Looking for a Shoutem alternative?
In this article, we'll run through an overview of Shoutem, how it works, its pricing, and its pros and cons.
We'll follow that with the best Shoutem alternatives on the market, including our site-to-app platform MobiLoud.
What is Shoutem?
Shoutem is a no-code app builder platform that offers a drag-and-drop interface for creating mobile apps without coding skills.
It's aimed at the lower end of the market, providing a cost-effective solution for the most budget-conscious eCommerce store owners to create mobile apps for iOS and Android, though they also offer a more comprehensive, done-for-you solution now in Shoutem Pro.
Now let's take a look at Shoutem's pricing.
Shoutem Pricing
Shoutem offers 2 different pricing plans. There's the Builder Platform and Shoutem Pro - what are their differences?
Builder Platform: Build your app with the Shoutem builder. It has 3 pricing tiers:
- Android: $59/month
- Standard: $99/month
- Professional: $179/month
Shoutem Pro: Hire Shoutem experts to help you set up and design your app with the Shoutem builder. It has 3 pricing tiers:
- Essential Package: $1,499
- Premium Package: $2,499
- Growth Package: $699
The Android plan is the basic plan, exclusively an Android app publishing only plan which includes up to 1GB of cloud storage space and essential app features. The Standard plan includes everything in the basic plan, gives you up to 2GB of cloud storage space, and iOS app publishing support. If you want advanced features, integrations, and advanced extensions with up to 10GB of cloud storage space, then, the Professional plan is for you.
With Shoutem Pro, the Essential package is for you if you want Shoutem experts to design your app. The Premium package gets you more app designs and layouts and a dedicated account manager. Shoutem also offers the Growth package which is a plan which includes Growth experts who will provide app strategy and execution to ensure the best results for either app store.
Shoutem Pros & Cons
For a block-based app builder, Shoutem provides a decent toolkit for building simple apps. It has a series of customizable templates, widgets for different functionalities, several branding options, personalized layouts, and more.
As a templated-based app builder though, Shoutem suffers from the usual limitations. If you already have a site, and it has any degree of custom functionality or complexity - Shoutem will leave you disappointed. The reason is because you'll never be able to recreate your site in the apps. You won't be able to reuse your plugins, themes, or any third-party tools from your web store. This is because you'll be limited by whatever blocks, integrations, and Shopify API data Shoutem uses in their platform. At best, you'll end up with a weak imitation of your web store.
This might be OK for small, simple stores, but for serious eCommerce brands there are better options.
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 Shoutem alternatives, starting with our own site-to-app platform, MobiLoud.
Shoutem Alternative #1: MobiLoud
MobiLoud is our platform, which allows any website owner, regardless of CMS or tech stack, to convert their website into mobile apps.
Unlike Shoutem, or many of its alternatives, MobiLoud actually converts your site to an app. You'll retain all the same functionality, the same design, everything that makes you website successful and converts customers.
This allows far more flexibility and potential than is possible with a DIY app builder.
MobiLoud also provides full service for every user. Our team handles all the legwork to do with configuring and building your app. We publish it to the app stores for you (taking care of a notoriously difficult process, and guaranteeing approval), and we handle updates and maintenance after launch.
This takes a huge amount of work off your plate, while providing a higher-quality end result than you get with a templated tool like Shoutem.
MobiLoud Pricing
MobiLoud has two standard pricing tiers:
- 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
(save 15% on the subscription price with an annual subscription)
We also have custom, corporate plan for more demanding projects. Read more about our pricing here.
MobiLoud vs Shoutem
The difference between MobiLoud and Shoutem is clear.
Unlike Shoutem, MobiLoud can integrate everything from your site and blend it with a great native app UX. You can build professional, unique eCommerce apps in days that would be impossible to create with a block-based templated solution like Shoutem.
Shoutem lets you maintain a mobile app as a standalone platform, however. For example, if you only wanted to build an app, without converting an existing website, you can do this with Shoutem.
MobiLoud is not a fit for this. Our focus is converting existing, successful websites into mobile apps that connect better with your mobile users.
