Your talabat or Deliveroo payout is well short of what your kitchen sold. Commission is only one line: funded discounts, sponsored listings, refunds and VAT sit underneath it. So what does an app order really cost you, and would taking regulars direct save money once you pay for card fees, delivery and a website?
Neither platform publishes its UAE commission, so this guide collects the dated figures that exist, explains the UAE rules for delivery apps, and gives you a worksheet to find your real commission and the point where ordering direct pays off. Sources were checked on 28 October 2026.
What commission do talabat and Deliveroo charge restaurants in the UAE?
Each restaurant's commission is set in its own contract, and neither app publishes a UAE rate. The most recent public figure is a reported range of 15% to 25% for talabat, and 2020 interviews with a restaurant group CEO and an adviser put aggregator commission at 25% to 30%, and up to 35%.
talabat's UAE partner page explains why it charges commission but not how much. It says the fee "ensures our delivery partners are fairly paid", and that the remainder covers costs including "cashless payment transaction costs", marketing and customer service.
Deliveroo's UAE merchant site names three ways to partner (Core Delivery, Marketplace+ and Editions) and shows no fees. Its partner FAQ says only that Editions, its delivery-only kitchens, "works on a simple single percentage commission".
Every dated figure we found:
| Source and date | Platform | What was reported | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Communicate Online, 26 November 2025 | talabat | Commission "typically range between 15 percent and 25 percent", with exclusivity deals "reducing that further" | No source given for the range; markets not stated |
| Yicai Global, 21 November 2025 | An unnamed platform, and Keeta | One Dubai restaurant owner: a previous platform charged "about 17 percent", later "over 20 percent"; the report says she joined Keeta mainly for its "commission-free model" | One owner's account |
| Khaleej Times, 26 April 2020 | Delivery apps in general | "Between 25 to 30 per cent" (an Abu Dhabi restaurant group CEO); "up to 35 per cent" (a restaurant adviser) | Two interviews during the pandemic |
| Zawya, 24 July 2025 | Keeta | "0 subscription and registration fees" for early merchants; no commission stated | Keeta press release before its UAE launch |
| talabat Annual Report 2025, 31 March 2026 | talabat, all markets | No rate per restaurant; commission fees of USD 1,297 million in 2025 | Company accounts |
talabat's annual report says commission fees grew from USD 1,062 million in 2024, but that blended commission rates "naturally tracked lower" as groceries and retail grew as a share of its business: a group trend across all its markets, not your rate.
Note: A rate you read online is someone else's contract. Your rate is in your agreement and on your statement, which is where the worksheet below starts.
What do UAE rules say about delivery app fees and exclusivity?
Neither the federal decision on exclusive deals nor Dubai's guidelines caps what a delivery app may charge, but the first limits exclusivity and the second requires platforms to be open with restaurants about fees and changes.
The federal rule on exclusive deals
Ministerial Decision No. (32) of 2026, issued by the Minister of Economy and Tourism on 11 February 2026 under Federal Decree-Law No. (36) of 2023 Regulating Competition, applies to every food delivery platform in the UAE. It exempts exclusive deals between platforms and restaurants from the competition law's prohibitions only on these conditions:
- The deal must not involve "coercion, retaliatory measures, or the imposition of penalties where the restaurant elects to deal with other digital platforms active in the market".
- Exclusivity "shall not exceed twelve (12) months from the date of entry into force of this Decision", which was 11 February 2026.
- Exclusive restaurants "shall not exceed (10%) of the total number of merchants listed on the platform".
- Exclusivity cannot stop you partnering with emerging platforms or delivery platforms classed as small and medium enterprises.
- A platform that cuts commission during an exclusivity period must, if the Ministry asks, show "substantial reductions in operational costs" or "tangible added value", with evidence that is "verifiable and auditable".
- No clause may stop you joining competing platforms once the exclusivity ends.
The exemption is valid for 12 months from 11 February 2026, so until February 2027, and can only be renewed by a new decision.
