You could create native apps linked to your website via API, and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars (plus hundreds of thousands more in recurring overhead costs).
Or you could use Vendrux and achieve the same thing for a low upfront cost, and a few hundred per month then on.
If you run a web-first business, such as an eCommerce store, you absolutely should turn your site into a mobile app.
And if you choose the right way to do it, you could be making a profit just weeks, or maybe even days, after launch.
Keep reading and we’ll walk you through how to build an app from your website, connect your website and app, and maintain multiple platforms all from a single codebase, for minimal cost and effort.
The best way to make an app that links to your website is to convert your site into an app. Vendrux does just that, for minimal lift, little expense, and virtually no overhead. Get a free preview of your app to see how it works.
Why Linking Your App to Your Website is Important
When many businesses decide to make an app for their website, they build it as a completely separate platform.
Launching an app that’s not linked to your site is almost like starting a new business.
You’ll have a new codebase to maintain, and twice the content to publish and manage.
It’s double the work and double the operating cost (at least).
Keeping the UX and branding consistent across both platforms will be a constant, resource-intensive struggle.
The increased overhead makes it harder for your app to deliver a positive ROI.
Conversely, if your app and website are linked, there’s much less risk to launching an app, with the same upside.
It’s quicker, easier and cheaper to launch, as you can reuse a lot of what you’ve already built for the web (you’re not building everything from scratch).
It’s easier to maintain, as changes to one platform automatically show up on the other.
Your UX is always consistent, no matter where a customer finds your brand.
Fewer staff are required to maintain your app, meaning less overhead and a stronger ROI.
For businesses that don’t need to do anything drastically different on the app, building an app that is a full reflection of your website is the ideal approach.
There are two ways to build a mobile app that syncs up with your website. One is technical, one less so.
Let’s go over these two options now.
Option One – Build a Native App with an API Connection
The first choice is to build a native mobile app with an API that connects the app to your website backend.
This allows you to customize every part of the user experience for app users, and reuse what you need from the backend of your website, such as logins, order details, etc.
However, be warned, this is far from simple.
Here’s how you’d go about getting this done.
First, you’d need a pair of developers to work on building your mobile apps. Why two? Because iOS and Android apps require different development frameworks.
iOS apps are built in Objective-C or Swift, while Android apps are coded in Java and Kotlin. In all likelihood, you’ll need separate teams working on each app.
(You could use a cross-platform framework like React Native, which allows you to share a lot of the code across the iOS and Android apps, cutting down on development time).
This is for the front end. You’ll also need your development team to write the code that allows your apps to communicate and share data with your website.
While this is a straightforward job, it’s time-consuming, and requires you to have competent developers on your team.
Is this a good choice?
Here’s a rundown on the pros and cons:
Advantages
You have full control over how your apps look and behave, independently from your website.
Building natively allows you to utilize mobile device features, such as the camera and GPS.
Your apps should be fast and responsive, as they’re built from the ground up for their specific operating system.
Disadvantages
The average salary for Android developers in the US is $108,000, and $128,000 for iOS developers. Factor this, with the complexity of the project, and you’re looking at 5-6 figures development cost.
Even for experienced developers, native app development is no simple task. Especially when you factor building an API on top of it. Don’t expect a finished product for at least 6 months.
You’ll end up with three platforms (web, iOS, Android) to maintain. While the API allows you to share some data, you still need updates and bug fixes for all three. You’ll need to keep multiple extra developers on staff, or rely on freelancers who may not be familiar with your product.
In short, building a native app gives you the most control over your app experience, but it’s usually not worth the hassle.
Option Two – Build a Hybrid App with Webviews
The second choice is to build a hybrid app, instead of a fully native app.
Hybrid apps are apps that use a combination of web and native code.
For all intents and purposes, a hybrid app is a true mobile app, which people can download from the app stores and access directly on their mobile device.
However, the content within the app is a live sync with the content on your website.
The app features something called webviews, which are essentially a dedicated browser embedded inside an app, which renders a live and fully functional view of a website.
Webviews allow you to use your website for the main content inside your app, while adding native components that make it look and feel like any other custom mobile app.
This is the simplest way to make an app that links to your website. That’s because the app is your website.
When the user opens the app, they’re seeing the same content and functionality they’d see if they went to your mobile website.
And if you’re worried that a hybrid app will sacrifice performance or quality, modern webview apps are very difficult to differentiate from true native apps – as you can see from these hybrid app examples.
Let’s dive deeper into the pros and cons of building a hybrid app:
Advantages of a hybrid app
It takes a lot less time to build and launch your app.
Less time also means a much lower cost compared to building a native app.
You can completely convert your website to mobile apps, without rebuilding anything.
It’s much easier to maintain, as changes on your website update automatically in your app.
You guarantee a consistent UX across each platform.
Disadvantages
You have less freedom to customize your app experience.
It can be harder to tap into some mobile device features.
You may lose a little in terms of performance (though for most types of apps, the difference is unlikely to be noticeable).
So, what’s the best way to build an iOS/Android app that links to your website?
While you can do more with native development, the advantages are not worth it when you consider the added time, cost and complexity.
Hybrid apps are much cheaper. They take significantly less time to build. And, done right, it’s impossible to tell that you’re using a hybrid app and not a fully native app.
If your goal is to take an existing, successful website or web app and convert it to a mobile app, hybrid is undoubtedly the way to go.
Along with being easier to build, hybrid apps are easier to maintain, and guarantee that people get the same experience on web and app.
There best argument for native development is if you need to build app-specific features separate from your website, and you have the budget and resources to build a native app.
But for most businesses, every part of the equation points to hybrid apps as the way to go.
How to Create a Hybrid Webview App for Your Website
Here’s how to build your own hybrid app, and launch a fully-functional mobile app that links to your website.
Your best option is to use Vendrux, our custom website-to-app service, which has been turning websites into apps for more than 10 years.
Instead of waiting 6+ months and spending 6 figures on your app, you may be able to go to market in as little as two weeks, for a low 4 figure cost.
Vendrux converts everything that already works for you on your website to your mobile apps, plus app-specific UI, such as a mobile navigation and menus, loading indicators and splash screens, plus native mobile features like push notifications.
We do all the work for you – no need for you to hire developers, or for your existing developers to have to get to know a new codebase.
This includes technical updates, maintenance and support after you launch (which could save you 5 figures per year).
You cannot understate how much time, cost and complexity you save compared to native development, with little to no drop off in quality.
Want to learn more about how Vendrux helps you build and launch the perfect mobile apps? Get a free consultation now.
Can You Build High-Quality Apps with Vendrux?
Vendrux makes it easy to convert your website to iOS and Android apps.
But what about quality? Are these apps good enough to represent your brand, and grow your business?
The thousands of apps built with Vendrux can attest to the quality. You can read numerous case studies here to see examples of high-quality, high-revenue apps we delivered for Vendrux users.
This includes eCommerce apps, such as:
We’ve also built apps for digital publishers, online courses, communities, web apps, and much more.
“We couldn’t find another company that could offer the same features at the same price point, same time to market, and make it as easy as Vendrux could.” – Svend Hansen, Product Owner at Bestseller
The only limit to what you can do with Vendrux is what you can build with the web.
As long as you can craft a quality user experience on your website, you’ll be able to translate that experience to your mobile apps without a problem.
Wrapping Up: Convert Your Website to App in Less Than a Month
If you want to build an app that links to your website, recreates the user experience from your website, and updates when your website does, Vendrux is the best way to do it.
It costs low 4 figures and takes just a couple of weeks development time, compared to 5-6 figures and half a year plus, if you build natively.
You don’t need any tech expertise, or to hire expensive, sought-after developers with mobile app experience.
We let you enjoy the benefits of having your own mobile apps, without any of the added headaches of building or maintaining them.
Most B2B companies still pour the majority of their budget into top-of-funnel activity. Sales teams close the deal, hand off the account, and move on.
What happens next, the onboarding, the check-ins, the renewals, often gets less attention than it deserves.
That’s a problem, because 73% of chief sales officers now rank retention and account expansion as a top-three priority. The companies that figure out how to keep customers longer and expand those relationships will outperform the ones chasing new logos.
This guide covers the strategies that actually move the needle on B2B retention, based on what top-performing companies do differently.
Why B2B Customer Retention Matters
The financial case for retention in B2B companies is well documented. According to Bain & Company, a 5% increase in customer retention produces a 25-95% increase in profits.
Beyond revenue, retained customers lower your cost to serve. They already know your product, need less support, and often become your best source of referrals.
In B2B, where deal sizes are large and sales cycles are long, losing even a few accounts can significantly impact annual revenue.
How Is B2B Retention Different from B2C?
B2B retention operates under different dynamics than B2C, and strategies that work for consumer brands don’t always translate.
Multiple decision-makers. B2B purchases involve buying committees, not individual shoppers. Retention requires keeping several stakeholders satisfied, not just one person.
Longer sales cycles and contracts. B2B relationships often span months or years. Churn doesn’t happen in a single moment; it builds gradually through unresolved issues, poor communication, or a slow decline in perceived value.
Higher switching costs. Changing vendors in B2B is painful. It involves migration, retraining, and workflow disruption. This means customers may stay longer than they would in B2C – but when they do leave, they rarely come back.
Relationship-driven, not transaction-driven. B2C retention leans heavily on marketing (emails, promotions, loyalty points). B2B retention is about account management, customer success, and consistently demonstrating ROI.
Understanding these differences is the first step to building a retention strategy that fits how B2B buyers actually operate.
How Do You Calculate B2B Customer Retention Rate?
Customer retention rate measures the percentage of customers you kept over a specific period, excluding new acquisitions.
The formula:
Retention Rate = ((Customers at End of Period – New Customers Acquired) / Customers at Start of Period) x 100
Example: You start the quarter with 200 customers, acquire 30 new ones, and end with 210. Your retention rate is ((210 – 30) / 200) x 100 = 90%.
Churn rate is the inverse:
Churn Rate = (Customers Lost During Period / Total Customers at Start of Period) x 100
B2B Retention Benchmarks
Benchmarks vary significantly by segment:
Company Type
Typical Annual Retention
Monthly Churn
Enterprise B2B (large contracts)
90–95%
Less than 1%
Mid-market B2B SaaS
80–90%
1.5–3%
SMB B2B SaaS
70–80%
3–5%
B2B services / consulting
83–85%
1–2%
Top-performing B2B companies push net revenue retention (NRR) past 120%, meaning they grow revenue from existing customers even after accounting for churn.
Note: If tracking these numbers manually becomes unwieldy, a churn management system can help you monitor trends, flag at-risk accounts, and take action before customers leave.
10 Strategies to Improve B2B Customer Retention
Let’s get into the most effective strategies to improve your customer retention rate, reduce churn, and build a more profitable B2B business.
1. Fix Your Onboarding First
Onboarding is the single biggest predictor of long-term retention. 67% of customer churn can be prevented if issues are addressed during the initial experience, and customers who complete a structured onboarding process have 21% higher lifetime value on average.
The first 30 to 90 days after signing define the trajectory of the relationship. A disjointed onboarding, where the customer is handed from sales to implementation to support with no continuity, is one of the fastest paths to early churn.
What good B2B onboarding looks like:
A dedicated onboarding manager (not the salesperson) who owns the first 90 days
A clear success plan with milestones tied to the customer’s goals, not your product features
Proactive check-ins at day 7, 30, and 60 to catch problems early
Self-service resources (knowledge base, video tutorials) for the customer’s team to ramp up independently
2. Track the Right Metrics (Not Just Revenue)
Revenue tells you what already happened. To predict retention, you need leading indicators.
Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) captures how customers feel about specific interactions, like a support ticket or an onboarding session.
Customer Effort Score (CES) measures how easy it is to do business with you. In B2B, where processes like reordering, getting support, or accessing account information can be unnecessarily complex, CES is often the most actionable metric.
Companies that survey multiple contacts at each account, multiple times per year, achieve an 82% retention rate compared to 44% for those surveying a single contact once annually.
3. Close the Loop on Every Piece of Feedback
Collecting feedback is step one. Acting on it, and telling customers what you did, is what actually improves retention.
B2B companies that close the loop on all customer feedback increase retention rates by 8.5%. Yet 62% of B2B companies lack formal close-the-loop targets.
Closing the loop means:
Acknowledging the feedback within 24-48 hours
Taking action (or explaining why you can’t)
Following up to confirm the issue was resolved
Tracking resolution rates as a team KPI
Don’t just focus on detractors. 23% of passives convert to promoters with proper follow-up, and passive accounts are often the most at risk of quietly churning.
4. Invest in Proactive Account Management
Reactive support, where you wait for customers to come to you with problems, is a losing strategy. By the time a B2B customer contacts you with a complaint, they’ve likely already been frustrated for weeks.
Proactive outreach delivers the highest retention lift at +14%, particularly when customer success teams contact accounts before usage declines.
Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) are the gold standard for B2B account management. Companies that run regular QBRs report 33% higher expansion revenue and lower silent churn. A good QBR covers:
Progress against the customer’s original goals
Usage trends and adoption metrics
Upcoming product updates relevant to their use case
Open issues and a plan to resolve them
5. Build a Customer Health Score
A customer health score combines multiple signals into a single indicator of account risk. Instead of guessing which accounts might churn, you can prioritize intervention based on data.
Common inputs for a B2B health score:
Product usage frequency and depth (are they using core features?)
Support ticket volume and sentiment (rising tickets, negative tone)
NPS/CSAT scores (declining satisfaction)
Engagement with your team (skipping QBRs, not responding to emails)
Contract and billing status (upcoming renewal, payment issues)
Tools like Gainsight, ChurnZero, and Totango specialize in building health scores for B2B accounts. Even a simple spreadsheet-based model is better than relying on gut feel.
The goal is to identify at-risk accounts early enough to intervene. Waiting until renewal time to discover a customer is unhappy is too late.
6. Personalize the Experience at Scale
61% of B2B buyers prefer to spend more with companies that deliver personalized experiences. But in B2B, personalization goes beyond using someone’s first name in an email.
Effective B2B personalization includes:
Customized dashboards and reports that show metrics relevant to each customer’s goals
Tailored product recommendations based on their usage patterns and industry
Segmented communications where enterprise accounts get different content than SMBs
Personalized renewal offers that reflect their actual usage and growth trajectory
The key is using the data you already have. Your CRM, product analytics, and support history contain everything you need to make each interaction feel relevant.
7. Make It Easy to Do Business with You
Friction kills retention. Every unnecessary step in ordering, getting support, or accessing information is a small reason for customers to consider alternatives.
In B2B, common friction points include:
Manual reordering processes (phone calls, email chains, PDF forms)
Slow support response times or rigid support hours
Confusing invoicing and billing
Lack of self-service options for routine tasks
Self-service is increasingly important. In 2026, customer lifetime depends heavily on how easily buyers can self-serve using digital portals, reorder without friction, and find information without waiting for a callback.
For B2B brands with ecommerce or ordering components, a dedicated mobile app can reduce this friction significantly.
