Mag+ vs MobiLoud: Side-by-Side Comparison

MobiLoud and Mag+ are very different - find out how in this breakdown.

Mag+ vs MobiLoud

Mag+
Mag+ is a digital magazine publishing software, app and platform.
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MobiLoud
MobiLoud transforms your website into a mobile app, offering seamless integration with your stack and native app performance.
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Mag+ is good for...

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Are you a publisher with great content - either in magazines or blog articles - looking to bring your content to a mobile app?

In this post, we compare two leading mobile app solutions for publishers: Mag+ and MobiLoud. Both serve different publisher needs and use cases - read on to understand their key differences.

We’ll explore how each platform works, their main similarities and distinctions, pricing, customer feedback, and ultimately which is best for building your digital magazine, news, or content app.

Ultimately, Mag+ is right for you if:

  • You want to publish InDesign-based content through your own mobile apps
  • You have an edition-based publication

MobiLoud is right for you if:

  • You want your news website’s content to be immediately available in a native app
  • You already have an established WordPress website and want to extend it to a native app channel

Let’s start by looking at Mag+ and what it offers digital publishers.

What is Mag+?

Mag+ is a digital publishing platform that enables publishers to create and distribute digital editions via tablet and smartphone apps.

The New York Magazine App Created with Mag+
New York Magazine app - created with Mag+

Mag+ suits publishers using Adobe InDesign to create digital editions of magazines, catalogs, brochures, or other traditionally print media enhanced with digital features.

Key Features of Mag+

1. Use Your Own InDesign Creations

Mag+ centers on a plugin for Adobe InDesign. They describe their plugin as 'simple and easy to use'. This holds if you and your team are familiar with InDesign, which can have a learning curve for beginners. Experienced graphic designers will find Mag+ relatively straightforward.

The plugin enables you to enhance your existing print-like designs with interactivity and digital-only features.

You can add digital elements such as:

  • Hyperlinks
  • Slideshows
  • Audio and video
  • Scrollable content

Any HTML content can also be embedded, offering broad customization options. You can preview your designs live using the Mag+ Reviewer to see exactly how the end user will experience the content.

The plugin provides a comprehensive set of tools to enrich your publications and enhance reader engagement.

2. Organize Your Content into Editions and Issues

Once you finalize your digital designs, you move to Mag+'s Production Tool, where you upload your InDesign files and bundle them into issues for publishing.

If your publishing workflow is based on editions or issues, Mag+ facilitates digital publication efficiently.

3. Automatic App Creation

The final step uses the Publish Portal, where you build, manage, and distribute your apps on Google Play, iOS, and Kindle Fire stores.

You can customize the app’s appearance with images, colors, icons, navigation, manage subscriptions, and in-app purchases.

Mag+ integrates with advertising platforms such as AdMob/DFP and AdMarvel/AdColony, allowing static or video ads within the app and content.

Apps are built on Mag+ servers, often within minutes if no errors occur.

You handle app submission to the stores under your own developer account. Mag+ provides guidance but does not manage publishing for you.

Mag+ is ideal for edition-based digital publications rather than apps that display frequently updated website content. You design your content, build your branded app on Mag+’s portal, and distribute your editions to your audience’s mobile devices.

For edition-based content publishing, Mag+ offers a solid mobile publishing solution.

Mag+ Pricing

Mag+ offers two main pricing plans:

  • $499/mo for Multi
  • $699/mo for Multi-Pro

Both plans allow unlimited issue publishing on iOS, Android, and Kindle Fire within one branded app per platform. They support the Adobe InDesign plugin, HTML content, analytics, and in-app advertising.

Mag+ Customer Reviews

Reviews on Capterra and G2 Crowd highlight user experiences:

  • A graphic designer praised Mag+ for providing full creative control, flexible distribution methods, secure delivery, Remote Design Review, audio/video support, and embedded HTML features.
  • Users with InDesign experience found Mag+ easy to use and suited for their workflow.
  • The interface is described as understandable and straightforward, especially for Adobe users.
  • Some mention the pricing reflects the feature set and ease of use.
  • A finance industry reviewer noted the variety of design tools and app creation features.
  • New users may require time to familiarize themselves with features like updating and saving.

Mag+ Alternatives

What is MobiLoud?

MobiLoud is a tailored solution for WordPress-based digital publishers to create custom native apps for iOS and Android. It serves digital news publishers, large news organizations, and bloggers who want to complement their established web presence with a mobile app.

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The Simple Flying mobile app, built with MobiLoud

MobiLoud is a done-for-you service: development, publishing, ongoing maintenance, and updates are handled by the MobiLoud team. This lets you focus on creating content.

It fully integrates with WordPress, repackaging your existing content into a custom app that syncs automatically with your website.

