Quick summary
The biggest misconception is that this is "one app". It is at least four products: a customer app, a merchant app, a driver app, and an admin dashboard. That explains why quotes range from SAR 30,000 to 300,000 for the same description. Realistic ranges in Saudi Arabia: a two-sided MVP at SAR 60,000 – 120,000, and a full four-sided platform with live tracking from SAR 150,000, sometimes past 400,000. And the most overlooked item is not code — it is commissions and settlement.
Why quotes vary so wildly
| Component | What it does | Estimated range |
|---|---|---|
| Customer app | Browse, order, pay, track | SAR 35,000 – 90,000 |
| Merchant app | Receive and prepare orders, manage products | SAR 25,000 – 60,000 |
| Driver app | Accept jobs, navigate, prove delivery | SAR 30,000 – 70,000 |
| Admin dashboard | Orders, disputes, commissions, reports | SAR 25,000 – 70,000 |
| Backend and database | Shared logic, permissions, payments | Included or SAR 20,000 – 60,000 |
A quote saying "a delivery app for SAR 35,000" is usually pricing the first row only. Not necessarily dishonest — but not what you need to run a real operation.
Costs that do not appear in quotes
Live tracking is not a moving icon: it needs continuous driver location streaming, real road routing, arrival estimation and map updates on the customer's device — at acceptable battery cost, with map pricing of its own. Commission and settlement is financial logic, not an interface: who holds the money first, when the merchant is paid, what happens on cancellation after preparation or a partial refund. Cash on delivery opens a full reconciliation file. And failure states — customer absent, order rejected, driver offline — each need a decision and a screen.
A cheaper path: start two-sided
Our standing advice: do not build all four at once. A smart first version is a customer app plus an admin dashboard, with the merchant receiving orders over WhatsApp or a simple web panel, and the driver working from a web link on their phone that streams location rather than a published app. That roughly halves the cost and lets you test real demand before building the rest.
Our stages and pricing are on mobile app development, and examples in the portfolio.
