Hola, Entrepreneurs! So, you want to start a food delivery app in your own region. It’s an incredible choice. The world market for Food Delivery stands at around 7.1 Trillion Dollars, with growing expectations and economy, it’s like a goldmine one can’t miss! But let’s be real, some competitors are projecting immense tech, speed, and lightweight convenience through their apps, and one who learns from their competitors wins the game!
So, in this read, we are talking about the land of tech-hubs, South Korea. It’s the talk of the town due to its increasingly advanced technology and the high-speed food deliveries! The Korean Food Delivery Apps have raised the standards high. Today, their average order turnaround time is 15-20 minutes, whereas the rest of the globe has a standard 4-50 minute delivery.
Let’s understand how the most prominent Korean Food Delivery Apps can pull off such things with unbelievable advancements.
Top 10 Food Delivery Apps in Korea
1. Baedal Minjok (Baemin): The Market Dominator
Founded in 2010, Baemin commands an impressive 57.6% market share with 22.61 million monthly active users: the most extensive user base in Korea. Owned by Woowa Brothers (acquired by Delivery Hero in 2019), Baemin partners with over 140,000 restaurants nationwide.
Standout Features: Real-time order tracking, personalized restaurant recommendations based on user behavior, and the innovative Baemin Club subscription service offering free group deliveries and discounted fees. The platform recently revolutionized its commission structure, implementing a “win-win rate system” that charges restaurants between 2.0-7.8% based on sales volume: dramatically lower than the industry standard.
Entrepreneur Lesson: Baemin’s dominance stems from three pillars: scale (massive restaurant network), localization (Korean-only interface optimized for local preferences), and continuous innovation (subscription models, reduced commissions). The company’s willingness to sacrifice short-term revenue (ending the controversial “Ultra Call” advertising system) to build long-term trust demonstrates strategic customer-centricity.
2. Coupang Eats: The Disruptor
Launched in 2019, Coupang Eats has been the market’s fastest-growing player, doubling its market share to 35.3% in 2024 with 10.2 million MAU. As the delivery arm of NYSE-listed e-commerce giant Coupang, it leverages parent company infrastructure for operational efficiency.
Standout Features: English interface for international users, single-order delivery system (one driver handles one order for maximum speed), and revolutionary free delivery for WOW membership subscribers. The platform delivers orders within 10-15 minutes through highly optimized logistics.
Entrepreneur Lesson: Coupang Eats disrupted the market by integrating existing membership ecosystems. Their strategy of offering free delivery to 14 million existing Coupang WOW subscribers instantly created massive user migration from competitors. The lesson: leverage existing customer bases and prioritize speed as a core differentiator.
3. Yogiyo: The Adapter
Founded in 2012 and owned by Delivery Hero Korea (with GS Retail partnership), Yogiyo ranks third with 5.22 million Monthly Active Users and partnerships with 260,000+ restaurants. The platform operates across 1 billion GMV annually.
Standout Features: Web version compatible with Google Translate, it pioneers the quick commerce service (Yomart) along with Food Delivery. They deliver groceries within one hour using 350 stores as fulfillment centers, and flexible commission structures ranging from 4.7-9.7% based on restaurant performance.
Entrepreneur Lesson: Yogiyo pioneered the win-win partnership model, voluntarily reducing commissions and implementing differential pricing that benefits smaller restaurants. For entrepreneurs, this demonstrates that adaptability and restaurant-friendly policies can be competitive advantages even against larger competitors.
4. Shuttle Delivery: The Niche Champion
Established in 2014, Shuttle Delivery carved out a unique position by targeting expats, foreigners, and US military communities in Korea. Operating in Seoul, Osan, Pyeongtaek, Daegu, Busan, and near US military bases.
Standout Features: Fully bilingual interface (100% English and Korean), multilingual app support in 12+ languages, including Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, and Chinese, PayPal payment integration, and no Korean bank account required for ordering. First-order discounts (₩5,000 off) incentivize new user acquisition.
Entrepreneur Lesson: Shuttle proves that serving underserved niche markets can be highly profitable. Rather than competing head-on with giants, they focused on a specific pain point (language barriers for foreigners) and built a loyal community. The takeaway: identify gaps where established players underserve specific demographics.
5. Nosh Korea Vegan: The Specialist
Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Seoul, Nosh Korea Vegan exclusively serves the plant-based, vegan food delivery niche. The company operates from Itaewon with nationwide shipping.
Standout Features: 100% vegan menu including healthy bowls, main dinners, snacks, energy bars, desserts, breakfasts, and smoothies; subscription-based meal plans (weekly/monthly); whole-food focus with refined sugar-free options; and sustainability initiatives including reusable container programs.
Entrepreneur Lesson: Nosh demonstrates that hyper-specialization in emerging lifestyle trends (veganism, plant-based eating) can create defensible market positions. While the total addressable market is smaller, customer loyalty and premium pricing offset volume limitations.
