Delivery is the most expensive part of selling takeaway. When the app's courier delivers, you pay for it with a higher commission. When you deliver yourself, you pay wages, fuel and for the hours when the courier waits for an order.
We compare both models with examples from Poland. Labor and mileage rates come from the 2026 regulations, and app commissions from the available comparisons (sources at the end). The calculations are examples with clearly stated assumptions. Put your own numbers into them.
Three delivery models
| Model | Who delivers | What you pay |
|---|---|---|
| App with its courier | The app's courier | The highest commission, usually 25–30% of the order value |
| App, your own courier | Your courier | A lower commission (about 13–15%) and the cost of your own courier |
| Your own orders, your own courier | Your courier or an on-demand courier | The payment provider's fee, the ordering system and the cost of delivery, with no commission on the order |
The middle model can be the most expensive: you pay both the commission and the courier. It makes sense when you already have a courier for your own orders and the app gives them extra runs.
What delivery through an app costs
The apps don't publish price lists for restaurants. According to the available data, the Pyszne.pl commission is 13% as standard with your own delivery, and higher with the app's couriers. According to an UpMenu comparison, Glovo takes about 15% without its courier and about 30% with one. Wolt has said its average commission is about 25% and rarely exceeds 30%. We collected the details and sources in the article Delivery app commissions in Poland.
On a PLN 60 order, the difference between 15% and 30% is PLN 9. That's roughly what the app's courier costs you. The amount grows with the order value, even though the route is the same.
What your own courier costs
The cost of one delivery has three parts:
1. Labor. In 2026, the minimum hourly rate under a civil-law contract of mandate (umowa zlecenie) in Poland is PLN 31.40 gross. An employed courier on the minimum wage costs the employer about PLN 5,790 a month. You pay for every hour of work, including when the courier waits for an order.
2. The vehicle. When a courier uses their own car or scooter, the business usually reimburses them per kilometer at the rates set by regulation (the so-called kilometrówka). In 2026 they are:
| Vehicle | Rate per km |
|---|---|
| Car, engine up to 900 cc | PLN 0.89 |
| Car, engine over 900 cc | PLN 1.15 |
| Motorcycle | PLN 0.69 |
| Moped (scooter up to 50 cc) | PLN 0.42 |
These rates are a good approximation of the cost of fuel and vehicle wear. Count the kilometers both ways, because the courier goes back to the venue.
3. Organization. Insulated bags, a phone, insurance, handling cash. These are smaller amounts, but you have to include them.
Example: the cost of one delivery
Let's assume a courier on a contract of mandate at PLN 31.40 gross an hour. We leave out the employer's contributions, which depend on the contractor's situation. The courier works in three scenarios:
| Scenario | Deliveries per hour | Km per delivery (there and back) | Vehicle | Cost per hour | Cost per delivery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quiet, long routes | 1.5 | 8 km | Car (PLN 1.15/km) | PLN 45.20 | about PLN 30.10 |
| Medium traffic | 2.5 | 6 km | Car (PLN 1.15/km) | PLN 48.65 | about PLN 19.50 |
| Peak, short routes | 3.5 | 4 km | Scooter (PLN 0.42/km) | PLN 37.28 | about PLN 10.70 |
The number of deliveries per hour matters most. A courier who makes one and a half deliveries an hour costs almost three times as much per delivery as a courier who makes three and a half.
Comparison on one order
A PLN 60 order, medium traffic (cost of delivery with your own courier about PLN 19.50). With your own orders the customer pays PLN 7 for delivery, and a card payment costs PLN 1.90 (Stripe: 1.5% + PLN 1).
| Model | Cost of delivery and sale | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| App with its courier (30%) | PLN 18.00 | No courier and no idle time |
| App (15%) + your own courier | PLN 9.00 + 19.50 = PLN 28.50 | The most expensive at medium traffic |
| Your own website + your own courier | PLN 1.90 + 19.50 − 7.00 = PLN 14.40 | The delivery fee from the customer lowers the cost |
| Your own website + a courier at peak | PLN 1.90 + 10.70 − 7.00 = PLN 5.60 | When the courier is busy |
In this example your own delivery wins when the courier has many runs and the customer pays extra for delivery. At quiet times or on long routes, the app's courier can be cheaper.
When each model pays off
- A few deliveries a day, a large area: the app's courier or an on-demand courier. Your own courier would spend most of the time waiting.
- A dozen or more deliveries at peak, a dense neighborhood: your own courier, especially on a scooter. Best combined with your own commission-free orders.
- Traffic only at lunch or dinner: your own courier for a few peak hours, and pickup or an on-demand courier outside them.
- Orders from apps and from your own website: your own courier serving both channels has more runs an hour, so each delivery comes out cheaper.
How to lower the cost of your own delivery
- Delivery zones with different fees and order minimums. Closer is cheaper, farther is more expensive and has a higher minimum. Long runs stop losing money. See how delivery zones work.
- A delivery fee. Even a few zloty from the customer clearly changes the numbers.
- A choice of delivery time. When the customer picks a delivery time from a list, it's easier to combine several orders in one run.
- An incentive to pick up. A small pickup discount costs less than a run.
- A courier only at peak. Outside it, pickup or an on-demand courier.
Summary
An app's courier costs you the difference in commission, usually about 13–15 percentage points of the order value. Your own courier is a fixed cost of working hours and mileage, so it only pays off with several deliveries an hour on short routes. Work out your cost of one delivery: an hour of work plus the kilometers, divided by the number of deliveries per hour. Compare it with the app's delivery commission and with an on-demand courier's offer.
Sources
- Poradnik Przedsiębiorcy: The minimum wage in 2026 (in Polish)
- Poradnik Przedsiębiorcy: The rate per km of vehicle mileage in 2026 (in Polish)
- Wirtualnemedia.pl: Are food delivery platforms pushing up commissions for restaurants? (May 16, 2020, in Polish)
- UpMenu: Pyszne, Glovo, Uber Eats – what commissions? (2023, in Polish)
- Stripe: pricing for Poland (accessed October 12, 2026)
- UpMenu: Wolt Drive integration (in Polish)
