In this article, we'll give you a brief overview of Mobikul, how it works, and the pros and cons. We'll compare it to 5 different Mobikul alternatives including our own platform, MobiLoud, which we believe is the ideal choice for serious businesses to convert web stores to professional eCommerce apps.
What is Mobikul?
Mobikul is a simple mobile app-builder for eCommerce brands. Based in India, it has integrations with WooCommerce, Magento, OpenCommerce, Shopify, and more.
Now let's take a look at Mobikul's pricing.
Mobikul Pricing
Mobikul offers monthly Shopify app builder subscriptions while they sell single app licenses for the other eCommerce app builders.
Their Shopify app builder offers 2 tiers of pricing.
- Basic: $25/mo
- Pro: $35/mo
The Basic plan already includes features such as unlimited push notifications, native apps, social login, and both RTL and multi-currency support. The Pro plan is for you if you wish to have more advanced features and analytics. The downside with their plans is that they have a limited number of languages that are supported.
On the other hand, the other eCommerce single app licenses range from $199 to $699. This all depends on whether you want a hybrid, native, or React native app. Mobikul also offers app publishing for an extra charge.
Mobikul Pros & Cons
Mobikul's apps are based on pre-built themes and templates, with simple functionality. They cannot actually "convert" your Shopify web store native shopping apps - but rather let you build a native shell of an app that can pull data from your site via API. You will not be able to recreate or reuse your existing themes and plugins, and will only be able to create very simple iOS and Android shopping apps.
Now we've had an overview of the tool, its pricing, and its pros and cons. It's time to move on and start looking at some Mobikul alternatives, starting with our own site-to-app platform, MobiLoud.
Mobikul Alternative #1: MobiLoud
MobiLoud powers thousands of top apps, and allows you to convert your site into native eCommerce apps in just days, for a fraction of the cost of custom development.
Our eCommerce app platform integrates with any CMS - whether it's Shopify, WooCommerce, PrestaShop or any other - and let you reuse every plugin, feature and functionality from your main web store.
MobiLoud is the best way to convert your web store into native eCommerce apps for iOS and Android, as well as the best alternative to Mobikul.
There are several key reasons why:
- No templates, no blocks, no APIs - we don't restrict you to our pre-built front-ends, we allow you to convert your web store completely, and to reuse all your existing plugins, themes, and tech stack.
- Keep what works - you already built your ideal site for the web, tweaking it endlessly for conversions and sales. With MobiLoud you can translate that directly into m-commerce native apps, without needing to reinvent the wheel. You already did the hard part, we handle the rest!
- Easy Management - many app builder platforms like Mobikul gives you an extra CMS to manage, adding work for you and your team. Since MobiLoud apps sync with your web store in real time, this work is eliminated, you just need to keep managing and updating your store as usual, and if you want to change something specifically for the apps, use our easy no-code UI.
- Done for you - there's no need for you to fiddle, drag-and-drop, or waste time trying to set the apps up. You just need to tell us any special requirements, add some key information, and our team handle all technical aspects of the app build including submissions to Google Play and the AppStore.
MobiLoud Pricing
We have two standard pricing tiers:
- Startup - For fast launching and validation: $170/month
- Growth - Perfect for more established businesses: $382/month
We also have custom, corporate plan for more demanding projects. Read more about our pricing here.
The difference between MobiLoud and Mobikul is clear.
While Mobikul may be appropriate for a hobby or side project, MobiLoud is geared toward thriving, successful eCommerce brands - allowing you to leverage everything you've already built for the web in the ideal native shopping UX.
Want to skip the rest and get your questions answered by one of our team?
Book a demo!
Now we've blown our own trumpet, here are a few other Mobikul alternatives that you're likely to see around the web.
Mobikul Alternative #2: Instappy
Instappy allows users to make custom Android and iOS apps, using a drag-and-drop interface and no coding - and offers some customization of pre-built eCommerce themes. For advanced eCommerce brands though, it's too limiting. It doesn't properly sync with your existing site or product categories, and products need to be added manually. It doesn't work with Shopify or other eCommerce CMSs. There is no way to meaningfully reuse or convert your existing site - which results in extra work and poor quality apps.
Instappy Pricing
Instappy has three plans:
- Gold - basic features - $49/mo
- Platinum - everything from Gold plus enhanced features - $130/mo
- Reseller - premium features, dedicated account manager, and training support - starts at $500/mo
The more costly the plan is, the more benefits you get.
Mobikul Alternative #3: Knowband
Knowband offers an app builder specifically for eCommerce stores, using plugins and modules developed for CMSes like Prestashop, Magento, and WooCommerce. Part of a series of plugins from Knowband, it promises an easy, no-code solution for small businesses. However, reviews highlight bugs, poor performance, and inadequate service. The platform, reliant on Flutter-based templates, is limited and will never be able to fully recreate the functionality of your web store.