6. Bistro Box: The Premium Player
Founded in 2015 and sharing management with Nosh (but operating separate kitchens), Bistro Box targets health-conscious professionals seeking balanced and nutritious meals. Operating from Seoul with nationwide delivery.
Standout Features: Nutritionist-designed meals focusing on salads, low-carb options, and high-protein dishes; weekly rotating PDF menus with complete nutritional data; volume-based discounts (₩10,400-13,500 per meal depending on order size); subscription plans (weekly/monthly); and sustainability focus with Thursday container returns.
Entrepreneur Lesson: Bistro Box succeeds by combining premium positioning with convenience. Busy professionals will pay more for healthy, ready-to-eat meals that eliminate cooking time. The subscription model creates predictable recurring revenue, a critical metric for sustainable business growth.
7. Delivery K: The Cultural Curator
Founded in 2016 in Seoul, Delivery K differentiates itself through authentic Korean home-style cuisine that preserves traditional flavors and cooking methods.
Standout Features: Traditional Korean daily meal specials, authentic recipes, and a focus on home-cooked meal quality.
Entrepreneur Lesson: In markets saturated with generic options, authenticity and cultural preservation can be powerful differentiators. Delivery K appeals to Koreans seeking nostalgia and foreigners wanting genuine local experiences. The lesson: cultural identity can be a brand moat.
8. Nene Chicken: The Vertical Integrator
Established in 1999 with over 1,000 stores across South Korea, Nene Chicken represents the vertical integration model, a restaurant chain controlling its own delivery operations while also partnering with third-party platforms.
Standout Features: Signature Korean fried chicken with multiple flavor options (Sweet and Spicy, Soy Garlic, Hot Pepper, Cheese seasoning), combo meal offerings, and availability across Shuttle, Baemin, Yogiyo, and Coupang Eats.
Entrepreneur Lesson: Nene demonstrates that brand strength plus delivery flexibility creates optimal market reach. By maintaining their own delivery capability while listing on aggregator platforms, they maximize customer touchpoints without complete platform dependency.
9. Lotte Eatz: The Ecosystem Connector
Lotte Eatz is Lotte Group’s official food delivery and take-out platform, integrating services from Lotteria, Krispy Kreme, TGI Fridays, and Angel-in-us, principal F&B subsidiaries under the Lotte brand.
Standout Features: In-app ordering for all Lotte-affiliated brands (delivery, pickup, dine-in), L.POINT loyalty points integration across the Lotte ecosystem, EATZ Pay smart wallet for one-tap transactions, Barcode payments, coupons, and digital gift cards usable company-wide. They also provide GPS-based nearby store suggestions and drive-pickup tracking.
Entrepreneur takeaway: Lotte Eatz showcases the advantage of ecosystem synergy: combining cross-brand rewards and unified payment systems for customer retention. Entrepreneurs can apply similar multi-brand network integrations or shared loyalty programs for scaled ecosystems.
10. FoodFly: The Reliable Workhorse
Owned by Yanolja Group, FoodFly is one of Korea’s earliest and most reliable delivery services. It connects users to high-rated local restaurants focused on quality and timely delivery.
Standout Features: Curated listings of partner restaurants with verified ratings, 24/7 real-time tracking and in-app support, responsive delivery logistics optimized for urban areas, seamless payment integration and smart restaurant categorization
Entrepreneur takeaway: FoodFly proves that operational excellence and partnerships with top-rated local vendors can sustain long-term growth even against tech-heavy giants. The emphasis here is curation over expansion, balancing customer trust and delivery consistency.
Launch Your Own Food Delivery App with Korean Intelligence
You have finally seen it. Food Delivery Apps in Korea are not just playing on improvised tech solutions. But instead, they infuse strategy during implementation. From every app, you found a key takeaway that you can now use to be unique in your region. Today, Food Delivery Apps are not only a way to ease online ordering but also the new digital menu for every restaurant.
If you want to launch a food Delivery App with a key to crush your competitors, Korean strategies and tech will definitely help you. There’s a way to develop a Food Delivery App in just 2 weeks with all these features drawn from the inspiring Korean Food Delivery Apps and a profitable app from day 1.
In fact, these features not only come at a significantly proficient development cycle but also help you secure your budget in this tough economy. So, if you want to start a business that can help you reach millions without any hassle. It’s a perfect choice. With a reputed White-Label Firm, you get perks of true partnership, such as:
- 100% White-labelled Apps
- Modern easy-to-use Interface
- Free Technical Support after purchase
- Pre-launch Support
- 2-week Deployment Cycle
- Strict NDAs for your privacy
- Creative Business Models in Food Delivery Apps
- Free Upgradation for 2 Years
- Licensed Source Code
So, it’s evident. Call the best Mobile App Development Company today, and turn the tables in your region with a Food Delivery App made with Korean Intelligence!