Food Delivery Platforms in Malaysia 2026 | Commission Fees & Profitability Compared

Malaysia's Best Food Delivery Platform for Restaurant Profitability

While ShopeeFood publicly cites a 30% standard rate and competitors like GrabFood and foodpanda often range between 20% and 30%, these figures are directional.

A platform with a 5% lower commission could still result in lower net profit if it lacks the order volume or regional reach to keep your kitchen busy.

Best Fit at a Glance

• GrabFood: Best for high-volume urban outlets, halal-certified businesses seeking maximum visibility, and restaurants in East Malaysia (Sabah/Sarawak).

• foodpanda: Best for wide national reach and businesses looking for an established alternative to Grab with flexible geo-based discovery.

• ShopeeFood: Best for cost-conscious operators in major cities who want to leverage the massive existing Shopee user base and daily settlement cycles.

Platform Recommendation by Business Type

• New Hawker or Mamak: ShopeeFood is often a strong entry point due to its integrated user base, though GrabFood is essential for capturing the highest possible local volume.

• Café: focus on GrabFood for its "Dine Out" and discovery ecosystem, which helps transition delivery customers into foot traffic.

• Halal Full-Service Restaurant (FSR): GrabFood is the preferred choice here. Its mature JAKIM-verified halal badge and dedicated search filters ensure your certification actually drives sales.

• Cloud Kitchen / QSR Chain: A multi-platform approach is standard, but Cloud Kitchen foodpanda's wide national coverage is vital for chains expanding outside the Klang Valley.

• Sabah or Sarawak Outlet: GrabFood remains the dominant force in East Malaysia, offering the most reliable logistics and discoverability in these regions.

It is critical to remember that profitability is influenced by more than just fees. High discounting, frequent refunds, or operational errors can erode margins faster than commission rates. Operators should always request a written, outlet-specific proposal to confirm hidden costs like marketing splits and onboarding fees before committing.

How Much Do Restaurants Actually Keep After Delivery Platform Fees?

Profitability is driven by net sales after all deductions, not just the base fee. When comparing platforms, consider these hidden drivers:

• Voucher Funding: Determine if discounts are platform-funded or merchant-funded. If you fund a 15% discount on top of a 30% commission, your effective platform take-home pay drops significantly. For example, a menu item priced at RM 30 with a 30% GrabFood commission leaves you with RM 21 gross. Add a 15% merchant-funded discount (RM 4.50), and your net receipt falls to RM 16.50—a 45% total deduction before food, packaging, or labor costs.

• Ad Spend: Discoverability on platforms like GrabFood and foodpanda often requires paid placements or "sponsored" visibility to maintain order volume during peak hours. These costs further reduce contribution margin and should be tracked separately.

• Operating Costs: Remember that packaging, food costs, and delivery-specific labor remain your responsibility and are rarely itemized in platform statements. A single refund due to late delivery or incorrect order can erase the margin on multiple successful orders.

To ensure a menu item is actually making money, use this Contribution Margin Formula:

Delivery Selling Price – (Food Cost + Packaging + Commission + Merchant-Funded Discounts + Delivery-Specific Labor + SST) = Net Profit.

How to include SST in your delivery margin calculation

Malaysia's Service and Sales Tax (SST) applies at 6% for food and beverage delivery services. Whether SST is collected by the platform on your behalf or deducted from your settlement depends on your contract and whether you are registered for SST. For restaurants operating below the RM1.5 million annual taxable revenue threshold, SST registration is optional; those above the threshold are required to register and remit SST.

The key distinction: delivery orders (takeaway) are generally zero-rated for SST in Malaysia if the customer receives the order without on-premise table service. However, some platforms handle SST collection independently, while others leave SST responsibility with the merchant. Confirm your platform's SST policy in your merchant contract—it is critical to know whether the 30% commission is before or after SST, and whether you or the platform is remitting it.

If you are an SST-registered restaurant, the formula becomes:

Delivery Selling Price – (Food Cost + Packaging + Commission + Merchant-Funded Discounts + Delivery-Specific Labor + [SST on Selling Price ÷ 1.06]) = Net Profit.

Here is a practical example using a RM 30 menu item:

Now add a 15% merchant-funded voucher discount on the same item (customer pays RM 25.50 instead of RM 30):

The takeaway: A 15% merchant-funded voucher drops net profit from RM 6.80 to RM 3.82 per order—a 44% cut. That's why platform profitability depends on tracking contribution margin per order, not total sales.

Which Platform Fits Your Strategy?

• GrabFood: Ideal for outlets prioritizing broad reach. Its super-app integration provides access to a massive user base, making it a strong choice for high-volume urban locations.

• foodpanda: Well-suited for repeat-order strategies. Its ecosystem relies heavily on active participation in promotions, which can drive consistent volume if you manage your discount margins carefully.

• ShopeeFood: A viable option for margin-sensitive testing. Because it leverages Shopee's existing e-commerce users and offers wide geographic coverage, it is useful for testing demand in specific suburban areas where local demand is already proven.

How Does Halal Status Affect Your Delivery Platform Choice?

Halal status and rider reliability can change which food delivery platform in Malaysia actually suits your outlet. Treat JAKIM-certified, Muslim-friendly but uncertified, and non-halal operations as distinct categories—and in Sabah and Sarawak, test real coverage before committing spend.

JAKIM halal certification covers food premises—restaurants, food courts, cafeterias, bakeries, fast-food outlets, kiosks, catering, and hotels. Confirm your certificate is still current before making any halal claim in a delivery-app profile.