Top 7 Mobile App Builders for Small Businesses in 2025

Small businesses need to meet customers where they are: which is, increasingly, on their phones, inside apps.

Whether you’re running an ecommerce brand, a local retail shop, a niche publisher, or a web-first SaaS tool, mobile apps are fast becoming an essential brand asset, for their impact on engagement, loyalty, and repeat revenue. 

But hiring an agency or building a custom app from scratch is expensive, slow, and resource-heavy - and lean teams simply can’t afford that.

Thankfully, there are modern tools that let you create a mobile app without writing a line of code or investing in a full development team. 

Some convert your existing site into a mobile app, others let you design an app from scratch with drag-and-drop interfaces. 

This article compares 7 leading platforms that cater to lean businesses across different industries, helping you choose the right option that offers the best long-term value.

Two Paths: Website-to-App vs No-Code Builders

There are two ways to create an app for your small business (assuming you’re already doing business through a mobile-optimized website).

Website-to-App Converters take your existing site and turn it into a native app. 

The app mirrors your site’s content and design, syncing updates automatically, and requires little ongoing maintenance.

No-Code App Builders let you create a mobile app from the ground up with a visual editor, and sync some or all of your website’s content with the mobile app.

With these tools, you manage the app separately from your website and invest time in designing every screen and user flow (or sometimes use pre-built templates to speed up time to launch).

Top Website-to-App Tools for Small Businesses

Including both website to app conversion services, no-code web to app tools, and “from scratch” no-code app builders, here are a range of options to consider to help you launch a mobile app for your business.

1. MobiLoud (Best for revenue-focused ecommerce, content and SaaS brands)

MobiLoud turns your existing website (whether it's built on WordPress, Shopify, BigCommerce, any other platform, or even a custom build) into a fully functional native iOS and Android app. 

Unlike DIY tools that offer limited templates and require you to re-create your site from scratch, MobiLoud fully replicates your site’s content, navigation, and features inside the app. 

Everything works out of the box, with no duplication of effort, because your app is powered directly by your website.

What truly sets MobiLoud apart is the service element. This is not a tool you’re left to figure out on your own. 

From day one, the MobiLoud team handles the entire process for you - from initial setup and app configuration, to rigorous QA and testing, to submitting your app to the App Stores. 

You'll work with a real team, not just a dashboard, and have access to hands-on support at every stage.

Once your app is live, we continue to partner with you. We help with your push notification strategy, analytics integration, performance optimization, and even marketing support. 

You can also take advantage of our Done-For-You push campaigns and launch assistance packages, to drive more ROI from your app, without taking on this workload yourself.

Why MobiLoud stands out:

• Fully managed service: real people handle everything for you.
• No rebuilding needed: your entire site design and functionality transfers to the app.
• Unlimited push notifications, store support, analytics, and marketing help.
• Works with any CMS or tech stack - nothing is lost in translation.
• A serious track record. We’ve worked with 2,000+ brands across multiple industries since 2013, to build high-powered, low-maintenance mobile apps. 

Pricing: From $350/month + one-time setup fee ($1,500)

Best for: DTC brands, high-traffic content sites, retail with proven online sales. Perfect for lean teams that want a high-quality mobile app fast, with no additional workload or technical complexity.

Ready to learn more about how MobiLoud can help you launch the perfect mobile app? Get a free preview of your app now - all you need is your site’s URL.

2. AppMySite (Most affordable DIY web to app tool)

AppMySite is a DIY-friendly website-to-app platform that lets you quickly convert a WordPress or WooCommerce site into a mobile app. 

It emphasizes speed and affordability, making it popular among freelancers, solopreneurs, and small websites.

The setup is straightforward: enter your website URL, connect your CMS, and AppMySite generates a mobile app shell that syncs with your site’s content. 

You can customize basic branding elements like your color scheme, logo, and navigation tabs. The app supports key ecommerce features like cart and checkout, user login, and push notifications. For non-ecommerce sites, blog and page syncing is supported.

Pros: Real-time sync, low-cost entry (~$49/month), Android/iOS support, push notifications

Cons: Limited design control, basic UX, feature gaps on lower plans

Best for: Small-scale ecommerce stores, personal blogs, side hustles wanting an app presence

3. GoodBarber (Flexible block-based builder with PWA & native support)

GoodBarber is a no-code app builder known for relative flexibility in design (while retaining a block-based no-code approach), and dual support for Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) and native apps. 

It’s split into two product tracks; one for content-based apps (like news, events, tourism) and one for shopping apps with built-in ecommerce features.

For content apps, GoodBarber offers modules for blog posts, videos, user-generated content, maps, and even community sections. For ecommerce apps, it includes a full product catalog, cart, user accounts, payment integrations (Stripe, PayPal), and features like promo banners, discount codes, and push notifications.

You can start with a PWA (a mobile web app) and later upgrade to native apps. GoodBarber also includes multilingual support, CMS functionality, and custom design options via a powerful theme editor.

Pros: Great design flexibility, built-in ecommerce modules, PWA + native

Cons: Higher cost for iOS support, moderate learning curve, no direct conversion for website to app

Best for: Content apps, boutique stores, tourism, events

4. Adalo (Custom UI and logic for web apps)

Adalo lets you build mobile apps from scratch using a visual interface. Unlike a website wrapper, Adalo is designed for teams looking to create apps with fully custom user interfaces and workflows. 

