Introduction
The previous article, The Rise of Quick Commerce in India: Delivering the Future in 10 Minutes, addressed how quick commerce platforms are changing the face of retail and shopping behaviours in India through rapid deliveries. But when it comes to the two leaders in the quick commerce revolution, Zepto and Blinkit, the question that consumers, markets, and investors want to know is: Zepto vs Blinkit, who is truly winning the quick commerce race in India?
This article will fact-check and do a head-to-head comparison between Zepto and Blinkit, making this more than a superficial comparison and understanding of the differences between these two platforms. By looking at delivery speed, pricing strategy, city coverage map, app experience, and even sustainability initiatives, we will highlight both strengths and weaknesses towards consumer perceptions and growth potential in the future. Ultimately, providing a strong verdict on where one of these platforms is positioned to lead India’s advancing quick commerce landscape.
So, if you’re reading this as a consumer considering your next preferred app, or an industry enthusiast following up on India’s next big shift in retail, you will be empowered with key insights and data comparing India’s two largest instant delivery platforms, Zepto and Blinkit.
Zepto vs Blinkit: Company Comparison
| Zepto | Blinkit | |
| FOUNDERS | AADIT PALICHA AND KAIVALYA VOHRA | ALBINDER DHINDSA AND SAURABH KUMAR |
| YEAR FOUNDED | 2021 | 2013 |
| HEADQUARTERS | BENGALURU, INDIA | HARYANA, INDIA |
| VALUATION | ₹ 51,369 CRORE (JULY 2025) | ₹ 1.2 LAKH CRORE (AUGUST 2025) |
| REVENUE | ₹ 4,454 CRORE (FY24) | ₹ 5,206 CRORE (FY25) |
| PROFIT / LOSS | ₹ 1,248 CRORE LOSS (FY24) | ₹ 162 CRORE LOSS (ADJUSTED EBITDA FY25) |
| FUNDING RAISED | ₹ 11,000 CRORE (APPROX) | ₹ 4,917.18 CRORE (BEFORE ACQUISITION) |
| CITY COVERED | 73 | 172 |
| DELIVERY TIME | ~9-12 MINS | ~10-15 MINS |
| OWNERSHIP | INDIVIDUAL | Eternal Limited |
Company Profiles
Zepto at a Glance:
- Founded by Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra, who dropped out of Stanford at the age of 19 in 2021
- 10-minute delivery concept, with substantial emphasis on dark stores.
- Aggressively expanded in the top metro cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad.
- Currently, it has a presence in around 73 cities and has approximately 350 dark stores.
- Zepto’s major investors include prominent institutions and venture capital firms such as General Catalyst, DST Global Partners, Goodwater Capital, Nexus Ventures, and Glade Brook Capital, along with notable investors like Raamdeo Agarwal and the founders of Motilal Oswal Financial Services.
- Current valuation as of July 2025 is ₹ 51,369 Crore.
Blinkit at a Glance:
- Formally known as Grofers.
- Rebranded in 2021, pivoted from scheduled grocery deliveries to instant commerce
- Later acquired by Eternal Limited (formerly known as Zomato Limited) in August 2022.
- Mostly focused on the tier-1 cities of India for their operation and expansion.
- Now it has a presence in 173 cities, with more than 750 dark stores.
- Current valuation as of August 2025 is ₹ 1.2 Lac Crore.
The Core Promise: Deconstructing Delivery Speed and Reliability
When quick-commerce players showed up, it was all about “10-minute delivery.” It seemed revolutionary. You could get your groceries and essentials brought to your door before the kettle was even boiled! Until customers realised it was a little more complicated than that. Sure, Zepto says it’s a “10-minute hero”, but Blinkit plays a little safer with the phrase, “instant delivery”, so they are safe to operate and keep expectations high with starting prices that are at or below reliance.
This small distinction is important. Zepto is bold in confidently promoting its hyper-optimised dark store model – smaller, central location micro warehouses filled only with the highest demand items. The dark stores greatly reduce travel time, allowing riders to pick up and deliver items in the fastest distance and time. Blinkit, on the flip side, is capitalising on its synergy with Zomato’s massive rider fleet. So, Blinkit is not only leveraging its own logistics backbone, but it is also leveraging Zomato’s access to a whole army of delivery partners and is highly scalable across cities and neighbourhoods.
However, speed is not the whole picture. Customers need to know that their order will still arrive on time during a monsoon downpour, at midnight, or in the middle of a festival rush hour. There are variations in the delivery time of the performance. This means that Zepto might exert greater control over inventory and delivery timeframes with its dark store model, which allows for a higher degree of predictability. On other occasions, Blinkit’s denser network and larger fleet could help them churn through peak hours a bit better, especially in the heavily populated metros.
