The 7 Best Mobile App Builders for Shopify Brands

Your brand should probably have a mobile app. An app puts your store on your customers' home screens, a tap away, and lets you reach them with push notifications that land on the lock screen instead of in a crowded inbox.

An app is a channel built around the customers most likely to buy again, and one you own outright, with no ad auction or algorithm deciding who sees your message. If you're serious about retention, getting more repeat sales and growing LTV, having your own app is a must.

And the good news is, you don't need a development team to build one. There are many high-quality mobile app builders that turn your Shopify store into iOS and Android apps, without the traditional cost and complexity of a mobile app build.

We've rounded up the best mobile app builders for Shopify brands for this article. Whether you're looking for an affordable DIY solution, or one that takes more of the work off your plate, we've got the right tool for the job below.

What are the best mobile app builders for Shopify?

The best mobile app builders for Shopify brands include MobiLoud, Tapcart, Shopney and Superfans (formerly Vajro).

These tools can work in slightly different ways. Some are traditional no-code app builders, which let you drag and drop elements onto a blank canvas to build your app. While others have a more custom approach, creating a bespoke app for your brand.

All of them produce native iOS and Android apps with push notifications, and all the basic features you need from a mobile app. And, crucially, all let you do so without having to build an in-house engineering team for the app.

Here's a quick summary of the options:

* Ratings are from the Shopify App Store, apart from MobiLoud's, which are taken from Capterra and G2 (as MobiLoud is not distributed on the Shopify App Store).

1. MobiLoud

MobiLoud transforms your existing website into native iOS and Android apps. The MobiLoud team designs and builds your app, submits it to the App Store and Google Play and keeps it maintained through OS and app store updates.

The key distinction between MobiLoud and other Shopify mobile app builders is that your app is not built separately from your site; it runs on top of your existing website, giving you a custom app powered by the same underlying code and features as your site.

Because of this, your checkout, loyalty program, reviews, subscriptions and other integrations work in it without being rebuilt. Changes you make to the website show up in the app automatically. And on top of everything your site does, MobiLoud builds a custom app interface, including any native features you need specifically in the app.

Pharmazone, a retail pharmacy on Shopify, launched its app in two weeks. According to MobiLoud's case study, the app now brings in 63% of its online revenue, and its abandoned cart notifications convert at 22%.

• Pricing: Growth $799 a month ($679 billed annually) with 5,000 monthly active users, Business $1,499 a month and custom Enterprise pricing, with no share of app revenue
• Ratings: 4.7 from 109 reviews on Capterra and 4.9 from 15 on G2
• Best for: brands that have invested in their website and want an app without rebuilding the store or managing the app themselves

MobiLoud is the company behind the Retention Edge. We think it's the best Shopify mobile app builder for growing brands; but feel free to review the rest of the list and decide which one fits your brand the best.

2. Tapcart

Tapcart is a Shopify app builder, with the classic DIY app builder approach. Your team designs the app in a drag-and-drop editor, App Studio, using blocks connected to your catalog. Newer additions include Tapcart AI and a personalized "For You" feed.

It comes with unlimited push notifications on every plan, and an AI add-on sends behavior-based notifications automatically. The Scale plan adds A/B testing and user segmentation. Tapcart connects with retention tools such as Klaviyo, Yotpo, Rebuy and Recharge.

Princess Polly, the Australian fashion brand, gets 28% of its total revenue from its Tapcart app, with a 27% higher conversion rate than its mobile website, according to Tapcart.

• Pricing: Growth $500 a month, Scale $1,250 a month and Enterprise+ $2,850 a month, plus $250 a month for the AI add-on
• Shopify App Store rating: 4.7 from 339 reviews
• Best for: Shopify brands with a marketing team that wants to design, test and target the app itself

3. Shopney

Shopney is a no-code app builder made for Shopify, with themes and a drag-and-drop editor for the app's screens. Every plan includes unlimited push notifications, back-in-stock alerts, app-exclusive discounts and products and a wishlist.