Customers can reorder from their phone, access their account, track shipments, and receive updates through push notifications, without having to keep running to a desktop computer, or navigating their mobile browser.
Vendrux helps B2B and ecommerce brands extend their existing web portals into native iOS and Android apps, keeping the full functionality intact while adding the convenience of a mobile-native experience.
It’s low-lift, fast, and adds minimal ongoing complexity – as your website and mobile app are always completely in sync. Vendrux makes launching a dedicated mobile app easy; making it one of the highest-impact moves you can make to increase retention.
Want to see what’s possible? Get in touch and book a free strategy call with our app consultants to see what a mobile app can do for your business.
8. Create Upselling and Cross-Selling Programs
Retention and expansion go hand in hand. The probability of selling to an existing customer is 60-70%, compared to 5-20% for new prospects.
But upselling in B2B needs to be value-driven, not pushy. The best approach:
Wait for the right moment. Upsell when the customer has achieved their initial goals and is seeing clear ROI, not during onboarding or when they have unresolved issues.
Tie it to their business outcomes. “Based on your usage, upgrading to X would save your team 10 hours per week” is more compelling than “Here’s our premium tier.”
Use product usage data. If a customer is consistently hitting limits or using features available in a higher tier, that’s a natural upsell signal.
55% of businesses report that community building has increased sales. But the retention benefit is even more significant: communities create switching costs that go beyond your product.
When your customers know each other, share best practices, and build relationships through your platform, leaving means losing that network.
B2B community options:
User forums or Slack/Discord channels for peer support and idea sharing
Annual or quarterly user events (virtual or in-person)
Customer advisory boards that give top accounts a voice in your roadmap
Certification or training programs that deepen product expertise
A community also gives you an early warning system. When active community members go quiet, that’s often a signal worth investigating.
10. Reward Long-Term Loyalty
Loyalty programs are common in B2C, but they’re underutilized in B2B. 80% of customers stay loyal longer when a loyalty program is in place.
B2B loyalty doesn’t have to mean points and perks. Effective approaches include:
Tiered pricing that rewards volume or tenure (e.g., 5% discount after year one, 10% after year three)
Dedicated support tiers with faster response times for long-term customers
Referral bonuses that reward customers for bringing in new accounts
The key is making customers feel valued for their loyalty, not just their initial purchase.
Further Reading: See how Impact Wholesale launched a 5-star B2B ecommerce app with Vendrux.
What Metrics Should You Track for B2B Retention?
Beyond retention rate and churn rate, the most useful B2B retention metrics are:
Net Revenue Retention (NRR): Revenue from existing customers including expansion, minus churn and contraction. Above 100% means you’re growing from your existing base. The industry median is 106%, with top performers above 120%.
Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): Total revenue a customer generates over their relationship with you. Use this to justify retention investments.
Time to Value (TTV): How long it takes a new customer to achieve their first meaningful outcome. Shorter TTV correlates with higher retention.
Customer Health Score: A composite metric combining usage, satisfaction, and engagement signals.
Expansion Revenue Rate: Percentage of revenue growth from upsells and cross-sells within your existing base.
Track these monthly and review trends quarterly. A single snapshot doesn’t tell you much; it’s the direction that matters.
The Path Forward
B2B retention isn’t a single initiative. It’s a system of onboarding, feedback, account management, and continuous value delivery that compounds over time.
The companies that retain best share a common trait: they treat the post-sale experience with the same rigor they apply to acquisition.
They invest in customer success teams, track leading indicators, close feedback loops, and make it easy for customers to get value from their product.
Start with the highest-impact areas.
If your onboarding is weak, fix that first.
If you’re not measuring NPS or tracking customer health, start there.
If customers are churning because it’s too hard to reorder or access their account, reduce that friction, whether through better digital tools, self-service portals, or a mobile app that puts your platform in their pocket.
The best time to start improving retention was a year ago. The second best time is now.
If you’re a B2B brand looking to reduce friction and keep customers engaged through a native mobile experience, book a free demo with Vendrux to see how it works with your existing platform.
But getting from “I want an app” to “my app is live in the App Store” isn’t straightforward. Native iOS development has a steep learning curve, hiring developers is expensive, and the ecosystem of tools and frameworks can be overwhelming if you’re new to it.
This guide walks through every approach to building an iPhone app, what each one costs, how long it takes, and who it’s actually for. Whether you’re a developer looking to learn Swift, a business owner evaluating your options, or somewhere in between, you’ll find a clear path forward.
Four Ways to Build an iOS App
Before diving into the details, here’s how the four main approaches compare.
Build Yourself
Hire a Developer
Cross-Platform
Website-to-App
Cost
Free + $99/yr
$30K-$150K+
$20K-$100K+
$1,499/mo
Timeline
6-12+ months
3-9 months
3-6 months
6-8 weeks
Skills needed
Swift, Xcode
Project mgmt
JS, Dart, or C#
None
Best for
Learning, hobby apps
Mobile-first products
Startups, dual-platform
Ecommerce businesses
Maintenance
You handle it
Ongoing dev costs
Dev team needed
Fully managed
iOS + Android
Separate codebases
Separate codebases
Single codebase
Both included
Each approach has clear trade-offs. The rest of this guide breaks down exactly what’s involved in each one, so you can figure out which path makes sense for your situation.
How Do You Build an iOS App from Scratch?
Building an iOS app yourself means writing code in Swift using Apple’s Xcode development environment. It’s the most hands-on approach, and it gives you complete control over every aspect of your app.
What you’ll need
Swift is Apple’s programming language for iOS development.
Introduced in 2014 as a replacement for Objective-C, Swift is now the standard for all new iOS projects.
It’s designed to be readable and beginner-friendly compared to older alternatives, though it still has a significant learning curve if you’re new to programming.
Xcode is Apple’s integrated development environment (IDE) for building iOS apps.
It includes a code editor, a visual interface designer (Interface Builder), a debugging toolkit, an iOS simulator for testing, and tools for submitting your app to the App Store.
Xcode is free to download from the Mac App Store, but it only runs on macOS, so you need a Mac to use it.
SwiftUI is Apple’s modern framework for building user interfaces.
Released in 2019 and significantly expanded with each iOS release (including major improvements in iOS 18), SwiftUI uses a declarative syntax that lets you describe what your interface should look like, and the framework handles the rendering.
It’s simpler to learn than UIKit (the older UI framework), and Apple is actively encouraging all new projects to use it. If you’re starting iOS development today, SwiftUI is the recommended path.
You’ll also need to join the Apple Developer Program ($99/year) to test on physical devices and submit apps to the App Store.
The development process
Download and install Xcode from the Mac App Store
Create a new project and choose a template (App, Game, etc.)
Build your UI using SwiftUI or UIKit with Interface Builder
Write your app logic in Swift, connecting UI elements to data and actions
Test in the iOS Simulator built into Xcode for quick iteration
Test on a real device by connecting an iPhone to your Mac
Beta test with TestFlight, Apple’s tool for distributing pre-release builds to testers
Submit to the App Store through App Store Connect
Throughout this process, you should follow Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines (HIG), which define design standards for iOS apps. Apps that ignore these guidelines are more likely to get rejected during App Store review.
The broader toolchain
Beyond Swift and Xcode, you’ll encounter several other tools as your projects grow:
Dependency management – Swift Package Manager (built into Xcode) and CocoaPods help you integrate third-party libraries without reinventing common features like networking or image caching.
Version control – Git is the standard for tracking code changes and collaborating with other developers. Xcode has built-in Git support.
Backend services – Most apps need a server to store user data, handle authentication, or process payments. Firebase, AWS Amplify, and custom REST APIs are common choices for iOS apps. For simpler data persistence on the device itself, Apple provides Core Data and the newer SwiftData framework.
Code signing and provisioning – Before your app can run on a real device or be submitted to the App Store, you need to configure code signing certificates and provisioning profiles through the Apple Developer portal. Xcode handles most of this automatically, but it’s a common source of confusion for beginners.
Realistic expectations
If you’re learning from scratch, expect to spend 3-6 months learning Swift and Xcode before you can build anything substantial.
A simple app (single-purpose utility, basic content display) might take another 2-3 months after that. A complex app with user accounts, networking, and data persistence could take 6-12+ months of focused work.
The upside: you learn a valuable skill, you have total creative control, and you pay nothing beyond the $99/year developer fee.
The downside: the time investment is enormous, and you’re responsible for everything, including ongoing maintenance, bug fixes, and iOS version compatibility updates.
Where to start learning
How Much Does It Cost to Hire an iOS Developer?
Hiring a professional iOS developer typically costs between $30,000 and $150,000+ for a complete app, depending on complexity.
According to Clutch, the median mobile app development project falls in the $25,000-$50,000 range, while more complex apps (ecommerce, social networking, marketplace apps) regularly exceed $100,000.
Development agencies – Full-service shops that handle design, development, and project management. Higher cost, but less hands-on management required from you.
Freelance platforms – Upwork, Toptal, and similar platforms let you hire individual iOS developers. Rates typically range from $50-$200/hour depending on experience and location.
LinkedIn and job boards – For hiring in-house developers, expect annual salaries of $120,000-$180,000+ in the US for experienced iOS engineers.
What to expect from the process
Hiring a developer doesn’t mean you hand off the project and wait. You’ll need to clearly define requirements upfront, provide feedback during design and development, manage timelines, and make decisions when trade-offs come up.
A typical agency timeline looks like: 2-4 weeks for discovery and design, 2-6 months for development, and 2-4 weeks for QA testing and launch.
The main advantage of this approach: you get a fully custom app built by professionals. The main risk: it’s expensive, it takes months, and you’re dependent on that developer or agency for every future update.
If the relationship ends, finding someone new to take over an unfamiliar codebase can be costly and slow.
What About Cross-Platform Frameworks?
Cross-platform frameworks let you write one codebase and deploy it as both an iOS and Android app.
The three most popular options in 2026 are React Native, Flutter, and Kotlin Multiplatform.
React Native is a JavaScript-based framework created by Meta (Facebook).
It’s the most widely adopted cross-platform tool, used by companies like Instagram, Shopify, and Discord. If you already know JavaScript, React Native has the shortest learning curve.
Flutter is Google’s UI toolkit, built with the Dart programming language.
It’s known for strong performance and a rich set of pre-built UI components. Flutter has grown rapidly since its 2018 release and is now used by companies like BMW, Alibaba, and Google Pay.
Kotlin Multiplatform is the newest contender, backed by JetBrains (the company behind the Kotlin programming language).
It takes a different approach: instead of sharing UI code, it lets you share business logic while building native UIs for each platform. It’s gaining traction but is less mature than React Native or Flutter.
The trade-offs
Cross-platform frameworks save money by letting you maintain one codebase instead of two. But they come with real trade-offs:
Performance – Cross-platform apps are generally slightly slower than fully native Swift apps, though the gap has narrowed significantly. For most apps, the difference isn’t noticeable.
Platform-specific features – Accessing iOS-specific capabilities (ARKit, certain HealthKit APIs, advanced push notification features) can be harder or require writing native bridge code.
Hiring – You need developers who know the specific framework. React Native developers are common; Kotlin Multiplatform specialists are harder to find.
Updates – When Apple releases a new iOS version, there’s usually a delay before cross-platform frameworks fully support new features.
Cross-platform development is a strong choice for startups and businesses that need both iOS and Android apps but don’t have the budget for two separate native development teams. For a deeper dive on the framework comparison, see our Flutter vs. Expo (React Native) guide.
Can You Build an iOS App Without Coding?
Yes. If you already have a website or web app, you can turn it into a native iOS app without writing a single line of code.
Website-to-app services work by taking your existing mobile website and delivering it inside a native app framework.
The result is a real app, available in the App Store, with native capabilities like push notifications, deep linking, native navigation, and a home screen icon.
Your website is still the source of your content and functionality, so any updates you make to your site are automatically reflected in the app.
This isn’t a shortcut or a compromise. Research has found that 83-90% of Android apps use web content as part of their architecture. Companies like Amazon, Shopify, and Gmail blend native and web elements in their apps.
The principle is the same: use web content for what it’s good at (content delivery, rapid updates) and native code for what it’s good at (push notifications, offline access, app store presence).
How Vendrux works
Vendrux is a custom mobile app service for ecommerce brands. Our team helps you turn your existing website into full-featured mobile apps for iOS (and Android too).
The process works like this:
Book a strategy call – Share your website URL, and the Vendrux team will discuss your goals, answer your questions, and assess whether your site is a good fit.
Get a custom app preview – Vendrux’s team builds a personalized preview of your app so you can see exactly how it looks and performs before committing.
Launch in a matter of weeks – The team handles development, QA testing, App Store submission, and launch. You focus on your business.
After launch, Vendrux handles ongoing maintenance, iOS compatibility updates, bug fixes, and App Store compliance. Pricing starts at $1,499/month with no revenue share and no per-download fees.
This approach is the best way top build an app for ecommerce brands who essentially just need to offer the same user experience from their website, extended to a native app.
Not directly. Xcode, the primary tool for native iOS development, only runs on macOS. You cannot install it on Windows.
There are a few workarounds:
Cloud Mac services – Platforms like MacStadium and MacinCloud let you rent a Mac in the cloud, accessible from your Windows PC. Prices start around $25-$50/month. This gives you a real macOS environment with Xcode, though performance depends on your internet connection.
Cross-platform frameworks – React Native and Flutter both run on Windows. You can write and test most of your code on a Windows machine. You’ll still need access to a Mac (or cloud Mac) for the final iOS build and App Store submission, but day-to-day development works fine on Windows.
Website-to-app services – If you’re converting an existing website into an app, the entire process is platform-independent. Vendrux handles the development and submission on their end, so your operating system doesn’t matter.
Building a Hackintosh (running macOS on non-Apple hardware) is technically possible but violates Apple’s license agreement and tends to be unreliable. It’s not a recommended path for serious iOS app development.
How to Submit Your App to the App Store
Getting your app into the App Store involves several steps beyond just finishing the code.
Apple Developer Program
You must be enrolled in the Apple Developer Program ($99/year) to submit apps. The enrollment gives you access to beta software, advanced app capabilities, and the tools you need for distribution.
App Store Connect
App Store Connect is Apple’s web portal for managing your apps. Here you’ll create your app listing, upload screenshots, write your description, set pricing, and manage builds. You’ll also configure app metadata like age ratings, categories, and keywords.
TestFlight
Before submitting for public release, you can distribute beta builds through TestFlight. TestFlight lets you invite up to 10,000 external testers to try your app and provide feedback. It’s free and integrated directly into App Store Connect.
The review process
Every app submitted to the App Store goes through Apple’s review process. Reviewers check that your app follows the App Store Review Guidelines, which cover everything from privacy and safety to design and functionality.
Common rejection reasons include:
Crashes or bugs during review
Incomplete or placeholder content
Misleading app descriptions
Privacy policy issues (especially around data collection)
Not following Human Interface Guidelines
Reviews typically take 1-3 days, though it can be faster or slower depending on volume. If your app is rejected, you’ll receive specific feedback explaining why, and you can resubmit after making changes.