If you want to skip ahead and learn more about MobiLoud, just book a free demo now. Our app experts will walk you through the process, and how MobiLoud can help you reach your goals.
Read a more in-depth comparison between MobiLoud and Shoutem here.
Now we've blown our own trumpet, here are a few other Shoutem alternatives that you need to know about.
Shoutem Alternative #2: Apptile
Apptile is a user-friendly app builder platform that utilizes "tiles" or blocks, allowing users to build eCommerce apps for iOS and Android. With generally positive reviews, Apptile also offers a well-curated selection of integrations and features.
However, its block-based nature will make it difficult to go beyond a basic, "cookie cutter" app that doesn't match the complexity of your web store. Apptile integrates with ~15 of Shopify's key plugins, but with Shopify boasting thousands of plugins and tools, most will have to be abandoned.
Apptile Pricing
Apptile provides three plans:
- Core - basic features - free with a 5% success fee
- Plus - enhanced features - $600/month
- Enterprise - premium features - $1200/month
The more costly plans remove success fees and add advanced benefits.
Shoutem Alternative #3: Shopney
Shopney offers a drag-and-drop app builder for Shopify eCommerce stores, notable for its robust integrations, themes, and features. It serves well if you want a simple app that reflects your product catalogue.
Yet, as a template-based builder, it can't entirely convert your site into iOS and Android apps or fully incorporate your plugins, themes, and features. This will pose constraints for complex and unique businesses, as it requires your store to conform to their pre-set 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
Learn more: check out a full comparison between Shopney and MobiLoud.
Shoutem Alternative #4: Plobal Apps
Plobal Apps is yet another Shopify-focused app builder, providing a straightforward drag-and-drop interface for app creation. It's a decent system with lots of integrations but comes with restrictions. Notably, you can't use your web store's features, themes, and plugins again. As usual you're limited to their pre-built integrations, 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/month
- Essential - enhanced features with 7 standard integrations - $499/month
- Enterprise - premium features and unlimited advanced integrations - starts at $1199/month
The more costly the plan is, the more customizability and benefits you get.
Read more: check out a full breakdown of Plobal Apps and MobiLoud in this article.
Shoutem Alternative #5: Tapcart
Tapcart provides a specialized app building solution for Shopify, offering businesses the ability to create mobile apps without coding knowledge. Its features, such as push notifications and in-app messaging, cater to the needs of 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, and integrations - $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.
How App Builders Limit Your Potential
With a DIY app builder like Shoutem, you'll never be able to get your app quite the way you want it.
There's always going to be something that their blocks and templates don't allow you to do, in terms of design, functionality, or both.
This is particularly damaging if you're running an eCommerce store and want to launch an app that recreates the UX or your website. You'll find the app is a watered-down, Lite version of the website, which doesn't encourage users to download and shop on the app at all.
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.”
You really need the app to provide all the same core features that your website does. With the limited design options and integrations you get from something like Shoutem, this won't be possible without extensive custom development (which defeats the point).
On top of all that, it adds a lot of work to your plate. Not only do you need to compile, build and launch the app yourself, you'll also need to keep it up to date.
That can be a full-time job in itself, involving a lot of tinkering with the platform, and back-and-forths with the platform's support team.
It's more trouble and investment (when you consider time investment) than the price indicates - for a worse result.
How MobiLoud is Different
MobiLoud is a better option for serious businesses, who see their app as a big potential revenue source.
- With MobiLoud, you can keep everything that works on your website, including apps, integrations and custom features.
- You have very few limits to what's possible with your apps - anything you can do on your website you can do on your app as well.
- MobiLoud seamlessly syncs with your website, meaning you can continue to manage your website like normal, instead of tripling your workload when you launch apps.
- You don't need to worry about your apps developing bugs or going out of date, with our team there to provide running maintenance.
- You have the support of a team who know app development inside and out, to help you ship the perfect app for your business.
Ready to Build Your eCommerce Apps?
If you want to launch your own mobile apps, now is a great time to do it. Mobile commerce is exploding, and with your own app you'll be able to capture a slice of the growing pie.
Get in touch with us now to schedule a demo, and learn how MobiLoud can help you grow your business.
