For courier, 3PL and e-commerce fleets
Logistics and courier app development in Dubai, priced piece by piece
Most UAE parcel platforms come down to five pieces: a driver app, tracking for recipients, dispatch, a merchant portal and a cash-on-delivery ledger.
From AED 17,000excl. VATSee pricing →
- COD traced from driver to merchant
- Truck-ban hours in route planning
- Customs data your broker files from
- Play background-location review planned
- ★ 4.9 on Google (92 reviews)Lucknow, India profile
- 200+ projects since 2017
- Top Rated on Upwork, 100% Job Success
Founder-led delivery
Overview
Each app is priced within AED 17,000–108,000 and takes 4–12 weeks. Dispatch, the portal and the ledger are each priced within AED 24,500–245,000 and take 6–16 weeks, built alongside the apps. Customs paperwork, a courier connection and Arabic are quoted separately, and after one call you get a written AED quote with every piece on its own line.
By Ashish Sharma, founder · Updated 12 October 2026
Quick answer
What does each piece of a Dubai courier platform cost, and what is the smallest setup that works?
On Codingclave's published list, excluding VAT, a Dubai courier platform is priced piece by piece. The driver app, and a customer app if you want one, each fall within the mobile-app range of AED 17,000–108,000. Dispatch, the merchant portal and the COD ledger each fall within the custom-software range of AED 24,500–245,000. The smallest working setup, a driver app plus dispatch with a web tracking link, has a floor of AED 41,500. Two things push a piece up its range most: offline proof of delivery in basements, and how many different COD contracts your merchants are on.
- Driver app: within AED 17,000–108,000.
- Dispatch, merchant portal, COD ledger: each within AED 24,500–245,000.
- Customs pack, courier connection, Arabic: quoted after a short discovery call.
- WhatsApp delivery updates: AED 4,900–59,000, optional.
01of 10
Five pieces of a UAE parcel platform, from driver app to COD ledger
A logistics app moves a parcel from a merchant's shelf to a recipient's door and records the proof and the payment on the way.
Off-the-shelf tools come in three kinds. Fleet management tells you where the vehicles are. Last-mile software decides which drops, in what order, with what proof. A transport management system (TMS) handles loads, carriers and freight bills. A new UAE courier needs last-mile first.
| Piece | Who uses it | What it does on a normal day | Price range and timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driver app (iOS and Android) | Drivers | Ordered drop list, pickup scan, proof of delivery, COD collection, failed-attempt codes | Within AED 17,000–108,000, 4–12 weeks |
| Customer tracking | Recipients | ETA, reschedule, safe-place note | Web link comes with dispatch; an app is priced within AED 17,000–108,000 |
| Dispatch and admin | Ops team | Assignment by zone and vehicle class, truck-ban windows, Salik cost per route, exceptions | Within AED 24,500–245,000, 6–16 weeks |
| Fleet register | Ops team | Vehicle class (truck or van), registration, insurance and RTA test dates, contractor licence expiry | Inside the dispatch line |
| Merchant or shipper portal | E-commerce clients | Bulk upload, labels, rates, COD statements, returns | Within AED 24,500–245,000 |
| COD ledger | Finance | Cash per driver, hub hand-over, fees, remittance file | Within AED 24,500–245,000 |
| Customs-document pack | Broker | Invoice lines, packing list, origin data, MOFAIC flag | Quoted after a short discovery call |
| Courier hand-off | Ops team | Out-of-area parcels passed to a courier you contract | Checked against the courier's API, then quoted |
Don't build if a SaaS tool already fits: one depot, prepaid parcels, a photo at the door. Build when what you sell is what those tools handle badly. For UAE couriers, that is usually COD terms that differ merchant by merchant.
