Delivery app commission in the UK: what takeaways pay in 2026

If you sell through Deliveroo, Just Eat or Uber Eats, commission is likely to be one of your biggest costs after food and staff. It is also one of the hardest to compare, because each platform describes its pricing in a different way and not all of them publish a standard rate.

This guide explains how commission works, what each platform says about its fees on its own UK pages (we checked them on 12 November 2026), the other charges to look for on your statements, and how your own ordering channel can sit alongside the apps. Rates change, so always check the platform's current page and your own agreement before you rely on a figure.

How delivery app commission works

Commission is a percentage of each order that the platform keeps in return for listing your shop, taking the customer's payment and, if it delivers for you, sending a courier. You do not pay it as a separate bill. The platform takes it from your takings and pays you the balance, usually weekly, with a statement showing the orders, the commission and any other deductions.

Three things change the rate you pay:

• Who delivers. On the rates Just Eat and Uber Eats publish, orders their couriers deliver cost more than orders your own drivers deliver.
• Whether the customer collects. Collection orders can carry their own rate.
• Your agreement. Rates can depend on the plan or package you sign up to, so the figure in your own contract is the one that counts.

VAT is the fourth thing to watch. The platforms add VAT to their commission, and the standard rate of VAT is 20%, according to GOV.UK (opens in a new tab). A rate shown as '14% plus VAT' therefore costs you 16.8% of the order value before any VAT you may be able to reclaim. Ask your accountant how this works for your business.

What Just Eat publishes

Just Eat publishes its commission in the FAQs on its UK partner sign-up page (opens in a new tab). In its answer to 'How much commission will I pay?', it says it takes 14% commission on orders where you use your own delivery drivers, and 30% on orders where Just Eat delivers for you.

The same page (opens in a new tab) gives worked examples. On a £20 order delivered by your own drivers, the commission is £3.36 (£2.80 plus 56p VAT). On a £20 order where Just Eat delivers, the commission is £7.20 (£6.00 plus £1.20 VAT).

It also says commissions are deducted from your weekly order revenue, that you receive an account invoice every Tuesday, and that the balance is paid into your bank account every Friday. The page's wording on joining fees is not consistent, so ask Just Eat what one-off costs apply to your shop before you sign.

What Uber Eats publishes

Uber Eats lists its fees on its UK merchant pricing page (opens in a new tab):

• 30% on orders delivered by Uber, or 33% on orders from Uber One members.
• 13% on orders you deliver yourself.
• 13% on pickup orders, where the customer collects.
• A one-off activation fee of £650 excluding VAT, which the page says covers a tablet and printer, menu set-up, professional photography, a window sticker, a welcome pack and an activation training call.

The page says the percentages do not include VAT. It also says you can opt out of some of the activation services, such as photography or equipment, and that this may reduce the activation fee.

What Deliveroo publishes

Deliveroo's UK restaurants page (opens in a new tab) says it charges 'a simple commission on completed orders' and that there are 'no hidden fees or surprises', but it does not publish a percentage. Its UK partner terms (opens in a new tab) describe each service fee as a percentage of the order value (including VAT) per order, plus VAT, with separate service fees for orders Deliveroo delivers, for Marketplace+ (opens in a new tab) (where your own riders deliver your Deliveroo orders) and for pickup. Your own percentage is set in your agreement.

The terms give one figure. Deliveroo's Marketplace+ rider network terms for the UK (opens in a new tab) say that while a Marketplace+ partner has the Deliveroo rider network service active, the Marketplace+ service fee is adjusted to 35% plus VAT of the value of the delivery orders customers place each calendar week, or a different figure agreed in writing. That figure is for that service only. For your own rates, ask Deliveroo for your service pack before you sign.

Deliveroo's partner FAQs (opens in a new tab) say payments are issued weekly, every Thursday in the UK, for each Monday to Sunday period.

Other fees to check on your statements

Commission is the headline cost, but it is rarely the only deduction. Read the platform's terms and your first few statements for these:

• Joining or activation fees. Uber Eats lists a £650 plus VAT activation fee (opens in a new tab). Ask each platform what one-off fees apply to you.
• Equipment. Deliveroo's terms (opens in a new tab) say each of its equipment options is subject to a one-off joining fee.
• Refunds. Deliveroo's terms (opens in a new tab) say refunds you are responsible for under its complaints matrix are deducted from its payment to you. Find out how each platform handles missing items and late orders.
• Rewards you fund. Deliveroo's terms (opens in a new tab) say the partner funds the credit in its Rewards scheme, and that redeemed reward credits are deducted from payments due to you.
• Advertising. Paid placement inside the apps is a separate cost. Deliveroo's terms (opens in a new tab) say its Marketer charges are deducted from the amounts payable to you.

Once you have a month of statements, work out your effective rate: everything the platform deducted, divided by the total value of your orders on it. That single number is easier to compare across platforms and months than any headline rate.

Working out what commission costs you

An illustrative example

This example is made up to show the sum. The shop and its order numbers are not typical figures; only the rates come from Just Eat's UK partner sign-up page (opens in a new tab). Say a shop takes 400 Just Eat orders a month at an average of £20, which is £8,000 of orders. With its own drivers, commission at 14% plus VAT comes to £1,344 (£1,120 plus £224 VAT). If Just Eat delivered the same orders at 30% plus VAT, commission would be £2,880 (£2,400 plus £480 VAT).

The lower rate is not the whole story, because with your own drivers you pay their wages, fuel and insurance. Compare the full cost of each option, not just the commission.

Our free commission calculator does the sums for you. Enter your monthly marketplace orders, your average order value and the rate from your own invoices, and it shows what commission costs you each month and what you would keep if some regulars ordered from you directly.

How direct ordering fits alongside the apps

Marketplaces are good at putting your shop in front of people who have never heard of you. Many takeaways keep them for that, and also give regular customers a way to order from the shop directly: through its own website or app, by phone, or at the counter.

Direct orders still have costs: card processing, your own drivers and the ordering system itself. But there is no marketplace commission on them, and you hold the customer relationship, so you can tell regulars about a new dish or a quiet-night offer yourself.

Simple ways to let customers know they can order from you directly include putting your website address on your shop window, printed menus and collection bags, and on your social media pages.

If you use ChefSynk, orders on your own website and app carry 0% commission, and customers pay a 50p plus VAT platform fee on those orders.

On ChefSynk's Growth and Complete plans, your Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats orders come into the same till, so you can see every channel in one place. The pricing page lists what each plan includes.

Sources

• Just Eat, UK partner sign-up page, commission FAQ (opens in a new tab) (checked 12 November 2026)
• Uber Eats, UK merchant pricing (opens in a new tab) (checked 12 November 2026)
• Deliveroo, restaurants page (opens in a new tab) (checked 12 November 2026)
• Deliveroo, UK partner terms and conditions, including the M+ rider network terms (opens in a new tab) (checked 12 November 2026)
• Deliveroo, partner FAQs (opens in a new tab) (checked 12 November 2026)
• Deliveroo, Marketplace+ (opens in a new tab) (checked 12 November 2026)
• GOV.UK, VAT rates (opens in a new tab) (checked 12 November 2026)