With Vendrux, you get a partner to handle the entire submission and review process. We’ve launched over 2,000 apps – so we know exactly what it takes to get your app published. Book a consultation to discuss your project in more detail.
Which iOS Development Approach Is Right for You?
The right approach depends on a few key factors:
Choose “build it yourself” if you want to learn iOS development as a skill, you’re building a hobby project, or you’re a developer who wants full control over the native code. Budget: free (plus $99/year). Timeline: 6+ months.
Choose “hire a developer” if your app needs to be fully custom with unique functionality that doesn’t exist on the web, you’re building a mobile-first product (think Uber, Tinder, or a mobile game), and you have $30,000+ to invest. Timeline: 3-9 months.
Choose “cross-platform framework” if you need both iOS and Android apps, you have developers with JavaScript (React Native) or Dart (Flutter) experience, and you want to maintain a single codebase. Budget: $20,000-$100,000+ (or your dev team’s time). Timeline: 3-6 months.
Choose “website-to-app” if you already have an ecommerce website that works well, you want an app in the App Store without rebuilding what you already have, and you’d prefer a fully managed service over hiring developers. Budget: $1,499/month. Timeline: 6-8 weeks.
For most businesses that already have a website, the website-to-app path is the most practical option. You skip months of development time, avoid hiring developers, and your app automatically stays in sync with your website.
Did you know that the number of available apps for download has increased by 82% since 2016? Mobile apps have generated more than $900 billion in revenue, which is why we can expect even more of them to pop up in the future. If you’re looking to add more revenue to your business, you’re probably considering building a mobile app.
However, building one on your own can be complicated and expensive and you may end up spending months building something that just won’t work. There’s a simple solution – outsourcing your mobile app development.
Today, we’re going to show you why it’s a good idea and how you can do it, step by step.
Why should you outsource mobile app development?
If you want to build a mobile app, there are two ways to go about it: hiring a team and building it in-house or outsourcing it to a team of specialized developers. Here are some of the reasons why the second option might be better for your business.
Rounding up a team of developers specializing in mobile app development can be very costly. Your average mobile app dev is going to charge you anywhere from $44 to $57 for an hour of work. And you’re not looking to hire one – you want to build a team.
Hiring full-time is not an option because you only need the dev team for one project. So, the most cost-effective solution is to hire a specialized team to come in, wrap up a project, and pay them for the completed work.
Access to specialized skill sets
You can pick and choose dev teams not only specializing in mobile apps, but also different types of mobile apps. Do you want a team that specializes in building cookbook apps? Productivity apps and time trackers? News apps or catalogs? You name it, there is someone who does it.
Focusing on core competencies
Perhaps you have dev talent at hand, but their expertise is better spent elsewhere. When you outsource developing a mobile app, it wins back free time for your team to focus on more important matters. For example, working on your SaaS product, website, marketplace or something else.
Faster time to market
A team that’s built 50 apps will likely build their 51st much faster than you would finish your first mobile app project. If time is of the essence and you want to go to production quickly, a team of outsourced developers is going to do the job more quickly compared to anyone who is already working in-house or a potential new hire.
Scalability
Need an additional set of hands on deck? Just ask your outsourced development company to give you more developers. As your projects scale up or down, you can add or remove people as needed without the significant impact that you would have if you were dealing with in-house developers.
Reduced risk
Established mobile developers teams have processes in place to prevent potential issues, such as compliance problems, data leaks, security concerns, having someone steal your code and similar. When working with a reputable mobile app developer, most of that risk is on them.
How to outsource mobile app development in 9 easy steps
If you’ve made the decision to outsource the development work to a partner, worry not – we’ll help you along the way. All it takes is nine simple steps.
But before we get to that, did you know that you don’t have to hire a company to build an app from scratch? With Vendrux, you can convert your website into a mobile app in under two weeks. You can click here to find out what your app would look like.
Define your project requirements
This is the most important step of the way and this is where you need to spend most of your time. It impacts choosing the right outsourcing partner, as well as the final product you end up getting.
Some of the main requirements for your project could be:
Your target audience
The features and functionalities you want in the app
Platform preferences (iOS vs Android, cross-platform)
Your budget
Your timeline (goal and milestones you want to hit)
It’s best to round up all of your requirements before setting out to find an outsourcing partner. With all of these in one place, you’re going to have an easier time finding someone with the right skills who can do the work within your budget. If you don’t have any coding experience, you’re going to have to do some additional research first.
Research potential outsourcing partners
There are countless agencies and teams out there offering outsourced mobile app development. Do you want to work with someone based locally, or off-shore, or perhaps, the location doesn’t play a key part at all?
Some of the things you want to pay attention to are:
Their portfolio of previous work
Client testimonials
Certifications
Technical skills in the team
Specialization in a specific type of app
Culture fit
Even if all of the main requirements are there but the culture fit is lacking, you’re not going to have a good time working with an outsourced partner. Take some time to meet with the team and see if you’re aligned on how to work and communicate with each other.
Request proposals and evaluate them
This is where proper preparation pays off. Take all of the information from the first step and send it off to a shortlist of your potential partners. Ask them for a proposal for a completed mobile app and wait for the responses to come in.
If you’ve done your job well, you can expect responses to start coming in so you can choose the best candidate for the job. And while the price is often the deciding factor, you should also consider other critical points such as their portfolio and experience with similar types of apps and audiences.
Conduct interviews and due diligence
At this point, you should have a list of a handful of serious contenders for the job, so book a call with them to assess their communication style and ask additional questions. If you end up hiring them, you’re going to have many calls similar to your introduction one, so this is a pretty good way to determine if you’re a good fit in terms of culture and communication.
If someone seems like right fit for developing your mobile app, do some additional research and background checks. Verify that the portfolio is accurate, that the apps they’ve built are up on online stores, that their client testimonials are legit and that the company is in good standing.
Define a project plan and contract
You’ve selected your mobile app outsourcing partner and it’s time to seal the deal and put everything on paper. At this point, determine how your potential collaboration is going to play out. Some key details include:
Milestones (when each portion of the project will be finished and sent to you for sign-off)
Deliverables (main parts of the projects that will be delivered for each milestone)
Project management methods and tools (how the team will work with you and which tool you can use to check up on their progress)
The scope of work (what constitutes as a finished project)
Payment terms (based on milestones, paid upon completion, etc.)
Intellectual property rights (who owns the code)
Confidentiality clauses (so that your code remains your own)
The partner may already have drafted contracts with the main details prepared, so go through them and consult with a legal professional before signing anything.
Define the communication methods and tools
You’re going to be in touch with your partner pretty often, so you might want to establish how and when you’re going to communicate ahead of time. Some may disagree, but excellent developers who communicate poorly are going to create a headache for your team before the work is completed.
Determine:
How you can contact the outsourced partner (email, Slack, calls, in-person meetings, etc.)
When you will communicate (daily standups, weekly calls, monthly overviews)
How and where you can share feedback
When you can expect responses to come in
Monitor progress and provide feedback
As your partner is working on your app, be a fly on the wall and keep up with their work – not just for milestones. Check in on the completion of their daily tasks and the overall progress of the app – the back end, the user experience, connectivity with data sources and databases, and more.
Provide feedback early to prevent problems and fix bugs before they turn into costly errors.
Test and deploy the app
Before you go live, your partner and you should do comprehensive testing:
Functionality testing
Usability testing
Performance testing
Security testing
These are all necessary steps to make sure that when you go into production, you don’t get bug reports from day one. If you’re happy with the work and there are no errors in any of the testing, you can go live.
Support and maintenance
Make an agreement with your outsourced partner to offer support and maintenance post-launch. Some issues might slip through and they should be on standby to fix them. Also, determine how and when updates will be done on the app.
And voila, you’re good to go!
Wrapping up
Choosing a partner to outsource your mobile app development too requires a huge leap of faith, especially if you don’t have a technical background. There are many options out there to choose from, but don’t let that scare you away – the framework above is an excellent starting point to help you find the right team for the job.
And if you have a website that you want to turn into a mobile app – you don’t have to search far and wide. At Vendrux, we can convert your website into a beautiful, functional mobile app you will love in just a few weeks.
GDPR stands for the General Data Protection Regulation.
The GDPR will be enforceable from the 25th of May 2018. It is designed to protect user data storage and usage, and to ensure that the user is in control of their data, rather than companies being in charge of user data.
Key GDPR Definitions
To help you understand the GDPR for apps, there are a few key definitions that we will refer to throughout this article.
Data Controller: A Data Controller is the entity that determines the purposes for and means of collecting and processing personal data. If you own a website or mobile app, and you’re deciding what is collected, how it is collected, and for what purpose, you are a Data Controller.
Data Processor: A Data Processor is an organization that processes personal data on behalf of a data controller. For example, third-party services that plug into your website or app, such as Analytics (Google Analytics, KISSMetrics), Cloud Services (AWS), that access or host your customer data.
Data subject: a natural person whose data is processed. For example, an app user or a website visitor.
For a full list of GDPR definitions, you can read the Article 4 of the regulation.
Does the GDPR affect me?
Most likely, yes!
The GDPR applies to all businesses with customers, or website/mobile app visitors who are from the European Union (EU). This means that any organization in the world that works with EU residents’ personal data in any manner has obligations to protect their users’ data and be GDPR compliant.
What does “Personal Data” refer to under the GDPR?
“Personal Data” under the GDPR includes any information relating to an identifiable person who can be directly or indirectly identified in particular by reference to an identifier.
The scope of this is broad, and includes anything from personal information, to a cookie placed on someone’s browser by an analytics tracking tool you might use to track your website usage.
For your website or apps, this means you have to be considering how you collect and store personal identifying details such as names and email addresses, but also consider things such as users’ IP addresses and device IDs (unique IDs that devices share with external SDKs for ads and analytics).
What does the GDPR mean for your mobile app?
The fines for not being GDPR compliant are high – either 4% of annual global turnover or €20 million (whichever is greater!).
With GDPR compliance becoming a requirement for every business with either customers or website visitors, or app users in the EU, you’re probably concerned about whether or not your mobile app is GDPR compliant.
As a mobile app publisher, you will need to understand how you obtain, transfer, store, and handle your user data. You should take some time to understand exactly how you currently ensure data security for your users, and what you can do to improve this in order to have a GDPR compliant mobile app.
Cennydd Bowles sums up why you should be compliant, even if it may be a lot of work initially:
“You may end up with less rich customer insights than you had before. Some KPIs may slump. But for companies that have direct customer relationships, it’s all manageable, and on the upside you not only reduce your compliance risk but benefit from the increased trust your customers will show in you and the online world in general.”
There are some key highlights that are relevant to your mobile app and business in general that will help you ensure GDPR compliance. Scroll down to find the 9 things you should consider in order to have a GDPR compliant mobile app.
1. Privacy by Design
Privacy by Design is now a legal requirement under the GDPR. From the moment you start creating your mobile app, you should be considering your users’ privacy.
According to GDPR Article 23, your app must only hold and process user data that is absolutely necessary.
This means that when you’re developing your mobile app, or having a third party develop it, you need to consider data protection and user privacy.
Privacy by Design is not a new concept and pertains to thinking of your users data privacy in your app, website, or software from the very start, rather than leaving it as an afterthought. The idea of privacy by design includes deciding what data you need, and what data you don’t.
In Brian Pagan’s overview to designing apps with privacy in mind, he asks if you really need a users name AND date of birth. In many cases, just one of these fields is enough. He writes:“the risk of someone opening a credit card in my name far outweighs the benefit of getting that “happy birthday” spam marketing e-mail from your company.”
It’s worth considering all options when designing and building your mobile app.
As well as being a legal requirement, your app users will appreciate the extra privacy considerations you have in place for their benefit!
Our Recommendation:
Think about your user data from the very start, and don’t let it be an afterthought.
If pages from your website are loading within your mobile app (e.g. a contact form), consider the data collection happening on the website when reviewing your app.
You should be thinking about Privacy By Design when you’re creating new features, or creating a new page on your app in order to remain GDPR compliant.
As well as this, you should encrypt personal data with strong encryption algorithms. This will help you minimise the impact of a data breach.
2. Ask for Explicit Consent
Under the GDPR, businesses must request and receive user consent in order to collect, use, and move personal data.
This includes data collected for advertising, analytics, crash logging or anything else. The opt-in must be understandable and clear. You won’t be able to get away with confusing Terms and Conditions that no one is likely to read or fully understand.
Explicit Consent can be granted easily through an opt-in screen when your app launches. Your app users chose to download your app in the first place, so the likelihood is, most people will be happy to grant consent in order to use your app and receive further communications from your business, provided the recipient can see a benefit.
Your users must also be able to withdraw consent as easily as they are able to give it. You may need to update your Privacy Policy to address this, and add another page on your website where users can opt-out.
Our Recommendation:
When someone registers on your mobile app, they should be asked to opt-in to have their data collected, or to receive communications, such as emails or Push Notifications.We highly recommend showing a consent screen on app launch, as this is the only way to be fully GDPR compliant. You should also notify users on these screens exactly where their data will be used. For example, will they be tracked in Google Analytics, or have data sent to Google Admob to show them relevant ads? Your users need to know, and it’s your obligation to inform them as soon as they begin using your GDPR compliant mobile app!
As well as this, your GDPR compliant mobile app should have a dedicated page where users can opt out of communications from you, or ask for their data to be removed from them.
Vendrux provides mobile apps with a Push Notification settings page, which helps at least for what concerns your app’s notifications.
3. Providing Visibility and Transparency
One of the most important aspects of GDPR is how the data you collect is actually used. If you are a data controller, you need to be aware of how your users can effectively manage, and protect their user data.
Proving visibility and transparency through a clear, and understandable Privacy Policy not only benefits the users of your mobile app, but it’s a requirement from the App Stores. Google will remove your app if they can’t find a Privacy Policy on your Play Store’s profile page and accessible inside your app.
You should also provide information to your users over which third parties you are using to collect or process user data.
For example, if your app connects to external services such as user analytics solutions (e.g. Google Analytics, Fabric), advertising providers (e.g. Admob, MoPub), or push notification providers (e.g. Firebase, OneSignal), you should disclose this to users clearly in your Privacy Policy.
You should also make sure that all third-party providers which collect any user data are GDPR compliant. They’ll be “data processors”, while you remain the “data controller”. As such you should have written agreements in place which meet the level of assurances in terms of data protection and security which GDPR requires. For some of them, you’ll be able to sign data processing agreements which add the required wording to the existing terms of your agreement.
Our Recommendation:
Create or update your app’s Privacy Policy page for your mobile app. You may choose to have a Sidebar or Menu item that links to the legal terms of your mobile app.
This will enable users to easily find, read, and understand how your mobile app is using their data.
If you’ve built your app based on your website’s content and you’re using Vendrux, this is very simple and can be done by adding a link to your app’s menu from the Menu Configuration tab in your app’s settings.
4.Respond to User Requests
If someone asks how you are using their data, under GDPR you are legally obligated to respond to them. This is called a Subject Access Request.