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What puts a piece at the bottom or the top of its range
A one-depot prepaid courier and a multi-emirate COD operator buy very different software under the same names. Here is the scope at each end.
| Piece | Near the bottom of its range | Near the top of its range |
|---|---|---|
| Driver app | One role, prepaid parcels, English only | Offline proof, cash and card capture, Arabic, returns, several emirates |
| Customer tracking | Web link with an ETA | Branded app with the van's position while open |
| Dispatch and admin | Manual assignment, one depot | Auto-assignment by vehicle class, ban windows, Salik costing, several hubs |
| Merchant portal | Spreadsheet upload, labels, tracking | Rate card per merchant, an order API, COD statements, returns |
| COD ledger | One cycle and one fee for every merchant | Terms per contract, manifest ceilings, cashier sign-off, deposit matching |
Most courier start-ups launch with the driver app, dispatch and, if they carry cash parcels, the ledger. The portal and a customer app follow once merchants ask.
03of 10
Where a COD parcel’s cash goes after the driver takes it
Your merchants' COD share shapes this ledger, and only you know it. One merchant that defaults to cash can fill a van with banknotes by evening. The remittance cycle and per-parcel fee are your contract with each merchant. The ledger enforces them.
| Step | What the system records | Who can see it | What goes wrong without it |
|---|---|---|---|
| At the door | Amount due, amount taken, cash or card, proof link | Driver, dispatch | Wrong figure collected, disputed weeks later |
| COD on the van | COD per manifest, split by merchant, against a ceiling set before loading | Dispatch | One van carries several merchants' takings |
| Hub hand-over | Cash counted by parcel; open until the hub cashier signs | Hub, finance | Shortfalls surface at month end with no parcel attached |
| Bank deposit | Deposit reference matched to hand-overs | Finance | Cash sits "in the safe" with no record |
| Fees | COD fee and delivery charge taken off per parcel, per contract | Finance, merchant | Remittance totals stop matching |
| Merchant remittance | Statement and payout file on the agreed cycle | Merchant portal | Merchants chase by phone |
| Failed attempt or return | COD due reversed; redelivery or return fee applied | Merchant, finance | A merchant is paid for a parcel that came back |
The driver app records what changed hands at the door. The ledger works out who is owed what, so a dead phone mid-shift doesn't change a merchant's payout. Card on delivery settles through your payment gateway instead. Rider cash on hot meals is on food delivery apps; a shop's own courier fees are on e-commerce costs in Dubai.
Paste your merchant COD terms into WhatsApp and I'll show you how the ledger handles them. Send them on WhatsApp
Have a project in mind?
Send a few lines on WhatsApp or get a fixed AED quote.
04of 10
Truck-ban windows and Salik tolls, set as dispatch rules
RTA decides what counts as a truck, so confirm your vehicle classes with them first. Dispatch stores the class on each vehicle. Running vans only? The bans will barely touch you. Salik will, on every route.
| Road or charge | Restriction or price | How dispatch uses it |
|---|---|---|
| Emirates Road, Al Awir Street towards Sharjah | Trucks banned 5:30–8:00 pm since 1 Jan 2025 | Sharjah loads leave before 5:30 pm |
| Airport, Oman and Damascus streets | 6:30–8:30 am, 1:00–3:00 pm, 5:30–8:00 pm | Drops booked outside the windows |
| Sheikh Zayed Road; Al Mizhar, Al Muhaisnah, Oud Al Muteena | 6:00 am–10:00 pm | Trucks at night only |
| Al Ittihad Street, Meydan Street, all crossings | Banned at all hours | Left out of truck routes |
| Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road | Peak-hour ban expanded April 2024; no hours published | Ops enters the window once RTA confirms it |
| Salik, Mon–Sat 6–10 am and 4–8 pm | AED 6 a crossing; AED 6.30 with VAT from 1 June 2026 | Gate weighed against a toll-free path |
| Salik, Mon–Sat 10 am–4 pm and 8 pm–1 am | AED 4; AED 4.20 with VAT | Same, at the lower rate |
| Salik, 1–6 am | Free | Night line-haul at zero toll |
| Salik on Sundays | AED 4 (AED 4.20 with VAT), outside holidays and major events | Sunday schedule |
| Salik in Ramadan | AED 6 from 9 am to 5 pm, AED 4 from 7–9 am and 5 pm–2 am, free 2–7 am (reported Jan 2025, before VAT) | Switched on when Salik announces it |
RTA's November 2025 review says permits issued during restriction hours on Emirates Road and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road fell 97%, and incidents fell to 37 in 2025 from 75 in 2024. Exemptions are drying up, so dispatch treats a ban window as a wall.
