Delivery calculator
See whether your own drivers or Uber Eats and Deliveroo couriers cost you less per order.
Enter what you paid your drivers and how many deliveries they completed last month.
Cost per order
Takes 2 minutes. No sign-up.
Example shop — change to yours.
Your drivers last month
Each app
Uber Eats
Deliveroo
Just Eat
Switching only saves money if you cut the driver hours those deliveries took. Deliveries per hour change through the day, so a quiet shift can lose while the rush wins.
Why it comes down to how busy your drivers are
Your own drivers are cheaper when they’re busy. When they’re sitting around waiting for orders, the cost of each delivery shoots up. This calculator uses the hours you paid them for and the deliveries they completed to work out your real cost per drop, then compares it with the extra commission Uber Eats or Deliveroo charge when they supply the courier.
If you’ve ever had four drivers sitting around on a quiet Tuesday, you’ll know why deliveries per hour matters. A 25% courier commission sounds expensive until you’re paying five drivers to wait for orders.
How we work it out
- Deliveries per hour: deliveries completed ÷ total driver hours.
- Driver cost per delivery: hourly rate ÷ deliveries per hour, plus what you pay per drop.
- Cost with your drivers: the self-delivery commission + driver cost per delivery − the delivery fee the customer pays.
- Cost with their couriers: the higher commission the app charges when it supplies the driver.
- Commission is on the average order. If you’re not VAT registered, it costs you 20% more, because you can’t claim back the VAT on it.
- Over the month: the difference per order × the orders your drivers delivered for that app. Within 25p either way, it’s “About even”.
- Break-even: the deliveries per hour your drivers need for your own drivers to be cheaper.
To see what a dish leaves you on each app, try the menu item profit calculator.
Before you ask
Questions owners ask
If their couriers win, should I switch?
Only if you cut the driver hours those deliveries took. If the same drivers stay on the rota, you pay them anyway, and the higher commission is a cost on top.
Why does the answer change through the day?
In the rush a driver can do several drops an hour; on a quiet afternoon, one or none. A month’s average can say your drivers win while the quiet shifts lose, so compare the break-even figure with what your drivers manage at each time of day.
What if I don’t charge a delivery fee, or only pay by the hour?
Put 0 in that box. The calculator still works: the delivery fee comes off your cost per order, and the per-drop pay goes on it.
Is anything I type saved or sent?
No. The sums run in your browser. Nothing is stored, nothing is sent, and closing the page clears it.
Telvo runs your takeaway’s numbers every week from your bank statement and invoices — no spreadsheets. 7 days free, no card.
Other free tools: menu item profit calculator · own drivers or couriers