Shopify App Builder Pricing: What It Actually Costs in 2026

Wondering about Shopify app builder pIf you’re a Shopify brand evaluating a mobile app, the first question is usually the same: what does it actually cost to run one with an app builder?

Custom development can easily move into five figures before you even account for maintenance, so it’s understandable why “no-code” and “low-code” app builders are so popular.

But pricing pages can be misleading in both directions:

• Some platforms look inexpensive until you realize the plan you need is higher than the entry tier.
• Other platforms look more expensive upfront, but reduce the operational workload once you account for internal time.

This article focuses on what app builders typically cost, what you tend to get at each tier, and what costs tend to appear after you’ve already committed.

Shopify App Builder Tiers at a Glance

Most Shopify app builders follow a similar tiered structure, starting with basic plans that simply get your app live and scaling up to higher tiers with deeper integrations, automation, and support.

Here’s a quick snapshot of how those tiers typically break down:

How Much Does a Shopify Mobile App Builder Cost?

For many established ecommerce brands, a realistic budget for a Shopify app builder ends up around $600–$1,500 per month once you factor in the tier you actually need for your stack plus any usage- or performance-based fees.

Entry plans can start much lower (often in the $49–$150/month range), but mid-market brands usually move beyond those once they want richer automation, integrations, and support.

Here’s the market pattern you’ll see most often:

Entry Tier (~$49–$150/month base)

This tier is usually enough to get an app generated and published, with basic customization and notifications.

What often comes with entry plans:

• Core storefront features (catalog, collections, product pages)
• Basic push notifications (sometimes limited volume or automation)
• Limited design elements / blocks / templates

What often becomes limiting:

• Fewer integrations
• Less automation (e.g., abandoned cart flows may be gated)
• Less flexibility for unique UX or non-standard shopping flows

Mid Tier (~$250–$600/month base)

This is where many brands end up on paper if they want a fully branded app plus stronger retention and integration coverage.

Once you add performance or usage-based fees, this is often where the all-in 600–1,500/month reality shows up.

Commonly included:

• More advanced push automations (abandoned cart, back-in-stock, segmentation)
• More design elements / deeper layout control
• More third-party integrations (reviews, loyalty, subscriptions, CX tools)

Common gating:

• Certain “premium” integrations
• More hands-on support or onboarding
• Advanced analytics and/or deeper customization options

Top Tier (~$1,000+/month base)

This tier typically targets higher-volume brands or teams who want premium integrations, dedicated support, and/or custom work.

Commonly included:

• Dedicated success/support resources
• Wider integration access (including “premium” or enterprise integrations)
• Custom development or custom components (varies by provider)

Also worth noting: some platforms include usage-based or performance-based charges in addition to the base subscription (more on that below).

For example, Tapcart’s Shopify listing describes a base price with additional charges tied to in-app performance.

If you want a deeper breakdown of costs across custom builds, DIY app builders, and managed solutions, we’ve also unpacked the true total cost of turning a Shopify store into an app.

Real Shopify App Builder Pricing

These are examples to help you benchmark the pricing landscape, not a ranking. If you’re evaluating any platform, always confirm the latest terms on the vendor’s own pricing page or Shopify listing.

Tapcart

Tapcart’s Shopify App Store listing shows three paid tiers and notes that there can be additional charges beyond the base subscription.

• Tapcart Core: $250/month (base)
• Tapcart Ultimate: $500/month (base)
• Tapcart Enterprise: $1,000/month (base)

The Shopify listing also notes recurring/usage-based charges billed every 30 days and flags “external charges” and performance-based add-ons.

Shopney

Shopney’s Shopify listing shows three monthly plans with a free trial.

• Silver: $149/month
• Gold: $299/month
• Platinum: $599/month

The plan breakdown on the listing illustrates a common pattern: higher tiers unlock more design elements and higher-end integrations (e.g., platform-to-platform marketing and CX tools).

MageNative

MageNative publishes monthly pricing directly on its pricing page.

