A delivery app with two sides
that actually agree on where the package is
Most delivery apps fail at the handoff between the customer's screen and the courier's screen: an order marked delivered that the customer never sees update, a courier app that drains the battery with GPS polling, a proof-of-delivery photo that never makes it to the server. We build both apps against one real-time order state so neither side can drift from the truth.
What it is and who needs it
A delivery and courier app is really two apps that have to agree with each other: one for the customer to order and watch the delivery happen, one for the courier to see assigned pickups and confirm each one. It is for a business running or planning its own delivery fleet, whether that is a restaurant group, a pharmacy chain, a retailer doing last-mile delivery, or a service business sending technicians instead of parcels, where a third-party delivery platform’s cut or lack of control no longer makes sense.
It is not the right build for low, irregular delivery volume; a third-party courier service is usually still cheaper below a certain order count, and we say so rather than sell a system that will sit mostly idle.
What is inside
The customer app covers ordering or requesting a delivery, choosing a window if your business offers one, live tracking once a courier is assigned, and a support channel for the inevitable exception. The courier app covers an assigned route list, navigation to each stop, confirmation of pickup and delivery with a photo or signature, and an offline-tolerant action queue so a dead zone on the route does not lose a confirmation.
Both apps read from one real-time order state rather than two separate systems kept in sync by a background job, which is where most delivery apps develop the gap between “what the customer sees” and “what actually happened.” Dispatch starts manual or zone-based for most businesses and moves to distance-optimized routing once volume justifies the extra complexity.
Beyond the two apps themselves, we build in the operational detail that determines whether a delivery business actually runs smoothly: a cutoff and surge-capacity rule so the app stops accepting orders a courier fleet cannot realistically fulfill, a reassignment flow for when a courier goes offline mid-route, and a customer-support view that shows exactly where an order is without a manager calling the courier directly. Delivery time estimates are calculated from real historical data for your zones rather than a flat guess, so customers see an honest window instead of a number that is wrong half the time and erodes trust in every order after it.
How we build it
- Map the real flow. Order intake, who assigns couriers today, what counts as a completed delivery, before any screen is designed.
- Build the order state first. The shared real-time state both apps read from is the part that cannot be retrofitted later without a rebuild.
- Ship the courier app’s offline path early. A courier without signal is the normal case on a real route, not an edge case to handle last.
- Build dispatch to match your current scale. Manual assignment first if that is honestly where your volume sits, with a path to automated routing later.
- Launch with a dispatcher dashboard. Exceptions, delivery times and courier load visible in one place from day one.
Timeline and price
| Tier | Price | What’s included | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| MVP | from $9,000 | Both apps, shared order state, manual or zone dispatch, proof of delivery | 8 to 12 weeks |
| Production | from $16,000 | MVP plus distance-optimized routing, dispatcher dashboard and delivery-time analytics | 12 to 16 weeks |
| Full control, handover-ready | from $27,200 | Everything in Production plus full handover documentation for your own ops or engineering team | 12 to 16 weeks |
What you own at the end
Both app codebases, the backend and its real-time order state, and the routing rules, all under your own accounts and infrastructure. The dispatch logic is documented well enough that your own team can tune zones or routing without us, and nothing about running the fleet depends on a subscription to a third-party delivery platform.
Related
See the development service page for our general build process, and the on-demand services app and taxi and ride app pages for related two-sided builds. For infrastructure pieces, see interactive maps and GIS layers and push notifications infrastructure. For a real build with live delivery integration, see the D2C store Thailand rebuild and TaskWall’s native mobile modules.
Running delivery through a third-party app and losing margin on every order? Get in touch and we will work out honestly whether your own fleet app pays for itself.
FAQ
How much does a delivery and courier app cost?
From $9,000 for a customer app and a courier app sharing one order state, manual or zone-based dispatch, and proof of delivery. Distance-optimized routing and a dispatcher dashboard with analytics typically add $4,000 to $8,000.
How long does it take to build both apps?
8 to 12 weeks for the pair, since the real-time order state and the dispatch logic have to be built once, correctly, before either app's UI is worth finishing. Building them one at a time rarely saves real time.
What stack handles the real-time tracking?
React Native and Expo for both apps, a FastAPI or Node backend with WebSocket or a managed real-time service for live location and status, PostgreSQL for orders and routes, and Redis for the fast-moving location data that does not need to live forever.
Who owns the dispatch logic and the data?
You. The routing rules, the order and location data, and both app codebases are yours, deployed on infrastructure in your name. There is no dependency on a third-party delivery platform unless you choose to integrate one.
Can this replace a third-party delivery provider we currently use?
Sometimes, and sometimes not; if your volume is low or seasonal, a third-party provider is often still cheaper than running your own fleet software. We will tell you honestly which side of that line you are on before quoting a build.