A Subject Access Request may be done physically, or digitally. When a user asks for information about their data or a copy of their data that is used in your mobile app, you have one month to respond. For complicated requests, you will have up to three months to respond.
This may sound like you’ll need to invest more time and effort into customer service, but if your business is set up to have GDPR compliant processes, it shouldn’t take too much of your time. At the end of the day, providing high quality customer service to your customers and mobile app users is a good thing! Initially you can respond to these ad-hoc, but eventually you’ll want to have an internal process to generate a response for this sort of request.
Our Recommendation:
Create a page on both your website and mobile app that includes your business contact information. This will allow users to contact you easily, and provide transparency from your side. Make an effort to respond quickly and clearly to all Subject Access Requests.
5. The Right to Be Forgotten
Article 17 of the GDPR highlights the Right to Erasure, or the “right to be forgotten”. This means that when a user asks you to remove their data acquired through your website or mobile app, you are obligated to remove every personal detail you hold about them in all systems, whether you control their data directly or through a tool or SaaS you use in your app (for example, Google Analytics).
If you want your mobile app to be GDPR compliant, you could choose to provide solutions such as deleting user data from your own database directly from the app, or having a simple contact form or dedicated page where a user can request their data to be erased.
Our Recommendation:
Be transparent and allow users to easily contact you about erasing their data. When someone asks for their data to be erased, take the request seriously and comply with the request on every system you control.
You are also obligated to notify Third Party Data Processors that the data must be deleted from their servers too. This can be done through calling an API of theirs that allows for the deletion of personal data (if this is made available by the provider).
6. Review services and SDKs you use
If your app sends personal data to an external service for processing (e.g. to analyse app usage), you need to be clear and transparent about where this is, and who will be in control of the transferred data.
Then, you should sign Data Processing Agreements (DPAs) with your data processors. Written contracts between your business and your data processors will be a general requirement under the GDPR. The sooner you get this done, the better!
Don’t assume that all Third Parties and SDKs connected to your app are GDPR compliant. If there is a data breach on one of your Third Parties that leads to your user data being exposed, you are responsible.
It is the responsibility of the data controller, in this case, you, the app publisher, to ensure that all Third Party data processes are GDPR compliant, and have appropriate data security measures in place. To ensure this, you should talk to your third party partners directly, ask them about their latest Privacy Policy and Terms and what they’re doing for GDPR compliance.
You should thoroughly analyse the vendors who process your data, and take time to understand whether or not they are GDPR compliant. If they’re US based, are they registered under the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework? Any business can self-certify under this, and having this certification is required for that vendor to be GDPR compliant.
It’s worth the time it takes – Marcus Turner, CTO of Enola Labs says that:
“Ultimately, higher levels of cyber security are a necessary and worthwhile investment for business owners that care about protecting their customers and safeguarding their business. I often tell businesses that they can pay an upfront cost now to protect their data, or wait until a cyber security attack and pay an even bigger price later to clean up the mess. Waiting may very well cost you your business“.
So, make sure you take the time to review your technology suppliers and invest in necessary ones that will help safeguard your business from being in breach of the GDPR.
Our Recommendation:
You should only have contracts with providers who can provide ‘sufficient guarantee’s that GDPR requirements will be met, and your users’ data is sufficiently protected.
Many vendors will have GDPR pages on their website, or have updated their Privacy Policy or Terms and Conditions to ensure GDPR compliance. You should familiarize yourself with this, or talk to someone from their support or legal team to understand if they are GDPR compliant or not.
7. Data Breach Notifications
To increase trust between customers and businesses, and in the wake of notable data breaches from companies such as Yahoo!, Uber, Equifax and more, the GDPR is enforcing tighter deadlines for businesses to notify national supervisory authorities and their users. Disclosure must happen within 72 hours.
To ensure this is possible for your business, you may need to invest in technology to ensure continuous surveillance of your data, and that notifies you when risks are present. You should also establish a clear procedure about how you will react to a data breach – including how you will inform users, and how you will protect their data.
Our Recommendation:
Establish a clear step by step process that you can use in case of a data breach that includes how you will inform users and national supervisory authorities of the breach.
8. Appointing a Data Protection Officer
Your company may need to appoint a Data Protection Officer (DPO) in order to be GDPR compliant. This applies to you if:
You are a public authority (except for courts acting in their judicial capacity);
Your core activities require large-scale, regular and systematic monitoring of individuals (for example, online behaviour tracking); or
Your core activities consist of large-scale processing of special categories of data or data relating to criminal convictions and offences.
While this may not apply to all readers, if your website or mobile app processes large amounts of individual data you should be considering whether or not you need a Data Protection Officer to help you monitor internal compliance, inform and advise on your businesses data protection obligations, and act as a contact point for data subjects (i.e. your users) and supervisory authorities.
Our Recommendation:
Assess whether or not your business needs a DPO in order to be compliant. If so you should appoint one, and inform your website or mobile app users of how they can contact your DPO.
9. Encryption and data storage
Your mobile application should use SSL or HTTPS for external communications. When communicating personal information of any kind, that data must be encrypted. Not encrypting data means that information sent will be in clear text and will be exposed over the internet.
If you built an app that connects to your website or web servers and transmits sensitive data (e.g. a username/password), you should verify that you’re using SSL for all connections from your app.
Encryption is not only relevant for external communications. All data that your mobile app collects should be stored in a safe place and, and your backups should also be encrypted. Users should also know how long their data will be retained for.
Our Recommendation:
Ensure that your app uses secure communications through SSL and HTTPs, and make sure your SSL certificate has been properly deployed. All data stored should use encryption, and you should provide transparency to data subjects over how long you retain this data for.
Article 30 of the GDPR outlines that each data controller, or representative of the controller, “shall maintain a record of processing activities under its responsibility”
This means that in order to ensure your GDPR compliance, you should start documenting all the data that you collect (either yourself, or through a third party).
You should create a secure, comprehensive log of your data collection activities.
This log should include all and any kind of personal data that you are collecting on website visitors and users. From people’s names (if collected) to IP addresses to the country they’re located in.
Then, you should justify why you’re collecting this data. You need to identify where you’re storing it, how long it is stored for, how can the data collection be justified, and more.
Our recommendation:
Make sure you’re fully aware of every kind of user data that you’re collecting and ensure you can justify why you’re collecting it.
Clear, complete documentation that you can refer back to will not only help you when customers or users ask about your GDPR policies but ensure regulatory compliance and safeguard both your business and mobile app.
Wrapping Up
GDPR is a legal requirement, and unavoidable for any business that interacts in any way with people and customers in the EU.
Anyone whose data is processed must be able to exercise their rights over their data, even if it is in your control.
You will need to have a GDPR compliant mobile app. Without ensuring compliance, you risk large fines and losing the trust that your customers have in your business! For this reason, creating a process to ensure compliance for your business and mobile app, should be a priority for you.
We believe you should not see the GDPR as a headache, despite its strict rules. Providing your users with a GDPR compliant mobile app will let them know that you value them, and are committed to their data security. For many businesses, ensuring compliance will be a value-add, and make your users trust your mobile app, so you should embrace it!
If you want to learn more about GDPR, we have included links to several resources below:
If your website is GDPR compliant and you’re looking to build a GDPR compliant mobile app, Vendrux offers a solution that will be GDPR compliant, and provide your business with a new platform for user engagement and reach.
No-code mobile app builders are popular for a reason. They promise a low-cost, DIY way to build your perfect mobile app.
The DIY/no-code approach is, for many businesses (especially ecommerce) simply a better way to create a mobile app today, compared to spending $100K+ on a fully custom app (which then requires significant work and cost to maintain).
But in a lot of cases, though better than doing a fully custom app, the DIY approach is still not ideal.
We’ve talked to probably thousands of online brand owners, most of whom come to us with a few alternatives they’re considering, or an existing app that needs improvement.
From these people, we hear a number of issues or deal-breakers come up over and over again. In this article, we’re sharing them with you, so you can understand the limitations you’re working with when it comes to DIY app builders.
Nine Common Problems with DIY Mobile App Builders
To help you choose what’s right for you, here are the top 9 issues reported by our team when rescuing DIY app builds gone wrong.
1. Multiple platforms to manage
Using an app builder means adding an extra platform for you or your team to manage.
Since these tools rely on their own codebase, you’ll have to update your website then redo that work in the app to push those updates live – something that often isn’t clear upfront.
“We would make changes to our website, then have to do the same work again to make sure our apps also updated. This was frustrating for the team and often meant our app was always lagging behind our website.”
–David Cost, VP of Ecommerce and Marketing, Rainbow Shops
If the main purpose of your app is to offer a better mobile experience, you should be able to update your website and see the exact same updates in your mobile app.A wrapper approach means that your website and apps share the same codebase. So any updates you make to your website, will show up instantly in your app.
This is especially useful if you’re constantly making changes to your site design, testing new tools or running regular promotions.
2. Limited native customization
Using a DIY app builder means using off-the-shelf templates and designs, typically based on a standard set of pre-built blocks.
While this is a great way to get started, customers often discover that templates are unable to properly reflect their brand.
Many block-based app builders are also unable to include unique elements such as videos, banners, reviews, custom search, advanced filtering and any other conversion-focused changes you make to your site.
“The app needs to be at least as functional as the website. It doesn’t need to be better than the website, but the user experience can’t be worse.”
– David Cost, VP of Ecommerce and Marketing, Rainbow Shops
Worst case, an app builder makes it impossible to replicate your existing brand design, leaving you with an app that’s a suboptimal version of your site. Best case, extensive custom development work is required which can lead to unexpected costs and delays.
With our approach, customers have unlimited control of their app’s design so it reflects their unique brand identity. Any optimizations made to the mobile website are reflected in the app from day one.
3. No focus on support
The level of support you receive from standard app builders varies drastically so be sure to read between the lines.
While support may be included as an option with premium builders it is often limited to technical support, rather than providing ongoing management of your app. Additionally, with DIY builders, you usually have no guarantees that your app will be accepted in the app stores (see point 9 below).
“[Name removed] was an inferior product with zero customer support. We couldn’t even get in touch with them to make a payment.”
Reviews like the one above are very common with many app builders which generally isn’t a good sign.
Ultimately, with the DIY approach, remember that the responsibility falls on you and your team to build your app (and get it approved).
“I think the biggest difference is the level of service you offer. We haven’t had any issues – the setup and onboarding was super easy thanks to your team’s excellent support. You were always available to make the process seamless. – Kenneth Chan, Founder, TOBI
Typically you want a provider who takes complete ownership of your app experience.
This includes standard support and maintenance but should also include ongoing in-app design customization services to make any changes you need.
4. Arbitrary integration limits
Using a DIY app builder means limiting yourself to the pre-built integrations available on a specific platform. If you use a custom tech stack with less popular integrations or plugins, you won’t be able to bring these into your app.
Many builders set limits on the number of integrations you can add to your app on non-enterprise plans, so make sure to verify what you’re getting. You may also be surprised to find popular integrations like Klaviyo missing entirely, or only available on enterprise plans.
When making a decision, you should account for all existing and potential future integrations you require upfront (marketing automation, preferred payment gateways, custom checkouts etc.)
It’s also good to note that relying on native integrations may limit your technology decisions, or require you to switch providers in the future.
With our done-for-you approach, any web-based technology works out of the box.
If you’ve already got your favorite tools installed on your website, they will all be available with no additional work required. There are no limits on the number of integrations and you can use your entire custom technology stack.
5. Platform lock-in
With API-based app builders your app is closely tied to platform APIs meaning changes to features, pricing and functionality will affect your app. This API-based approach also means high switching costs if you decide to change platforms in the future.
“We were looking to decrease the cost and time investment of running an application. We had a code-based app that used data from an API endpoint, and we didn’t want to do that anymore.”
– Svend Hansen, Senior Product Owner, BESTSELLER
If you decide to move your site elsewhere in future, or to build a custom site, you will likely have to start from scratch if you build your app with a platform-specific builder.
Our approach is platform agnostic so switching platforms or making major overhauls to your website in the future is easy. Your mobile app will continue working so you never have to rebuild from scratch.
6. Basic native search and filtering
If an optimized search experience is important for your site, or is something that you want to improve in future, be sure to test this rigorously before choosing an app builder.
Typically DIY app builders have limited native search and often integrate with just a handful of popular search providers, many of which are less robust compared to their web solutions.
“When we used [APP BUILDER], we had to switch providers to integrate better search functionality in our app, but it still couldn’t match the performance of the custom sort order we had build on our site. This had a huge impact on our bottom line and they lost our business over it.”
– David Cost, VP of Ecommerce & Marketing, Rainbow Shops
If you have a high number of SKUs, or want to use a specific search and filter provider in your app, you may be forced to switch vendors, or settle for an inferior customer experience.
It’s worth mentioning that search and filtering is by far the biggest reason existing app-builder customers get in touch with us.
With our approach you can build your own custom search engine or power it with any third-party platform.
7. No A/B testing
There are currently no DIY app-builders that include conversion rate optimization and A/B testing functionality out of the box.
Considering CRO is now a staple practice for all high performing eCommerce businesses, this should be a core consideration for your app. You should be able to keep the same testing cadence going across your different channels.
With Vendrux, you can use any third party A/B testing tool such as AB Tasty, VWO or Convert, and run conversion rate experiments from day one with no additional code, costs or build time required.
8. Sneaky Hidden Fees
It is not uncommon for certain app builders to hide the fact that their plans include success fees, meaning they take a cut of your app revenue.
If you’re still growing – let’s say less than $300k in annual sales – this is less of an issue, but as you scale up these costs can accumulate fast.
Take the two examples below, based on apps driving around 15-20% of total revenue.
App A: $1M+ in Annual Revenue where 15% of total revenue = $150,000
App B: $10M+ in Annual Revenue where 15% of total revenue = $1,500,000
We believe in clear, simple pricing so you know all your costs upfront. Things like charging for additional integrations, or taking a cut of app revenue shouldn’t be a thing.
9. No App Store Guarantees
Getting your apps approved by app stores can be a painful process yet many DIY app builders do not offer an app store approval guarantee. This is usually because they don’t want to own the process of making sure your app meets store guidelines.
If you’re familiar with the process, and have an in-house technical team to handle things you may decide to go it alone but this is often risky with weeks of potential back and forth in your future.
“We have a small team, with no app development experience. We needed someone that would hold our hand through the process of creating an app for our company and getting it approved.”
– Nick Barbarise, Director of IT, John Varvatos
After all, what’s the point of paying to have your app built if it won’t end up getting approved?
The benefit of a done-for-you service is having an experienced team navigate the app store submission process for you. We know what works, and what doesn’t.
An app store guarantee also means you get a refund if your apps aren’t approved for any reason.
An Alternative to DIY App Builders
Many of our customers make the switch after going the DIY route with popular no-code app builders like Tapcart, Shopney, Plobal Apps, and a number of others.
These are great tools, and for many ecommerce brands, they’re more than enough to launch a solid app that drives revenue.
But for many others, especially those with more custom storefronts, the limitations of the DIY app builder approach are just too much.