Every hour and toll above is a setting your ops team edits. Toll figures are from The National (January 2025 and May 2026); confirm them on salik.ae before go-live.
05of 10
Proof of delivery that settles a merchant’s dispute on the first reply
A merchant disputing a drop asks which door, who took it and how much was paid. The parcel record should answer without anyone ringing the driver.
OTP at handover, and when to skip it
The recipient reads a one-time code to the driver. Use it for high-value and COD parcels; for prepaid drops left with a concierge it only slows the route, so it is set per merchant.
Photo, geotag and timestamp
Taken in the app, never from the gallery, stamped at capture. The parcel beside the flat number settles most "never arrived" claims.
Signature only where the contract asks
Finger signatures are slow and rarely legible, so they stay off unless a contract needs one.
Failed-attempt reason codes
No answer, wrong address, refused, no building access, reschedule. Each code triggers a redelivery fee, a second attempt or a return, plus the COD reversal.
Address capture for towers and villas
A pin on the entrance, the flat number, a landmark note and an optional field for the 10-digit Makani number on the building plate. A corrected pin is kept for the next parcel.
Offline capture in basements
Proof is stored on the phone and synced later, with the original capture time.
Arabic and English driver screens
Arabic right-to-left alongside English, with a bilingual QA pass on every screen, priced as its own line.
WhatsApp delivery updates
Out-for-delivery, ETA and failed-attempt messages from a bot linked to dispatch, with a reschedule reply. AED 4,900–59,000; see AI and WhatsApp chatbots.
06of 10
What other Dubai developers charge, as published on 12 October 2026
Of seven Dubai developers whose logistics pages I read on 12 October 2026, five showed some figure and two showed none. Their first-version timelines run from six weeks to five months.
| Developer | Published price | Published timeline | What the figure is tied to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suffescom | Tiers of AED 35K–55K, 55K–75K and 75K–110K+; its own FAQ says AED 40,000–250,000+ | 3–6 months; a basic tracking app 12–14 weeks | Tiers differ by months of support, not by apps |
| TechGropse | AED 55,000–91,750 / 91,750–550,500 / 550,500+ | 6–10 / 10–20 / 20+ weeks | Complexity labels only |
| Apptunix | USD 15,000–30,000 simple; USD 30,000–80,000+ complex | 2–3 / 3–6+ months | No AED figure, no split by app |
| Code Brew | No price; enquiry-form brackets of USD 5,000–40,000+ | MVP 3–5 months; TMS, WMS or ERP 8–16+ months | Timelines only |
| SISGAIN | Form bands only, under AED 30K to AED 100K+ | "A few months" | Nothing stated |
| Talentelgia; UAE App Developers | None published | None published | Nothing stated |
| Codingclave | Each app within AED 17,000–108,000; each web piece within AED 24,500–245,000 | 4–12 and 6–16 weeks, in parallel | One line per piece |
Shorthand such as "AED 35K" is quoted as published. Line the tiers up and they clash: Apptunix's simple tier tops out at USD 30,000, about AED 110,000, the top of Suffescom's highest tier. Ask every developer, us included, for the driver app and dispatch as two numbers. If they can't split them, they haven't scoped the job. See also mobile app cost in Dubai.
Send your parcel volumes on WhatsApp for a line-by-line quote.
