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Restaurants · head to head

Deliveroo vs Temu

Deliveroo logo

Deliveroo

Restaurants

UK-headquartered food delivery marketplace connecting restaurants, riders and diners

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Temu logo

Temu

E-Commerce

Ultra-low-cost general merchandise marketplace owned by PDD Holdings, parent of Pinduoduo

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Deliveroo restaurant commission of roughly 20 to 30 percent is frequently passed on as higher in-app menu prices, so the displayed total is not the restaurant menu price plus a small fee, it is a marked-up menu plus a fee.; Temu temu is owned by PDD Holdings, the same corporate group behind Chinese app Pinduoduo, and security researchers and app reviewers have raised documented concerns about the scope of data and device permissions the apps in this family request.
  • They diverge on capability: Deliveroo covers Restaurant marketplace, Temu covers General merchandise marketplace.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Deliveroo and Temu actually diverge.

Attributes where Deliveroo and Temu differ
AttributeDeliverooTemu
Pricing modelFree to download; delivery and service fees per order, optional subscription for reduced feesFree to browse and use; pay per order, heavy promotional discounting
CategoryRestaurantsE-Commerce

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (iOS, Android, Web), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Deliveroo

  • Restaurant marketplace
  • Deliveroo Plus subscription
  • Live order tracking
  • Grocery and convenience delivery
  • Group ordering
  • Deliveroo for Business

Only in Temu

  • General merchandise marketplace
  • Direct-from-manufacturer shipping
  • Gamified discounts and referrals
  • Free returns window
  • Aggressive coupon stacking
  • Temu app-only pricing

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Deliveroo

  • Someone ordering food for delivery who values convenience over the price premium versus collectionnot Temu
  • A frequent orderer weighing whether a Deliveroo Plus subscription pays for itself at their order volumenot Temu
  • A workplace using Deliveroo for Business to give staff an expensed meal allowancenot Temu
  • A diner comparing grocery delivery speed against a supermarket own-delivery slotnot Temu

Temu

  • A budget shopper buying low-cost, non-critical goods where a long shipping wait is acceptablenot Deliveroo
  • Someone comparing Temu against Shein and Amazon Shopping on price for a specific item categorynot Deliveroo
  • A buyer who has reviewed the documented data permission and product safety concerns and decided price still outweighs themnot Deliveroo
  • A shopper in a market where changing customs thresholds mean checking for added duty before orderingnot Deliveroo

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Deliveroo

  • Restaurant commission of roughly 20 to 30 percent is frequently passed on as higher in-app menu prices, so the displayed total is not the restaurant menu price plus a small fee, it is a marked-up menu plus a fee.
  • Riders are engaged as self-employed contractors paid per delivery, a model that has faced repeated legal and regulatory challenges in the UK and EU over minimum pay and employment status.
  • Deliveroo Plus only saves money above a certain order frequency, and casual users who subscribe rarely break even on the monthly charge.
  • Availability and reliability vary sharply by city; smaller markets have fewer restaurant partners and longer, less predictable delivery windows.
  • The company has exited some international markets entirely (including Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Taiwan and Australia in prior years), so coverage has shrunk rather than grown in several regions, and a market can disappear with limited notice.

Temu

  • Temu is owned by PDD Holdings, the same corporate group behind Chinese app Pinduoduo, and security researchers and app reviewers have raised documented concerns about the scope of data and device permissions the apps in this family request.
  • Consumer safety testing by regulators and watchdog groups has flagged some products sold on Temu for exceeding legal limits on substances such as lead in specific items, similar to findings on other ultra-low-cost marketplaces.
  • Regulators in the EU and US have investigated or fined Temu over misleading discount claims and dark pattern design, including inflated reference prices used to make discounts look larger than they are.
  • Shipping times are long by mainstream e-commerce standards, commonly one to two weeks or more, and buyer recourse for a delayed, missing or damaged order is limited compared with domestic retailers.
  • Changes to duty-free import thresholds in the US and EU have added customs fees to some orders, eroding the headline low price advertised at checkout.

Pricing, plan by plan

Deliveroo

Free
  • Pay per orderFree
    • Delivery fee scaling with distance and demand
    • Service charge of a few percent on order total
    • Restaurant menu prices often marked up versus in-store
  • Deliveroo Plus$3.49/month
    • Delivery fees waived on qualifying orders above a minimum basket size
    • Service charge may still apply
    • Price varies by market and is often discounted for an introductory period

Temu

Free
  • Pay per orderFree
    • Individual item prices frequently under 10 USD before discounts
    • Standard shipping typically 7 to 15 days
    • Customs duties may apply depending on destination country and order value

Which should you pick?

Choose Deliveroo if

  • You need restaurant marketplace.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want deliveroo plus subscription.
Deliveroo review

Choose Temu if

  • You need general merchandise marketplace.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want direct-from-manufacturer shipping.
Temu review

Questions people ask

Is Deliveroo or Temu better?
Neither clearly leads. Deliveroo starts at Free and Temu at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Deliveroo or Temu?
Deliveroo starts at Free and Temu at Free.
Does Deliveroo or Temu run on more platforms?
Both run on iOS, Android, Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Deliveroo for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Deliveroo best used for?
Deliveroo is most often used for someone ordering food for delivery who values convenience over the price premium versus collection, a frequent orderer weighing whether a deliveroo plus subscription pays for itself at their order volume, a workplace using deliveroo for business to give staff an expensed meal allowance, a diner comparing grocery delivery speed against a supermarket own-delivery slot. Of those, someone ordering food for delivery who values convenience over the price premium versus collection and a frequent orderer weighing whether a deliveroo plus subscription pays for itself at their order volume are not what Temu is typically brought in for.
What can Deliveroo do that Temu cannot?
Deliveroo covers Restaurant marketplace, Deliveroo Plus subscription, Live order tracking, Grocery and convenience delivery. Temu covers General merchandise marketplace, Direct-from-manufacturer shipping, Gamified discounts and referrals, Free returns window.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Deliveroo: Is Deliveroo cheaper than collecting the food yourself?

Usually not. Menu prices in the app are frequently higher than in-restaurant prices to offset the commission Deliveroo charges, on top of the delivery and service fees.

Temu: Who owns Temu?

Temu is operated by Whaleco Inc., a subsidiary of PDD Holdings, the parent company of the Chinese shopping app Pinduoduo.

Deliveroo: What does Deliveroo Plus actually save?

It waives the delivery fee on qualifying orders above a minimum basket value for a flat monthly or annual charge; the service charge can still apply.

Temu: Is Temu safe to use in terms of data privacy?

Security researchers have flagged the scope of permissions requested by Temu and related PDD Holdings apps as a documented concern; the company disputes characterisations of its apps as malicious.

Deliveroo: Are Deliveroo riders employees?

No, they are engaged as self-employed contractors paid per delivery, a classification that has been challenged in UK and EU courts and regulators.

Temu: Are Temu products safe?

Consumer safety testing has found some specific products exceeding legal limits for substances such as lead, similar to findings reported on other ultra-low-cost marketplaces; safety varies by product.

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