Higher plans add the features that do more for repeat purchases. Gold adds abandoned cart notifications, and Platinum adds segmented and AI-written push plus integrations with loyalty programs such as Smile.io, LoyaltyLion, Yotpo and Growave. Shopney takes no commission on app sales.

Touché generates a 12x higher mobile conversion rate with its Shopney app, according to Shopney's case study.

• Pricing: Silver $149, Gold $299, Platinum $599 and Enterprise from $1,299 a month billed monthly, or $119, $239, $499 and $999 billed yearly, with a 30-day free trial
• Shopify App Store rating: 5.0 from 771 reviews
• Best for: small and mid-sized Shopify stores that want a self-serve app at a low starting price

4. Superfans (formerly Vajro)

Superfans, the Shopify app builder previously called Vajro, builds apps around community and engagement as well as shopping. Design, launch and ongoing support are part of the plan.

Alongside segmented push notifications, it offers app-exclusive drops and early access, live selling and, in beta, daily streaks, games and a community feed. It connects with Smile, Yotpo, Okendo and Swym.

Vintage Boho Bags made half a million dollars in less than 90 minutes with its first mobile-only flash sale, according to Superfans.

• Pricing: a flat Unlimited plan of $1,000 a month for brands under $20 million in revenue and custom pricing above that, with no success fee
• Shopify App Store rating: 4.9 from 904 reviews
• Best for: Shopify brands with an engaged community that want drops, live selling and gamified features for a flat fee

5. Appbrew

Appbrew pairs a visual editor with Milo, an AI agent that drafts app screens and push notifications in your brand's voice. It's Shopify-only, and the Appbrew team handles App Store and Google Play submission.

Unlimited push covers welcome, abandoned cart, back-in-stock and order-shipped messages. Every plan includes app-exclusive offers and a wishlist, while the Pro plan adds AI personalization and A/B testing. Loyalty integrations include LoyaltyLion, Smile and Yotpo.

• Pricing: Starter from $199, Pro from $599 and Enterprise from $1,099 a month, with a 30-day trial and, according to its Shopify listing, additional charges based on app performance
• Shopify App Store rating: 5.0 from 76 reviews
• Best for: Shopify brands that want an AI agent to take on much of the app's day-to-day work at a lower starting price

6. Appmaker

Appmaker, now part of StarApps Studio, is a Shopify app builder with a drag-and-drop editor, Appmaker Studio, and full developer access for custom work. Its Eidolon AI can turn a screenshot or Figma file into an app design.

Push notifications can be automated or scheduled, with segmentation on the Enterprise plan. The app can personalize what shoppers see using Shopify tags and metafields, and it includes a reorder widget and integrations with Judge.me, Klaviyo and loyalty programs.

Pet care brand Supertails gets 67% of its total orders through its app and a 2x higher repeat rate than on the web, according to Appmaker.

• Pricing: Growth $999 a month plus 0.5% of in-app sales, and Enterprise from $2,000 a month plus 0.3%, with development fees extra
• Shopify App Store rating: 4.4 from 31 reviews
• Best for: larger Shopify brands with developers or an agency that want a heavily customized app

7. Plobal Apps

Plobal Apps is a drag-and-drop Shopify app builder with Code Blocks for adding your own HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Its free Starter plan charges a share of app sales instead of a monthly fee.

Push notifications can be targeted to customer segments, and the Essential plan adds abandoned browse campaigns. It also supports live selling and AI product recommendations, with integrations for Klaviyo, Yotpo and Recharge.

• Pricing: Starter free to install plus 3% of in-app sales, Growth $199, Essential $499 and Enterprise $1,199 a month plus 1% of in-app sales, with a 30-day trial on paid plans
• Shopify App Store rating: 4.8 from 148 reviews
• Best for: Shopify stores that want to start without a monthly fee and pay a share of app sales instead

The two ways to build a mobile app for your Shopify site

From all these vendors, there are two broad approaches with which they let you launch an app for your site.

Most are drag-and-drop builders: these let you compile an app on your own, through their dashboard, linking it up on the backend via Shopify's API to sync product details, orders and supported integrations on your site.

The other is a "website-powered app"; an app that's powered by the same code and features as your website, with a custom app interface and custom app features built on top of it.

