaction cut of around 4 to 12 percent plus a mandatory diner discount of 15 to 40 percent, against a normal payment gateway charge of just 1 to 1.5 percent. The guest walked into your dining room and sat at your table. You still pay a middleman for the privilege of taking their money.
This is the part the National Restaurant Association of India has pushed back on, and it's why newer entrants like Rapido are pitching 8 to 15 percent commissions to win restaurants over.
Here's the opinion we'll stand behind. Paying a fifth of the bill to a platform that brought you a new customer is a fair trade. Paying it on a guest who found you, walked in, and sat down is just a tax on your own dining room.
What you can actually control
You can't negotiate aggregator commission down to zero, and for delivery you may not want to. The reach is real. What you can change is how orders happen inside your own four walls.
When a guest is already at the table, there's no reason that order should route through a platform at all. A QR code plus AI chat ordering takes the order directly, in the diner's language, on a flat monthly fee with zero commission on what it sells. No 22 percent, no forced discount, no per-transaction cut. The order goes straight to your kitchen, and the upsell a busy waiter forgets happens on every order instead.
It doesn't replace Zomato or Swiggy for delivery. It removes them from the orders that were always yours to begin with. We compare the main ways to do that in our DotPe vs DineomAI breakdown. For the wider picture, see our guide to QR code menu alternatives and the real problems with QR code menus that AI ordering fixes.
FAQ
How much commission does Zomato charge restaurants?
Zomato commonly charges 15 to 30 percent per delivery order, often around 18 to 25 percent. The rate is tiered by city, cuisine, volume, and plan, so it varies between restaurants. Added GST, payment fees, and packaging push the real deduction higher than the headline percentage.
Is Swiggy commission negotiable?
Sometimes. Larger restaurants and higher-volume partners can negotiate rates with their account manager, and plans shift with promotions. Smaller outlets usually have less room. Either way, the listed commission excludes GST and payment charges, so confirm the all-in number before you judge a deal.
Do restaurants pay commission on dine-in too?
They can. Programs like Zomato Pay and Swiggy Diner have charged a per-transaction cut plus a mandatory diner discount, even for guests eating in. Many owners now take dine-in ordering in-house with QR or AI chat ordering to avoid paying a platform for customers already in the restaurant.
How do restaurants reduce aggregator commission?
The realistic path is to shrink your dependence, not just the rate. Owners drive direct orders through their own QR ordering, run their own loyalty, and keep dine-in off the platforms entirely. Delivery commission may stay, but every order you take directly is one you keep in full.
What to do next
Add up your last month of aggregator payouts and compare it to your dine-in covers. If a big share of your orders happen at your own tables, you're likely paying Zomato and Swiggy commission you never needed to. Take dine-in ordering in-house with a flat-fee QR and AI chat layer, keep the aggregators for delivery, and watch how much of each bill you start keeping. Weighing the tools? Our DotPe alternatives guide is a good next read. Book a short demo and run the numbers on your own menu.
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