• Basic: $49/month
• Standard: $149/month
• Premium: $249/month
• Also listed: a Custom option.

Vajro (now Superfans)

The Shopify listing for Superfans shows two tiers and highlights differences between them.

• Starter: $149/month
• Unlimited: $1,000/month

The listing is a clear example of “feature gating”: the higher tier calls out broader integrations and custom development as inclusions.

StoreLab

StoreLab focuses on a more service-forward experience than pure DIY tooling, and is typically discussed in the market as starting around the mid-to-high end of the range (commonly around ~$499/month, depending on plan and scope).

For a closer look at how the main options stack up on features, pricing, and long-term effort, we’ve compared them in a guide to the best Shopify mobile app builders in 2025

The Pricing You Don’t See

Even when subscription pricing is straightforward, “total cost of ownership” usually includes more than the monthly invoice.

Internal labor (the “someone has to run it” cost)

“No-code” doesn’t mean “no work.” Most DIY builders still require someone to:

• maintain app homepage layouts and promos,
• manage app-only content (banners, collections, navigation),
• QA changes after Shopify/theme/app updates,
• troubleshoot when an integration behaves differently in-app.

A simple way to sanity-check this: If an internal team member spends 5 hours/week managing the app, that’s ~20 hours/month.

At $50/hour fully-loaded cost, that’s $1,000/month in internal time, often comparable to the subscription itself.

The trade-off between DIY builders and a done-for-you approach is mainly about total cost of ownership, which we break down in detail when we look at how app builders compare to managed mobile app services.

Context switching and operational drag

Managing an app builder can create a parallel workflow: your Shopify store plus the builder’s layer (and sometimes a second content system).

Even when tasks are small, they can be disruptive because app work often requires coordination across marketing, design, and sometimes dev/ops.

Integration ceilings and “tier unlock” decisions

Many platforms structure plans so that:

• entry tiers cover core functionality,
• mid tiers unlock broader integrations and automation,
• top tiers unlock premium integrations, priority support, or custom work.

This isn’t inherently “good” or “bad”, it’s just important to treat it as a cost driver.

When a key tool (reviews, loyalty, subscriptions, CX) is gated behind a higher tier, your real budget may be set by your stack, not by the entry plan.

App store fees (small, but real)

Regardless of builder choice, publishing typically requires platform developer accounts. For example, MageNative’s pricing page explicitly calls out $99/year for Apple and a $25 one-time fee for Google Play.

MobiLoud’s Shopify App Builder: Pricing and Where It Fits

MobiLoud is often compared against app builders, but it’s structured differently: instead of rebuilding screens inside a proprietary drag-and-drop CMS, it turns your existing Shopify site into a full app experience.

You keep the storefront you’ve already optimized and add native app distribution and push notifications on top.

• We use a setup fee + monthly subscription model.
• Plans start from a few hundred dollars per month, with higher tiers in the low four figures for brands that want more support, customization, and features.
• Most serious Shopify brands end up on a plan in the mid-hundreds to low four figures per month, which aligns with how they already invest in other core tools like email and CRM.

Where the “total cost” discussion matters is that MobiLoud takes a managed approach, meaning less internal time spent on app rebuilds, app content duplication, and ongoing platform maintenance compared to many DIY builders (especially for brands that want the app to closely mirror the website).

Final Thoughts

If you’re budgeting for a Shopify app builder in 2026, a good rule of thumb is an all-in range of around $600–$1,500/month for a mid-market brand once you factor in the tier you actually need plus any usage or performance fees.

Headline prices can look lower (often $250–$600/month on mid-tier plans), but higher-touch support, premium integrations, and performance-based charges usually push the true number up, especially as your app starts to drive more revenue.

The real decision is less about finding the “cheapest” option and more about matching the pricing model to how you want to work, DIY control (and the ongoing effort that comes with it) versus a managed setup that reduces internal load.

MobiLoud is built for the latter: it turns your existing Shopify site into a full app experience and handles the heavy lifting for you.

Ready to see your app in action? Get a free app preview built from your live store and judge the experience before you commit.