07of 10
The customs paperwork your broker files, prepared by the app
If your merchants import stock, the app can hold the data a customs broker needs, so nobody retypes an invoice at six in the evening. Filing stays with the broker.
| Document or check | What the app captures | Who uses it | Rule behind it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial invoice lines | Description, quantity, HS code, origin and CIF value per line | Broker | Goods are classified by HS code |
| Packing list | Cartons, weights and dimensions per invoice line | Broker, warehouse | Must agree with the invoice |
| Origin data | Origin per line for the issuing chamber | Broker | Where an origin rule applies |
| Duty estimate | 5% of CIF plus 5% import VAT, labelled an estimate | Finance | General GCC rate; alcohol 50%, tobacco 100%; the broker's assessment is final |
| MOFAIC flag | Invoices of AED 10,000+: AED 150 each, paid within 14 days of completing the declaration, else AED 500 per invoice | Finance | Dubai Customs Notice No. 11/2022, from 1 Feb 2023; covers goods moving from a free zone to the mainland |
| Exemption check | Under AED 10,000, personal imports, GCC origin, goods entering a free zone, B2C e-commerce movements | Finance, broker | As listed in summaries of the notice |
| Declaration | Exported for the broker; no Dubai Trade or Mirsal 2 connection | Your broker | Filing is the broker's job |
The B2C exemption matters to a courier: most consumer parcels fall outside attestation, while a merchant's bulk stock import does not. I have not confirmed a current duty exemption for low-value courier shipments, so ask your broker before pricing on one, and check the current MOFAIC rule with them too.
Have a project in mind?
Send a few lines on WhatsApp or get a fixed AED quote.
08of 10
Yes, RTA’s delivery-platform manual applies to parcel apps
If you've only heard of RTA's delivery-platform manual through food apps, read the 2023 edition again. It lists parcels and letters, medicine, furniture and gas delivery among its activities. Three parts land on a Dubai parcel app.
Systems linked to RTA, tracking devices, data on request
Platforms must link their systems with RTA's, install tracking devices, supply vehicle and order data on request, and keep records for RTA's period. The manual gives no technical specification, so we scope the link once RTA sets your requirements.
Contracted fleets and the vehicle file
A contracted fleet must hold an RTA licence for the same purpose. Vehicles must be GCC-spec, Dubai-registered, insured with a UAE-licensed insurer and RTA-tested. The fleet register warns before a licence or date expires.
An advertisement permit before vans carry your brand
A logo on a van, bike or box needs an RTA advertisement permit first, applied for with the design, your commercial licence and proof of vehicle ownership. That is a launch checklist item.
Your courier licence is a separate approval. Ask your licensing authority whether it sits with TDRA or Emirates Post; we haven't confirmed which, so we won't guess. You or your PRO file every permit. The RTA permit fee is on our food delivery page.
Names, addresses and live driver locations are personal data under the UAE PDPL, Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021, kept only as long as RTA and your stated purpose need.
09of 10
Google Play’s background-location check, and how a driver app passes it
A driver app that tracks with the screen off needs background location, which Google Play reviews on its own. Without an approved declaration, Play won't publish the release. Build in these five things from the start and the review becomes paperwork.
The declaration form
In Play Console, under App content > Sensitive app permissions > Location permissions, you declare one feature and explain why foreground access will not do.
A short video
Google requires a video of the feature in use, recommended at 30 seconds or less. We record it from the release build.
A prominent disclosure
Before Android's dialog, the app's own screen uses the word "location" and says it is collected while you are on duty, even when the app is closed or not in use.
Tracking that follows the duty toggle
Location starts when the driver goes on duty and stops when they go off.
Customers stay in the foreground
Google lists package tracking for users as a feature that could use foreground access, and says background access for it alone has a higher chance of rejection.
Since 31 August 2026, Play has required new apps and updates to target API level 36; see app maintenance. On iOS, the prompt shows a purpose string we write to describe on-duty tracking and nothing more.