In short, Zepto promises the fastest sprint, while Blinkit leans on reliability at scale. For customers, the winner often depends on when and where they order.
Product Assortment: Beyond Just Groceries
Though speed is great, if they don’t have what you want, it doesn’t matter. This is how their digital aisles measure up.
Zepto’s Tightly Curated Assortment of SKUs: Quality vs Quantity?
Zepto has a very tightly curated list of high-turn SKUs (stock keeping units). If you’re looking for your daily and weekly essentials, for the most part, you’ll find them – fruits and veggies, dairy, snacks, drinks and household essentials, and even some small electronics (chargers and cables), personal hygiene products, and wellness products. Their pitch seems to be stocked for 90% of people, 90% of the time and stocked for good.
What you don’t see on their website: They don’t have the variety of niche or speciality items. If you’re in the market for a rare brand of imported cheese or a particular type of baking ingredient, you’ll likely not find it.
Blinkit’s Endless Aisle: Your Local Mall in an App
This is what makes Blinkit really cool. With the backing of Zomato and a pretty sizable warehouse, Blinkit’s catalogue has so many options. Not only groceries, but you can also find:
- Electronics: Headphones, smartwatches, phone accessories.
- Beauty & Personal Care: Several brands that rival dedicated beauty apps.
- Home & Kitchen: Small appliances, utensils, or decor.
- Stationery & Printing: In some cities, they’ll even print documents and deliver them.
Missing Info on their website: There is an increased chance of item stockouts with a larger catalogue. Occasionally, an item will be listed for sale, but not be available upon checkout.
Prices, Discounts, and Delivery Fees: Who Provides Better Value for your Money?
For the shrewd Indian consumer, the final price will generally be the tipping point.
Price-per-unit vs. Maximum Retail Price
Both platforms are competitive. For the most part, we found that prices on most everyday items are approximately the same price, and often at or slightly less than the Maximum Retail Price (MRP).
- Zepto: Will tend to stick closer to the MRP but runs promotions by brand
- Blinkit: Uses a more extensive system of dynamic pricing with frequent “flash sales” and “Blinkit Deals,” making it a good choice for those looking for deals.
Delivery Fees: Free Delivery / Surge Pricing
Both apps usually charge a small delivery fee (₹10−₹30) on smaller-value orders, but often this fee will be waived once your cart reaches a value of specified minimum value for the grocery service (for example, ₹199 or ₹299). However, be on the lookout for surge pricing when demand for these service times exceeds levels (i.e. rain or late night), which could be more of a rule than an exception with Blinkit because of the Zomato model.
Discounts and Promotional Initiatives (incl. Zomato Gold)
When it comes to promotions, Blinkit has a clear favourite. Zomato’s loyalty program allows subscribers to receive free delivery on all orders from Blinkit, as long as they meet a minimum threshold. Also, users can maximise their discount by applying various blinkit coupon codes which is really great for someone who is a frequent user. Zepto deals more with promotions in-app or coupon codes.
The User Experience (UI/UX): The Digital Aisles
Zepto: Sleek, Fast and Minimalist
The Zepto app is truly a lesson in simplicity. The app is lightning fast, the search is simplistic, and the checkout is smooth. It’s built for one purpose: to get in, find what you need, and get out, all in under one minute. Thus, it’s favourable for users who value speed and simplicity/ext efficiency before anything else.
Blinkit: Feature-Rich, Integrated
The Blinkit app feels more sophisticated. It feels more like an actual e-commerce platform. It has further categorisation, product discovery is a lot better, and the integration with Zomato is seamless. For a user who enjoys shopping/browsing, Blinkit has much to offer. Dawned to enrich the shopping experiences, Blinkit does sometimes feel slightly slower/snappier than Zomato.
