How to Convert Your Website into a WebView App (And Why It Works)

Imagine this: your website is thriving, driving traffic, and engaging users. Yet today, it’s not quite enough.

For businesses that thrive on retention (think ecommerce stores, online communities, digital publishers, SaaS apps), mobile apps have become an essential brand asset.

Apps drive higher engagement, they’re stickier, and the user experience is better for return users or customers (even if all you do is convert your existing website into an app).

The most efficient, and effective way to turn a website into a mobile app is with WebViews.

Modern WebViews deliver a result just as good as fully native apps 95% of the time, with massive savings in cost, time investment and overhead.

If you want to build and launch your own mobile app, with a minimum of fuss, keep reading and we’ll explain why WebView apps are the way to do it (and how).

What Is a WebView App?

A WebView app is a mobile application that runs your website inside a native app shell.

They are also known as wrapper apps, as the app functions as a native “wrapper” around your website.

With WebView/wrapper apps, the app displays a live, working version of a website embedded within the app. Users can interact with it the same way they do in the browser. However, the framework of the browser (e.g. the browser tabs, bookmarks) are removed, and the app often includes certain native features (like navigation UI and native push notifications) to give it the same look and feel as a true native app.

Many major brands and small businesses use WebView apps to expand their mobile presence quickly and affordably—even businesses as big as Amazon, Uber and Google utilize WebViews in some capacity.

Read more: Native Apps vs Webview Apps - What's the Best Choice for Your Business?

How to Convert Your Website into a WebView App (Step-by-Step Walkthrough)

Turning your website into a mobile app is easier than you might think. 

While you can hire developers to build a WebView app in-house, it’s much simpler and more straightforward with a service like MobiLoud.

Here’s how it works.

1. Kickoff & Setup

Start by entering a few details about your app and getting a free preview. This interactive preview will give you an idea of what the final product will look like.

You’ll also have the opportunity to get on a call and discuss any details about the app, share any special requirements, or ask any questions you have before proceeding.

2. App Configuration (MobiLoud)

Our team takes over and works to compile your WebView app. 

Our developers create native iOS and Android apps, with your website embedded as a WebView, and native features (such as push notifications) integrated.

All your website features will work in the app, guaranteed.

There’s no work for you to do here. Just sit back and wait!

3. Testing

In a short time, your app will be ready for testing.

We'll send you preview versions of your apps to test out for yourself, on your own devices. Click around, try out the features, and get a feel for how your customers will experience it.

Don't hold back on feedback at this stage. We want to hear what you love and what we can make even better.

4. Quality Assurance (MobiLoud)

The MobiLoud team does our own testing, from basics to tricky edge cases, technical details to usability testing.

We’ll make sure the app works smoothly on all devices, and fix any bugs or hiccups before moving on to the next stage.

5. Store Submission (MobiLoud)

We'll take care of submitting your app to both the Apple App Store and Google Play. 

We’ll help to create eye-catching screenshots, write optimized descriptions to help with discovery, and handle all the technical requirements that the stores ask for.

We manage the whole submission process, including any back-and-forth with the review teams. The app stores  are known to be stringent on WebView apps, but with our experience (over 2,000 apps launched), we know how to create apps that meet (and surpass) their requirements.

6. Final Optimization (MobiLoud)

We’ll proactively monitor your app’s status, and make any final adjustments if necessary, to ensure the final product is a high-quality app that reflects positively on your brand.

7. Launch & Growth

Generally within 4 weeks of kickoff, your WebView app will be ready to launch to your customers.

We’ll help coordinate the release with you, and set you up with a launch strategy with specific ideas on how to spread the word about your new app.

MobiLoud’s plans also include technical maintenance and app updates, so you don’t need to worry about the overhead of maintaining your apps once they’re live.

In-House WebView App Development

It’s also possible to build your app in-house, using your own development team (or freelance/contract developers).

Here’s a quick rundown of the steps required to build your own WebView app.

1. Create a Basic Native App – Develop an iOS app using Swift and an Android app using Kotlin.
2. Implement WebView to Load Your Website – Use Apple’s WKWebView for iOS and Android’s WebView component to display your site.
3. Enhance with Native Features – Add navigation menus, splash screens, and push notification integration to improve usability.
4. Ensure App Store Compliance – WebView apps must include native elements to meet Apple and Google Play requirements.

Of course, this requires technical expertise, someone to manage the project, and typically a higher cost.

You’ll also have to handle maintenance (which requires keeping app developers on staff, or on retainer). And poorly constructed WebView apps will fail to pass the app stores’ submission requirements (as well as providing a mediocre user experience).

Our advice?

Use MobiLoud, a managed service that has been there, developed that, and boiled the website to app process down to a science.