10of 10
Your dispatch, built in Lucknow: what you can verify before paying
You may never meet the people writing your dispatch and handling your merchants' cash records. Here is what I'd check in your place, starting with us.
| Concern | What is true | How you check it |
|---|---|---|
| "The team isn't in Dubai" | Codingclave is in Lucknow, India, founder-led since 2017, with no UAE office | Talk to Ashish on WhatsApp, +91 92771 84741, before any payment |
| "1.5 hours' difference" | 08:30–17:30 Gulf Standard Time, Monday to Saturday, so a 9:00 UAE start is covered until 17:30 | If your peak runs past 17:30, ask for other hours to be written into the scope |
| "Will the quality hold?" | 4.9 on Google (92 reviews), 200+ projects since 2017, Top Rated on Upwork | Read our reviews; ask for test builds on your own store accounts |
| "Who owns the code?" | Your company owns all the source code and IP once the final payment is made, and every account, from Play to the maps bill, is opened in its name | Your company opens the accounts before the build starts |
| "Is my money safe?" | Three payments: 40% when work starts, 40% once a checkpoint we settle together at signing is met (dispatch assigning test parcels, say) and the last 20% at launch. AED invoices, paid from your company's bank into our AED account | Pay the middle 40% only once that milestone works in a test build |
| "Support after launch?" | A bug in anything we built that turns up in the first 6 months after launch is fixed at no charge. Keeping up with new Android and iOS releases is a monthly plan, AED 1,500–4,500 excl. VAT | See app maintenance |
I founded Codingclave in 2017, and the person who scopes your quote leads the build. I wrote this page and checked its rules on 12 October 2026 against RTA's manual and truck review, the Dubai Media Office notice and Google Play Console Help. It shows no logistics case study. More about Codingclave.
Ask about any row on WhatsApp before you pay a dirham.
Pricing in AED
The AED lines on a logistics quote
The COD ledger is the line I separate first: merchants judge a courier on it, so you should see its cost on its own. I price every logistics quote myself.
Mobile app
AED 17,000 – AED 108,000
Excl. VATMobile app (iOS + Android, Flutter or React Native) · Typical timeline: 4–12 weeks
Each app is its own line within this range: the driver app and, if wanted, a customer app with foreground-only tracking. 4–12 weeks.
Get a quote for this plan
Custom software, portal or SaaS
Dispatch with the fleet register, the merchant portal and the COD ledger, each its own line within this range, over 6–16 weeks; see custom software cost in Dubai.
AI chatbot (website or WhatsApp)
A WhatsApp delivery-status bot linked to dispatch; Meta's message charges are on our AI chatbot page.
Customs-document pack
Invoice lines, packing list, origin data, duty estimate and the MOFAIC flag.
Courier hand-off connection
One courier you contract, on your account. I read its API documentation first, and the scope says whether it connects.
Arabic right-to-left and bilingual QA
Driver and customer screens, checked in both languages.
App maintenance plan (OS and store updates, monitoring, small changes)
The driver app kept on Play's current target API and each new iOS. Free bug fixes for 6 months after launch sit outside it; see app maintenance.
- Fixed price in AED
- Free scoping call
- No obligation
Quoted lines are priced after a short discovery call and listed separately in your written quote.
Prices are in UAE dirhams (AED) and exclude VAT. Project prices are converted from our GBP price list at GBP 1 = AED 4.90 (11 October 2026) and rounded; monthly plans are set in AED. Codingclave is an India-based supplier and is not registered for UAE VAT. VAT-registered UAE businesses usually account for VAT on imported services under the reverse-charge mechanism; confirm with your tax adviser.
Fixed AED quote
Which part of the operation hurts most today?
Tell me on WhatsApp, +91 92771 84741 (an Indian number, answered 08:30–17:30 GST, Monday to Saturday), how many parcels you move, where, and how much is COD. I'll reply with the pieces you need, the range for each banded piece and which lines are quoted.
