Main apps to order food online in Brazil 2023

In 2023, iFood was hands-down the favorite online food ordering app in Brazil, according to a survey conducted in March of that year. At the time, eight out of ten smartphone owners who had ordered food through a mobile app said they had used iFood. Following the exit of Uber Eats from the Brazilian market that year, WhatsApp ranked as the second most popular app for ordering food, used by six percent of survey participants.

Weathering challenging times

Established in 2011, iFood boasts a market value of 5.4 billion U.S. dollars. By 2023, the Brazilian startup had reached a user base exceeding 40 million, collaborating with 330,000 partner restaurants and counting approximately 200,000 delivery drivers. However, the challenging global economic scenario forced the company to reduce its workforce, with 355 employees laid off in March 2023. Despite this setback, the Brazilian platform maintains a near-monopoly in the market, a position further fortified by the exit of Rappi from the country.

WhatsApp: easing the shopping experience

Although initially envisioned as a messaging app, WhatsApp swiftly evolved into a prominent online shopping and ordering tool. The quick adoption of WhatsApp for commerce spurred the Silicon Valley-based company to create WhatsApp Business. Launched in Brazil in 2019, this platform is specifically designed to enhance communication between small businesses and their customers.