Most delivery platforms in Pakistan charge a commission: a percentage of every order, typically 25–35%. A zero-commission platform charges nothing per order and takes a flat monthly subscription for the software instead.
The difference matters most as you grow. A percentage is a cost that rises exactly in step with your success; a fixed fee is a cost you can plan around. But the model only works because something has been removed, and you should know what before you move.
The catch, stated plainly
That is the whole trade. If you already have staff who deliver — and a great many Pakistani restaurants do, because they were delivering by phone long before the apps arrived — you are being asked to keep doing something you already do, and to stop paying a third of each order for the privilege.
If you have nobody to deliver and no wish to hire, an aggregator is genuinely selling you something you need, and the commission is the price of it. That is a legitimate reason to stay.
The second catch: demand
The other thing a commission buys is customers. A large aggregator has millions of app installs and spends heavily to keep them ordering; a smaller platform does not. Anyone who tells you a new platform will replace that overnight is selling something.
The realistic position is that most restaurants run both for a while: the aggregator for reach, the low-cost channel for the customers who already know you — your regulars, your walk-ins, the people who find you on Instagram or a flyer. Those orders do not need to be bought, and paying 30% on them is the least defensible cost in the business.
The arithmetic
A flat fee beats a percentage above a break-even point and loses below it. Here is where that point falls against a 30% commission.
The shape to notice is that the two lines diverge. At Rs 200,000 of monthly sales the difference is meaningful; at Rs 1,000,000 it is most of a salaried position.
What to check before switching
- Can you actually deliver? One rider covers a surprising amount of ground within a 3–5 km radius, but you need at least one, and a second for busy evenings.
- What share of your delivery orders come from customers who already know you? Those are the ones you are currently overpaying for.
- What is your real commission rate — deductions divided by gross order value on a full month’s statement, not the contract number?
- Are your margins good enough that the current channel is profitable at all? If delivery loses money at 30%, the fix might be pricing rather than platform.
- Do you have menu photographs? Any platform converts badly without them, and this is the work most stores put off.
How Snabb prices it
Snabb takes nothing per order because it never sees the order. It is a directory: a customer finds your restaurant, reads your menu, and rings you. What you charge, how you take payment and whether you deliver are entirely yours. Revenue is a flat monthly subscription per listing, and a one-time joining fee.
Snabb never touches the customer’s money — there is no checkout to touch it at. The customer pays you however you already take payment, and that is why there are no refunds to chase through a platform and no settlement to wait for. The money never leaves your side of the transaction.
Common questions
How can a food delivery platform charge 0% commission?
By charging a flat monthly subscription for the software and not providing the delivery fleet. The commission on an aggregator pays for riders, customer acquisition and payment handling; a subscription platform provides the ordering system and the store provides the delivery.
Do I keep the delivery fee on a zero-commission platform?
On Snabb, yes — the store sets its own delivery pricing and keeps all of it, because the store is the one paying the rider. On a commission platform the delivery fee is part of the order total that commission is charged on.
Is zero commission cheaper than foodpanda?
Above roughly Rs 18,000–20,000 of monthly delivery sales, yes, and the gap widens as you grow. Below that a percentage of a small number is less than a fixed fee, so a commission model costs less.
Do I have to leave foodpanda to use a zero-commission platform?
No. Most restaurants run both — the aggregator for reach and the low-cost channel for customers who already know them. There is no exclusivity requirement on Snabb.