Knowband Pricing
KnowBand does not offer subscriptions for their mobile app builder. Instead, they charge a one-time payment for a lifetime validity single app license. Their mobile app builder cost varies per eCommerce platform. For example, their WooCommerce mobile app builder costs $210 for a single app and platform license (+$30 for both Android and iOS platforms). The app builder includes advanced features and integrations and if you need extra support for a certain period of time, you can request for them as an add-on for an extra cost. Buying any of the eCommerce app builders also includes the app publishing taken care of by Knowband.
Mobikul Alternative #4: Mowico
Mowico is another app builder designed to help eCommerce brands create their own apps easily without any coding. It works well with Shopify and WooCommerce, and it's expected to support PrestaShop, BigCommerce, and Wix in the future. The platform offers integrations with Smile, Langify, and Judge.me, along with pre-set features like push notifications and AR shopping. However, there are limitations to keep in mind. As a block-based app builder, Mowico can create a basic eCommerce app with your products and logo, but it can't fully replicate the advanced features, design, and plugins of your web store. The "integration" with Shopify means it can only access specific data from your store. As a result, you'll be confined to their pre-built integrations, offering very little flexibility compared to MobiLoud.
Mowico Pricing
Mowico has three plans for each eCommerce platform. For Shopify, they have:
- Startup - basic features - $79/mo
- Growth - everything from Gold plus enhanced features - $399/mo
- 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.
Mobikul Alternative #5: Plobal Apps
Plobal is another app builder focused on Shopify. It has a straightforward design process and a lot of integrations. As with all such platforms though the problem is that you can re reuse all your features, themes and plugins from the web. You will be stuck with Plobal's pre-built integrations and modules, and if they don't have what you need, it's hard luck.
Plobal Apps Pricing
Plobal Apps has three plans:
- Growth - basic features with 4 standard integrations - $199/mo
- Essential - enhanced features with 7 standard integrations - $499/mo
- Enterprise - premium features and unlimited advanced integrations - starts at $1199/mo
The more costly the plan is, the more customizability and benefits you get.
Let's Build Your eCommerce Apps
We've looked at a few Mobikul alternatives, and given you some key information about each.
As we've seen, many of these tools share the same fatal flaws. On the one hand - their reliance on blocks, themes, templates, and pre-built widgets does allow you to build and launch (some kind of) eCommerce app fast, affordably and easily compared to custom development. On the other, this same reliance puts you and your brand in a straightjacket.
It means that you will only ever approximate your web store, and you'll be forever at the mercy of whatever pre-built features they have as well as whatever data they can fetch via API (which can change). The apps will be a branded shell with some of your data pulled in and not much more.
While this is OK for simple stores is basic and small product ranges and features, this will almost always be a deal breaker for serious eCommerce brands. You probably have a finely-tuned tech stack, along with all the plugins, third-party integrations, and custom features you need to drive sales and revenue optimally. To discard all this hard work for cookie-cutter apps with your logo on will rarely make strategic sense.
That's why, although we're biased of course, we believe MobiLoud is not only the best Mobikul alternative but a superior alternative to every eCommerce mobile app builder on the market.
The first key reason: we allow you to reuse everything from your site in the apps.
If it already works well on the mobile web, it'll be even better as iOS and Android apps. It makes no sense to ditch that winning formula and those painstakingly chosen tools just to compromise with restrictive templates. That's too much of downgrade from what you've already built, and with MobiLoud - unnecessary. Keep what already works.
The second core reason: it's so simple to manage MobiLoud apps.
Platforms like Mobikul will often add hours per week to your workflow with effectively a new CMS to manage. In contrast - MobiLoud apps sync in real time with your site. There's no need to manually add new product lines, update pricing, or worry about keeping the apps up to date. The apps will reflect changes and updates to your site instantly.
This goes for any core changes you make to your site too. You can switch out plugins, pull off a major rebrand, or build whatever custom functionality you choose. It doesn't matter what it is - it'll work straight out of the box in the apps, which can grow with your brand into the future.
On top of this, our team handle any ongoing updates and maintenance needed as part of our service, along with all fiddly aspects of the app build and bringing them live to Google Play and the AppStore. We work with you to ensure your apps are a success, and we're only ever an email or phone call away.
MobiLoud allows you to combine the best of the web with the best of native apps. It's a winning formula, check out the success these eCommerce brands have had:
Over 1000 other businesses have used MobiLoud to build winning apps - and you can too.
Unlike with Mobikul, there's no risk. We don't do long-term contracts and we'll refund you if you're unhappy with the apps. If you're like most of our eCommerce customers - the apps will pay for themselves almost immediately.
It all starts with a call with one of our app experts, where we go over your exact requirements for the apps and answer your questions.
