Looking for an alternative to Kin, as a way to build a mobile app for your online store?
This article will give you everything you need to make an informed decision. We’ll break down what there is to know about the Kin platform, then introduce you to a few different options to consider, including our own site to app platform, MobiLoud.
What is Kin?
Kin is a new player in the eCommerce mobile app builder market.
Launched in 2023, Kin markets itself as a solution to turn online stores into mobile apps, with “complete functional parity”.
Many eCommerce app builders use a DIY, block and template-based approach to building your app. They give you a drag-and-drop builder which allows you to build and configure your app without writing code, and integrate the backend with your online store.
While not many details are available in regards to how Kin works, it appears that it takes a different approach. The site suggests that Kin apps are consistent with your website, with no duplication of effort, and that all the apps that work on your website will work in the app.
We love the sound of that, as that's exactly what we built MobiLoud for!
It’s only been around since 2023, a lot less compared to some of the alternative platforms on this list, which have been operating for 10+ years already.
This may make it tough for some stores to feel comfortable moving forward with them.
Best Kin Alternatives
Whether you’re confident in Kin’s ability to build the perfect mobile app for your store or not, it pays to survey other options on the market. Here are five Kin alternatives that are worth having a look at:
- MobiLoud
- Tapcart
- Plobal Apps
- Vajro
- Shopney
#1: MobiLoud
The top choice in our (albeit biased) opinion is our own platform, MobiLoud.
Battle-tested over 10 years, and over 2,000 successful apps launched, MobiLoud lets you convert any website into mobile apps. You can do so at a fraction of the cost of native development, and in a matter of days, not months.
You don’t need to rebuild anything, or rely on integrations or APIs to sync with your store. You get to leverage what you love about your mobile website, and all your tools and apps, and combine it with native mobile elements provided by our platform.
You get the same results you'd get from a custom app, but without the costs to build it and maintain it, avoiding any duplication of efforts to keep site and app up to date.
With MobiLoud, your app is fully synced with your website.
That means you just need to manage your website as you usually do, and your apps will stay fully up to date.
MobiLoud is also a full service platform. Our team handles the build, testing, publishing your apps to the app stores, and post-launch updates and maintenance. We also assist you with app marketing and push notifications, making sure your app is a success and you get a near-immediate ROI.
We’re not just an app builder, we’re more of an app development partner, helping you build and maintain an app that will have a positive impact on your business for years to come.
We’ve been in operation for over 10 years, and have a battle-hardened platform and process we use to help you launch the perfect app.
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Our approach doesn’t use APIs or templates, and doesn't limit you with blocks, letting you reuse everything that already works for you on your website inside your apps. We combine native app features with web elements you control directly from your website and Shopify.
Our Shopify app provides all the integrations you need for push notifications, analytics and more.
This gives you complete flexibility to use all the apps, theme, integrations and custom features from your site, and build a user experience that's on par with your website's.
And for the cost, it’s basically risk-free. You’ll have barely any work to do to maintain your app, and without that overhead, the monthly fee is negligible compared to what the app can deliver in additional sales.
If you want to learn more about our platform, see some examples of apps built with MobiLoud, and get all your questions answered, book a demo with one of our app experts now.
#2: Tapcart
Tapcart is considered to be one of the top block-based app builders for Shopify stores.
It’s well-reviewed, and generally seen to be one of the most stable options on the market, with few reports of bugs or serious issues.
The functionality you get with Tapcart is very good, and users report it to be very easy to use.
You will have some issues getting your Tapcart app if you want it to replicate everything your website does, your unique design and entire tech stack, and managing your app with Tapcart can be time-consuming, adding more overhead than with a platform like MobiLoud, because you'll have to manage your app and site separately.
Tapcart Pricing
Tapcart has three pricing tiers, which rise in price based on your annual revenue.
- Core: 15 blocks, basic features, and three basic integrations, starts at $200 per month
- Ultimate: unlimited blocks, advanced features, and six standard integrations, starts at $400 per month
- Enterprise: unlimited custom blocks, dedicated customer success manager, and premium integrations, starts at $1,000 per month
#3: Plobal Apps
Plobal Apps is up there with Tapcart as one of the more highly regarded Shopify app builders.
It works in much the same with, using blocks, templates and APIs to let you build an app without coding and link it to your Shopify store.
Plobal Apps Pricing
Plobal Apps has three pricing tiers.
- Growth: basic features with 4 standard integrations - $199 per month
- Essential: enhanced features with 7 standard integrations - $499 per month
- Enterprise: premium features and unlimited advanced integrations - starting at $1,199 per month, plus a 1% success fee on in-app sales
#4: Vajro
Vajro is a drag-and-drop app builder for Shopify stores, which can provide a more cost-effective option for smaller stores.
Through templates and drag-and-drop widgets, they develop branded apps integrated with Shopify using API. Integrations with platforms like Firebase, Tidio, and Klarna are available.
While the platform is stable and user-friendly, Vajro's will likely result in somewhat cookie-cutter eCommerce apps and will never be able to recreate your web stores features, functionality and plugins.
