Glovo vs Uber Eats vs Bolt Food: Delivery Fees and Coverage in Nairobi (2026)

Updated 24 October 2026

Three apps carry most food delivery in Nairobi in 2026: Glovo, Uber Eats and Bolt Food. All three charge a delivery fee that is worked out per order, so the honest answer to “which is cheapest?” is that it depends on the restaurant, the distance and the time you order. What does differ in a fixed way is where each app delivers, what else it sells and who owns it. This guide compares those, and explains how to compare fees for your own address in under a minute.

For a wider list of delivery firms, including restaurant-run and courier services, see our guide to food delivery companies in Nairobi.

The Three Apps at a Glance

Glovo: The Widest Range

Glovo is the biggest of the three by its own account and by the Competition Authority of Kenya’s latest market study, which put its share at 33% of online food delivery and 46% of grocery delivery, as Khusoko reported from Glovo’s first Kenya Future of Commerce Summit this month. Country managing director Caroline Mutuku told the summit that Glovo has more than 6,000 merchant partners and more than 3,000 riders in Kenya.

In Nairobi, she said, Glovo covers the city and surrounding areas including Ngong, Rongai, Karen, Syokimau and Thika. Outside Nairobi it serves Nakuru, Naivasha, Nanyuki, Kisumu, Eldoret, Machakos, Mombasa and Diani. Its fastest growth is now in outer estates: orders from Utawala rose 135% year on year, and Kikuyu and Kinoo about 100%.

Glovo is the app to open if you want more than a meal. Supermarkets, pharmacies and electronics shops sit alongside restaurants, and it also delivers parcels. Since launch it has waived its delivery and service fees on a customer’s first order, according to the company.

Uber Eats: Familiar App, Four Main Cities

Uber Eats runs on the same account as Uber rides, which makes it easy to start for anyone already using Uber in Nairobi. Its Kenya locations page lists Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Nakuru, with nearby areas in Kiambu, Kajiado, Machakos, Kilifi and Kwale. Delivery fees, and any service or small-order fee, appear on the checkout screen before you pay.

Bolt Food: Worth Checking on Price

Bolt Food sits inside the separate Bolt Food app and uses Bolt’s rider network. Bolt does not publish a fixed delivery fee schedule for Kenya; the fee is calculated for each order and shown before you confirm.

How Delivery Fees Work on All Three

None of the three publishes a flat Nairobi delivery price. Each sets the fee per order based on distance from the restaurant, demand at that moment and sometimes the order size. A small order may add a separate fee, and late-night or rainy-day orders can cost more. That is why two people ordering from the same restaurant can see different fees.

The quickest way to compare is to put the same order into the basket on each app, from the same restaurant if it is listed on all three, and look at the final total including every fee. The total matters more than the delivery line alone, because menu prices on delivery apps can be higher than in the restaurant.

One Owner for Glovo and Uber Eats?

Uber agreed on 16 July 2026 to buy Delivery Hero, Glovo’s parent company, for $14.8 billion. Completion is expected in the second half of 2027, subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals, and Kenya’s Competition Authority is expected to review the deal. If it goes through, Uber would own both Glovo and Uber Eats in Kenya. Until then, the three apps operate separately and compete on fees and promotions.

Which Should You Use?

• You live outside central Nairobi, such as Syokimau, Rongai or Thika: start with Glovo, which names these areas in its coverage.
• You want groceries or pharmacy items with your meal: Glovo has the widest range.
• You want the lowest total on a meal: compare the checkout total on all three; restaurant discounts change weekly.
• You already use Uber or Bolt for rides: their food apps save you creating another account.

If you run a restaurant or shop and are weighing these platforms as sales channels, our guide on how to start an online shop in Kenya covers the other options open to you.