Looking for an Apptile alternative?
In this article, we'll share a brief overview of Apptile, how it works, and its most notable pros and cons.
Then we'll compare it to five different Apptile alternatives including our own platform, MobiLoud, which we believe is the ideal choice for serious businesses to convert web stores to professional eCommerce apps.
Want to learn the best way for brands to build their own eCommerce apps? Read on and find out.
What is Apptile?
Apptile is an app builder platform that uses "tiles" (aka blocks) to allow users to drag and drop their way to eCommerce apps for iOS and Android.
You can connect the backend to your Shopify store, to share product data and sync your website and app.
It includes mobile-specific features, as well as integrations with a number of popular third-party tools, such as Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Recharge, CleverTap and more.
When finished, you'll publish your app, and then it's up to you how you promote it to get users into the app.
Apptile Pricing
Now let's take a look at Apptile's pricing.
Apptile has four pricing tiers:
- Core: Use Apptile for free but with a 5% success fee
- Pro: $200/month - no success fee
- Plus: $500/month - no success fees
- Enterprise: starts at $1,000/month - no success fees
If you don't mind the 5% success fee, the Core plan which gives you design with unlimited tiles, unlimited push notifications (manual & automated), three standard integration tiles, and phone & email support is an OK pick.
The Pro plan offers unlimited standard integrations, premium themes and advanced tile customizations, and also removes the commission on app sales.
Plus gives you access to three premium integrations, segmented push notifications and more design customization options, while the Enterprise plan gives you more customization still, unlimited premium integrations, custom API integrations and a dedicated account manager & designer.
Apptile Pros & Cons
Apptile is generally well reviewed and has a well thought-out suite of integrations and features.
It offers the potential for more customization than most app builders do, including the ability to add custom API integrations on the Enterprise plan.
Yet as a block-based editor it will still be hard to go beyond a simple and "cookie cutter" app that fails to recreate the richness of your web store.
Apptile has ~15 integrations for Shopify - covering some of the biggest ones. But Shopify has thousands of plugins and tools, and if you rely on anything outside of the top Shopify tools, you'll have to leave them out of your app.
As mentioned above, it does offer the possibility of integrating different tools via a custom API integration. But that requires custom development, which can be expensive, and may require constant fixes to ensure it keeps working as intended.
Apptile Alternatives
Apptile is not a bad way to build an eCommerce app - many would argue that it's better than spending hundreds of thousands on custom development.
But there may be better options on the market. Here are the top Apptile alternatives for you to consider, starting with our own site-to-app platform, MobiLoud.
#1: MobiLoud
MobiLoud is a more flexible, more scalable alternative to Apptile, that requires less investment on your part to build and maintain your app.
MobiLoud works differently to drag-and-drop app builders. Instead of rebuilding your app and sharing data between the app and website, MobiLoud fully converts your site into an app.
This makes it a drastically more flexible option than Apptile and other popular alternatives.
MobiLoud lets you use all your existing third-party tools, plugins, themes and features in the app. These don't require any special integration to work in the app - everything works just as it does on your site.
This makes it quick and easy to launch, as well as letting you fully recreate your website's user experience in-app.
MobiLoud is also a full-service platform. Every user gets our full-service "done for you" app configuration. We build, test and publish your app, including managing the app store submission process (guaranteeing approval).
We also manage updates and maintenance for your app once it's live, allowing you to keep your focus on your website, and not have to juggle multiple platforms going forward.
MobiLoud powers thousands of top apps, including numerous high-revenue Shopify brands.
MobiLoud Pricing
We have two standard pricing tiers to choose from:
- Startup - For fast launching and validation: $350/month, plus a one-time $1,500 setup fee
- Growth - Perfect for more established businesses: $650/month, plus a one-time $2,500 setup fee
Our plans are cheaper on an annual subscription, and come with a 60-day money back guarantee.
We also have custom, corporate plan for more demanding projects. Read more about our pricing here.
MobiLoud vs Apptile
MobiLoud lets you do more, and requires less investment from you.
With MobiLoud, you're not limited on design options, themes, templates or integrations. You can keep everything that makes your site great when you build your app.
If you have custom features, a UI you've worked hard to perfect, or small tweaks and optimizations you've made to boost conversions, you can transfer them to your app without any problems.
MobiLoud also means you'll spend less time, effort and money on your app. Converting your existing site means you're already 90% of the way done - and our team handles all the technical work for you.
Though there is a one-time setup fee with MobiLoud, you'll get as much (likely more) on our $650/month plan as you will with Apptile's $1,000/month plan.
Within half a year, the price difference will make up for the extra up-front cost, and you'll be paying less, despite receiving a higher level of service and having a better app.
Want to learn more about how MobiLoud can help your business? Click here to book your free, personalized demo now.
Now let's look at some of the other top Apptile alternatives on the market.
#2: Vajro
Vajro is a budget-friendly Shopify-focused drag-and-drop app builder, primarily catering to smaller eCommerce apps. They utilize templates and drag-and-drop widgets to create branded apps connected to Shopify via API. However, users will find limitations in recreating their web stores accurately, even on higher-tier plans.