Vajro Pricing
Vajro offers four different pricing tiers:
- Starter: basic features and integrations - $99 per month
- Core: advanced features and integrations - $249 per month
- Premium: premium features and integrations - $499 per month
- Plus: premium features, integrations, and priority support - $999 per month
It’s worth noting that Vajro puts a limit on mobile app sales you can do at each tier. If you cross that limit, you’ll need to move up to a higher plan. If you’re on the Plus subscription and you cross the monthly sales threshold, you’ll be charged an additional monthly fee for every $100,000 mobile app sales.
#5: Shopney
Shopney is another block-based app builder that provides a more cost-effective alternative to Kin.
The features you get on lower plan levels are quite good, with abandoned cart notifications and product review integrations for just $199 per month.
However, the lower plans limit you to a certain number of design elements. And even with the design flexibility of their highest plan (starting at $999 per month), you’ll still find it’s more limiting than Kin or MobiLoud.
Shopney Pricing
Shopney has the following pricing options:
- Silver: basic features with flexible design - $99/month
- Gold: basic features with flexible design with 20 elements - $199/month
- Platinum: advanced features and unlimited design elements - $499/month
- Enterprise: premium features and functionalities and a dedicated success manager - starting from $999/month
Get a detailed comparison between Shopney and MobiLoud in this article.
Three Things to Look For in an eCommerce App Builder
App builders are generally a better option for eCommerce stores than investing in a fully custom app, as the price difference, as well as the lower time investment and overhead, is immense.
Yet there can be a big difference with one app builder platform to the next. We suggest you look at three key areas when comparing different tools (which will help you pick out the best Kin alternative for your needs).
Reliability
Most importantly, you need a platform that’s reliable.
When you launch an app, a decent share of your mobile users will hopefully move to the app, where you have the perfect opportunity to capture higher AOV and more return customers.
But that will only happen if the app is fast and bug-free. Downtime can cost you sales, not to mention the damage it will do to your reputation.
Flexibility
A big issue with app builders is the lack of flexibility, which is a tradeoff for lower cost and less time to launch.
Template-based app builders lock you into a generic, cookie-cutter app that doesn’t fully recreate your web user experience.
This is a big problem - you want to incentivize your users to download and shop in the app, but that will be hard to do if it’s not as good as your website.
David from Rainbow Shops had this very issue when trying out various app builders:
“The app needs to be at least as functional as the website. It doesn’t need to be better than the website, but the user experience can’t be worse.”
This lack of flexibility is hard to get around with a platform that relies on APIs to pull product information into your app.
Platform APIs let you do some basic things, but if you've done any custom work to build a great customer experience, you'll likely lose all that work if you build your app with an app builder. Rainbow is the perfect example.
They had a custom sort order that boosted conversion rates by 15%, but with their previous platform, they couldn't bring that same custom sort order into the app. The default sorting options were so basic, they lost significant revenue and ultimately lost customer trust through a frustrating in-app experience.
“The hybrid solutions on top of Shopify are just too limited. The Shopify API only enables certain things and all the major providers of hybrid apps for Shopify had limitations that the Shopify API would not let them get around.”
Your app can, and should, be the second most valuable revenue source for your brand, after your website. To do this, two things are non-negotiable:
a) getting your app experience on par and synchronized with your web experience;
b) having the freedom to make incremental changes that translate to a big boost in conversions and revenue.
Support
Finally, you need to consider the work you’ll have to do to build and maintain your app, and how much the platform you choose will be there to assist you.
Many DIY app builders take a lot of tinkering before you can get an app you’re happy to launch to the public.
Then there’s the work you need to do post-launch. A native app takes a full team to maintain. App builders are a little easier, but there’s still significant work involved. It can feel like a whole extra CMS you need to manage.
That’s what a lot of people don’t consider in the price of an app builder. It may be just a couple of hundred per month for the subscription, but how much of your time (or your team’s time) will be devoted to it?
That has a cost too.
Then what happens if you run into issues? Will the platform be there to help? Or will you be waiting for a reply to your support ticket for 1-2 days, all the while losing sales and giving a bad look to your customers?
Why MobiLoud is the Best App Builder for Your Store
MobiLoud is the best way for online stores to launch their app.
It satisfies all the most important conditions.
- It’s reliable - with thousands of successful apps launched, and countless case studies of happy users.
- It’s more flexible than any app builder - anything you can do on your website, you can do in the app as well.
- We have a higher level of service than any other platform. Our white-glove approach to service means you’ll never be out of your depth, or bogged down with work when it comes to building or maintaining your app.
For an eCommerce app, you don’t need anything drastically different than what’s on your website. You just need your web UX converted into Android and iOS apps, published in the app stores, with a couple of mobile features (such as push notifications) added on.
That’s what MobiLoud does - and it’s what we did for high revenue brands such as Rainbow Shops, SYN•DI•CATE, Bestseller and John Varvatos.
It’s the best mix of simplicity, flexibility, and affordability for launching an eCommerce app.
Get started now, or learn more about what we can do for you, by scheduling a demo today.