Vendrux gives you a holistic, customizable, and growth-oriented approach to building your app. Working with us means an app that evolves with your business without major limitations.
Get in touch with our team if you’re interested in learning more about your options. We’d love to hear about what you’re trying to achieve with a mobile app and help you make the best choice for your business.
If you’re thinking about launching a mobile app, you’ll likely run into the cross-platform vs native debate before long.
The traditional approach was to build two separate apps, one for iOS and one for Android, using two different programming languages, two different teams, and two budgets. Cross-platform development collapses all of that, and lets you launch on multiple platforms with the same framework.
For most companies launching an app today, this is the right approach. It’s faster, cheaper, easier to maintain, and the apps you end up with are often indistinguishable from native ones. Discord, Pinterest, Bloomberg, Shopify’s Shop app, and Microsoft Teams are all built this way.
This guide is for non-developers. We’ll cover what cross-platform development actually is, how it compares to native, why most teams are choosing it in 2026, and the fastest way to ship a cross-platform app if you don’t have a development team in-house.
What Cross-Platform App Development Means
Every mobile app has the same basic set of features: sign-in, browse, search, cart, checkout, push notifications, account settings.
With native development, you build that set of features twice. Once in the iOS programming languages (Swift or Objective-C), once in the Android programming languages (Kotlin or Java).
With cross-platform development, you build it once. A framework like React Native or Flutter takes that single codebase and produces working iOS and Android apps from it.
In practice, that means:
One codebase instead of two
One team instead of two
One set of features that ships to both platforms at the same time
One ongoing maintenance line instead of two parallel ones
To your customer, the end result is a real native app they download from the App Store or Google Play. They have no way to tell whether you built it cross-platform or natively, and in most cases there’s no functional reason for them to care.
Cross-Platform vs Native App Development
Native and cross-platform are the two main ways to build a mobile app. Here’s how they compare.
The only time native is the obviously right answer is when your app needs to do something that depends heavily on a phone’s hardware. Snapchat-style AR filters, console-quality 3D games, specialized camera processing, that kind of thing.
For everything else, including the vast majority of ecommerce apps, content apps, SaaS apps, and community apps, cross-platform will deliver an experience your users can’t tell apart from native.
There’s also a third category called hybrid apps, covered alongside native, cross-platform, and pure web in this explainer.
Why Most Modern Apps Are Built Cross-Platform
For a marketing or product team weighing the options, cross-platform development comes down to three real benefits.
1. It Costs Roughly Half as Much, and Ships in Half the Time
Native apps can cost upwards of $150,000 per platform for a moderately complex build, which means $300,000+ to launch on both iOS and Android. Most native projects also take six months or more.
Cross-platform development collapses both of those numbers. One codebase means one team, one timeline, and one budget instead of two. For most teams that translates to roughly half the cost and half the time. Hybrid approaches that reuse an existing website cut even more, sometimes 80-90%.
That isn’t a small difference. It’s the difference between launching a mobile app this quarter and launching it next year, or between justifying the project at all and shelving it.
2. You Get One App Experience, Not Two Drifting Ones
Anyone who’s managed a separate iOS team and a separate Android team has lived this story.
A feature ships to iOS first. The Android version comes out three weeks later, with a slightly different design and one missing setting.
The next sprint, the gap widens. Six months in, your two apps feel like two different products.
Cross-platform development eliminates that drift by design. The same team ships to both stores from the same codebase, so your iOS users and Android users see the same app, get the same features at the same time, and have the same experience when they hit a customer support issue.
For brands, that consistency is what makes the app feel like part of the company instead of a separate product line your customers happen to share.
3. Long-Term Maintenance Costs Half as Much
App maintenance is generally estimated at 15-20% of the original build cost per year. That’s the cost of OS updates, security patches, bug fixes, new features, and keeping up with whatever Apple and Google change next.
If your apps cost $300,000 to build natively, you’re looking at $45,000-$60,000 a year, every year, to keep them running. With cross-platform, you halve that bill too. One codebase to maintain, one team to coordinate, one set of updates to ship.
The math gets even better when you consider how often Apple and Google push platform-level changes that require app updates. Every one of those changes hits twice with native, once with cross-platform.
The Frameworks Being Used to Build Cross-Platform Apps Today
If you’re talking to a developer or an agency about your app, you’ll hear a few framework names come up. You don’t need to know how any of them work, but it helps to know what they are.
React Native is Meta’s framework, used in Discord, Pinterest, Shopify’s Shop app, and Meta’s own products. It uses JavaScript, the same language most websites are built with, so it’s the most common pick for teams that already have web developers.
Flutter is Google’s framework, used by Alibaba, Google Pay, and eBay Motors. It uses a language called Dart and is known for highly polished, custom-designed interfaces.
Ionic is a “hybrid” framework that uses standard web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) to build apps. It’s popular for content-driven and internal business apps.
These are the workhorse frameworks of cross-platform development today. (You may still see references to Xamarin, Microsoft’s older framework, but Microsoft has retired it in favor of .NET MAUI.)
The Fastest Path to a Cross-Platform App (for Web-First Brands): Vendrux
Cross-platform delivers a lot of efficiency advantages over doing separate codebases for iOS and Android.
However, if you’re building a mobile app as an extension of an existing website – particularly relevant for ecommerce sites, online marketplaces, and other businesses where the app and website do more or less the same thing – a React Native or Flutter app is still a lot of unnecessary work.
You’re basically rebuilding your website in a new framework. You have the two-codebases problem all over again, this time with website and app.
For brands like these, Vendrux is the superior cross-platform option. Vendrux lets you build custom iOS and Android apps that run on your existing web stack.
Whether you’re on an ecommerce platform like Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, or you have a custom-built website, you can go live without adding a whole new codebase in a new framework.
Some of the mobile apps built with Vendrux
Vendrux’s team manages the app build and app-specific maintenance for you, while you manage the content and design through your existing systems.
One codebase: three platforms (web, iOS, Android). It’s the ultimate cross-platform solution for web-first brands.
Curious what your site would look like as a native app? See it for yourself, on iOS and Android.
See more about the type of brands Vendrux works with on our case studies page.
The Bottom Line on Cross-Platform Development
For a small minority of apps (the ones that need deep hardware access or top-tier 3D graphics), native development is still the right answer.
But the bulk of the time, cross-platform development is the better economic and operational choice. One codebase, one team, one launch, lower cost, faster shipping, and easier maintenance.
If you’re building an app from scratch, look at React Native or Flutter, unless there’s anything you really can’t do with these frameworks (which is unlikely).
And if your goal is to turn (or extend) your website into a native app? Go with Vendrux. You’ll save months of work, hundreds of thousands of dollars in dev costs, and come away with an app that does everything you need, and takes much less work to maintain.
More than 77 million websites use a content management system, or CMS, to easily handle editing, publishing and general management of the content that will be shown to external visitors.
If you’re about to launch an app, you may be wondering if there’s a CMS for mobile apps which can offer the same convenience and functionality that website owners enjoy. Perhaps you’re aware that this is possible, but want to know which mobile app CMS is the best choice for your project.
Whichever camp you’re in, this article is here to help. We’ll give you everything you need to know to choose your mobile app CMS, including nine recommendations to suit different types of apps.
CMS For Mobile Apps: A Quick Overview
Using a CMS for your mobile app means less of a barrier involved in publishing or updating new content.
Content management systems allow non-technical users to publish content, without writing code and without interacting directly with your app’s code base. It’s essentially a more user-friendly interface with the backend of your app or website (or both).
A CMS is definitely the way to go for businesses such as publishers and eCommerce stores, where it’s likely you’ll have non-developers working on your digital platforms. Having everything go through a developer when you want to make an update is overkill. It’s also going to cost a lot (if you’re paying hourly rates to developers), or sap the productivity of the developers you’re already paying.
Quick Tips for Choosing a CMS for Mobile Apps
We’ll give you some more in-depth recommendations shortly, but here are a few quick tips on choosing your mobile CMS to get you started.
Make sure it’s a CMS that your team is comfortable with – especially those who are going to be interacting with it on a daily basis, such as content writers or editors.
Obviously you need to choose a CMS that works with the tech stack of your mobile app. However, it’s even better if the CMS is framework-agnostic, so you don’t have to migrate to a whole new CMS if you end up using a new programming language in the future.
Stability is key – you don’t want an untested CMS that goes down as soon as your app starts getting a decent amount of activity.
Consider the current makeup of your team when deciding how technical to go with your CMS. Some platforms are more technical, requiring more work from developers to implement and maintain. This could make life hard if you’ve got a limited in-house development team.
Most businesses should think omnichannel when choosing their CMS. Unless your app is mobile-specific with no need for a website at all, you’re going to want to be available on multiple platforms. Ideally, that means one CMS to manage content for web, iOS and Android.
Regular vs Headless CMS
One of the big decisions you’re going to make in choosing a mobile content management system is whether to go with a regular or “headless” CMS.
If you’re new to the concept, let us explain. A regular CMS couples the back end and front end. What you enter into the back end (such as the post editor on a website) comes out looking a certain way on the front end (the customer-facing web page).
Regular content management systems are a template-based system, with a structured approach to publishing and managing content.
A headless CMS decouples the back end from the front end (sometimes referred to as a decoupled CMS for this reason). After users enter content on the back end, you can use APIs to serve that content to different places, to appear in different ways.
Essentially, headless content management systems are more flexible and less structured, which has certain pros and cons (especially when we’re dealing with mobile apps).
Pros and Cons of Using a Headless CMS for Your Mobile App
Some will tell you that headless is always the way to go if you’re choosing a CMS for mobile apps.
These people have a point, but it’s not quite so straightforward. Let’s look at some pros and cons now.
Pros
Flexibility to make content appear exactly the way you want it.
Content is easier to reuse and craft specific for different platforms (e.g. website and mobile app).
Easier to set up custom integrations and features.
Headless CMS also make it easier to implement the same content with different front end frameworks.
Cons
Higher development load required to set up and manage.
Can be more difficult for non-technical content managers/writers/editors, particularly in formatting content.
Headless CMS tend to be more complex and more costly as a result, in terms of paying developers to manage them as well as the cost of using the CMS itself.
Though it’s impossible to give a one-size-fits-all answer as to which type of CMS is best, we’d generally say that a headless content management system is best if your business is strongly app-centric (i.e. your mobile app is the primary way users see your business, or the only way). This is also best if you already have a strong in-house development team.
For smaller businesses, perhaps with a very limited development team, and who get more traffic to their website than their app, a classic or traditional CMS may be a better fit.
You trade some flexibility, but as we’ll explain later, depending on the way you build your app, the CMS may not actually matter as much as you think.
Best Options for Your Mobile App’s CMS
Now we’ll run through our recommendations for choosing a content management system for mobile apps.
Of course, no two apps or businesses are the same. That’s why we’ve got a few different recommendations depending on your needs, such as content management systems for eCommerce apps, for those who want more flexibility, and simpler, general-purpose content management systems.
Best Overall: WordPress
With all the hype around headless CMS and platforms built specifically for mobile, we still feel the best CMS for mobile apps is WordPress.
WordPress powers 43% of all websites on the internet. Of all websites with a CMS, 64.3% run on WordPress.
The internet today is vastly different than it was 10, or even five years ago. Today, optimizing for mobile devices is a must for any website, and the standard for mobile responsive websites has risen so that they’re not that different in UI and UX from mobile apps.
Unless you want to do some really complex things in your app, you’ll probably be able to do everything you need with WordPress, optimizing your mobile theme so that everything looks good in your mobile app.
The benefit is that you get to use WordPress’ intuitive post editor, the vast array of great themes and plugins for WordPress, and you make it super easy (with minimal development work) to maintain a great-looking website alongside your mobile apps.
Best for eCommerce: Shopify
If you’re running an ecommerce app, much of what we said about WordPress still applies.
You don’t need anything super complex for your CMS. In most cases, the best choice is to keep it simple and use the most popular CMS for eCommerce websites, Shopify.
Shopify powers 28% of all eCommerce websites, with most businesses choosing it because of how easy it is to build a fast, powerful and professional online store.
It also offers everything you need to optimize your store for mobile devices, and after building your store for the web, you can convert your store into an app using one of a number of Shopify Mobile App Builders available on the market today.
This lets you manage your store – both website and mobile app – from the intuitive Shopify back end.
For eCommerce apps, there’s little reason to use a headless CMS. The flexibility of these platforms is overkill for what your app needs to be, and eCommerce stores are unlikely to have much of an in-house development team, which means trying to set up and manage your store on a more technical platform can present a huge headache.
Don’t make managing your business more complex than it needs to be. Save yourself the trouble and stick with Shopify.
Alternatives for eCommerce Apps
Shopify isn’t the only game in town when it comes to ecommerce. You can build a great eCommerce store (and app) with a number of other platforms. Here are a couple that are also good fits to serve as the back end of your ecommerce mobile app.
WooCommerce (WordPress)
WooCommerce is neck and neck with Shopify for the most popular eCommerce platform today. Though it doesn’t have as many powerful tools and apps built for it as Shopify does, it’s still a very user-friendly way to build an online store.
WooCommerce itself isn’t a CMS, but an extension of the WordPress platform. So all the positives we said about WordPress apply here as well. It’s a great way to build a lightweight, fast and professional site, which is easy for your team to manage while also being mobile-friendly.
Squarespace
If you prefer a more structured way to build your website and app, Squarespace is a solid option.
More than 1.5 million eCommerce sites in the US run on Squarespace, enjoying how simple it is to design and launch a website using Squarespace’s visual site builder.
The platform has been doubling down on its eCommerce capabilities of late as well, making it a bigger and bigger player for new online stores.
Squarespace is a good alternative to Shopify and WooCommerce if you want to minimize the need for developers, though if you have a web development team on staff already, you’ll probably be better off with the increased flexibility of the previous two platforms.
Best Regular CMS for Design Flexibility: Webflow
If you’re looking for a regular CMS, but one that comes a little closer to the flexible “headless” experience, Webflow might be the one for you.
Webflow is a low-code website builder, similar to platforms like Squarespace and Wix, but with a little more technical flexibility, where you can play around with your site’s code to get everything perfect.
Webflow offers a great way to build visually-stunning mobile websites, with less development load than coding from scratch. You can also use it as the base for building mobile apps – just design your mobile interface in Webflow, then use a tool to convert your mobile website into an app.
Webflow also offers CMS and eCommerce functionality, allowing you to use it as your back end if you’re running a content site, online store, or many other types of online business.
Purely as a CMS, Webflow is a bit harder to use than platforms like WordPress and Shopify. But it’s a great fit if the visual appearance of your app is one of your highest priorities.
Best Headless CMS for Mobile Apps: Contentful
If you prefer to go headless, check out Contentful.
Contentful is an API-first headless CMS, which basically organizes your content in the back end of your website for easy reuse wherever you need it – such as your app, website, web app, etc.
Contentful is highly regarded in the industry, and offers everything you’d want from a flexible, scalable headless CMS.
