Nowadays having your own mobile app is a sign of competence, providing the capability to retain customers and increase their loyalty. Using your app, you can establish communication with your target audience via push notifications and in-app messages, as well as get many other business benefits.
Despite all the advantages, any mobile app has one significant drawback – its development cost. Independent software development is still a difficult process. In addition, such a product is more expensive than a website. However, there are tools allowing you to create a mobile app while spending little money. They are called mobile app builders.
In this article, we decided to take a closer look at the pros and cons of their use.
Mobile App Builder Benefits
To evaluate these programs, it is worth judging primarily from the potential user’s (the business owner’s) point of view. By doing so, you can focus on the following things.
1. No need for programming skills
App builders make the process of app development relatively simple. Instead of coding, the WYSIWYG approach is used in most cases. This means that each modification (adding a new piece of content or component) is shown in real time in the corresponding section while the app is previewed.
2. Budget savings
Using an app builder, the development process will cost significantly less than paying for the services provided by a professional developer. A mobile application made using an app builder can sometimes cost 40-80% less.
3. App development speed
Another advantage of using an app builder is the possibility to make the app in just a few hours. However, a full development process will take several days to complete, and a week or two to place it in the App Store or Google Play Store. A development team usually spends several weeks to several months completing this process.
4. Ready-made architecture
You will not have to think about element placement since app builders almost always provide a ready-made structure with examples, you just have to fill everything in. Depending on their experience, users can start from scratch or utilize ready-made templates for specific niches or app types.
5. Ease of support
The app building service used to develop the app also places the developed product in stores, as well as provides further support. You can turn on or off different kinds of additional features at any time you wish.
Thus, the main advantage here is that you can create the final product quickly, inexpensively, and possessing no programming skills.
Mobile App Builder Drawbacks
What are the negative aspects of these tools? These drawbacks are not so obvious when you’re making the decision to use them. Some of these negatives include the following.
1. Template Design
When using an online app builder to create a mobile app, you get a sample design which you cannot change. Sometimes, it is possible to partially change design, but in most cases, it is not.
2. No possibility to edit structure and code
The possibilities of changing the structure and code are limited by the template or features of a particular app builder. You will not be able to make significant modifications to this structure. The same applies to your app content. Service owners often limit these capabilities with subscription plans.
3. Bound to a particular platform
Very often, apps created using a particular app builder are tied to a proprietary platform forever. So, if you want to transfer your website to another platform, you simply will not be able to do it. Even if you manage to do it, using the help of developers, it will be a violation of the rules.
4. The product is yours but only partially
The service you used to make your app and manage its content can unilaterally, at their discretion, and at any time:
- prevent you from using your product;
- block or delete your user account;
- refuse to cooperate with you in the future.
5. Extension difficulties
Apps created using app builders do not possess fully-fledged capabilities to integrate third-party services, develop non-standard functions, etc. You can connect and implement only features offered on the platform.
6. Additional charges
Additional charges may apply for the degree of use of the mobile app. For example, if users started utilizing your mobile app more often, the number of internal queries to the online service, and data that needs to be stored, has increased. This can be an obstacle to the growth of your app.
When It Is Worth Using a Mobile App Builder, And When It Is Not
It is up to you which of the possible options for creating a mobile app to resort to. Of course, app builders allow you to make everything quickly and inexpensively, but if you plan to expand your app in the future, you will still end up needing to contract an app development service.
Therefore, if you are planning to start a project with prospects for further expansion, you should just get your mobile app developed from scratch. Our team can help you reach your objectives, and we are ready to advise you on all issues for free – just contact us.
However, you can make the choice in favor of mobile app builders as an option exclusively in the following cases:
- you want to create a simple product with minimal and well-defined functionality;
- you are not planning major modifications in the code and functionality in the future;
- the template design and architecture suits you well;
- you want to test a particular niche, and develop a more serious product afterward.
We hope this article was helpful to you and will assist you in making the right choice.
Flexibility, efficiency, and individual approach to each customer are the basic principles we are guided by in our work.
Our services
