In India’s rapidly growing gig economy, tech platforms are redefining what it means to employ domestic help. Services such as Urban Company, Pronto, and Snabbit are transforming informal, often opaque arrangements into more structured, app-based systems. These platforms promise quicker bookings, standardized pricing, and visibility into worker ratings and service quality factors that were rare in traditional domestic help arrangements.

Workers on these platforms often get more consistent work, access to training or certification, and digital payments which reduce delays or dependency on cash. On the flip side, platforms also demand performance metrics, acceptance rates, user ratings etc., which some workers find stressful. Additionally, there’s still fragility: many workers don’t have the same protections as formal employees (e.g. benefits, social security), and earning depends heavily on demand and platform policies.

For consumers, using apps provides convenience, reliability, and often better accountability. For workers, especially women in urban India, these platforms are a way to access income with less middleman exploitation. Still, sustainability depends on how platforms balance efficiency and worker welfare: are commissions fair, are safety standards enforced, is the work environment dignified? The story isn’t completely rosy, but tech platforms are undeniably shifting domestic work from informal survival to somewhat more stable employment.