How to develop a Super App like Grab in 2024?

Super apps are a new breed of mobile apps that offer a wide range of services, making them convenient and easy to use for consumers. Grab is one of the most successful super apps in the world, with over 190 million users in Southeast Asia, offering services from ride-hailing to food delivery to payments.

Grab has been a big player in the ride-hailing app market in Southeast Asia. So, what makes an app like Grab stand out in the market? If you are thinking about developing an app like this, there are many things you need to keep in mind.

In this article, we will discuss the steps involved in developing a super app like Grab. We will also cover everything from cost, features, tech stack and many more.

grab

1. About Grab 

1.1. Development history of Grab

Grab was founded in 2012 by Anthony Tan and Tan Hooi Ling. At that time, they were frustrated with the difficulty of getting a taxi in Malaysia, they saw an opportunity to create a more convenient and affordable transportation option.

Grab started out as a ride-hailing app, but it has since expanded to offer a wider range of services, including food delivery, express and financial services. Hence, it’s now called a “super app”. 

In 2016, it acquired Uber’s Southeast Asian operations, which made it the dominant ride-hailing app in the region. As a result, this company is making a huge revenue from this. The company is still relatively young, but it has grown quickly and become a major player in the Southeast Asian tech scene. It is likely to continue to grow in the future and to expand into new markets.

1.2. Facts and figures about Grab

In Vietnam, Grab is the most popular ride-hailing app, with a market share of over 70%, followed by Be and Gojek, according to ABI Research Report.

>>> Read more: Super App Strategy: How To Make A Profit From Super Apps

2. How does Grab work?

2.1. Grab’s main ride-hailing service

If you want to develop an app that provides a ride-hailing service like Grab, you may need to know how this service works on the customer side. Below are 4 simple steps from Grab:

2.2. Other services offered by Grab

Grab is not just a ride-hailing app, it offers more services as it becomes a super app. Let’s check out!

grab

GrabPay

GrabPay is a mobile wallet that allows users to pay for Grab services, as well as other merchants and services. 

Once you have money in their wallet, you can use it to pay for Grab services, such as ride-hailing, food delivery, and delivery. You can also use it to pay for goods and services at other merchants and services that accept GrabPay, just by scanning a QR code.

Moreover, it also offers a service called “postpaid”, allowing users to pay for Grab’s services at the end of the month without any additional costs. 

GrabFood

GrabFood is a food delivery service that allows users to order food from restaurants and have it delivered to their door.

You can browse the selection of restaurants that are available in your area and order. GrabFood will dispatch a driver to pick up the food from the restaurant and deliver it to your door.

GrabExpress

GrabExpress is a parcel delivery service that allows users to send and receive parcels.

While using the service, you need to select the size and weight of your parcel and choose a delivery time. A shipper will pick up the parcel and deliver it to the drop-off address. 

>>> Read more: Introduction of Super Apps – What is a super app?

3. The main features of an app like Grab

If you are creating an app like Grab, you may need to develop at least two apps, one for your customers and one for drivers.  Moreover, the platform may also associate with an admin panel that’s capable of managing and monitoring the platform’s work.

3.1. For customers

3.2. For drivers

4. Building a Ride-Hailing App: Step by Step

STEP 1: Market research and analysis: One of the most important things you need to do when starting to develop an app is to thoroughly understand the market and how your competitors survive. The more data you have access to, the better decisions can be made. But remember to analyse them in a proper way to make sure you take full advantage of them.

STEP 2: Plan and Discovery Phase: After realising the idea of your Grab-like app’s features, it’s time to start to create the initial design of your app and work with the development team to understand what you are trying to make and stay involved throughout the entire process. What do you want your app to achieve? Do you want to focus only on ride-hailing service or more? Or what are the needs and wants of your target users? Remember that necessary features might leave your users frustrated and make them uninstall your app

STEP 3: UI/UX Design: The UI is the first thing users will see, so it’s important to make sure it’s attractive and easy to use. Use a variety of design elements, such as colours, fonts, and images, to create a visually appealing and user-friendly UI. Also, make sure that your app design is easy to use and accessible to all users, this is UX design.

STEP 4: Development Process: The backend is the part of the app that handles the data and logic. This includes things like storing user information, processing payments, and managing bookings. The backend is essential for the app to function properly, so it’s important to develop it carefully. Turning to front-end development, you should build the server-side of your product, including user interface, client-side logic, and then integrate it with the back-end.

When developing, the first step toward is to build an MVP that ensures low development costs and effort. This could help you define how many users accept your app idea before investing more money into scaling your app.

STEP 5: Testing: Once the app is developed, it’s important to test it thoroughly to make sure it works properly. Depending on the app functionalities and features, following testing methods can be used:

STEP 6: Release: Once the app is tested and ready to go, it’s time to release it to the public. This involves submitting the app to the app store and promoting it to potential users.

STEP 7: Maintenance & Updating: After deployment, remember to regularly maintain and update your web app to ensure it remains secure, stable and up-to-date with the latest technologies and user needs. Updating the app will help you to keep users engaged and satisfied.

>>> Read more: WeChat – The Super App Exceed 1 Billion Daily Active Users

5. Tech stack and Team

After getting to know all the features need for making you own app like Grab, be ready to move to the next step: updating and managing tech stack and your tech team members

5.1. Tech stack

5.2. Tech team

>>> Read more: Super App – WeChat changing the world

6. How much does it cost to build an app like Grab?

The cost depends on the functionality of the development from $30,000 to above at 10-25$ per hour rate. 

Here are some of the key factors that can affect the cost of developing an app like Grab:

Some tips below may help you reduce the cost of developing:

7. How does a Grab-like app monetise?

There are a number of ways that a Grab-like app can monetise, some of the most common are:

8. Conclusion

Developing a super app is a complex challenging task, but it can be very rewarding. In this post, we have provided a detailed guideline on how to build a Grab-like app. We have given you everything you need to know about Grab-like apps and also covered everything in your development, from defining your goals to launching your app. We hope that this post has given you the information you need to increase your chances of success. Good luck!

If you want to choose a reliable technology partner in Asia to build your super app, contact us to start together today! AgileTech is an experienced technology outsourcing company that has intense experience in ride-hailing platforms, e-commerce, and healthcare…, so we can help you with building mobile products and creating a clear picture for your business to succeed. Maybe your product will be outstanding in the ride-hailing industry. If you need further information and consultation for your project, feel free to fill out this form to meet our IT experts!