The downsides? As mentioned when we discussed regular vs headless for your CMS, using a platform like Contentful requires more development effort to build and manage.
This is going to cost you, and so is the platform itself – you’ll likely need to pay at least $300 per month for their Basic subscription level (though they have a free plan under that, which you may be able to stick with if your team is small).
Contentful’s customers include BMW, Shiseido, Notion and the Milwaukee Bucks. This gives you an idea of the type of user it’s best suited for – larger organizations who aren’t concerned about the extra development work and cost of using this platform to power their app and website.
Alternative Options for a Headless CMS
If you’re looking for a headless CMS but want to consider some other options, here are a few more to choose from.
WordPress VIP
Though most people know about the open-source WordPress.org and the self-contained blogging platform WordPress.com, there’s also WordPress VIP, the company’s enterprise product, which includes headless functionality.
It’s used by some big names in the online space, such as Facebook, Salesforce and the New York Post.
WordPress VIP allows businesses to take advantage of the WordPress ecosystem, while still having ultimate freedom and flexibility with their digital assets.
Of course, one thing to note is that the platform is advertised as a platform for enterprises, and the cost goes along with that. Plans start at $25,000 per year, so it’s not a fit for everyone.
Ghost
Ghost is a more affordable option, suitable for independent publishers. It’s an open-source, headless platform that is kind of a mix between Substack and Webflow.
Ghost is built primarily for creators, allowing you to build and manage a subscriber base and regularly publish content via newsletter, website, and integrations with a raft of other platforms.
Yet it’s not just for solo writers running a weekly newsletter – Unsplash, Mozilla, Cloudflare, Revolut and Duolingo all use Ghost to power their content marketing.
It’s still largely content-driven, so not a good fit for more interactive mobile apps, but may be a good (and affordable) fit for content sites looking to reach people via email, social, web and app.
Strapi
Another headless CMS to consider is Strapi. Strapi is a JavaScript-based platform, open-source, flexible and fully customizable.
It provides the choice between self-hosting and cloud hosting via Strapi’s servers. Self-hosting is free, while cloud plans start at $99 per month.
IBM, Discovery Channel, and ASOS are just a few examples of real businesses using Strapi as their CMS.
Go with Strapi over Contentful, WordPress VIP and Ghost if you’re a mid-sized business, looking for ultimate flexibility with an open-source tool that’s fast, scalable and user-friendly, but doesn’t take up your entire development budget on its own.
Does Your Mobile App’s CMS Really Matter?
So we’ve gone over some recommendations for content management systems for mobile apps, and given you some tips on why you’d want to use a CMS and what you should look for in a mobile CMS.
But – and this may be controversial – it doesn’t really matter which CMS you use.
Of course, it does matter that your CMS is reliable, secure, bug-free, and that your team is comfortable using it. But it doesn’t really matter as it pertains to your mobile app.
The best way to build apps today is with a Webview-based approach, building hybrid apps that use the same back end as your website.
Instead of coding a custom mobile app from scratch, it makes more sense to build a mobile-optimized website that syncs with your mobile app, showing the same content and largely the same UI.
Unless you need the app to do something drastically different to your website, this is the best approach. You’ll save a ton of effort (and cost) designing your app, building it, maintaining it and updating it.
And with the hybrid app platforms available today, you’ll see little to no difference compared to custom-coded native mobile apps.
It works exactly as explained before, taking your mobile website and seamlessly fitting it into a mobile container, allowing you to go to market with an app quickly and affordably, while having only one code base to manage.
Best of all it gives you complete flexibility over the CMS you prefer to use. It doesn’t matter if you prefer WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, a headless CMS like Contentful, or website builders like Wix and Squarespace – you can build an incredible mobile app with any back end platform.
Vendrux is full-service, including setting up and deploying your app, submitting it to the app stores, and even keeping your app regularly maintained and up to date.
That means you don’t need to know anything technical to launch your app, or to manage, update and publish new content to your app.
It also means you can launch an app for a fraction of the investment it usually takes to build native apps.
If you’re looking to start a new app development project, you’re probably looking into frameworks that can provide you with native functionality, a modern development workflow and great app performance. Two great mobile development choices are Capacitor and Cordova.
Today, we take a look at both app development frameworks to find their key differences and similarities and determine which one is better for your next mobile app project.
What is Capacitor?
Developed in 2018, Capacitor is an open-source project for mobile apps that helps devs build native projects on Android, iOS, Electron, and the web (through PWA). Capacitor gives developers native API access, helping them build once and deploy on multiple platforms, allowing them to do true cross-platform development.
What is Cordova?
Apache Cordova is an open-source project that is used to build web apps across different platforms, all with native device features. Cordova was released in 2009 and while it has been the industry standard for many mobile developers, it’s starting to show its age through the lack of modern features.
PS. if you have a website that you want to turn into a mobile app, you may not need Capacitor or Cordova. Simply use Vendrux instead. See what your app would look like here.
Capacitor vs Cordova – key differences
Apache Cordova is one of the most popular choices for cross-platform mobile applications for years now, but it’s slowly declining in popularity. Capacitor by Ionic is the new alternative that may be a better choice. But let’s compare them in detail and see where they differ.
The native bridge
The Apache Cordova framework uses WebView to render the user interface of the application you’re developing. This is a bridge that communicates between the code you’re writing in Javascript and the native features of the device, through the use of plugins.
On the other hand, Capacitor uses WebView too, but with a few small differences. The native bridge is more modern and as a result, you get better performance and there is more flexibility on how native APIs are accessed.
If you want to mimic native code more quickly and accurately for any device, Capacitor is probably the better choice.
The development environment
Cordova has been around for a while and it’s evident by the multitude of choices of integrated development environments for developers. They can choose from Cordova CLI, Visual Studio and many others.
On the other hand, Capacitor is run by people from Ionic, which means that you’re going to be working in Ionic tools and their development workflow.
Cordova takes the cake here because there is a strong chance that your developer team has worked in some of these IDEs before. On the other hand, only an Ionic team of developers or someone specializing in Capacitor is the kind of person to work in Ionic before.
The plugin ecosystem
Cordova is known for its huge choice of third-party plugins for just about any kind of hybrid app development. If you need to use plugin source code for the camera, geolocation, file system and more, it’s all readily available.
Capacitor can use all of the Cordova plugins but it also has its ecosystem with Capacitor plugins. These provide a seamless integration with the Capacitor bridge, letting you take a modern approach to mobile app development.
It’s hard to pick the better alternative here, but if you’re into modern development practices, the Ionic framework is probably the better choice.
Community support
If you get stuck while building a native application in Apache Cordova, it’s not a huge deal. As it’s been around for a good while, there are many resources out there such as tutorials, guides, forums and more. In general, there is a larger community of long-time Cordova users.
On the flip side, Capacitor is younger and does not have as many materials available online. But it’s not all that bad, Ionic is one of the more popular modern web technologies and you can get help in Ionic communities.
In this category, Apache Cordova wins by a hair.
Javascript and tooling
Being more seasoned is not always an advantage. Cordova does not always support the most recent Javascript features and it may not have the most modern tooling you’d expect from an IDE.
Capacitor is built with support for modern JavaScipt and Typescript, which gets you access to features such as hot reloading, and you can benefit from Typescript support.
In this sense, Capacitor is probably the choice that will get you more love from your development team.
Which one should you choose for your next app?
If you don’t see a major difference between Capacitor and Cordova, let’s break it down for you.
Choose Apache Cordova if:
You need access to a large library of plugins
You need to troubleshoot often and want to find answers easily online
You don’t mind the older WebView and its lackluster performance
You don’t need direct native APi access
You’re okay with writing some additional code if you have platform-specific issues
Choose Ionic Capacitor if:
You need access to the most modern web technologies, including JavaScript, HTML and CSS
You need direct access to native APIs, giving you access to custom native features without using plugins
You need support for progressive web apps (PWA), allowing you to build both for apps and the web
You don’t mind troubleshooting on your own because there is no well-established community
You don’t have extensive requirements in terms of plugins
Or simply, choose the third option
Do you already have an existing website that you want to turn into a mobile app? You don’t need to choose Capacitor or Cordova, because there’s a simpler solution to the problem.
With MobilLoud, you can convert your website into a mobile app that automatically updates with your site. Make changes once and have them reflect both on your website and your app, all while keeping all of your unique website features and your design.
No need to spend time debating development frameworks or pay thousands every month to expensive developers.
Bottom Line: Building a mobile app can be a long and expensive process. From design through development, testing and publishing, it typically takes at least 6 months, and over $100K to launch a high-quality mobile app. A better alternative (for businesses with a working website already) is Vendrux: a managed website to app service, which lets you build and publish your mobile app in weeks, not months.
Building a mobile app can feel overwhelming for non-technical entrepreneurs and small business owners.
Fortunately, you don’t need to be a programmer to bring your app idea to life.
This guide will walk you through two paths to create a mobile app, covering everything from initial planning to post-launch growth. Whether you’re starting from scratch or turning an existing website into a companion app, we’ll break down each phase in simple terms.
Overview: Vendrux’s Mobile App Development Guide
Since 2013, we’ve helped build and launch thousands of apps. In doing so, we’ve learned all there is to know about building mobile apps, including common mistakes, the time and cost you can expect, and the best approach for different kinds of projects.
With that experience, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide for anyone looking to make an app.
Our guide will look at two main paths:
Path 1: Building a Mobile App from Scratch – Ideal if you have a new app idea or a service that isn’t already on a website. We’ll cover ideation, design, development options (including no-code tools), testing, launch, and maintenance for a brand-new app.
Path 2: Creating a Mobile App as a Website Companion – Perfect if you already have a website (like an ecommerce store, news site, or online community) and want a mobile app to enhance your reach. We’ll discuss auditing your site’s content, choosing between a Progressive Web App (PWA), hybrid app, or a custom native app, implementation details, and syncing your app with your website.
By the end of this guide, you’ll have a clear roadmap to create a mobile app, tailored to your resources and needs.
Let’s dive in.
Path 1: How to Build a Mobile App from Scratch
If you’re starting with just an idea (not an existing website or platform), Path 1 will guide you through bringing that idea to reality.
This path is common for entrepreneurs building a new product or business via a mobile app.
Here’s what the mobile app building process will look like:
Ideation & Planning Phase
Every successful app begins with careful planning. In this phase, you’ll refine your idea, research the market, define your target users, plan your Minimum Viable Product (MVP), and consider how the app might generate value or revenue.
Here’s what you need to cover:
Define the Problem and Solution
Clearly identify what problem your app solves. Ask: “What specific value does my app offer users?” Understand existing solutions and how your app improves upon them.
Market Research
Examine similar apps: downloads, active users, user reviews. Identify gaps your app could fill. Confirm real market demand (this ensures you’re building something valuable).
Identify Target Users (User Personas)
Define who will use your app. Busy parents? Students? Professionals?
Create user personas (e.g., “Alice, 30, marketing manager seeking quick workouts”). Personas help align design and features with user needs.
Outline Core Features & MVP
Focus on an MVP, which should include only the essential features delivering core value. List desired features, prioritize them, and select only critical ones for launch.
Avoid feature creep by asking, “What does my app absolutely need to function?” This keeps development manageable in cost and timeline.
Monetization Strategy
Assuming your mobile app is a commercial project (designed to make money), decide your monetization model early:
Free with Ads: Ad revenue, no user fees.
Freemium: Basic features free; premium features via subscription or purchase.
Paid App: Users pay upfront (less common today).
In-App Purchases: Sell virtual or physical goods in the app.
Subscription: Recurring fees for ongoing access.
Indirect Monetization: Free app driving sales or leads to another business.
Choose based on app type and audience’s willingness to pay.
Success Metrics & Goals
Define clear goals or KPIs, such as downloads, revenue, or user engagement. This clarifies your objectives and helps measure success (e.g., “Increase customer retention by 20% via app”).
By the end of this phase, summarize your plan:
App purpose
Target users
MVP
Monetization plan
This outline will guide the rest of your project, and assist with clear communication with designers and developers.
Design Phase (UI/UX Design)
With a solid plan in hand, the next step is designing how your app will look and feel, in terms of the UI and UX.
UI (User Interface) design is about the visuals (layout, colors, typography, etc.), while UX (User Experience) design is about the usability and flow (making the app intuitive and pleasant to use).
As a non-designer, you can still create an effective design by following basic principles and using the right tools.
Here are five steps to designing a mobile app:
1. Sketch User Flows and Wireframes
Start with basic wireframes; simple sketches mapping your app’s screens and navigation.
Focus on logical user flows, like “User opens app → Home screen → Menu → Profile.”
Tools such as Balsamiq, Moqups, or Wireframe.cc are great for non-designers, helping you clarify structure without visual distractions.
A screen-by-screen wireframe for a mobile app [Source]
2. Mobile UX Best Practices
While designing, keep some core UX principles in mind:
Simplicity: Each screen should have one clear purpose. Avoid clutter; use clear labels and intuitive icons.
Consistency: Maintain uniform colors, fonts, and button styles. This makes the app intuitive and cohesive.
Navigation: Choose clear navigation patterns; tab bars for simple apps, hamburger menus for complex ones. Ensure key functions are easy to find.
Accessibility: Use readable fonts (14sp+), high color contrast, and large tap targets (~7mm). Accessibility broadens your audience and helps comply with regulations.
A storyboard, showing the UX journey, step-by-step [Source]
3. Visual Design (UI)
Refine wireframes into polished designs:
Use Templates: UI kits (Google Material Design, Apple Human Interface Guidelines) save time and ensure professional results.
Design Tools: Tools like Figma, Adobe XD, or Sketch let you create detailed screens. Figma is beginner-friendly and offers free community resources. For simpler solutions, Canva or Visily offer easy drag-and-drop interfaces.
Mobile-First Approach: Design initially for smartphone screens (5.5″-6″). Tablet layouts can follow once the primary phone layout is solid.
4. Iterate and Get Feedback
Share designs with others for feedback. Test prototypes with real users to uncover and fix usability issues early.
5. Leverage Design Experts (Optional)
If budget permits, hiring freelance UI/UX designers (Upwork, Fiverr) or using platforms like 99designs can elevate your design.
Once your app’s design is set, the next step is development.
Even if you don’t have any technical skills, there are several practical options to allow you bring your app idea and design to life, from putting together a development team to using a rapid app development tool.
1. No-Code App Builders
No-code platforms use visual drag-and-drop interfaces, ideal for straightforward apps and MVPs.
Popular choices include:
Bubble: Flexible, powerful web and mobile web apps (from ~$29/month).
Adalo: Mobile-focused, simple apps and prototypes (~$45/month).
AppGyver: Strong logic capabilities, free for basic usage.
Glide: Quickly turns Google Sheets into mobile apps.
Thunkable: Visual blocks-based tool for native apps.
Pros:
Quick and cost-effective development.
Minimal tech maintenance.
Deployment often simplified or automated.
Cons:
Limited to predefined components; less flexibility for advanced features.
Tips: Start from templates, configure data, design screens visually, and use built-in logic tools. Expect a small learning curve but benefit from extensive tutorials and community support.
