If your store runs on Broadleaf Commerce, you already know what matters: control, flexibility, and the ability to build exactly what your business needs.
You didn't pick an off-the-shelf solution. You chose Broadleaf because your requirements don't fit in a template.
But now you're thinking about mobile apps. And for good reason. Apps are one of the best ways to keep customers coming back.
Here's the problem: building a native app for a platform like Broadleaf is not exactly simple.
You've invested time and resources into a custom website experience. Your catalog, your integrations, everything is built to fit your exact needs.
Translating that into a mobile app usually means starting over. It means hiring developers or an agency, spending months (and a lot of money) rebuilding everything, and then managing two separate codebases going forward.
For most brands, that's a deal-breaker. The cost is too high. The timeline is too long. And the risk of ending up with something that doesn't match your site is very real.
But it doesn't have to work that way.
This article will walk you through why mobile app development is so challenging, and show you a faster, more practical approach to launch native iOS and Android apps without rebuilding everything from scratch.
The Challenge: Why Building a Native App Takes So Much Effort
The traditional path to building a native app can be expected to come with a six-figure price tag, and months (if not a year +) of effort.
Mobile app development just takes a long time. You're building another storefront, essentially, from scratch - in a completely new development framework.
This difficulty applies even to composable commerce platforms like Broadleaf Commerce. It's not a straightforward task to launch a mobile app version of your site. And it's even more difficult after launch, once it comes time to maintain your app.
Here's what happens when you go the traditional route and hire an agency to build native iOS and Android apps from scratch.
You Have to Rebuild Everything
When you launch a mobile app, you're basically rebuilding your store from the ground up.
Imagine how long you've spent piecing together and perfecting your site. Now imagine you're starting with a fresh codebase.
You'll be able to reuse some of what you've built in the backend. But the front end? That's all a full rebuild.
Worst of all - you're basically recreating what already works. Your mobile site is already great. It does 90% of what your mobile app does.
That's a six-figure rebuild to copy what already exists.
It Costs a Lot and Takes Forever
A custom native app for an ecommerce site with any degree of customization typically costs between $150,000 and $450,000. That's just to build it.
Once it's live, you'll need to budget another 15–20% per year (or more) to keep it updated, secure, and compatible with new iOS and Android versions.
Then there's the timeline. Building from scratch usually takes several months, sometimes more than a year if the scope is large.
In ecommerce, that's a lifetime. By the time your app launches, your priorities might have changed.
You End Up Managing Three Separate Codebases
This is the part that quietly kills momentum over time.
Once your apps are live, you're managing three platforms:
- Your website (React, Angular, or whatever you're using)
- Your iOS app (Swift)
- Your Android app (Kotlin or Java)
Every time you want to update something (launch a promotion, tweak a product page, adjust pricing rules), you have to do it three times.
That means coordinating with separate development teams, testing everything multiple times, and waiting for app store approvals just to make a simple change.
For a fast-moving brand, that friction adds up quickly. What should take a day now takes weeks.
You need a way to move faster without sacrificing quality or control.
The Solution: MobiLoud Is the Practical Way to Launch a Native App for Your Broadleaf Commerce Store
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MobiLoud is a fully managed service that turns your existing Broadleaf Commerce website into native mobile apps for iOS and Android.
We take your current mobile web frontend (whether you built it with React, Angular, Vue, or Thymeleaf) and integrate it into a native app shell. This includes everything your users expect from a mobile app: a tab bar, native navigation, splash screens, and push notifications.
But here's the key difference: your website powers everything. All the content, all the features, all the functionality comes directly from what you've already built.
You get the benefits of a native app powered entirely by your existing headless commerce platform.
Why This Works So Well for Brands Like Yours
Your Broadleaf site already has everything your customers need. Your pricing rules, your account workflows, your checkout flow. All of it is there and working.
The problem with traditional app development is that you have to build a second version of all that for iOS and Android.
With MobiLoud, you don't.
No duplicate work. Your B2B pricing, account permissions, and inventory rules just work in the app because the app uses your existing site.
Always up to date. When you update content on your site, it shows up in the app immediately. No waiting for App Store approvals for content changes.