Here's how they compare.

The drag-and-drop approach is the way no-code app builders have traditionally worked. It's a big advantage over custom native development (especially for ecommerce mobile apps, which do not have any major performance demands).

But this approach gives you a separate platform to maintain, in parallel to your website. This results in a moderately large amount of duplicate work, and the risk that your web and app experiences may drift apart.

The website-powered approach removes this risk, plus the overhead of managing a separate storefront, while still allowing you to put out a unique, custom app channel.

How much do Shopify mobile app builders cost?

Shopify mobile app builders can cost anywhere from $149 to $3K+ per month (not taking into account any share of in-app sales). The cost depends on the scale of business you expect to come through your app, the level of features you require, and any customizations beyond the app builder's standard feature set.

Here are the current price ranges for the app builders featured in our roundup:

Not all app builders charge a percentage of in-app sales. Those who do offer a trade-off of upfront cost for long-term fees. At $50,000 a month in app revenue, a 3% share is $1,500 a month, more than most of the entry plans above.

We'd typically recommend avoiding platforms that charge a percentage of what your app makes; but it's up to you to decide whether the trade-off looks worth it.

How do you choose a mobile app builder?

The best mobile app builder for your Shopify store is the one that works with your business, your store, and fits into how your team operates. Look for the one that limits your vision the least, and doesn't add too much unnecessary work to your plate.

A mobile app should be a significant channel for your brand, so don't rush the procurement process. Make sure you're going with a vendor who can produce the goods:

• Come with a plan for what you want from the app, and whether the app builder can support that vision (features, integrations, etc).
• Review what kind of support you get from the app builder; and how much work it's going to add to your team's plate.
• Make sure they have the track record to indicate they're able to build apps that drive revenue, for brands like yours.

By picking the right Shopify mobile app builder, you should be able to get a new channel for your brand with minimal risk and a clear path to ROI.

Final thoughts

Your Shopify brand should probably have an app. If you rely on repeat purchases and retention, an app is one of the best tools to deliver stronger results in both these areas, and grow your bottom line.

Today, you don't need a six-figure budget to get it done. Just one of the Shopify mobile app builders above, all of which can give you a great app for a reasonable cost.

There's no excuse anymore for not having your own app, and having your brand live on your best customers' home screens, next to Amazon, Instagram, and the other apps they open dozens of times each day.

Frequently asked questions

Can you build a Shopify mobile app for free?

Realistically, no, you can't build an app for your store for free. Some app builders may advertise free plans, but in reality it's either a preview (and you won't be able to actually publish your app), or a plan that charges a percentage of your sales (which is technically free, until people start buying things through your app).

What's the difference between a mobile app and a PWA?

A mobile app is installed from the App Store or Google Play, while a progressive web app (PWA) is a website that shoppers can add to their home screen from the browser.

PWAs on iPhone gained push notifications with iOS 16.4 in 2023, but only after the shopper adds the site to their home screen from Safari's share menu. An app also gets a listing in the App Store and Google Play that customers can find by searching.

Do app users buy more than mobile web shoppers?

App users usually convert at a higher rate than mobile web shoppers. Kiokii, a Canadian beauty brand on Shopify, sees more than twice the conversion rate in its app that it gets on its mobile website, according to MobiLoud's case study.

Part of that gap comes from who installs an app: they're often your most loyal customers already. Judge an app by whether it raises repeat purchases across your customer base, not only by its conversion rate. Our mobile ecommerce conversion rate benchmarks show what's typical on mobile web.

Do you need a developer to launch a mobile app?

You don't need a developer to launch an app with any of the tools in this guide. All of them either let you build through the app builder's dashboard (without coding), or come as a service which handles the build for you. You may be able to extend your app further with your own developers, but it's not a requirement at all.

How do you get customers to download your app?

Most brands get customers to download their app by promoting it to people who already buy from them, through email, SMS, the website and order confirmations.

A banner on the mobile site that links to the App Store, a first-order discount in the app and app-only products or early access give shoppers a reason to install it. Start with your repeat customers, who are the most likely to use it.