Zepto vs Blinkit: Delivery Partner Benefits Comparison 2025
| Employment Aspect | Zepto | Blinkit |
|---|---|---|
| Average Monthly Earnings | ₹40,000 – ₹60,000 depending on city and hours worked | ₹35,000 – ₹50,000+ based on deliveries and performance incentives |
| Per Delivery Commission | ₹15 – ₹45 per order; short-distance delivery focus | ₹25 – ₹35 base pay + ₹5–₹10 distance bonus + ₹10–₹15 weight bonus per delivery |
| Commission Model (2025 Update) | Commission to riders is not fixed; brands/sellers charge a variable range up to 18% | Dynamic model linked to product value: 2%–18% tiered structure |
| Joining Bonus | Up to ₹10,000 (subject to location/offers); frequent referral bonuses | ₹4,000 joining bonus + referral incentive ₹1,000–₹2,000 per friend |
| Insurance Coverage | Health and accident insurance up to ₹10 lakhs | Health and accident insurance up to ₹10 lakhs |
| Leave & Flexibility | Must use own vehicle; no rentals/EMIs but full support through the Blinkit partner app | Flexible 4 / 8 / 10-hour shift options; no fixed timing |
| Payout Frequency | Weekly payouts directly to bank; incentives paid daily or weekly | Weekly payments every 7 days |
| Perks & Incentives | Daily goals, surge bonuses, ₹10,000 joining bonus, recognition program | Joining & referral bonuses, daily/weekly incentives, distance/weight bonuses |
| Work Equipment Support | Electric vehicle assistance via partner vendors; initial accommodation (45 days) and meals provided (limited) | Commission to riders is not fixed; brands/sellers charge a variable range up to 18% |
| Safety & Aid | Basic accident safety gear and in-app SOS support | Stronger post-accident support and safety response system |
| Festive/Seasonal Bonuses | Up to ₹50,000/month during festivals (Navratri, Diwali, etc.) | Similar festive surges, 15–20% higher payouts during high-demand periods |
The Conclusion: Zepto vs Blinkit, who is the Final Winner for You?
There is no clear winner in the Zepto vs Blinkit fight. The “definitive winner” is entirely dependent on your priorities. We have built a simple decision guide for you
Choose Zepto if:
- Your overwhelming preference is for speed and reliability.
- You value a clean, mumbo-jumbo-free app experience.
- Any number of products is never required from your normal order of essential groceries.
Choose Blinkit if:
- You want the broadest range of products, from groceries to electronics.
- You have a Zomato Gold membership and want to extract its full economic benefit.
- You are a deal-hunter, scanning for deals and promotions.
The world of quick commerce is evolving every day. We are going to update this article in future as well to give the readers up-to-date information. Also, don’t forget to check out our main guide on The Rise of Quick Commerce in India to understand the bigger picture.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Zepto vs Blinkit: Which service is actually faster?
Both Zepto and Blinkit are extremely fast and typically deliver within 10-20 minutes. Zepto built its reputation around a strict 10-minute delivery window and has a particularly streamlined system to achieve this aim. But Blinkit, with Zomato’s wider network of riders, is also incredibly fast, while being consistent across more locations. Your experience may vary a little depending on where you live and the hour of the day
Zepto vs Blinkit: Which one is cheaper?
The base price of staple products is very similar between the two apps. Blinkit does have slightly more frequent sales on select items. However, as a Zomato Gold member, if you factor in the delivery charge from Blinkit, the ‘total’ cost is probably cheaper in the long run.
Which app has more product variety, Zepto or Blinkit?
Blinkit definitely has a significantly larger and more varied product catalogue. Blinkit goes beyond groceries and offers a variety of products such as electronics, beauty products, additions to your cookware, bugs, and even stationery. Many users will consider Blinkit their one-stop shop if they have an immediate need.
Can I use my Zomato app to order from Blinkit?
While the services are integrated (especially for loyalty benefits like Zomato Gold), Blinkit operates as a separate app. You will need to download the Blinkit app to place an order, but you can log in using your Zomato credentials.
Is there a winner in all categories, or does the choice depend on use case?
There is no single winner for all categories. If you want quick delivery, go for Zepto. If you want a large catalogue, go for Blinkit.
Does the Zomato brand or app name change?
The end customer-facing app name is still Zomato. Only the parent company name gets changed from “Zomato Limited” to “Eternal Limited“.
Zepto vs Blinkit: Which delivery app pays more?
Zepto generally offers higher earning potential, with some delivery partners reporting up to ₹60,000 per month, while Blinkit typically pays ₹35,000–₹50,000 monthly based on performance.
Zepto vs Blinkit: Who gives better incentives?
Zepto provides frequent surges and daily incentives, whereas Blinkit includes structured bonuses like joining, referral, and distance-based pay.
Zepto vs Blinkit: Which platform is more flexible for part-time work?
Zepto allows riders complete schedule freedom without shift obligations, while Blinkit offers shift flexibility through 4/8/10-hour slots
Zepto vs Blinkit: Which app is better for long-term growth for riders?
Zepto’s network expansion (2 lakh+ partners in 80+ cities) offers scale, while Blinkit’s association with Zomato provides stability and integrated earning opportunities.
Who provides joining or referral bonuses: Zepto or Blinkit?
Blinkit offers a ₹4,000 joining bonus and ₹1,000–₹2,000 referral rewards, whereas Zepto bonuses depend on city and campaigns, trending up to ₹10,000.
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