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Want to build a mobile app for your ecommerce site?
In this guide, we’ll compare MobiLoud and Unbound Commerce – two solutions for turning an existing ecommerce site into iOS and Android apps, without making a huge investment in a fully native app.
We’ll break down how they compare and why MobiLoud is often the smarter, faster, and easier choice for ecommerce brands. MobiLoud is a solution to turn your website into a mobile app, with more than 2,000 customers, 200+ reviews (averaging 4.8/5), and supporting big-name customers like Bestseller, Vero Moda, Jack & Jones, John Varvatos and Estee Lauder.
We’ll look at cost, speed to launch, technical approach, and long-term upkeep so you can decide which platform is best for your business in 2025.
Bottom Line: Unbound Commerce uses a combination of Flutter and APIs to build an app that syncs with your website. MobiLoud directly converts your site into an app using a native shell; slightly less customizable, but more resilient and easier to maintain.
Unbound Commerce builds native apps from the ground up using Flutter, an advanced cross-platform framework.
Your ecommerce site connects to the app through APIs, and the user interface is built as a separate, custom-coded experience.
This allows for highly tailored designs and features, but it also means any changes or new functionality on your website need to be reimplemented or updated within the app. That adds complexity and creates a layer of maintenance work whenever you make site changes.
MobiLoud takes a different approach. Rather than rebuild your website, it packages your existing site inside native app shells for iOS and Android.
The app mirrors your website perfectly, with the addition of native navigation, push notifications, and other app-specific features.
Because the app is essentially your site in real time, any updates or new features you add to your website are instantly reflected in your app. No extra development work required. This makes MobiLoud far faster to launch and far easier to maintain.
Bottom Line: MobiLoud gives you a branded, fully functional app at a fraction of the cost and time of a custom build, with far less ongoing overhead.
Unbound Commerce follows a custom development model. Their team configures a custom app with Flutter, which connects with your site via APIs. The cost is a one-time build fee (not disclosed – but likely to be five-figures), plus an ongoing support cost of roughly $500/month.
The build process typically takes six to eight weeks, and every future update or site change often requires going back to their developers.
That means additional costs and slower turnaround times whenever you want to add new features or modify your store’s look and feel.
MobiLoud is built for speed and simplicity. With a low four-figure setup fee and tiered monthly plans starting at $299/month, you can go live in 4 weeks (and potentially less).
Since your app is powered directly by your website, you don’t need to duplicate content or development work. Any change you make to your site is instantly reflected in your app. This reduces both upfront and long-term costs, and lets your team move faster without depending on external developers.
For most ecommerce brands, speed, simplicity, and long-term upkeep matter more than custom code. Here’s why MobiLoud is often the smarter choice:
With MobiLoud, your app is powered directly by your website.
Every product you add, every content update, every new marketing tool is instantly reflected in your app.
There’s no need to duplicate your work or wait on developers to push changes. If it works on your site, it works in your app automatically.
Unbound Commerce relies heavily on custom code and APIs.
While flexible, this adds risk. APIs can break when your ecommerce platform or third-party tools update, leaving you with downtime or unexpected bugs.
MobiLoud’s approach is simpler and more reliable: your website remains the single source of truth, drastically reducing things that can go wrong.
Unbound Commerce’s custom development model can take six to eight weeks or longer.
MobiLoud, by contrast, can have your app live in as little as two to four weeks at a fraction of the cost.
That means you start seeing ROI sooner and avoid the high capital expense of a full custom build.
With Unbound, you’re essentially running two separate platforms – your website and their native app framework.
Every time you change something on your site, you need to ensure it’s replicated in the app. Often, that requires developer assistance, which can mean a backlog for getting new web features and updates put live in your apps (and in some cases, extra costs).
MobiLoud eliminates that friction. Manage your website as usual, and your app automatically stays up to date. You can iterate fast, without needing to wait for anyone else’s assistance.
MobiLoud isn’t a DIY builder or a simple software license. It’s a fully managed service that handles everything from the initial build and QA to store submissions and ongoing updates.
You also get strategic support on push notifications and app growth, so your team can focus on marketing and driving sales instead of dealing with technical app issues.
Bottom line: Unless you have highly unique requirements that demand a fully custom native app, MobiLoud is faster, more reliable, and significantly easier to maintain. It’s ideal for ecommerce teams focused on growth without additional operational burden.
If you absolutely need bespoke native (app-only) features, Unbound may make sense.
But for 95% of ecommerce brands looking for speed, reliability, and low maintenance, MobiLoud is the clear winner.
Both Unbound Commerce and MobiLoud can deliver high-quality ecommerce apps, but their approaches and long-term implications are very different.
Unbound Commerce offers deep customization and fully native code, but that comes with higher costs, slower timelines, and added complexity every time your website changes.
MobiLoud focuses on speed, simplicity, and low maintenance – delivering a branded, revenue-driving app in weeks while keeping it perfectly synced with your existing site.
You get all the basic native functionality you need (native navigation UI, a custom onboarding screen, and push notifications), and also a faster path to ROI.
For ecommerce brands looking to move fast and minimize operational overhead, MobiLoud is the clear, cost-effective choice.
Getting your ecommerce app live with MobiLoud is fast and straightforward:
Ready to see your store on the App Store and Google Play? Get your free preview, or book a consultation today and start turning mobile visitors into loyal, repeat customers.
