Dropsource and MobiLoud are two solid options for businesses looking to build an app. But how do they compare and what are the key differences?
In this post, we’ll explore these two solutions. We’ll look at how they work, who they are for and the key benefits of each. We’ll also take a look at the pricing and see what past customers have to say about each.
Ultimately we’ll see that Dropsource is right for you if:
On the other hand, MobiLoud is right for you if:
Dropsource is a mobile app development platform that uses a combination of visual app design and automated native code generation.
Dropsource eliminates the requirement for manual programming while still providing editable native source code.
The solution allows you to:
Using a drag-and-drop interface you start by defining your app’s design and UI by dragging elements on to canvas to define the style and layout.
Dropsource is a “bring your own backend” solution - so you need to connect your app to external data through an API and directly bind it to the UI. This allows your app to carry out operations involving existing data sources, user accounts, or services - and is why Dropsource is popular with businesses that already have significant data sets and systems that they want to leverage through native apps.
Next it’s time to add functionality to the user’s interaction and journey through the app, defining what will happen when specific actions are taken and how your app will process the data needed to deliver the best experience.
You can also add many native functions such as:
Click here to see a full list of UI elements and functionality supported by dropsource.You can integrate with many third parties too, such as:
Dropsource is quite versatile and you can use it to create a range of apps. Their users have created successful social networking, educational, news apps and more. Take a look here for some examples of apps created on Dropsource.
Dropsource allows you to iteratively test your app nicely.
You can create a fully functioning virtual simulation straight from the editor and share it with investors or your team at any point in the development process.
You can also send a working version to your mobile device. This is a great way to get valuable feedback and helps to streamline the development and testing process.
Once you’re happy with the first version of your app it’s time to:
You do this by:
Going forward you can continue to develop and improve the app - releasing future versions as often as you want.
In summary the platform gives you great tools to build, test, launch, and iterate on your mobile app yourself - without having to do any highly technical work.
That doesn’t mean it will be easy for anybody though, as Dropsource themselves say that the platform is best suited to “web and software developers”.
The Individual Developer pricing tier lets you build and test as many app ideas as you want, for as long as you want, for free. However, to deploy your app you must purchase a Source Code License for $999 per year.
To get developer assistance you buy an add-on for $1000 per month.
With the Enterprise Developer package, you get access to features like app versioning, encrypted offline storage, pre-built business system connectors, and MDM deployment.
Enterprise packages are priced according to individual spec and negotiated with dropsource.
It should be noted that all Source Code Licenses are billed annually and source code licenses are purchased per-app - so if you want to launch apps on both iOS and Android, you’ll need two licenses.
If you don’t renew your Source Code License, you’ll no longer be able to download updated source code to deploy new versions of your app - but existing apps will be unaffected.
There are several Dropsource alternatives that help users with a little development skill toward building an app - take a look and see if any could be a good fit for you.
Now we’ve thoroughly gone over Dropsource let’s move on and take a look at MobiLoud.
MobiLoud is for digital publishers, news organizations and professional bloggers who’ve already built an audience through their WordPress site.
Essentially, we take your existing site and convert it into a powerful native app, so your readers can enjoy your work on their iOS and Android devices.
You’ve already done all the hard work creating great content and building a successful site, so we believe there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. We let you take that winning formula and apply it through native channels - pleasing your readers and driving real results for your brand.
Unlike the various app builder platforms - we are a full service.
The process begins with a chat between you and one of our app experts - going over your vision, key requirements and addressing any questions you have.
Once everything is clear, we get to work on the build. Although we handle the build entirely for you and to your exact spec - you’ll have ample opportunity to add any customizations or features you want throughout the process.
Once the app is complete you’ll test and approve it, then we’ll publish it on Google Play and the App Store for you too.
Although this can be a sticking point for some app creators - your app will sail through as we have a vast experience publishing over 2,000 apps for our clients.
You’ll have an app you can be proud of - with features on a par with top publishers like the New York Times or the Huffington Post - having spent a fraction of the time and money you would building it yourself or through an agency.
Your life will be easier thanks to our deep integration with WordPress, and you don’t need to worry about any hassle maintaining your new channel.
All your existing plugins will work seamlessly in your new app and you can manage everything through your existing WordPress admin panel.
As far as publishing - all legacy content can be rapidly dropped into the app which will automatically update with anything new you publish to your site.
Of course we’ll never leave your side and our personalized support will quickly deal with any tweaks, updates or maintenance needed going forward.
When you work with MobiLoud you get a team of developers and app experts at your service to make your app a success; you can build an app with the website you already have, and there’s nothing new to learn.
Past clients love our apps and how we’ve helped them to:
As you can see, MobiLoud is designed for high-traffic WordPress sites and supports a number of mobile app specific advertising, engagement and analytics solutions - as well as other features to help you toward success.
MobiLoud operates on a tiered pricing system. Pricing starts at $299 per month, with an $850 setup fee, which covers all the work we do to configure, build, test and publish your app.
Different price plans include different features for higher traffic news apps such as:
Our price includes all development, configuration, publishing and maintenance.
For more detailed information about MobiLoud pricing click here.
Let’s move on and take a look at what customers have to say about each solution.
We looked through the 17 Dropsource reviews on Capterra to get a sense of what users think of Dropsource.
For comparison, we looked through 31 reviews on Capterra to see what users think of MobiLoud.
Building high performance apps that perfectly sync with existing WordPress operations is a key goal for our customers. We keep them happy by providing this exact solution.
There are fundamental differences in using Dropsource and MobiLoud to build a mobile app. They are clearly both great solutions but aimed at different use cases.
We hope this article has helped you to make an informed choice about what's right for you.
Here's what we discussed in a nutshell. If you have a hot idea for an app, you’ve some experience with development, and can see yourself making use of the Dropsource platform - it can be an excellent solution!
If you’re a digital publisher with a successful WordPress site, you can’t go wrong with MobiLoud. The support and service element you get with MobiLoud makes it essentially risk-free, as you're guaranteed a professional result that works, no matter whether or not you have the time or expertise to devote to the project.
Get in touch now for a demo call and we can get to work building something great.