2. Pre-Built App Templates
Another option is to start from a template specific to your type of app:
You’ll purchase existing app code (e.g., from CodeCanyon, ~$50-$300) and hire developers for customization.
Pros: Less coding needed; saves significant time.
Cons: Requires developer assistance for customization and maintenance. End result will likely be lower quality, less unique.
3. Hiring Developers
The other choice is to hire freelancers, a mobile app development company, build an in-house development team or partner with a technical co-founder.
Freelancers: Cost-effective ($20-$100/hour); find on platforms like Upwork, Fiverr.
Development Agencies: Full-service, comprehensive support (costs can range from $10k-$250k depending on complexity).
Tech Partners: Equity-based arrangement, ideal for startups needing long-term commitment.
Using cross-platform frameworks (e.g., React Native, Flutter) can reduce cost and development time significantly.
Tips: Clearly define your app requirements to receive accurate estimates. Evaluate candidates through past work, testimonials, and initial trial tasks.
Cost & Decision Factors
Choosing between no-code tools and hiring developers largely depends on the budget, desired timeframe, your technical skills, and the complexity and type of app you want to build.
Budget
No-code solutions typically cost around $12-$60 monthly, totaling a few hundred dollars annually.
Custom development, on the other hand, involves significant upfront costs (often tens of thousands of dollars) plus ongoing expenses for updates and maintenance.
If budget constraints are tight, starting with no-code can be highly cost-effective. Many businesses initially use no-code to validate their concept and/or build an MVP, and switch to custom coding only after achieving growth and stability.
Time to Market
No-code platforms can accelerate your app’s launch significantly, often reducing development from months to just weeks.
The custom app development process typically takes longer, often 4-6 months for a fully functional MVP.
If quick market entry is crucial due to immediate business opportunities or competition, no-code or hybrid development approaches can provide a significant advantage.
Technical Ability
If you’re comfortable learning and managing tech tools, no-code platforms can provide substantial control and flexibility.
However, if managing technology feels overwhelming or detracts from other critical business activities, hiring developers can free up your time, allowing you to focus on strategic business growth.
Scalability & Flexibility
Consider your long-term goals and potential scalability needs. While no-code platforms have improved greatly, they still have limitations – especially if your app needs advanced computations, custom integrations, or handling millions of users simultaneously.
Complex features like augmented reality or sophisticated algorithms typically require custom development.
Conversely, no-code solutions often suffice for simpler, content-driven, or ecommerce apps, particularly if these platforms continuously enhance their capabilities.
Hybrid Approach
You don’t need to exclusively commit to one method. Many businesses first use no-code to quickly and affordably validate their idea.
After gaining traction and generating revenue, they reinvest in professional custom development to refine functionality and enhance user experience.
Alternatively, using a no-code prototype as a specification for developers can reduce misunderstandings, save costs, and streamline the development process.
Testing & Quality Assurance (QA)
The game isn’t over once you’ve got a working version of your app.
Testing your app thoroughly ensures reliability and a positive user experience. Proper QA helps prevent launching a buggy app that can lead to negative reviews and frustrated users.
Here’s what to consider as part of the testing process:
1. Test on Real Devices
Use actual devices, not just simulators, as behaviors can differ. Include various screen sizes (small and large phones, tablets), operating systems (iOS and Android), and different OS versions (older and newer).
Ensure layouts, interactions, and visual elements appear correctly in both portrait and landscape orientations.
2. Create a Test Checklist
Approach testing systematically with a clear checklist:
Confirm each screen loads without crashing.
Verify all buttons, forms, and links function correctly.
Test edge cases: long inputs, special characters, empty required fields.
Test data handling: scenarios with no data, typical data, and extensive data.
Check offline behavior: ensure your app handles no network gracefully.
Observe user experience issues: unclear labels, confusing steps.
Gather feedback from friends, colleagues, or potential users to identify usability issues you might have overlooked.
3. Beta Testing
Consider structured beta testing before the full launch:
iOS (TestFlight): Apple’s platform allows up to 10,000 beta testers. You’ll need to upload a beta build for testers who provide feedback.
Android (Google Play): Offers closed testing tracks or open beta via Google Play Developer Console. Easy to manage testers through email invitations or public links.
Encourage beta testers to report bugs or suggestions clearly through forms, emails, or in-app feedback mechanisms. Limit beta groups to 20–50 users initially for manageable, actionable feedback, and fix critical issues identified during this phase before your official launch.
Launch & Distribution
Once your app is working, and thoroughly tested for bugs and usability issues, it’s ready to launch.
This phase is about preparing your app for release, submitting it to the app stores (for native apps), and optimizing your app listing so that users can discover and download it.
Here’s what to account for:
1. Developer Accounts Setup
Apple (iOS): Enroll in the Apple Developer Program ($99/year). Approval usually takes a few days.
Google Play (Android): Create a Google Play Developer account (one-time $25 fee).
2. Prepare App Store Assets (ASO)
App Name: Clear, descriptive, unique (Apple ~30 chars, Google Play ~50 chars).
Icon: Simple, recognizable (required sizes, e.g., Apple 1024×1024 px).
Screenshots/Videos: High-quality, highlighting key features. Apple requires at least 4 screenshots per device type; Google requires 2 minimum. Optional short app preview videos recommended.
Description: Engaging, clearly describes core functionality. Include keywords naturally (Google) or separately (Apple).
Category & Tags: Choose relevant category; Google allows additional tags.
Privacy & Compliance: Complete content rating questionnaires; provide a privacy policy URL.
3. App Store Submission
Apple: Submit via App Store Connect, review typically takes 1–3 days. Address any feedback or rejection promptly.
Google Play: Upload via Google Play Console, usually approved within 24 hours.
4. App Store Optimization & Marketing Prep
Choose keyword-rich titles and compelling descriptions.
Utilize short and promotional texts effectively.
Consider localization for international audiences.
Path 2: How to Make a Mobile App (When You Already Have a Website)
This path is for those with established websites – such as ecommerce stores, news sites, online communities, marketplaces, or SaaS applications – build a complementary mobile app for their website.
Instead of starting from scratch, you’ll leverage your current website’s content, user base, and functionality.
By taking a web to app approach, you’ll save a lot of time and cost on the initial build, as well as cutting ongoing costs and complexity.
Assessment Phase: Audit Your Website and Define the App’s Purpose
Before diving into any app-building for your website, step back and evaluate what your mobile app should achieve and how it will integrate with your existing web ecosystem.
Audit Your Website’s Content and Features
Make a list of all the key features and sections of your website:
What content do you provide? (e.g., blog articles, product listings, user profiles, forums, etc.)
What user interactions exist? (e.g., user login, commenting, purchasing, posting content, etc.)
What integrations or systems does your website use? (e.g., payment gateways, maps, analytics, advertising networks, etc.)
This audit helps you identify which parts of the site need to be present or work in the app.
For instance, if you run a news site with an email newsletter signup form and a comments section, you’ll note those as elements to consider in the app (how will users sign up for newsletter in-app? Will commenting be possible in-app?).
Push Notifications: Direct communication to boost engagement
Offline Access: Content caching for offline usability
Device Features: Camera, GPS, biometrics
Brand Loyalty: Enhances credibility, repeated user engagement
Clearly state your app’s primary user benefit, e.g.:
“Our app simplifies product browsing and purchasing with faster checkout and push notifications for new arrivals.”
Identify Integration and Sync Needs
Determine how the app will synchronize with your website:
User Accounts: Ensure users log in with existing credentials and access synchronized data (order history, saved items).
Content Management: New website content must seamlessly appear in the app via APIs or webviews.
Transactions and Updates: Decide which user actions (comments, purchases, form submissions) the app will support.
Third-Party Systems: Identify complex integrations (e.g., payment gateways like Stripe, forum tools like Disqus) and plan appropriate solutions (native SDKs, webviews).
Assess Your Mobile Web Analytics
Check the mobile usage stats on your website.
Are a lot of your users already coming from mobile browsers? How is their engagement compared to desktop users?
If mobile web users have lower conversion or engagement, an app could aim to improve that (for example, maybe mobile web cart abandonment is high on your store – an app with saved login and Apple Pay/Google Pay could improve mobile checkout rates, and abandoned cart push notifications can recover revenue from those who slip through).
Also, see which pages or features mobile users access most – those should be front-and-center in the app.
Prioritize App Features
Not all website features are necessary in an app. Focus on essential mobile user tasks:
News apps: Articles, search, bookmarks (omit less critical pages like careers).
Community forums: Threads, messaging (skip complex admin settings).
Prioritize clearly to deliver a focused, streamlined mobile experience.
—
By the end of the assessment phase, you should have:
A clear statement of what your app will offer and why it’s beneficial to users (compared to or in addition to your mobile website).
A list of website features/data that need to be integrated into the app.
An understanding of the technical landscape (user accounts, content sync, etc.) you’ll need to support.
This groundwork ensures that when you move to the next steps, you won’t inadvertently leave out something critical or build something misaligned with your site’s value.
You’re ensuring the app is an extension of your existing business/site and not a completely separate silo.
Strategic Options: PWA, Hybrid, or Native Wrapper?
When turning a website into a mobile app, choose among three main strategies: Progressive Web Apps (PWA), Hybrid/Webview Wrapper apps, or Native apps integrated with your site’s backend.
Your decision should consider goals, budget, and user experience.
Option A: Progressive Web App (PWA)
A PWA enhances your website with app-like features accessed through browsers. Users install it via “Add to Home Screen,” enabling offline use and push notifications. Crucially, however, a PWA is not a “real” mobile app – just a cheaper and faster alternative.
Pros:
Single, unified website codebase.
Cross-platform compatibility (browsers on iOS, Android, desktop).
Instant updates without app store delays.
Cost-effective, no app store fees or separate maintenance.
Discoverable via web searches.
Cons:
Limited presence and trust compared to app stores.
Restricted access to certain native features (e.g., advanced sensors, Bluetooth).
Performance can lag for intensive apps.
Some iOS limitations persist despite improvements (push notifications require manual home screen addition).
Best for: Quick, cost-effective improvements to mobile experience, particularly for content-heavy sites needing broad accessibility.
Option B: Hybrid Apps / Webview Wrappers
Hybrid apps place your existing website inside a native app shell, combining web technologies with native components like navigation and push notifications.
This is a real mobile app. Users can download it from the app stores, it can send push notifications, and modern web to app tools like Vendrux let you create a mobile app that’s virtually indistinguishable from a custom native app.
Pros:
Quick deployment and minimal UI redevelopment.
Full reuse of existing web content and plugins.
Native app store presence (App Store, Google Play Store).
Access to native features (push notifications, camera).
Lower ongoing maintenance costs (updates reflected instantly from website).
Cons:
Dependent on website performance.
App Store guidelines may require additional native enhancements.
UI/UX may need adjustments for optimal mobile experience.
Occasional platform updates and maintenance of app binaries.
Best for: Businesses with a mobile web experience that already works well, wanting to make a mobile app for their store, without extensive redevelopment or large ongoing expense.
Option C: Native App with API Integration
This option is basically Path 1 (building an app from scratch) but using your existing website’s backend/database.
Instead of showing web content in a webview, you recreate the UI natively for iOS and/or Android and pull data from your website via APIs. You might use your website platform’s API (e.g. Shopify’s storefront API), or build custom API endpoints.
Pros:
Optimal performance and native user experience.
Flexible design tailored specifically for mobile interactions.
Continuous effort required for feature parity with your website.
Extensive API and backend integration work.
Slowest to market compared to PWA and Hybrid.
Best for: Businesses aiming for the highest-quality user experience and distinct differentiation, with adequate resources for long-term maintenance and development.
Vendrux’s comprehensive, streamlined solution is the best mix of speed, affordability, and robust app functionality without extensive overhead.
If your website already runs well and looks good on mobile, Vendrux can get you an end result on the same level as fully native development, for less than 5% of the time and cost.
Why Vendrux?
Vendrux efficiently converts your website into high-quality native apps (iOS and Android) using your existing content and tech stack.
It leverages your current website for the app, allowing seamless continuity between your site and the app.
A perfect example of the website to app conversion process with Vendrux
With Vendrux, you get:
Rapid Deployment: Apps are typically launched within weeks, significantly faster than custom native development.
Cost Efficiency: Substantially lower costs compared to fully custom app builds, often saving hundreds of thousands in development expenses.
Minimal Overhead: No separate app management required; content updates on your website are instantly reflected in the app.
Complete Feature Integration: Full utilization of your site’s existing features, plugins, and technology stack without additional integration work or API limitations.
Expert Support: Vendrux manages complex tasks, including native feature integration (like push notifications), app customization, and app store submissions, greatly reducing the risk of rejection and ensuring a smooth approval process.
Ideal Use Cases for Vendrux:
Content-rich sites (blogs, news, magazines)
Ecommerce stores (Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, as well as sites on any other platform – including custom ecommerce sites)
Online marketplaces
Mobile-friendly SaaS apps
Online communities and forums
Vendrux provides the optimal balance of speed, cost-effectiveness, and quality, making it the ideal solution for businesses aiming to rapidly establish a professional and feature-rich mobile app presence without the heavy investment and complexity of fully custom development.
Ready to see what your website will look like as an app? Get a free preview now – all you need is your website’s URL.
Implementation Guide: From CMS to Mobile App
Here’s a simplified guide for implementing your mobile app strategy, focusing on common platforms and synchronization between your website and app.
1. Implementing a Progressive Web App (PWA)
Essential Steps:
Enable HTTPS: Ensure your site uses HTTPS as it’s mandatory for PWAs.
Web App Manifest: Add a manifest.json file defining your app’s name, icons, colors, and launch settings. Plugins (e.g., Super Progressive Web Apps for WordPress) simplify this.
Service Worker: Implement JavaScript for caching assets to enable offline usage. Use plugins (WordPress) or libraries like Workbox for easy setup.
Testing: Use Chrome DevTools to verify your manifest, service worker, and offline functionality. Test adding to homescreen manually on Android (Chrome) and iOS (Safari).
Push Notifications: Integrate a push service (e.g., OneSignal) for web push notifications. Setup is straightforward on Android but more complex on iOS.
Promoting Your PWA: Encourage installation via banners or prompts for mobile visitors, improving user retention and engagement.
2. Creating a Hybrid/App (Website-to-App) with Vendrux:
If you go this route, almost all of the implementation steps are done by the Vendrux team.
Here’s a streamlined overview of what’s involved:
Set up and configure mobile app:
Add custom mobile navigation UI.
Customize app (if applicable) by selecting specific pages for inclusion.
Brand your app (loading screen, header colors, etc.).
Integrate push notifications.
Adjust external link handling (e.g., open external links in an in-app browser).
Working with the Vendrux Team
Collaborate closely on requirements and app customization.
Provide necessary app store credentials or invite their team as users on App Store Connect.
Review and test app previews provided by the Vendrux team on your own mobile device.
DIY Approach (Optional)
It’s possible to do a hybrid/webview approach without a service provider, using your own in-house devs (or hired freelancers).
