Urban Company’s InstaHelp Hits 50,000 Bookings: Quick Commerce for Labor?

TL;DR: Urban Company’s InstaHelp, a vertical offering on-demand housekeeping, cleaning, and cooking services, crossed 51,520 bookings on February 22, 2026. This marks a new peak for the "quick-service" model, which promises fulfillment within 10-15 minutes of booking.

Vichaarak Perspective: InstaHelp is trying to apply the "Zepto/Blinkit" model to human services. By achieving 50k+ daily bookings within a year, Urban Company has proven that there is a massive appetite for hyper-fast, low-friction labor. However, the Ebitda loss for this vertical climbed to Rs 61 crore last quarter, signaling that the unit economics of "labor-on-demand" remain fragile. The competition from Pronto (15k bookings) and Snabbit (recently raised $30M) suggests a looming "Quick Service War" where profitability might be sacrificed for market share.

FAQ: * What is InstaHelp? A quick-service vertical by Urban Company offering dishwashing, laundry, and cleaning in 10-15 minutes. * What cities is it in? Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, and Pune. * Is it profitable? Not yet; it recorded a Rs 61 crore Ebitda loss last quarter as it scales.