Cheapest Food Delivery Apps in the UK: Complete Comparison Guide

There is no single "cheapest" UK delivery app. Each of Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat wins on a different basket, in a different postcode, at a different time of day. The honest answer is that you have to compare per order.

How the three big UK apps differ

Uber Eats tends to have the broadest restaurant catalogue in cities, the most aggressive new-customer promos and the most volatile delivery fees. Surge pricing kicks in fast.

Deliveroo runs a tighter restaurant list with a focus on mid-tier and premium kitchens. Its Plus subscription removes delivery fees on eligible orders, which can be the right call if you order weekly.

Just Eat has the largest pure-takeaway footprint (chip shops, kebab houses, local Indian and Chinese restaurants) and often the lowest item markup, because many of its restaurants pre-date the platform's commission structure.

Where each one usually wins

  • Cheapest small order under £15: Just Eat, with lower markups and frequent zero-delivery promos on independents.
  • Cheapest premium chain order: Uber Eats or Deliveroo. Promos are larger but fees are higher; net result depends on the day.
  • Cheapest weekly habit: Deliveroo Plus if your favourites are on it.
  • Cheapest late-night: Uber Eats, with the widest after-11pm coverage.

What "cheapest" actually means

The headline delivery fee tells you almost nothing. To compare honestly you need:

1. The same items across all three apps. 2. The same delivery address. 3. The total at checkout, including service fee and any small-order fee. 4. Any promo applied automatically.

Doing this manually for every order takes 10 minutes. Doing it once is fine. Doing it weekly is why ChooseOut exists: we run that comparison live for you.

The one rule that always holds

Whichever app is cheapest tonight will not be cheapest next week. Loyalty to a single app costs UK customers £200-£500 per year on average, almost entirely from missed promos on competing platforms.

Which UK delivery app has the lowest fees?

It depends on the order, but Just Eat tends to have the lowest baseline fees on independent takeaways, while Deliveroo Plus and Uber One can effectively eliminate delivery fees if you use them often enough.

Are delivery apps cheaper than ordering from the restaurant directly?

Almost never on item price: apps typically have 10-25% markup. They can win on total cost only when running a promo larger than the markup plus fees. Direct ordering wins more often than people think.

Does the same restaurant cost the same on every app?

No. The restaurant sets a base price, but each platform adds its own markup, fees and promos differently. Expect £2-£8 of variance on identical baskets.