Ashish Sharma
Founder, Codingclave
Ashish or the team replies on WhatsApp or email during our hours, Mon–Sat, 8:30am–5:30pm GST.
- ★ 4.9 on Google (92 reviews) · Lucknow, India profile
- 200+ projects since 2017
- Top Rated on Upwork, 100% Job Success
- Founder-led delivery
Prefer WhatsApp?
WhatsApp AshishMessage your volumes
Drops per day, vans and trucks, emirates, COD share and imported stock. Rough numbers do.
A call to mark which rules apply
Truck windows, RTA duties, MOFAIC: we mark which apply to you and which pieces come first.
An AED figure for every piece
Line by line, in AED. Once you sign off the scope the total is fixed, and it changes only if the scope does, such as a new hub or a second courier added mid-build.
Play, maps and gateway accounts in your name
Apple, Google Play, maps billing, gateway, courier and hosting, all registered to your business.
Parallel build, then a pilot where agreed
Apps and dispatch are built side by side. Where the scope includes it, go-live starts on one hub or zone, with a COD hand-over rehearsed first.
Store submission and handover
Play's location declaration and demo video go in with the release. The final 20% falls due at launch, and once it is paid every login, the code and its IP are yours.
FAQ
Questions UAE businesses ask us
Can’t see yours? Ask Ashish directly — you’ll get a straight answer, not a sales script.
Ask Ashish directly
What does a courier app cost in Dubai, and what sets the launch date?
Do I need an RTA permit to run a parcel delivery app in Dubai?
How does cash on delivery work for a courier in the UAE?
Does an import invoice need MOFAIC attestation in the UAE?
When are trucks banned on Dubai roads?
How much does Salik cost a delivery van in Dubai?
Will Google Play approve a driver app that tracks location in the background?
Who is the best logistics app developer in Dubai?
Ashish Sharma · Founder
Start with your parcel count and COD share
Tell me on WhatsApp, +91 92771 84741 (an Indian number, answered 08:30–17:30 GST, Monday to Saturday), how many parcels you move, where, and how much is COD. I'll reply with the pieces you need, the range for each banded piece and which lines are quoted.
- WhatsApp us or fill in the form
- Free scoping call
- Fixed AED quote, no obligation
- ★ 4.9 on Google (92 reviews) · Lucknow, India profile
- 200+ projects since 2017
- Top Rated on Upwork, 100% Job Success
- Founder-led delivery
Keep exploring
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Codingclave for UAE businesses
- Industry
Food delivery apps and RTA rider rules
- Industry
Grocery delivery apps in Dubai
- Price guide
What dispatch and portals cost
- Price guide
Courier and COD costs for online shops
- Guide
Mobile app cost in Dubai
- Service
WhatsApp delivery-update bots
- Service
Card on delivery and gateways
- Service
Keeping the driver app on the stores
Ashish Sharma
Founder, Codingclave · Updated 12 October 2026
Ashish founded Codingclave in Lucknow, India, in 2017 and still leads delivery on every project.
Sources (12)· public sources cited on this page
- RTA – Technical Manual: delivery services through electronic platforms (2023 edition)
- Dubai Media Office – RTA and Dubai Police truck movement restrictions (16 Dec 2024)
- RTA – Expanding truck movement restrictions to enhance road safety levels (19 Nov 2025)
- The National – Dubai's new Salik toll gate charges come into effect on 31 January (17 Jan 2025)
- The National – Dubai's Salik and Parkin to add 5 per cent VAT on road toll and parking fees (22 May 2026)
- Google Play Console Help – Access to device location in the background
- Google Play Console Help – Target API level requirements
- UAE Government portal – Data protection laws
- MBG – Customs: invoice attestation (summary of Dubai Customs Notice No. 11/2022)
- Middle East Briefing – UAE customs duties and import tax
- Suffescom – Logistics app and software development, Dubai
- TechGropse – AI in logistics