Appy Pie and Shoutem are two of the most popular platforms for businesses who want to build apps quickly for all sorts of use cases. They both let you arrange and build your app using pre-built DIY templates that you can edit, tweak, and customize.
But which is the best option for building your app? And are these app builders the best options on the market today?
We dive into these questions in the post ahead.
Appy Pie is a DIY tool that allows anyone to create a mobile app using an online app builder. You can customize and tweak it as much as you like. You can publish it to the App Stores and make updates through their interface, all without writing a single line of code.
There are a wide range of app templates available for you to use, such as:
You don't need to write any code, making it ideal for non-technical site owners who want to create a mobile app.
If you have an idea for an app, it's worth taking a look at Appy Pie to see if they offer a template for it.
The downside of template-based app builders are that they are less flexible and you will need to rely on their layouts rather than being able to customize every detail.
Appy Pie makes it easy to create an app with their app builder.
You’ll go through a series of drag and drop builders, text editors, and menu selectors until you’ve determined the apps design and style.
When you’re happy with the app it’s time to publish it. Appy Pie offers help with publishing to the app stores to their 'Platinum’ customers, but you can still publish your apps under your own account.
Once your app is live, Appy Pie offers a suite of features and tools for ongoing management. You can:
Overall, Appy Pie offers a solid range of features if you want to build an app yourself.
One of the most unique features that Appy Pie offers is their AR/VR app builder.
It taps into the device camera and can include features such as an AR Scanner and 3D Object Positioning. If you want to create a highly unique app with a feature not offered by many competing app builders, Appy Pie could be for you.On their website Appy Pie claim you can create an AR/VR app in 10 minutes for both Android and iOS.If you want to create the next Pokemon Go, this could be for you.
Appy Pie has four tiers of pricing.
Their most popular plan, Platinum, costs $60/mo.
None of Appy Pie's plans offer unlimited push notifications or app downloads. Any usage over the limits (the Platinum plan offers the highest limits for both) are charged at overage fees.
If you want to remove Appy Pie branding, an add-on package is required, which is double whichever subscription level you choose.
Here are some quick snippets taken from public customer reviews of Appy Pie.
Overall, most reviewers are happy with Appy Pie and what it offers. The downsides are what you would expect from a Do-It-Yourself software platform.
Please head over to Capterra to view the original reviews in full and many more.
There are several other app builders out there if you're looking to make your own app through a DIY platform. These include:
Let's take a look at Shoutem and see how it stacks up against Appy Pie.
Shoutem is a platform that provides tools and templates that allow non-coders to build their own apps using a drag-and-drop interface.
In Shoutem's App Designer you can select pre-built elements and arrange them as you see fit, customizing both the visual elements and app functionality.
This makes it easy to put a good looking app together, and you don't need any coding skills. Like Appy Pie, you can preview your app in real-time as you're building it.
Shoutem's app templates look modern, and the apps we tested seem to run quickly. You can create apps for eCommerce, content sites, loyalty apps, events, and more.
If you have a specific idea for an app that you want to test out, and are able to use one of their templates, Shoutem is worth looking at.
If you're an agency or freelancer building apps for your clients, then Shoutem is a great option.
They provide a fully whitelabel dashboard that you can provide to your clients that enables them to see and manage their mobile apps.Shoutem will also provide you with premium customer support, including a dedicated account manager.
The platform supports both Android and iOS, and has three tiers of pricing depending on your requirements.
On top of that, you can go for Shoutem Pro at a cost of $1499 or $2499, which gives you hands-on help setting up your app.
Here are some highlights from the reviews found on Shoutem's Clutch profile.
As we can see, Shoutem provides a solid app building solution that their users love.
There are several alternatives to Shoutem that target a similar market, allowing you to build apps based on pre-built templates.
If you’re interested in this type of app builder, here are five Shoutem competitors:
These app builders all provide a platform for you to design your own app, so if that's what you’re looking for they’re worth considering.
Both of these app builders offer a range of templates to help you quickly build a mobile app for a range of use cases.
They're both well liked by their customers and have affordable price plans if you're on a budget.
However, the drawbacks of app builders is their lack of flexibility ass you're building with pre-made templates, and will need to spend your own time on it.
If you don't want to build your app yourself with a drag-and-drop builder, then MobiLoud could be a better fit for you. Our team take care of building your custom app, publish your app to the App Stores, and take care of ongoing updates and maintenance.
MobiLoud comes at a higher price point than Appy Pie and Shoutem (starting at $299/mo), but with a number of advantages that pay off in time.
You save a huge amount of effort in building and maintaining your app, the hourly cost of which could make up for the difference in price by itself.
MobiLoud also lets you build a higher-quality app, free from the limitations of template-based app builders.
Read more about MobiLoud here.
The only thing to note is that MobiLoud is used for converting existing sites to mobile apps. If you want to build an app from scratch, you're better off with something like Appy Pie or Shoutem.