Dubai's guidelines for delivery platforms
The Dubai Corporation for Consumer Protection and Fair Trade, part of Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism, issued Circular No. (2) of 2025, its guidelines for online food delivery platforms, on 2 September 2025. According to GLA & Company's August 2026 summary and Gulf News, the guidelines, made under Dubai Law No. (5) of 2023:
- require itemised monthly statements showing gross revenue, commissions, additional fees, payouts, pending refunds and chargebacks;
- require 30 days' notice of changes to terms ("Any changes require a 30-day notice"), with a right to end the contract if you do not agree;
- require platforms to disclose commission structures, including tiered rates and discounts, and bar them from arbitrarily charging higher commission because of a restaurant's size, location or exclusivity status;
- make marketing fees optional and bar charging them retroactively;
- protect your right to list on several platforms without being penalised;
- stop platforms unfairly passing the cost of customer subscription programmes, such as free delivery, on to restaurants, and state that "Hidden or retroactive charges are strictly prohibited".
Note: This is general information, not legal advice. The Dubai points above come from GLA & Company's and Gulf News' summaries, because DET's own page could not be read on 28 October 2026. GLA dates the guidelines to early 2026; DET's listing and Gulf News give 2 September 2025. Read the circular on DET's site, or ask a lawyer, before relying on a specific clause.
How do you work out your real commission from a payout statement?
Add up everything deducted from your sales for one month, divide it by your gross sales at menu price, and you have your effective rate. That number, not the headline commission, is what you compare with a direct order.
talabat's annual report describes what it charges partners such as restaurants as "commissions, advertising and listing fees", plus, depending on the contract, delivery fees and a separate fee for online payments. These are the lines to find:
| Line on the statement | What to check |
|---|---|
| Gross sales | Menu prices before any discount: the base for your rate. |
| Commission | The percentage, and whether it is charged before or after discounts. |
| Online payment fee | The partner page says commission covers "cashless payment transaction costs"; the annual report says a contract may add "separately a fee for online payments". |
| Delivery fee charged to you | The annual report says delivery fees are "charged to customers and restaurants". |
| Discounts and vouchers you fund | Promotions you agreed to pay for. |
| Ads and sponsored listings | Under Dubai's guidelines, marketing fees must be optional. |
| Refunds, missing items and chargebacks | Deductions for orders that went wrong. |
| VAT on the platform's fees | 5%, if charged. Ask your accountant whether you can recover it. |
| Net payout and payout date | talabat's partner FAQ says the first payment comes 45 days after you go live, then every two weeks. |
Then follow these steps:
- Take one full month, and every statement that covers it.
- Total the gross sales at menu price and the number of orders.
- Total every deduction, line by line.
- Divide total deductions by gross sales: that is your effective app cost.
- Divide total deductions by orders: that is the app's cost per order.
- Repeat for each platform and each branch, since each may have its own contract.
Worksheet: when do direct orders beat app orders?
Direct orders win when the saving on each order moved from the app beats your card, reward, marketing and staff costs, and enough orders move each month to cover your channel's fixed cost. Copy the three tables into a spreadsheet and replace the examples with your own statement and quotes.
Part 1: your effective app cost
The example is a made-up month with a 20% commission, inside the range Communicate Online reported. Amounts exclude VAT.
| Line | Example month | Your month |
|---|---|---|
| Orders | 600 | |
| Gross sales at menu price (600 x AED 80) | AED 48,000 | |
| Commission at 20% | AED 9,600 | |
| Separate online payment fee | AED 0 (covered by commission in this example) | |
| Delivery fee charged to you | AED 0 | |
| Discounts and vouchers you funded | AED 2,400 | |
| Ads and sponsored listings | AED 1,000 | |
| Refunds, missing items, chargebacks | AED 480 | |
| Total deducted from your sales | AED 13,480 | |
| Net payout | AED 34,520 | |
| Effective app cost (13,480 ÷ 48,000) | 28.1% | |
| App cost per order (13,480 ÷ 600) | AED 22.47 |
A 20% headline commission became 28.1%. If the platform adds 5% VAT to its commission and ads and you cannot recover it, add AED 530 more, which takes the example to 29.2%.
