Househelp in 10 minutes? Q-com model to the rescue for domestic chores

The instant househelp service offers a way to formalisation in the sector, the second highest employer after agriculture, by providing skills, insurance, and guaranteed pay

One of the banes of modern urban living is finding reliable house help. With long commutes and longer workhours, many professionals simply cannot find dependable domestic workers to handle their household work.

 

Enter technology. From helping to connect with full- or part-time house help, some companies have now moved on to a quick-commerce model of sending someone over in 10 minutes if your usual staff doesn't show up or you next an extra pair of hands at home. So far, though, only two players have entered the 10-minute service offering: Mumbai-based Snabbit and Urban Company, a unicorn in the professional services sector. At the same time, there are several other online platforms which cater to this segment and provide housemaid services such as Mumbai-based Kaamwalibai.com, but they are not in the 10-minute provider model.

 

These app-based services are reshaping how households manage chores, offering everything from dusting to chopping things for a meal, even helping pack for vacations.

 

The quick service app Snabbit started operations in 2024 with the instant domestic help booking as its core offering. After 14 months of operations, the service is currently operational in Mumbai in areas such as Powai, Marol, and Chandivali.

 

Manisha (name changed on request), who has been working as a househelp for the past 10 years, recently joined Snabbit. She says she now earns around Rs 20,000–Rs 22,000 per month, or about ₹750 per day. “Even if I don’t complete 4–5 services in a day, I still earn ₹750,” she said, highlighting the reliable monthly salary as one of the major comfort points about the platform.

 

“I can make ₹1,000 or more per day if I take on more work, but that gets tiring. What’s great is that the platform also gives me a travel allowance, so I can take an auto-rickshaw easily. And if I maintain a good rating, I get an additional ₹1,000 as an incentive,” she added.

 

According to data on the e-shram portal, the domestic and household worker category ranks as the second-highest occupation sectors, behind agriculture. As of April 28, there were nearly 29 million (2,89,56,516) domestic and household workers registered on the self-declaratory portal. In terms of states, Uttar Pradesh tops the list with most workers in this category, while Maharashtra, where both these 10-minute services are currently available, is ranked fifth with over 8 lakh workers (8,24,580). The portal was launched in 2021 to create a central database for workers in the unorganised sector.

 

However, despite its size in terms of workforce, existing national-level labour laws do not apply to this category for regulation of contracts, working hours, paid leave, or severance pay, among others.

 

But the tech industry is slowly looking to change some of that. For example, Snabbit offers its registered domestic workers a health insurance plan, something Manisha mentions as one of the reasons she prefers the app over getting work through an informal network. “I also get health insurance up to Rs 4 lakh. If my child gets sick or anyone in the family is unwell I can get access to this insurance,” she says.

 

"The platform is witnessing high demand among working couples, young mothers, and bachelors," said Aayush Agarwal, founder and chief executive officer of Snabbit, and who was also part of the early Zepto team. "Snabbit has already acquired nearly 10,000 customers in Powai. In old micro markets, one in five households are using us. Today, the penetration is extremely deep and can go further up."

 

Bengaluru-based Urban Company, which introduced a new offering called Insta Maids (now rebranded as Insta Help), a fast-track help-for-hire service. The service promises users access to a house help within 15 minutes, catering to the growing demand for on-demand household help. When launched in March 2025, the service was available at an introductory rate of Rs 49 per hour.

 

“Insta Help is a new service currently in its pilot phase in Mumbai. The introductory pricing of Rs 49 per hour is just a limited-time offer for our customers. As the service scales, prices will adjust to ensure sustainable earnings for our partners and viable economics for our business,” said an Urban Company spokesperson. Currently, the hourly prices on the platform begin at Rs 99, excluding taxes.

 

The instant domestic help booking platforms, including Urban Company and Snabbit, offer specific services such as kitchen cleaning and dishwashing, meal preparation and serving, bathroom cleaning, laundry and ironing, mopping and dusting, and packing and unpacking.

Business of domestic help

When it comes to earnings of so-called 'experts' registered on the platform, Agarwal said it guarantees a minimum salary along with incentives, besides insurance for the worker and their family. "The average earning for experts (maids) is roughly Rs 20,000, assuming the expert spends around six to seven hours on our platform. If the expert (maids) comes for 27 days, we give Rs 1,000 extra or if the rating is 4.6 or above, we give Rs 1,000 again," he said.

 

"In this new service offering, partners earn Rs 150-180 per hour, along with free health insurance and on-the-job life and accidental insurance," the Urban Company spokesperson said, adding that those working for 132 hours per month (22 days × 6 hours per day) are assured earnings of at least Rs 20,000. This earning excludes Urban Company’s commission.

 

Both platforms say they offer pre-service training to ensure quality and consistency. According to Urban Company, service partners joining Insta Help undergo extensive training to equip them with the skills and certifications they need to excel.

 

Agarwal said Snabbut even has trainers from hotel management institutes run by the Taj and Oberoi chains of hotels to "to take the level of housekeeping in India a notch above".

 

"We invest heavily in training, sourcing, supply, and screening. We spend three days of meticulous training in training centres that are 3,000 square feet in area," he added.

 

Currently, the platforms do not charge any additional fees, such as platform or surge fees, but only the hourly rate, along with the goods and services tax (GST). While for Urban Company, the GST is fixed at Rs 20, the amount varies for Snabbit ranging from Rs 13-Rs 50.

 

Such platforms, if successful could well solve a huge problem of this large segment of workers who are not covered by labour laws and thus have no access to social benefits. According to a recent study by Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action (YUVA), over 50 per cent of workers earn less than Rs 10,000 per month for domestic work. The survey was done across 15 districts of Maharashtra and covered 5,019 workers. The report also asked for legislative and policy intervention to ensure dignified and remunerative livelihoods.

 

(With inputs from Shiva Rajora)