It takes a lot of time and expertise to build mobile apps. With manual coding, app projects generally cost tens of thousands of dollars and take over 6 months to complete.
That’s why no-code app builders like MobiLoud and Andromo are so big today. They break down the barriers to mobile app development, allowing anyone to create apps, without any coding experience.
Not all no-code tools are built the same, however. MobiLoud and Andromo, in particular, are vastly different in how they work, their capabilities, and who they’re catered to.
We’re going to compare the two in this post, sharing the key differences and advantages of each. We’ll explain how Andromo is a cheap option, designed to let people build a lot of simple apps from scratch, while MobiLoud is a better option if you want to create a high-quality mobile app.
MobiLoud vs Andromo: Key Differences
As mentioned already, MobiLoud and Andromo are no-code app builders with vastly different scopes.
Both allow you to build mobile apps, without coding, which you can publish to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. However, the way you build an app with each tool is different, as is the ideal type of user for each.
Let’s look at how MobiLoud and Andromo work.
How MobiLoud Works
MobiLoud is designed for people who already have a functional website or web app, and want to convert it to high-quality mobile apps.
MobiLoud lets you convert any type of site to mobile apps - whether it’s built on WordPress, Shopify, or coded in a framework like React, Laravel, PHP, etc.
MobiLoud is extremely simple. It converts your mobile-optimized website to mobile apps, using technology called “webviews”. Webviews are essentially a dedicated browser for your website, encased in the shell of a mobile app.
What users see is a live version of your website, but with mobile app UI elements, such as navigation, menus, loading indicators, etc.
You can also utilize key mobile app features, such as push notifications, and publish your app to the app stores.
This is a simple process, which requires very little work to launch a functional and user-friendly mobile app, for both Android and iOS platforms.
Better yet, all the work is done for you. MobiLoud is a service, not just a tool. Our team of app experts does the heavy lifting to configure and build your apps, publish them to the app stores, and handle maintenance and updates afterwards. All you need to do is talk with us and test your apps to ensure they fit your vision.
How Andromo Works
While MobiLoud is made to create mobile apps for existing websites, Andromo is more for building apps from scratch.
Like many no-code tools, at the heart of Andromo is a drag-and-drop UI builder. This is what you use to create your app, piecing together what you want each screen of your app to look like.
You’ve got a range of components to choose from, such as content blocks, carousels, and different kinds of ads.
This allows a certain flexibility in being able to build your app UI from scratch. But it also limits you to the components and layouts the tool offers (as is the case with most of these types of app builders).
Andromo is geared towards freelancers who want to build a lot of simple apps, for clients like small local businesses for instance, who may only want or need something basic.
It's also a DIY platform - you do all the work yourself to build and publish you app through their dashboard.
MobiLoud vs Andromo Pricing
So how do the pricing structures of each of these tools differ?
There’s no denying that MobiLoud is clearly a more expensive tool than Andromo.
MobiLoud’s pricing starts at a few hundred dollars per month.
This is for one app, and provides ongoing maintenance and support for updates and changes you’d like to make in the future, and covers all the work we do to build, design and launch your app.
Andromo also works on a subscription basis. Plans range from $8 to $60 per month. Realistically, if you’re looking to build apps that make money, you’ll be looking at either the $36 or $60 tier.
Both these tiers let you create unlimited apps - while the two lower plans give 30 and 300 projects respectively. This clearly shows, as mentioned earlier, that Andromo is designed for people who want to build A LOT of simple apps.
As you can see, Andromo is a lot cheaper. Their highest tier is much cheaper than the lowest from MobiLoud, and provides unlimited apps, versus just the one.
However, understand that you get what you pay for. You’re paying for a much higher level of service from MobiLoud, and a less limiting platform, which is important if you intend your mobile apps to be a key driver of revenue in your business.
Reasons to Choose MobiLoud Over Andromo
In our view, MobiLoud is the best choice for building high-quality apps that are going to be a core part of your business going forward.
It’s more expensive, but if you’re building one app, and you have an established site or web app that’s making money, the extra cost from going with MobiLoud over Andromo is more than worth it.
Let’s look deeper into the reasons to use MobiLoud over Andromo.
Build higher-quality mobile apps
There’s a lot more you can do with MobiLoud than Andromo.
In a template and block-based app builder like Andromo, you’re always limited by what the platform allows. You’re generally going to be left with a cookie-cutter app that looks the same as thousands of others.
With MobiLoud, however, there are very few limits. Your apps are your website, essentially, so whatever you can build for the web, you can translate to your apps.
