What is ONDC, the cheaper alternative of Swiggy and Zomato

There is no doubt that India has one of the best food delivery services available for its users. Within the comfort of our homes, we get to enjoy our favourite food from restaurants within a couple of minutes. Until now, the food delivery tech space was dominated by Zomato and Swiggy. The two platforms remain neck-to-neck in competition and offer competitive offers for users. However, a new network, backed by the Indian government, is emerging and people are using it to order food at cheaper costs. Say hello to ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce), that lets restaurants sell food directly to consumers, without the need of a third party app like Zomato and Swiggy.

ONDC has been around since September 2022 but is now gaining popularity. As per reports, it has recently surpassed the 10,000 daily order mark and is being more widely used by people. Over the last couple of days, a lot of people have posted screenshots in which they are comparing the food delivery prices offered by ONDC, Swiggy and Zomato. And ONDC costs relatively cheaper.

If you haven't yet heard about the network, and want to experience it, read on. We will tell you all about the network backed by the Indian government and how to access it.

What is ONDC

As already stated earlier, the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) is backed by the Government of India and allows restaurants to sell their food directly to consumers. Moreover, it also delivers groceries, home décor, cleaning essentials, etc. Much like Swiggy's Instamart, Zepto, and Blinkit. Additionally, ONDC is an open network for all kinds of businesses. Be it Electronics, Fashion, Beauty etc, different kinds of businesses can be a part of the network and sell their services to consumers.

Bengaluru was the first city to use ONDC back in September 2022. And now, the network is live in multiple cities and people are using it to get the best of deals.

Cheaper food than Swiggy, Zomato

We also tried out ONDC to order food and the results were quite impressive. There is quite a difference in the prices offered between ONDC and food delivery platforms like Swiggy and Zomato.

For instance, an order that costs Rs 209 on Swiggy and 212 on Zomato costs only Rs 147 on the network.

In another instance, the price of 4 burgers and 4 large fries from popular restaurant chain McDonalds also had a massive difference. The total bill amount in Zomato and Swiggy was Rs 702 and Rs 768 respectively, while when ordered via ONDC, the bill amount was Rs 639.

How to use ONDC

You can use ONDC via the Paytm app. Simply head over to Paytm and type 'ONDC' in the search bar. You will then see a variety of options ranging from groceries and cleaning essentials to the food store. If you are trying to order food from a restaurant, head over to ONDC Food and check out the cuisine that you are trying to order. You will then see a number of restaurants and can order your favourite food online just the way you do with other food delivery platforms.

It is to be noted that, since ONDC is relatively new, not all restaurants are selling food through this network.