In this article, we'll give you a brief overview of Via Customers, how it works, and the pros and cons. We'll compare it to 5 different Via Customers 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 Via Customers?
Via Customers is best known for SMS based marketing tools, but it also has a mobile app builder for eCommerce businesses.
Via Customers Pricing
Via Mobile's app builder turns your Shopify store into a mobile app, with no code required. There is no pricing information found in their website.
Via Customers Pros & Cons
Via Customers have a good brand and technical expertise. The platform will create decent apps based on Shopify stores, quickly and without needing to handle any code.
On the other hand, Via Customers is a block-based, cookie-cutter app builder. You will only be able to create an imitation of your Shopify store, and have to make compromises on features and functionality. This is just the nature of relying on blocks and API calls. To build apps that exactly mirror your store, and allow you to reuse all your plugins, you need a different solution.
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 Via Customers alternatives, starting with our own site-to-app platform, MobiLoud.
Via Customers 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 Via Customers.
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 Via Customers 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 Via Customers is clear.
MobiLoud allows you to go way beyond the block-centric, limited apps you can build with Via Customers.
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Now we've blown our own trumpet, here are a few other Via Customers alternatives that you're likely to see around the web.
Via Customers Alternative #2: Tapcart
Tapcart is a user-friendly app builder for Shopify, enabling businesses to create mobile apps without coding or technical expertise. It is well-regarded among small and medium-sized eCommerce businesses seeking a straightforward mobile app development process.
Tapcart Pricing
Tapcart has three plans:
- Core - 15 blocks, basic features, and basic integrations - $200/mo
- Ultimate - unlimited blocks, advanced features, and integrations - $400/mo
- Enterprise - unlimited custom blocks, dedicated customer success manager, and premium integrations - $1K/mo
The more costly the plan is, the better app features and benefits you get.
Via Customers Alternative #3: Vajro
Vajro is a budget-friendly Shopify-focused drag-and-drop app builder, primarily catering to smaller eCommerce apps. Their platform relies on templates and drag-and-drop widgets to create branded apps linked to Shopify through API. However, due to the heavy reliance on templates, users will not be able to recreate their web stores accurately, even on higher-tier plans.
Vajro Pricing
Vajro has four plans:
- Starter - basic features and integrations - $99/mo
- Core - advanced features and integrations - $249/mo
- Premium - premium features and integrations - $499/mo
- Plus - premium features, integrations, and priority support - $999/mo
The more costly the plan is, the better app functionalities and benefits you get.
Via Customers Alternative #4: Shopney
As a straightforward app builder for Shopify eCommerce stores, Shopney is known for its solid integrations, themes, and features. It could be a suitable option if a simple app mirroring your site's product catalogue is your aim. But its template-based operation can't fully convert your site into iOS and Android apps or leverage all your existing plugins, themes, and features. For complex and unique businesses, this will be a drawback, forcing your store to fit their set templates.
Shopney Pricing
Shopney has four plans:
- Silver - basic features with flexible design - $99/mo
- Gold - basic features with flexible design with 20 elements - $199/mo
- Platinum - advanced features and unlimited design elements - $499/mo
- Enterprise - premium features and functionalities and a dedicated success manager - starting from $999/mo
Via Customers Alternative #5: appmaker.xyz
Appmaker.xyz is a reliable eCommerce app creator aimed at Shopify and WooCommerce brands, providing a variety of plugins and integrations. However, the cost is high and its dependency on blocks, templates, and widgets could be restrictive. Keep in mind, the customization offered can't fully copy your web store, a characteristic of platforms using prebuilt front ends and standardized APIs.
appmaker.xyz Pricing
Appmaker.xyz has two plans:
- Pro - custom integrations, app launch assistance, and enterprise support - $1K/mo
- Plus - everything in the Pro plan and additional premium blocks, dedicated customer success manager, and priority support - $2K/mo +1% success fee
The more costly the plan is, the better app features and benefits you get.
Let's Build Your eCommerce Apps
We've looked at a few Via Customers 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 Via Customers 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 Via Customers 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 Via Customers, 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.