Vajro Pricing
Vajro has four plans:
- Starter - basic features and integrations - $99/month
- Core - advanced features and integrations - $249/month
- Premium - premium features and integrations - $499/month
- Plus - premium features, integrations, and priority support - $999/month
The more costly the plan is, the better app functionalities and benefits you get.
Further Reading: go in-depth with our full comparison between MobiLoud and Vajro.
#3: Tapcart
Tapcart is a mobile app builder for Shopify, allowing businesses to develop their apps without requiring any coding knowledge. It is well-regarded among small and medium-sized eCommerce businesses.
Tapcart Pricing
Tapcart has three plans:
- Core - 15 blocks, basic features, and basic integrations - $200/month
- Ultimate - unlimited blocks, advanced features - $400/month
- Enterprise - unlimited custom blocks, dedicated customer success manager, and premium integrations - $1K/month
The more costly the plan is, the better app features and benefits you get.
#4: Mowico
Mowico is another platform designed to assist eCommerce brands in crafting their own apps without any coding knowledge. It works smoothly with Shopify and WooCommerce, and soon it will also support PrestaShop, BigCommerce, and Wix.
This platform provides easy integration with features like Smile, Langify, and Judge.me, and includes pre-set options like push notifications and AR shopping. However, it's essential to remember that Mowico also has its limitations.
While it can create a basic eCommerce app with your products and logo, it won't be able to fully replicate the advanced features, design, and plugins of your web store.
When they mention "integration" with Shopify, it means they can access some data from your store, but you'll still be constrained by their pre-built integrations, which won't give you anywhere near the flexibility on offer with the web or MobiLoud.
Mowico Pricing
Mowico has three plans for each eCommerce platform. For Shopify, they have:
- Startup - basic features - $79/month
- Growth - everything from Startup plus enhanced features - $399/month
- Enterprise - premium features, custom feature integrations, and tailor made development - custom
The pricing may vary for each eCommerce platform but keep in mind that, the more costly the plan is, the greater benefits you get.
#5: Shopney
Shopney, an easy-to-use app builder for Shopify eCommerce stores, is known for its integrations, themes, and features.
If you're seeking a simple app that mirrors your site's product catalogue, Shopney might be a viable option. However, due to its template-based nature, it cannot fully transform your site into iOS and Android apps or employ all your existing plugins, themes, and features. This will prove restrictive for businesses with complex and unique needs, pushing your store to fit within their predefined templates.
Shopney Pricing
Shopney has four plans:
- Silver - basic features with flexible design - $99/month
- Gold - basic features with flexible design with 20 elements - $199/month
- Platinum - advanced features and unlimited design elements - $499/month
- Enterprise - premium features and functionalities and a dedicated success manager - starting from $999/month
The Common Issue with Shopify App Builders
Though each tool has its own areas of strength and weakness, most Shopify app builders share the same major flaws.
The first is that they limit your ability to recreate your website in the app.
You have to work within strict templates, doing what you can with the blocks, design elements and integrations provided.
The result is a user experience that doesn't match or measure up to the UX on your website.
This is a deal-breaker for many businesses, as David from Rainbow Shops says:
“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.”
The Shopify API also puts limits on what you can do in the app. Anything that's not supported by the API, or built into the app builder, will not be possible in your app without expensive custom development.
“The hybrid solutions on top of Shopify are just too limited. The Shopify API only enables certain things and all the major providers of hybrid apps for Shopify had limitations that the Shopify API would not let them get around.”
Rainbow Shops' experience highlights the issue. They had a custom sort order that boosted conversion rates by 15%. With the app builder they were using, they weren't able to bring that same custom sort order into the app. They lost significant revenue, and ultimately lost customer trust too, through a sub-par in-app experience.
Finally, app builders also take a lot more work than you expect.
You can publish your app in minutes, but getting your app right takes a lot of iteration and fiddling. It's time-consuming, and you need to consider the labor cost and opportunity cost when you sign up for a DIY app builder.
Not only that, but you need to handle app store publishing, promotion, updates and maintenance yourself too.
Maintenance is particularly important. If you let your app become out of date, no one will use it, and it will reflect poorly on your brand.
Managing your apps is now a full-time job you've added to your company's plate. Any issues that cause extended downtime will cost a lot of revenue.
How MobiLoud is Different
MobiLoud is just more flexible, less limiting, and takes a lot of work off your plate.
You can keep everything that works for you on your website, seamlessly converting your web experience into a mobile app experience that feels like a custom native app.
You won't be constrained by any templates, or by the Shopify API. Anything you want to change or tweak, just make the changes on your site and they'll update in-app too.
All this with little to no work on your part. MobiLoud does everything for you, letting you focus on your website, while our app experts make sure your app provides a five-star experience for every customer.
Build Your eCommerce App Today
Brands like Rainbow Shops, SYN•DI•CATE, Bestseller and John Varvatos are a few examples of amazing eCommerce apps built with MobiLoud.
You can do the same for your store. The investment is minimal, considering the potential revenue your app can bring, and the fact that MobiLoud doesn't take up a bunch of your time as well, as an app builder does.
You're almost guaranteed to get a positive ROI when you launch your app with MobiLoud.
Learn more about how it works and how your brand can benefit with a personalized demo. Get in touch now to schedule your demo, and start the process to having your own mobile app.
