Website-to-App vs Custom Native Apps vs DIY Wrappers

If you run an online business, you’ve probably asked yourself: what’s the best way to build a mobile app?

It makes sense. Mobile internet traffic is consistently rising, and an app is a reliable way to build an audience you actually own.

To launch an app, there are three main paths you’re likely to consider:

1. Using a website-to-app service (a managed wrapper that converts your existing site into a mobile app).
2. Building a custom native app from scratch with developers or an agency.
3. Creating a DIY wrapper in-house, where your team puts your website inside an app shell.

Your choice affects how fast you go live, how much the app will cost (upfront and ongoing), and the quality of the end user experience.

Some will tell you always go for a custom build - others say it’s a waste of time.

We’ve been in the app development industry for over 12 years, and know just what matters and what doesn’t with mobile apps.

In this article, we’re going to use that experience, and give you a clear breakdown of the pros and cons of each approach, the hidden costs and sacrifices that you might not be aware of, and ultimately our recommendation on the best way forward for your mobile app.

The Three Main Approaches Explained

Let’s dive into the three most common ways to build a mobile app.

Note: in general, we’re assuming your business has a website - or is launching both around the same time. This covers businesses like ecommerce stores, e-learning platforms, digital publishers and SaaS apps.

If your business is built around the app, the question changes slightly. But you should still find some value in the breakdowns below (and you might find that a web-first, then app approach actually makes sense).

Website-to-App Services (Managed Wrappers)

A website-to-app service like MobiLoud takes your existing website and converts it into a mobile app for iOS and Android.

Instead of building a new app from scratch, these platforms wrap your website inside a native app shell. This shell is fully native code (we use Swift and Kotlin, the two most popular native languages for iOS and Android).

What it essentially does is it lets your website run as a mobile app.

The content comes from your website - pages, functionality, logins, etc. But your customers can download it, launch it from their homescreen, and interact with it much like they would with a native app built from the ground up.

Why businesses choose this approach

• Speed: You can launch in weeks, not months.
• Lower cost: Instead of spending six figures on custom development, you pay a small amount upfront for the build, and usually a small cost per month for maintenance.
• No extra workload: Updates you make on your website instantly appear in your app, so there’s no second codebase to manage.
• Ongoing support: The service provider handles app store submissions, updates, and compatibility with new iOS/Android versions.

The trade-offs

• Less room for fully custom native features compared to a ground-up build.
• Your app experience is tied closely to your website. This is an advantage for consistency, but not for brands wanting a radically different app experience.

The bottom line: Website-to-app services are ideal for ecommerce stores and content-driven businesses that want to move fast, keep costs predictable, and avoid the heavy lift of custom development.

Custom Native App Development

A custom native app is built from the ground up for iOS and Android. 

This is the traditional way of creating an app: hiring an in-house team or agency to design, code, and maintain everything.

You can create a unique, fully custom app experience. If you have a website  as well, and you want to share data between your website and app (e.g. logins, product details, order information), you’ll do so via custom APIs (coded functions that allow different platforms, like your website and app, to communicate with each other).

Why businesses choose this approach

• You have full flexibility, able to design and build features that don’t exist on your website.
• A native app can feel faster and smoother, with deep integrations into device features (camera, GPS, biometrics, etc.).
• Ultimately it’s the highest-quality end product.

The trade-offs

• Custom apps cost a lot. Development can easily exceed $100,000, and that’s just the build. Ongoing updates cost thousands more each year.
• Expect a long development timeline - typically 6-12 months to launch (assuming the build goes to plan).
• Every update to iOS or Android requires development work. You’re maintaining two separate codebases in addition to your website, and paying expensive developers (potentially $9K+ monthly per person) to keep your apps live.
• Scope creep is real - projects often go over budget or get delayed due to unforeseen complexities.

The bottom line: Custom native development makes sense if you’re a large enterprise with deep pockets, or if your app needs features that simply can’t be achieved by extending your website. For most businesses, the cost and time investment make this option hard to justify.

DIY Wrappers (Built In-House)

If you want full control, without the massive cost of a native app, you can settle for a midpoint and do the wrapper approach in-house.

Just like the first option, you’ll put together a native wrapper for your website, and do everything that a website to app service would do for you:

• Build the native foundation
• Integrate your website’s content and functionality within the app
• Create native elements that make it feel like a real app
• Manage QA, testing, ongoing maintenance
• Submit your app to the App Stores for publishing

Why businesses choose this approach

• On the surface, it’s cheaper - you don’t pay an outside service or agency, just your team’s time.
• You get full control. You decide exactly how the app is built, submitted, and maintained.
• It’s flexible. If you only need a simple app shell, you can get something running quickly.