If implementing yourself (e.g., with a tool like Cordova/Capacitor):
Set up Cordova with appropriate plugins (webview, push notifications).
Inject custom CSS to hide redundant website elements in-app.
Include expected mobile app behaviors (e.g., pull-to-refresh).
Prepare for technical complexity and maintenance overhead.
Testing & Publishing
Test thoroughly:
Check login persistence, navigation flow, and overall UX.
Include demo credentials if login is required for review.
Ensure a privacy policy URL is provided.
Clearly explain push notification permissions to users for better opt-in rates.
3. Building a Native App
If you’re building a fully native app integrated with your website, the process is similar to what we laid out earlier in the first section.
The main thing you need to consider (other than the framework of the app itself) is how user accounts and data from your website are synced and authorized across platforms.
A few things to understand:
Native apps typically require API-based authentication (OAuth, JWT).
Webview apps maintain login sessions within the app context but do not share cookies with mobile browsers.
Social logins (Google/Facebook) offer convenient cross-platform login.
You’ll need an API to connect website and app. APIs enable secure operations such as retrieving content, user-specific data, and ecommerce transactions. A stable and secure API is crucial to ensure a seamless user experience for both web and app users.
Some web platforms (e.g. Shopify, WordPress) have their own APIs already set up that you can tap into; otherwise, your development team will need to build custom endpoints.
You’ll also want to set up a system to sync content across web and mobile app (so one platform isn’t constantly lagging behind the other).
You could implement real-time updates through AJAX, periodic refreshes, or WebSocket connections for dynamic content.
Beta Testing & Soft Launch
Before launching, thoroughly test your app internally via TestFlight (iOS) or Google closed testing (Android).
Verify essential features such as login, transactions, and push notifications. Check edge cases, especially simultaneous web and app actions, ensuring smooth server-side synchronization.
Rolling Out and Cross-Promotion
Here are a few tips for once you start to onboard users:
Website Promotion:
Use smart banners (iOS meta tag, Android equivalents) to promote app installations.
Email existing users highlighting app benefits and provide incentives (e.g., discounts).
Cross-Platform Linking:
Include deep links to specific website pages from the app if necessary for advanced functionalities.
Syncing User Accounts
If you’ve already got users set up on your website, it’s vital to ensure seamless synchronization for users active on both platforms.
Examples include logins on an ecommerce site, or an account on a forum or social media site.
Here are some technical tips for managing this:
Server-side management typically ensures consistent states across web and app.
Confirm synchronization of user interactions (e.g., message status, profile updates).
If using offline modes, implement robust synchronization mechanisms to prevent data discrepancies. Webview wrappers naturally handle live synchronization, minimizing this concern.
Performance Monitoring
Regularly track and optimize app performance:
Monitor app store crash logs and promptly address any issues.
Keep an eye on web performance, as it directly impacts app responsiveness.
Analyze app-specific user behaviors and interactions through analytics tools to guide optimizations.
Summary: Converting a Website to an App
Creating an app for your website is largely about integrating, not reinventing.
Use the ecosystem you already have (CMS, database, etc.) and connect it to mobile delivery channels (either via a direct wrapper or via APIs for a native app). There will be some configuration and adjustments to optimize the experience, but you won’t be duplicating your core business logic, which is the biggest win.
This approach drastically reduces development and maintenance overhead compared to building separate systems.
With a companion app in place, you’ll manage your content, products, and users mostly as you always have on your website/CMS. The app becomes another presentation layer, one that can improve engagement and convenience for your mobile audience.
Business Considerations
A mobile app is not just a technical project. It’s a business.
Here’s how to think about the business side of your app.
Cost Analysis and Budgeting for Your Mobile App
Creating and running a mobile app involves various costs. It’s crucial to budget properly so you’re not caught off-guard by expenses.
Let’s break down potential costs and how to manage them:
1. Upfront Development Costs:
This is the money spent to actually build the app (or configure it, in the case of no-code). It can vary wildly:
No-Code/DIY Platforms
These might range from free (for very limited versions) to maybe $30-$100 per month for a decent plan.
Some no-code tools also have one-time fees or addon costs for certain features. For instance, a platform might charge $50/month for the app builder itself, plus $20 extra if you need more database rows, etc.
Overall, no-code is the most budget-friendly upfront. You might spend a few hundred dollars and your own time – but the key factor to consider is the value of your (or your team’s) time.
Often, “saving” money with a DIY platform might actually be costing you more, because of the extra time spent compiling and managing your mobile app.
Service-Based App Builders (like Vendrux)
App builders with a service-based approach use a subscription model as well, typically a little higher than a DIY platform (which make sense because of the extra value you get from the service element).
Vendrux’s pricing starts at $1,499 per month, with a one-time setup fee starting at $5,000.
It’s more expensive than a basic no-code tool; but that reflects the hands-on service you get (which also means much less staff hours spent on your app).
Compared to custom dev, it’s significantly more affordable.
Custom Development Cost (Freelancers or Agencies)
A simple app, custom-built, could be $5k-$15k, mid complexity $30k-$50k, and complex ones $100k+. Agencies might charge more (because they provide full service including project management, QA, etc.).
An average range for a business-oriented app is $20k-$100k, so it’s a serious investment. However, you get a tailored product.
For most small businesses with limited budgets, this is often too high unless the app is absolutely central to their revenue.
Certain features may add cost. E.g., adding a payment system might incur extra dev hours or require paying for a payments SDK, implementing augmented reality or custom animations might bump cost.
Always ask for cost breakdowns by feature to decide what’s essential.
2. Ongoing Maintenance Costs:
Apps aren’t a one-and-done expense.
Plan for continuous costs such as:
Hosting and Server Costs: If your app’s usage grows, you might need to upgrade your website/server hosting to handle increased traffic from app users. Basic hosting might be $20/mo, but a high-traffic app could push you to $100+/mo plans or even dedicated servers (if you have tens of thousands of users).
No-Code/Service Subscription: If you used a platform or service, the subscription is ongoing. Ensure you factor the annual cost. E.g., $50/mo is $600/year. Over 3 years, $1,800. It can still be far less than paying a dev team, but it’s recurring.
Developer Retainer or Updates: If you hired out development, you should budget about 15-25% of the initial cost per year for updates and maintenance. For example, if development cost $50k, plan $7.5k–$12.5k per year on maintenance. This would cover tasks like OS updates, small feature tweaks, server maintenance, and bug fixes. Some years you may spend less, but one major OS update can require a few weeks of developer work.
App Store Fees: Apple has that $99/year account fee. Google’s $25 is one-time. These are necessary costs, but negligible in the overall scope of your project. If you plan to use any paid app store promotions or ads, that’s extra (optional).
Third-party Services: Do you use any paid APIs or SDKs? For instance, maybe you integrate a maps API that charges after X free usage, or a push notification service that costs money at scale, or an analytics tool with a premium plan. Many have free tiers for small usage, but keep an eye as you grow.
Marketing: This isn’t maintenance of the app itself, but maintaining an app audience often requires marketing spend (Facebook ads, etc.). We’ll count that separately in ROI, but don’t forget it in overall app budget if needed.
Unexpected fixes: Bug fixes are part of maintenance, but note that a bug discovered post-launch might require immediate attention. If you don’t have an internal dev, you may need to hire one ad-hoc. It’s good to have a contingency fund (maybe 10% of project cost) set aside for emergency fixes or quick improvements based on user feedback.
3. Hidden and Indirect Costs:
Some costs aren’t obvious line items, but you should consider them:
Your Time: If you as the owner are spending time testing, inputting content, handling app-specific customer support, that is a resource cost. It might replace some website tasks, but initially it might be additional work. If you have staff, maybe someone will have a partial role as “app community manager” or such.
Opportunity Cost: Money spent on app dev is money not spent elsewhere in your business. But conversely, an app can open new revenue streams. Weigh the potential return (more on ROI next).
User Acquisition Cost (CAC): If you choose to do paid campaigns to get app users, that’s a cost per user. For example, if an install via advertising costs $2 and those users do X in sales, is it worth it? Keep an eye on this once you do marketing.
App Store Commission: If you sell digital goods or subscriptions through the app and use Apple/Google in-app purchases, they take ~15-30%. For physical goods or services, they don’t take a cut, but consider that if your monetization is subscription-based (like a premium content subscription via iOS app, Apple will take their share). This is not a direct cost you pay out of pocket, but it’s revenue you don’t get to keep. Factor it into pricing. (E.g., maybe price to account for that if needed, or direct users to pay on web if allowed – careful with Apple’s rules on that).
4. Budgeting Tools & Techniques:
With any software project (particularly one as complex as a mobile app), costs can easily spiral if you’re not careful.
Here are some tips to help keep the cost of your app under control:
Create a simple spreadsheet listing all expected costs: one-time (dev, setup fees) and recurring (monthly subs, yearly fees). This will give you a yearly budget view.
Incorporate optimistic and pessimistic scenarios. E.g., if usage doubles, server costs might double – include that scenario to see if you’d still be profitable.
Track expenses as you go. It’s easy to forget a service you signed up for – keep a list of all subscriptions related to the app.
Use ROI framework (next section) to justify costs: for instance, if maintaining the app costs $5k/year, what amount of revenue or savings will make it worthwhile? Set targets (like “We need at least 500 more orders via the app per year to cover costs”).
Consider phased investment: You don’t have to implement everything at once. If budget is tight, launch with core features, and add less critical ones in a later update when perhaps the app is already bringing some income. This iterative approach prevents over-investing upfront. (Basically an agile approach to budgeting – spend a bit, validate, then decide next spend).
Look for cost-saving opportunities: e.g., use open-source libraries instead of paid components, negotiate with freelancers for a fixed package, use community-driven support resources for troubleshooting to avoid hiring for every small issue, etc. Also, if you do web and app together, sometimes you can kill two birds with one stone (e.g., redesign the website and app with the same new style in one project, possibly cheaper than separate efforts).
How to Track ROI From Your Mobile App
An app is an investment. Over time, you want a return either via direct revenue or indirect benefits.
To measure ROI, use the basic ROI formula: ROI (%) = (Net Profit from App (Gain – Cost)) / Cost × 100.
For example, if you spend $10,000 on the app in a year and it brings $15,000 of profit (maybe via sales or cost savings), that’s (15k-10k)/10k = 0.5, i.e., 50% ROI – meaning you got 1.5x return.
You want a positive ROI within a reasonable time frame (commonly, businesses look for ROI within 1-3 years on tech investments).
To get the clearest idea of the ROI of your app, you need to quantify your gains.
Gains can be:
Revenue Gains: more sales, new customers, higher conversion rates, the ability to sell ads or premium features on the app.
Customer Lifetime Value increase: If the app increases how often customers purchase or engage, they might stay customers longer or spend more (thus increasing LTV).
Cost Savings: Maybe the app reduces support costs (customers can self-serve easier than calling support). Or if it improves efficiency (e.g., if it’s an internal app, it might cut labor hours; not our focus here as we avoided internal tools).
Intangible or Strategic ROI: some ROI is harder to put numbers on immediately—like improved brand loyalty, better data collection on user behavior, or staying competitive because your competitors have apps (which might protect future revenue). You can acknowledge these, but focus on what you can measure for actual ROI calculation.
After launch, track key financial metrics:
Sales via app vs web.
Number of new customers acquired through app marketing vs other channels.
Engagement metrics that correlate to revenue (like if a user uses the app 3x a week, how much do they spend vs a web-only user? For instance, Starbucks found that app users transacted more frequently).
If your app has monetization (ads, subscription), track that revenue separately.
Many companies consider an app a success not just in raw dollars but in strategic positioning (like staying relevant to mobile-first consumers). So, consider ROI not purely short-term profit but also long-term customer retention and growth.
One of the key benefits of Vendrux is that we don’t just hand you an app and let you run with it. We actively help you get a positive ROI from your app, with guidance on acquisition and engagement strategy. To learn more about our process, and how we can help you launch the perfect mobile app, get a free consultation now.
Timeline Considerations (How Long Does it Take to Create a Mobile App?)
Understanding how long it takes to build your mobile app is critical for effective planning, budgeting, and aligning expectations.
Here’s a concise overview of typical timelines for different development approaches:
Testing & Feedback: 1-2 weeks (internal testing, resolving initial issues, and refining user experience).
App Store Submission: Approximately 1 week (including app store review process – Google Play: 1-2 days; Apple App Store: 1-3 days, potentially longer if revisions are needed).
Total Timeframe:4-6 weeks from initiation to app store launch, assuming content and assets are ready.
Key insight: many no-code app builders claim to allow you to build an app in minutes. While technically this may be true, if you’re building a serious app, aimed at driving serious business results, it will likely take a lot longer to compile and publish an app you’re happy with (especially if they provide minimal support).
Launch & Approval: 1-2 weeks (final refinements, store submission, and approval processes).
Total Timeframe: Approximately 6-9 months for a fully custom native solution, longer if complexity increases.
Key insight: Cross-platform apps may take less time to launch; but will not cut development time in half, as some believe.
Recommendations for Timeline Management
Here are some tips to limit timeline creep, and get your app onto users’ mobile devices in less time.
Clearly define your app’s core functionality (MVP) to avoid feature creep and delays.
Allow buffer time in your schedule for unexpected issues or app store revisions.
Consider a phased rollout: quickly launch core features initially, then add enhancements based on user feedback.
Maintain consistent communication with your development team or service provider to minimize misunderstandings and streamline progress.
By setting realistic timeline expectations aligned with your chosen development path, you ensure smoother project execution and better strategic alignment with your business objectives.
Conclusion: Bringing Your Mobile App to Life
Creating a mobile app may seem daunting at first, but with the right approach, it’s absolutely achievable for non-technical entrepreneurs and small business owners.
Whether you choose to build a mobile app from scratch, or build on your existing website, today’s tools and services make app development more accessible than ever.
If your business already has a website, there’s no need for extra cost and complexity rebuilding what you already have.
Vendrux is the fastest and most effective way to launch mobile apps for iOS & Android.
Instead of rebuilding your site or managing a second platform, Vendrux takes your existing website and turns it into a powerful, fully branded mobile app.
You’ll get all the benefits of having a mobile app (home screen presence, App Store visibility, and push notifications) without the cost, complexity, or duplication of effort that come with custom mobile app development or DIY app builders.
What sets Vendrux apart:
Fully managed, done-for-you service: We handle the entire process, from setup and customization to app store approval and post-launch growth.
No need to rebuild your site: Your current tech stack, features, and plugins all carry over into the app.
Launch in under 30 days: Our proven process gets you live fast, with expert QA and store submission support included.
Proven ROI: Customers see results like 3x more visits per user, 15% higher average order value, and 7x higher customer lifetime value.
Strategic support that drives results: We go beyond launch with ongoing push notification management, analytics consulting, and marketing support to ensure your app delivers real business outcomes.
Trusted by leading brands like Jack & Jones, buybuy BABY, John Varvatos, and many more, Vendrux is the partner of choice for businesses that want an app that works – and delivers real business results (without the operational overhead).
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