Andromo is clearly focused more on quantity than quality - and a brief look at their website will tell you that. MobiLoud’s value proposition is to allow you to build a single, high-quality app without the heavy lifting of manual app development.
Take all your existing features
When we talk about limits, it’s not just in terms of design flexibility. An app builder like Andromo only lets you utilize a limited feature set in your apps.
If you’ve got an existing site with certain features - such as plugins, third-party integrations, custom-built features, or themes - that you rely on, you’re probably going to need to drop them when you build your mobile app.
MobiLoud, however, lets you include all of this in your app. That’s what makes webview-style app builders so powerful. You don’t need to sacrifice any of the functionality that makes your website great.
Less work to launch
Andromo lets you build with zero code. But zero code doesn’t mean zero work.
You often underestimate the difficulty of creating apps with no-code app builders. Sure, you don’t need to write code, but you need to know how to design a UI that looks professional and not cheaply done.
That means you can easily spend much longer than anticipated fiddling with your app to try and get it right.
With MobiLoud, the process is so much easier. You’ve probably got a mobile-optimized website already. That’s the core of your app - you just need to configure a few small details.
You may be able to launch a high-quality app in just two weeks.
Less work to maintain
Not only is it quicker and easier to launch, it’s easier to maintain.
Another key benefit of the webview approach is that your apps are 100% synced with your website.
You make a change, publish new content to your site, your apps change with it. You don’t need to go and make changes on two different platforms every time.
It’s also super easy for WordPress-based sites to publish content and make tweaks to their apps, using our WordPress integration.
With Andromo, you don’t have this synchronicity. You’re maintaining multiple platforms, which adds a lot of work over time to your workflow.
They do have a WordPress feed feature, which lets you show a feed of your website’s blog posts in the app. But this is just a very basic integration, not at all a comprehensive way to keep your site and app in-sync.
Service & support from a team of professional app experts
The service element is another huge factor to consider.
Service is central to what MobiLoud does. We do all the heavy lifting involved in configuring and building your apps, converting your website to native mobile code, and adding all the extra native mobile features that you need.
We provide personalized phone and email support, with a team of experts who have been involved in building and launching thousands of successful apps.
This is invaluable - should anything go wrong, or should you run into any trouble (before or after launch), you know there’s always someone there ready and able to help.
The App Store submission process is done for you
Finally, MobiLoud handles the app store submission process, which is notoriously difficult to navigate.
The iOS app store, in particular, is known for being very stringent with their submission guidelines. Getting your app approved and published can take a lot of time and cause a lot of stress if you don’t have any experience.
Our team does have that experience. We put it to use to get a higher chance of approval for your apps. If the submission is denied, we make necessary adjustments to meet the store guidelines and eventually get your app approved.
When to Go With Andromo
While MobiLoud is the best choice for most serious app projects, there are some cases when it makes sense to choose an app builder like Andromo.
For one, if you’re building an app from scratch (not converting an existing website to an app), you’ll need to use a tool like Andromo.
You’ll also want to consider Andromo if you need something cheaper. Perhaps you don’t have much of a budget, or you’re just looking to do it as a hobby, rather than build a serious, revenue-generating app.
It’s also better suited for freelancers who intend to do client work and build multiple apps. Although, the quality of app you can build with Andromo is very limited, so at some point you would probably need to upgrade to another, more powerful app builder to be able to build better apps for your customers.
The Final Verdict on MobiLoud vs Andromo
Let’s sum up the key points of what we’ve discussed in this article.
MobiLoud is the best for:
- Converting an existing website or web app into mobile apps
- Building high-quality, revenue-generating apps
- Service and support
- Hands-on assistance in building, launching, publishing to the app stores, as well as maintaining your apps
- Launching fast, and syncing your apps with your website
Andromo is more suitable for:
- Building multiple apps, cheaply
- Creating apps from scratch
- Doing it all yourself - from building the apps to app store submission
How to Get Started With MobiLoud
There’s a clear and easy pathway to create your revenue-generating mobile apps with MobiLoud:
- First, book a personalized demo call. We’ll discuss your project, your needs, and what you want your app to accomplish
- Sign up and pass it on to our team to build the first version of your apps
- Test your apps on your own devices, and send us through any final change requests
- Wait, while we put together the finishing touches and submit your apps to the app stores
That’s it - it’s really that easy. You’ve got hands-on support the whole way, including after launch, where we support you in making sure your app stays up-to-date with new OS changes and any new features you would like to add.
Book a demo now to get the ball rolling. It takes just 2 weeks to go live and start experiencing the massive benefits of mobile apps.