Ready to learn more? Get a free preview of your app now, and see what your website will look like as a mobile app.

Why WebView Apps Work: Benefits and Real-World Examples

Once upon a time, WebView apps were considered a low-quality alternative to fully native apps.

However, WebView technology has now caught up, and most WebView apps provide a user experience that’s virtually indistinguishable from true native apps.

They have everything you expect from a native app (native navigation, push notifications, a home screen icon), but with the advantages of:

• Lower cost and time investment to launch
• Lower maintenance load
• Full consistency with your website (logins, orders, product details, content are shared between the two)
• Only one codebase to manage
• Easier to make changes and update (any time you make a change to your website, your apps update automatically)

WebViews make mobile apps accessible (and risk-free) to small businesses that don’t have $100k+ to spend on a mobile app.

Yet they’re also advantageous to big companies that do have the budget, as WebViews let you move faster, with a much more streamlined workflow than maintaining several platforms independent of each other.

Comparison: WebView vs Native vs Hybrid vs Cross-Platform Apps

Let’s compare WebView apps to alternative ways to convert a website into an app, in terms of cost, time, performance, and more (and see why MobiLoud is just a better all-round solution for the vast majority of businesses).

WebView Apps (Website to App Services like MobiLoud)

• Development Time: Fastest (Can be built in days or weeks).
• Development Cost: Lowest (~$1,000 up front).
• Performance: Best for content-focused apps; modern WebView tech ensures smooth performance but requires an internet connection for most functionality.
• Maintainability: Easiest – Updates to the website automatically reflect in the app, minimizing maintenance.

Native Apps (iOS & Android)

• Development Time: Longest – Typically takes 6+ months.
• Development Cost: Highest – Can cost $20,000+ per platform.
• Performance: Best – Fully optimized for the platform, ideal for graphics-heavy apps or games.
• Maintainability: Complex – Separate codebases for iOS and Android require ongoing updates and maintenance.

Hybrid Apps (Cordova/Ionic)

• Development Time: Faster than native (a few months), as one codebase serves both platforms.
• Development Cost: Low to medium – Less expensive than native but requires some custom coding.
• Performance: Decent – Some lag may be noticeable compared to fully native apps, but suitable for most business apps.
• Maintainability: Requires some maintenance – You must manage both the app codebase and the website separately.

Cross-Platform Apps (React Native/Flutter)

• Development Time: Moderate – Typically takes a few months.
• Development Cost: Medium to high – Costs less than native but still requires a custom-built solution.
• Performance: Near-native – Uses native UI components and compiles to native code, making it a great choice for performance-heavy apps.
• Maintainability: Requires occasional platform-specific tweaks but shares ~90% of the code across iOS and Android.

For businesses that already have a mobile-friendly website, WebView apps offer the best balance between cost, time, and performance.

Learn more: Native, Web or Hybrid App: Which Is Right For You?

Case Studies: Successful WebView Apps

Here are some examples of major companies that utilize WebViews in their apps:

• Amazon uses WebViews for product pages, allowing real-time updates without manually updating the app every time.
• Parts of the Uber app load via WebView for consistency across platforms.
• Twitter Lite is a lightweight WebView-based app optimized for emerging markets.

There are also thousands of brands that we’ve helped launch high-quality WebView apps, including:

• Sleefs – A retail brand that saw 40% increase in conversions with a WebView-based app.
• Pharmazone – A pharmacy that launched an app and drove 15× higher revenue per user in the app vs mobile web.
• BoozeBud – An Australian liquor retailer that achieved 4x ARPU and 5x CLTV with their mobile app.
• TOBI – A boutique fashion brand that replaced their previous native app (which required a team of 6 to maintain) with an easy-to-manage WebView app (which has a 4.7/5 rating on the App Store across 2k+ reviews).

Check out more case studies of brands successfully launching WebView apps here – and book a free consultation if you want a closer look at what’s possible with WebViews. 

Final Thoughts: How to Turn Your Website Into an App (in Weeks, Without Spending $100k+)

WebView apps are a fast, cost-effective, and scalable way to turn your website into an app. They allow businesses to:

• Reach mobile users more effectively with an app store presence.
• Increase engagement and conversions through push notifications and a better user experience.
• Reduce maintenance costs by syncing directly with their website.

For most businesses, using a no-code solution like MobiLoud is the fastest way to get an app live with minimal effort. 

The only way you’d want to consider a different approach is if you envision your app having a markedly different user experience to the website, or your app is performance-intensive and needs the incremental performance gains of fully native code.

Whether you choose a platform or custom development, launching a WebView app can be a game-changer for your business.

If you want to learn more, get a free preview of your app, or get in touch with us for a free consultation and we’ll walk you through how you can have your own, high-quality mobile app live in the app stores in less than a month.