Your app stays up to date with your website content without extra workflow changes.

You also get personalized, ongoing support to assist with any updates or maintenance.

Key Benefits of MobiLoud

1. Personalized, Done-For-You Service

The process starts with a consultation to understand your requirements. MobiLoud builds your app, incorporating your existing website functionality and WordPress plugins, so you retain your current user experience.

You can preview the app before launch, then MobiLoud handles publishing it on the app stores.

2. Advertising, Subscriptions, and Push Notification Support

MobiLoud supports multiple mobile ad platforms for monetization, including Facebook Audience Network, Admob, Google DFP, and Mopub, with banners, full-screen, and native ads.

You can sell subscriptions for extra content or ad-free experiences, enhancing retention and revenue.

Push notifications help engage your readers on iOS and Android, either automatically when new content posts or through manual sends.

Push Notifications
Send engaging push notifications on iOS and Android to keep readers engaged

Your app integrates with OneSignal for sending and scheduling push notifications from one dashboard.

3. Automatically Updates With Your Latest Content

A key difference between Mag+ and MobiLoud is content publishing.

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Your app will update in real time with your website

Mag+ publishes content in editions you select.

MobiLoud keeps your app updated live with your WordPress site. Whenever you post new content, the app updates automatically, making it well suited for frequent publishing.

With MobiLoud, you gain a powerful mobile channel that can drive:

  • More engaged mobile readers and higher pageviews
  • Increased ad revenue
  • Increased subscription revenue
  • Stronger brand presence

You manage the app through your WordPress dashboard, with 24/7 support from MobiLoud for any updates or maintenance.

MobiLoud offers a low-hassle, effective custom app solution for established digital publishers.

MobiLoud Pricing

MobiLoud has a tiered pricing structure, including features supporting higher traffic news apps such as:

  • Monetization through subscriptions and in-app ads
  • Integration with third-party SDKs for advertising and analytics
  • CDN and caching
  • Support for higher or unlimited traffic
  • Priority support for launch, promotion, and monetization

Pricing includes all development, configuration, publishing, and maintenance. Current plans are:

  • Startup: $299/month + $850 setup fee
  • Growth: $549/month + $1,500 setup fee
  • Corporate: Custom pricing

For more details, visit here.

Now, let's see what customers say about each platform.

MobiLoud Customer Reviews

  • One user noted their app became their company’s top advertising revenue source, highlighting support responsiveness and effective use of Adsense.
  • An agency reviewer appreciated the simplicity: “You only need to create your WordPress responsive site. After that, MobiLoud takes care of the rest. In just a few days, your app works on iOS and Android.”
  • Some users experienced minor setup issues, which were resolved promptly by customer support.
  • A consultancy praised the minimal effort to create an app from WordPress and the support during app store submission.
  • A vice president of client services summarized: “MobiLoud was about getting content out of WordPress into a native, branded app. Managing it through the WordPress Admin Panel sealed the deal. The team works tirelessly to ensure satisfaction.”

More reviews are available here.

Recap - MobiLoud vs Mag+

Both MobiLoud and Mag+ help publishers create mobile apps for iOS and Android, but they serve different publisher types and workflows.

Is Mag+ Right for You?

If you already use InDesign to create editions and want to showcase those editions on mobile, Mag+ is a suitable solution.

You can use your existing Adobe InDesign layouts and templates to create visually appealing mobile editions.

Mag+ is best suited for those familiar with InDesign and publishing edition-based content.

Is MobiLoud Right for You?

MobiLoud fits publishers who want an app that stays continuously updated with their website content.

With MobiLoud, you get a team of developers and app specialists handling the build, publishing, and ongoing maintenance. You build your app from your existing WordPress site without adding to your workflow.

You get a powerful app with features comparable to major publishers, at a fraction of traditional development costs. MobiLoud offers a comprehensive feature set, including advertising, subscriptions, push notifications, and customization.

Unlike Mag+, MobiLoud is a done-for-you service: everything from configuration to publishing and maintenance is managed for you. The team tests your app thoroughly and submits it to both app stores on your behalf.

Wrapping Up

We hope this article clarifies the key differences between Mag+ and MobiLoud. If you publish InDesign-based digital editions, explore Mag+.

If you run a successful WordPress site and want to give your readers a rich native experience while growing your brand, schedule a demo with one of our experts today.

See how your site performs as a real mobile app. Get a free preview built by our team at app.mobiloud.com, or book a demo with an expert to explore how MobiLoud can boost your retention and sales.

Get weekly insights on retention and growth.

Convert your website into a mobile app

Launch custom mobile apps for iOS and Android that update automatically from your site and support all your features. No extra workflows and no technical work.
Jack & Jones logo.Bestseller's logo.John Varvatos logo.