Part 2: the cost of one direct order
The example is an AED 80 order that the customer collects and pays for by card. The card fee uses Stripe's UAE rate of 2.9% + AED 1.00, and the messages use Meta's UAE marketing rate of AED 0.2115 (rate tool, checked 28 October 2026); the reward and staff time are example inputs. Packaging is left out because you pay for it on app and direct orders alike; add the difference if your direct packaging costs more.
| Line | Example | Yours |
|---|---|---|
| Card fee (2.9% of AED 80, plus AED 1.00) | AED 3.32 | |
| Reward for ordering direct, 5% | AED 4.00 | |
| Two WhatsApp marketing messages to win the order | AED 0.42 | |
| Staff time, 4 minutes at AED 30 an hour | AED 2.00 | |
| Cost of a direct collection order | AED 9.74 |
Part 3: the three answers
| Question | How to work it out | Example |
|---|---|---|
| How much do you save on each order moved from the app? | App cost per order minus direct cost per order | AED 22.47 minus AED 9.74 = AED 12.73 |
| What is the most a direct delivery can cost you and still beat the app? | The saving above, plus any delivery fee the customer pays you | AED 12.73 per order, plus any delivery fee you charge |
| How many moved orders a month cover your fixed costs? | Monthly fixed cost ÷ saving per order | AED 1,500 ÷ AED 12.73 = 118 orders, about 4 a day |
AED 1,500 a month is an example fixed cost for the site, hosting, tools and any gateway monthly fee; use your own quotes.
So each regular who switches saves you about AED 12.73, but you need about 118 switched orders a month before the channel pays for itself. An order from someone who would have walked in anyway saves nothing: it adds a card fee and the reward.
What does it cost to run your own ordering website or WhatsApp ordering?
Expect four running costs: card fees on every paid order, delivery unless customers collect, the website or ordering tool itself, and the marketing and staff time it takes to bring customers back.
Card payments
Published pricing applied to the worksheet's break-even volume and a busier month, domestic cards only, checked 28 October 2026:
| Option | Published UAE pricing | 118 orders of AED 80 (AED 9,440) | 300 orders of AED 80 (AED 24,000) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe | 2.9% + AED 1.00 per domestic card; no setup or monthly fee; Payment Links included | AED 391.76 | AED 996.00 |
| Telr Startup (sales up to AED 9,999 a month) | AED 249 a month, no percentage fee; fees subject to 5% VAT | AED 261.45 with VAT | Not eligible |
| Telr Entry (AED 10,000 to 24,999 a month) | AED 199 a month plus 2.45% + AED 1; fees subject to 5% VAT | Not eligible | AED 1,141.35 with VAT |
| Cash on collection | No card fee | AED 0 | AED 0 |
International cards cost more: Stripe adds 1% (plus 1% for currency conversion) and Telr 0.50% from its Entry plan up. Telr requires a valid trade licence and includes unlimited payment links on every plan. Stripe's page does not say whether VAT is added to its fees, so ask. For Network International and other UAE gateways, see our comparison of UAE payment gateway fees.
Delivery
Collection needs no delivery, so start there. For delivery, there are three routes:
- Your own riders. You carry salaries, vehicles and insurance whether or not orders come in. Deliveroo's Marketplace+ lets the same riders carry your Deliveroo orders too ("deliver using your own riders, while still promoting your business on the Deliveroo app"), with a Deliveroo rider on request when you are busy.
- Deliveroo Signature API. Deliveroo's partner FAQ describes orders from your own website "delivered by Deliveroo's rider network", but the FAQ carries UK text and the UAE site does not list Signature, so ask whether it is offered here.
- A courier company. We found no published UAE per-order rates for restaurant deliveries, so get two or three written quotes and compare them with the maximum from Part 3.
talabat's partner page says its "delivery radius is set to within a 15 minute drive time" from your business. Use a similar radius if you deliver yourself.