The trade-offs

• Wrapper has been a dirty word in app development for some time. The potential for what you can do with wrapper (or “hybrid”) technology has evolved massively, but poorly built hybrid apps stand out (in a bad way).
• Apple and Google frequently reject low-quality wrappers. Without experience, managing the process and getting your apps approved can be frustrating.
• Though you’re not paying an invoice, there’s still a major cost to bear. Your time, your team’s time - and you may need to hire new staff to build the app.
• There’s maintenance to consider too. It’s not a “one and done”. There will be bugs to fix, features to add, kinks to smooth out. Expect a 2-3 person team required to keep your apps running.
• Everything, from debugging to store compliance, falls on your team, potentially pulling away from other parts of your business.

The bottom line: A DIY wrapper or hybrid app can be a decent option if you have a deep technical team, with experience building these kinds of apps. But the reality is, it won’t be as simple as you expect - especially if you’re going in with a lean development team.

Key Factors to Compare

So, what’s the best approach for your business?

When deciding between website-to-app services, custom native apps, and DIY wrappers, four factors matter most: cost, time to launch, quality, and maintenance.

1. Cost

Cost is usually the first consideration when planning an app. That’s a natural concern for any project.

And it’s not just about the upfront build. Ongoing expenses for updates, maintenance, and support add up over time. The three approaches differ sizeably in how much they’ll cost you both now and later.

• Website-to-app services: Affordable, usually a monthly or yearly subscription. Predictable costs without the six-figure investment.
• Custom native apps: The most expensive option. Expect $100k+ for development, plus ongoing costs for updates, fixes, and new features.
• DIY wrappers: Cheapest upfront, but costs creep in over time. Your developers spend hours maintaining the app, which pulls them away from higher-value projects.

2. Time to Launch

Speed matters in ecommerce and digital business. The sooner your app is live, the sooner you can start driving installs, sending push notifications, and making revenue. Each approach comes with very different timelines, from weeks to a year or more.

• Website-to-app services: Fast; often ready in weeks.
• Custom native apps: Slow; 6–12 months is standard.
• DIY wrappers: Variable. You might get a basic shell quickly, but debugging and app store rejections often cause delays.

3. Quality & User Experience

Users expect apps to feel fast, smooth, and reliable. A poor experience leads to bad reviews and low retention. 

How you build your app directly impacts the quality your customers experience, the results you get from the app, and your brand reputation along with it.

• Website-to-app services: Depends on the service - but a tested platform with a decade plus of experience, like MobiLoud, will deliver a 
• Custom native apps: The best possible experience if budget allows. Can integrate deeply with device features.
• DIY wrappers: Risky. Many feel clunky, load slowly, and don’t deliver the polish users expect from a professional app.

4. Maintenance

An app isn’t a one-and-done project. iOS and Android change constantly, other features change and break parts of your app.

Keeping your app running smoothly requires ongoing updates and fixes. Some approaches make this simple, while others create a heavy long-term burden.

• Website-to-app services: Handled by the provider. iOS/Android updates, app store submissions, and bug fixes are included.
• Custom native apps: Heavy, expensive lift. You’ll need a development team maintaining two codebases, plus ongoing updates as platforms change.
• DIY wrappers: All on your team. Every update and bug fix is your responsibility, so maintenance can become a drain on your resources.

Which Approach is Right for You?

There’s no universal answer for this - since every business, every project is different.

But the best option for the majority of cases is to use a website to app service.

You get a professional app, quickly and affordably, without the huge costs or heavy workload of custom development.

It’s much easier to maintain, and you’re guaranteed a consistent user experience between website and app.

The key is that most online businesses don’t need a totally unique app.

There aren’t many limits to what you can do with modern web tech. Ecommerce platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce and Magento can create a mobile web UI that looks and feels like an app.

That means website to app services like MobiLoud give you more or less the same end product you’d get from building a custom app, much simpler, faster, more affordable.

There are some situations where the other approaches make sense. 

• Custom native apps are worth considering if you’re a large enterprise with significant resources and a need for unique, complex mobile features that go beyond what your website offers. 
• DIY wrappers might appeal to highly technical teams that want total control and are willing to handle the headaches of app store compliance, bug fixes, and ongoing maintenance in-house.

But generally, if you’ve got a fast, mobile-friendly website, the first option you consider should be turning it into an app, with a service like MobiLoud.

The bottom line: For most businesses, website-to-app services are the best balance between cost, time, quality, and maintenance. You get a professional app without the risk, expense, or delays of other options. Web-first businesses like ecommerce stores or digital publishers almost always get a better ROI from a unified web to app approach.

Final Thoughts

Building a mobile app could be the next step in your business’ growth trajectory. But how you build it matters as much as the decision whether or not to build in the first place.

Contrary to what app development agencies will tell you, a fully custom, bespoke app is not always best. In fact, it’s becoming less and less of a necessity to build natively, with the advancements in hybrid app technology and customizable web platforms.

If your business is already well-established and optimized for mobile, it simply makes more sense to convert your website into an app.

It’s your call on how much you want to invest in your app, and whether or not you need a fully custom build. But if you want to see how your site will look simply converted into a native/hybrid build with MobiLoud, we’ll put together a free preview for you to test drive.

Curious? Get your free app preview now.