How we compare takeaway on Wolt and Bolt Food

Where our prices come from, how we make sure a pizza is compared with the same pizza, how we find the same restaurant on both apps, and how we work out the fees.

Where the prices come from

Our price bot reads the restaurant lists, menus and fee schedules that Wolt's and Bolt Food's own websites show to a visitor who hasn't logged in. Every afternoon, while restaurants are open, it asks which restaurants deliver to 16 reference points: Valletta (City Gate), Sliema (The Strand, Sliema Ferries), Birkirkara (St Helen's Basilica), Mosta (the Rotunda), St Paul's Bay (Bugibba Square), Victoria (Gozo) (Independence Square (It-Tokk)), Swieqi (the parish church), Naxxar (Victory Square), Ħamrun (St Gaetan's church), Qormi (St George's church), Fgura (the parish church), Marsaskala (the seafront), Żurrieq (the parish church), Rabat (St Paul's Square), Mellieħa (the parish church square) and Marsalforn (Gozo) (the bay). These are public squares and landmarks, never anyone's address. About once a week it reads the menu of every restaurant they list, the restaurants on both apps first; Bolt Food's menus one at a time, a few minutes apart, through the day. The bot names itself, follows each site's robots.txt and waits at least three seconds between requests. Menus read for 1,328 of 1,331 restaurants on Wolt and 42 of 1,761 on Bolt Food; each menu is refreshed about weekly.

Like for like

• Only the dish itself. A Margherita is a Margherita: not one "with ham", not a combo, meal deal, set or half-and-half, not pizza bread, garlic bread, pizza fries or a calzone, and not the cocktail of the same name. A cheeseburger is a single-patty cheeseburger without bacon. Fries are a plain portion, not loaded or sweet-potato fries.
• The same size. Pizzas are compared within a size class: the diameter the menu states (under 27 cm small, up to 33 cm medium, up to 41 cm large, bigger family), otherwise its size word, otherwise "size not stated". Where the diameter is known we also show the price per 100 cm². Burgers with fries are compared apart from burgers on their own, and sushi and pastizzi per piece when the menu says how many. Chicken wings, nuggets and strips count only when the menu says how many pieces you get; they are ranked by the price per piece within pack sizes (up to 6, 7 to 10, 11 or more). Pasta is compared as a main or a starter portion, curries with rice apart from curries alone, and a Caesar salad with chicken apart from the classic one.
• The same product. A can of Coca-Cola, Coke Zero or Kinnie is compared only as a 330 ml can, and still water only as a 500 ml bottle, when the menu states the size (or says "can").
• Plausible prices only. A price far outside the usual range for the dish (a "from" price, a party tray) is left out.

The dishes we compare: Margherita, Diavola (spicy salami), Pepperoni or salami, Capricciosa, Quattro Formaggi (four cheeses), Hawaiian (ham and pineapple), Marinara (tomato, garlic, oregano), Vegetarian, Maltese (Maltese sausage, ġbejna or Gozo style), Cheeseburger, Classic beef burger, Kebab in a wrap or pitta, Chicken wrap, Plain fries, Salmon nigiri, Salmon maki (hosomaki), California roll, Pastizzi, Ftira (filled Maltese bread), Ħobż biż-żejt, Timpana (baked macaroni), Carbonara, Bolognese, Arrabbiata, Tomato and basil (pomodoro), Chicken wings, Chicken nuggets, Chicken strips and tenders, Fried chicken pieces, Chicken fried rice, Egg or vegetable fried rice, Chicken chow mein, Pad thai, Ramen, Butter chicken, Chicken tikka masala, Plain or butter naan, Garlic naan, Caesar salad, Tiramisu, Coca-Cola (330 ml can), Coca-Cola Zero (330 ml can), Kinnie (330 ml can), Still water (500 ml).

The same restaurant on both apps

Two listings are the same restaurant when their names match once generic words ("restaurant", "pizzeria", "take away") and the branch's town are set aside, and both apps place it within 300 m of each other (60 m when the names are only alike). Each restaurant matches at most one on the other app, nearest first, so each branch of a chain finds its own. Dishes on the two menus are paired by name and size; we then compare each pair's prices and show the median difference.

Cuisines

A restaurant is filed under a cuisine when Wolt files it there, when it is the same restaurant as one Wolt files there, when its name says so ("pizzeria", "kebab", "curry"), or when at least three of the dishes we compare on its menu, and a quarter of them, are of that cuisine. A restaurant can be in more than one. Each cuisine page compares the dishes most of its restaurants sell, like for like; it is shown once at least 5 restaurants have a price for one of them.

Ordering direct

Some restaurants also take orders on their own website. Where the restaurant's site shows prices to any visitor, our bot reads that menu about once a week, in the same way as the apps' (it names itself, follows robots.txt and waits at least three seconds between requests, and only reads pages). Its dishes are paired with the same dishes on Wolt and Bolt Food by name and size. Sites that show prices only after a login, a delivery address or a basket are linked, not read. Prices on the restaurant's own site may differ by branch and time, and you pay no platform fees there. Some restaurants' own sites take orders for collection only.

Fees

• Wolt publishes each restaurant's delivery pricing: a base price plus a charge by straight-line distance, a service fee of 8% of the order, at least €0.80 and at most €3.30, and a small-order fee that makes up the difference when an order is under the restaurant's threshold. We apply each restaurant's own schedule to the distance from the restaurant to each reference point.
• Bolt Food shows the delivery fee to the address you choose in its restaurant list, which we read for each reference point. It shows any service or small-order fee only in the basket, which needs a login with a phone number; we don't log in, so those fees are not included.
• Promotions that depend on who orders (free delivery for new customers, Wolt+ and Bolt Plus) and surcharges for busy times or bad weather are left out.

Independence

maltacompare is an independent price comparison site, not affiliated with Wolt or Bolt. No restaurant or platform pays us for placement: every list is ordered by price alone, and links go straight to the restaurant on the platform. We don't show platform or restaurant logos, or photos of dishes. The site shows Google ads, which have no say in the order. Read who runs maltacompare and how to reach us.

Found a wrong price?

Email [email protected] with the restaurant, the dish and what the app shows. We check every report.