You can build multi-screen flows, use conditional logic, create user accounts, and connect to external databases via APIs.

It’s ideal for internal tools, customer portals, and small SaaS-style products. 

Adalo hosts your app, supports native builds, and allows real-time previews. It can be tricky if you have an existing website though, as maintaining a separate backend and frontend can become time-consuming for lean teams.

Best for: SaaS tools, internal portals, service apps

5. Thunkable (Advanced app logic, strong API use)

Thunkable is a powerful no-code platform that offers more advanced logic and integration capabilities than most visual builders. 

It’s known for letting users create apps with native device access, such as GPS, camera, sensors, and file uploads, as well as conditional logic, API requests, and real-time databases.

The editor is drag-and-drop but supports fairly complex workflows, making it great for more technical users or product teams building interactive tools.

This, too is a trickier option if you’re already selling through a website, as it’s not set up to convert and seamlessly integrate between web and app.

Best for: Tech-savvy builders creating unique utilities or workflows

6. Shoutem (Hybrid app builder with plugin-style extensibility)

Shoutem combines a drag-and-drop builder with a modular plugin ecosystem. 

It’s targeted towards content-driven and loyalty-based apps, such as those for retail, local businesses, and communities. 

You can integrate external content (WordPress, RSS), and Shoutem offers built-in modules for push, events, galleries, ecommerce catalogs, and social feeds.

Best for: Retailers, loyalty apps, niche communities

7. Glide (Spreadsheet-powered app builder)

Glide is best at transforming spreadsheets into mobile apps. 

It’s ideal for internal or back-office use cases, like inventory tracking, client management, or booking tools. The platform is built around Google Sheets or Airtable as the database, and it updates in real-time as the spreadsheet data changes.

Its simplicity is a strength - non-technical teams can ship utility apps quickly. But it’s not really designed for public-facing consumer apps or ecommerce.

Best for: Admin apps, client portals, back-office utilities

Further Reading: 9 Critical Mistakes Businesses Make When Using Web to App Tools

How to Choose the Right Web to App Platform For Your Small Business

The right tool depends, in large part, on the kind of business and use case in question. Here are some recommendations for different types of apps.

Ecommerce:

• MobiLoud: Ideal for established DTC brands looking to maximize retention and sales via push notifications and a seamless mobile experience that mirrors their existing store.
• AppMySite: A quick and low-cost way to get an app live, best for solo entrepreneurs or small shops on WooCommerce or WordPress.
• GoodBarber: An option for building an app from scratch, detached from your website.

Learn more: The 9 Best Shopify Mobile App Builders

Retail Stores:

• MobiLoud: Perfect for retailers with an existing website who want a native app to increase repeat business and loyalty.
• Shoutem: A good fit for local stores or franchises running loyalty programs and community-based campaigns.

News & Media:

• MobiLoud: Converts WordPress-based publications into feature-rich news apps with push notifications and full content sync.
• GoodBarber: Includes CMS tools and template modules that let you build an app-first publishing platform.

Web Apps:

• MobiLoud: Ideal if your web app already does what you want the mobile app to do (you just want to package it in a way that’s more convenient for users).
• Adalo: Great for building MVPs or user-specific apps from scratch, with strong database and logic capabilities.
• Thunkable: Ideal for building functional apps that require API integrations, device features, and conditional logic.
• Glide: Best for internal tools and dashboards that need fast setup, powered by spreadsheets like Google Sheets or Airtable.

By Stage:

• Early-Stage / Bootstrapped: AppMySite, Glide, and Adalo offer affordable, easy-to-use platforms to build and test app ideas quickly.
• Growth-Stage: MobiLoud, GoodBarber, and Shoutem serve growing brands that need professional apps to scale engagement and conversion.
• Strategic ROI Focus: MobiLoud is designed for businesses ready to treat mobile apps as a core growth and retention engine, supported by a hands-on team.

Read More: Best No-Code Tools to Turn Your Website Into a Mobile App

For 90% of Small Businesses, MobiLoud is the Best Choice

If you already have a solid website that drives sales or engagement, and you want a mobile app without creating a second tech stack to manage, MobiLoud is the smart move. It’s the only option in this list offering full service, real support, and a clear path to ROI.

Use MobiLoud when:

• You want to grow repeat revenue with push notifications
• You lack internal dev/design resources
• You don’t need significant changes from your mobile website
• You need native apps in <30 days
• You care more about outcomes than tinkering with blocks and templates
• You want to avoid managing two separate channels

With MobiLoud, your website powers your app. You get the full value of mobile apps - push engagement, app store visibility, loyalty growth - without the headaches and overhead.

Ready to see what your website would look like as an app? Get a free preview here, and find out!

Final Thoughts

There are more app builders than ever, but few fit the reality of lean small businesses. Many are cheap upfront but costly in time and lost opportunity. Others require dev skills or duplicate effort.

MobiLoud offers a premium but practical path forward: one platform, one team, one strategy - driving real results, such as higher conversion rates, higher AOV, and LTV growth. 

If you’re serious about retention, loyalty, and sustainable growth, it’s the best choice. Get a preview of your app now to start the process.