The ordering site itself
You need a menu with add-ons, collection and delivery areas, opening hours, card payment, and confirmations in Arabic and English. See what a website costs in Dubai for build and yearly costs, and whether your site needs Arabic for the rule on online sellers. Hoorax builds restaurant ordering websites that take card payments, and you can estimate a build before you talk to anyone.
Marketing and staff time
The WhatsApp Business app includes a catalogue, a cart and quick replies, enough for modest order volumes. On the WhatsApp Business Platform (the API), Meta's rate tool gives AED 0.2115 per marketing message and AED 0.0576 per utility message, such as an order confirmation, to UAE numbers. From 1 October 2026, Meta's developer pricing page says utility messages in an open chat are charged and only 1,000 service replies a month per number are free; its business pricing page still calls both free, so budget for the newer rule. Our guides to the WhatsApp Business app versus the API and WhatsApp Business API pricing in the UAE explain when each fits.
How do you move repeat customers to direct orders without leaving the apps?
Keep the apps for customers who find you there, and give people who already know you a quicker, cheaper way to order again. Each direct order also leaves you with the customer's contact details and order history for reorder messages, once they opt in:
- Put your own ordering link on Google. In your Business Profile, choose Food ordering, add your link and select "Set as preferred" for pickup, delivery or both, according to Google's help page. Outside the US, you can add "Place an order" links yourself, and a provider must remove its link within 5 business days of your request. Our guide to ranking higher on Google Maps in Dubai covers the rest of the profile.
- Make WhatsApp ordering easy. Load the menu into the WhatsApp Business app catalogue so customers can send several items as one cart, and set up quick replies for prices, timings and the delivery area.
- Take payment by link, never by card number in the chat. WhatsApp's Business Messaging Policy says "Don't share or ask people to share full length individual payment card numbers". Send a Stripe or Telr payment link instead.
- Ask before you market. The same policy lets you contact people only when they have given you their number (or username) and you have "received opt-in permission". Add a tick box or a clear question at checkout.
- Give a reason to order direct that costs less than your saving. A free side or small reward works if it stays well under the Part 3 figure.
- Spread the word where you are allowed to. Put a QR card in walk-in and takeaway bags. Read your platform agreement before adding anything to app orders.
- Track both channels every week. Count orders and margin per order for each app and for direct orders, so you can see whether regulars are moving.
If you would rather not run WhatsApp orders by hand, Hoorax builds WhatsApp ordering assistants that answer menu questions, take the order, send a payment link and hand anything unusual to your staff.
When is staying on the apps alone the better call?
Stay on the apps alone when few app customers reorder, when your Part 3 break-even is more orders than you can realistically move, or when you cannot handle direct orders as reliably as the app. Warning signs:
- Low repeat orders. If most app orders come from first-time customers, there is little to move. Deliveroo tells UAE merchants that 73% of its customers "order exclusively with us each month" (its own Q2 2023 panel, country not stated), so many app customers may never order elsewhere.
- Delivery costs above the gap. If your cheapest courier quote is higher than the Part 3 maximum and your customers will not collect, the app is cheaper per order.
- No one to answer at peak. If nobody can reply quickly at dinner time, customers go back to the app.
- A good exclusivity deal. If a platform offers a real commission discount for exclusivity, compare it with your direct saving. Under the federal decision, exclusivity cannot run beyond February 2027; check whether the clause covers your own website or WhatsApp.
Can someone set this up for you?
Yes. Hoorax is an AI-native web studio in Al Barsha 1, Dubai, that builds the direct channel this guide describes for restaurants, cafes, bakeries and cloud kitchens across the UAE: an ordering website in Arabic and English that takes card payments for collection or delivery, a WhatsApp ordering assistant that takes orders and sends payment links, and a simple dashboard that compares your margin on app orders with direct orders. The apps stay in place for new customers. See our pricing, then message us on WhatsApp with last month's order numbers if you want to go through the worksheet together.