Use what you already have. You don't need to build new APIs or maintain a separate set of features just for mobile.
While users love Broadleaf's power, they cite the steep learning curve and development effort as challenges. With MobiLoud, you get a practical mobile path without taking on a separate, from-scratch mobile build.
Why You Need a Mobile App in 2026
You might be thinking, "My mobile website works fine. Do I really need an app?"
This is a fair question. Here's the answer:
Mobile websites and native apps serve different purposes.
Your website is great for discovery and first-time purchases. People find you through Google, click an ad, browse around, maybe buy something.
A native app is built for what happens next: getting people to come back and buy again.
1. Higher Repeat Engagement and Conversions
The biggest difference between apps and mobile websites is how customers behave once they're already in your ecosystem.
Apps make it much easier to bring people back (especially with push notifications). Most brands see better conversion rates in their apps compared to mobile web.
2. Push Notifications
This is one of the biggest missed opportunities for ecommerce brands that don't have a mobile app.
Push notifications let you reach customers directly on their home screen without competing with a crowded inbox.
For B2B brands:
- Restock alerts: "Low stock on [Item X]. Tap to re-order instantly."
- Order updates: "Your bulk shipment of 500 units has shipped."
- Account status: "Your credit limit has been approved."
For B2C brands:
- Abandoned carts: Recover lost sales with a timely reminder.
- Flash sales: Send time-sensitive offers that get seen right away.
- New drops: "New collection live. Shop before it sells out."
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3. A Better, More Focused Experience
Mobile websites come with browser toolbars, tabs, and distractions that can pull users away from shopping.
A native app gives you a dedicated icon on the home screen and a focused environment where customers can shop without interruptions.
The Process: From Broadleaf to App Store in About 4 Weeks
Getting started with MobiLoud is straightforward and requires minimal effort from your team.
Step 1: Get a Free App Preview
Start with a free preview and walkthrough with a MobiLoud app expert.
We'll talk through your goals, show you what your app could look like, and go over what's needed to get your app live.
Step 2: Configuration & Build
Once you decide to move forward, we take care of the build for you.
No hiring developers, no trying to fit the app configuration into your to-do list. Our team takes care of every step, turning your mobile-optimized Broadleaf Commerce store into a full-featured mobile app.
Step 3: Testing & Polish
In 1-2 weeks, we'll have a version ready for you to test on your own devices.
Play around with the app and let us know anything that needs to be changed. At the same time, we run our own testing to ensure all edge cases have been tested for bugs and usability issues.
Step 4: Launch & Ongoing Support
When we get the go-ahead, we'll publish your app to the app store for you. We take care of the whole submission process, including back and forths with app store reviewers.
After launch, MobiLoud stays with you, taking care of maintenance, OS updates, and support for the native app. Your focus stays on the website; we take care of the rest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Broadleaf Commerce have a native mobile app?
Broadleaf Commerce provides APIs (the headless part) to build apps, but it doesn't come with a ready-to-launch native mobile app out of the box. You need to build the frontend yourself or hire an agency to do it using their APIs and SDKs.
Can I use my existing Broadleaf checkout?
Yes. MobiLoud uses your existing web checkout. This is important because it preserves your payment gateways, tax calculations, shipping rules, and fraud detection without any extra configuration.
Will my B2B custom pricing work?
Absolutely. Since the app displays your logged-in web experience, all customer-specific pricing, catalogs, and approval workflows work exactly as they do on your website.
What happens if I change my website theme?
Because the app syncs with your website, most theme changes will update in the app automatically. If you make major structural changes to your navigation, our team can update the app configuration to match.
Launch Your Broadleaf App With MobiLoud
With MobiLoud, you can turn your Broadleaf site into polished iOS and Android apps without a long rebuild or a second set of features to maintain.
Broadleaf gives you the flexibility to run your business the way you need to. MobiLoud helps you extend that same experience to a mobile app, keeps everything in sync with your website, and runs it as a fully managed service so your team can stay focused on the platform you already own.
Ready to get started? Get a free app preview of your Broadleaf site, or book a consultation to talk through your goals and rollout plan.
