You can turn your website into a mobile app using three approaches: custom development (from EUR 15,000), a webview wrapper (from EUR 500 one-time), or an automated platform like Appo (from EUR 40/month). The right choice depends on your budget, timeline, and how much control you need.
If you have a website and you're considering turning it into a mobile app, you're in the right place. This guide breaks down every approach in detail -- real costs, timelines, advantages, and limitations -- so you can make an informed decision. No fluff, just data.
One number to start with: 73% of e-commerce traffic comes from mobile (Shopify CRO Benchmarks 2026), yet the average mobile conversion rate for online stores sits at just 0.99% (Mordor Intelligence). Having a native mobile app -- with push notifications, faster load times, and a dedicated user experience -- can make an enormous difference.
There are three main paths to getting your website onto the App Store and Google Play:
Each approach has specific pros and cons. There is no one-size-fits-all answer -- it depends on your situation. But in the majority of cases, especially for e-commerce stores and small-to-medium businesses, automated platforms offer the best balance of quality, cost, and speed.
Here is a side-by-side comparison:
The sections below analyse each approach in depth.
Custom development is the traditional path: you hire a freelance developer or an agency, define the requirements, and the team builds a native app from the ground up. This typically means one version for iOS (Swift) and one for Android (Kotlin), or a single codebase using a cross-platform framework like Flutter or React Native.
Costs vary widely depending on complexity, but for a functional e-commerce app, expect the following:
On top of the initial build cost, there is ongoing maintenance: updates for new iOS and Android versions, bug fixes, security patches. A realistic estimate is EUR 500 to EUR 2,000 per month, every month.
From requirements definition to app store launch, expect 3-6 months on average. Complex projects can stretch to 9-12 months.
Custom development is the right choice when:
For most e-commerce stores and websites, custom development is overkill. You'd be paying to build from scratch something that platforms like Appo can generate automatically in 48 hours -- with push notifications, order management, and full publishing support on both stores.
The webview approach (also known as a "wrapper") is the simplest from a technical standpoint. In essence, you create an app that contains a full-screen browser window which loads your website. The user opens the app, but they're essentially browsing the site.
There are several methods:
This is where things get tricky:
A wrapper is useful for:
It is not the right choice if you want an app that converts, builds loyalty, and grows your business.
Automated platforms represent the smart middle ground. They take your existing website and transform it into a real mobile app with genuine native features -- without you writing a single line of code.
Unlike a wrapper, these platforms don't just display your site inside a frame. They recreate the experience in a native (or semi-native) way, adding features such as:
The numbers speak clearly. Mobile apps convert 3x more than the mobile web (MobiLoud/Tapcart data). The mobile web cart abandonment rate sits between 80% and 85% (Baymard Institute), while on native apps it drops dramatically -- in some cases down to 20%.
In Italy alone, there are 91,000 active e-commerce stores (Netcomm/Cribis 2025). The vast majority don't have a mobile app. For anyone selling online, having an app is no longer a luxury: it's a concrete competitive advantage, especially considering that returning customers spend an average of 67% more (Venn Apps).
With platforms like Appo, costs start at EUR 40 per month. There are no upfront development fees. The app is automatically generated from your website, customised with your branding, and published on the App Store and Google Play. The timeline? An average of 48 hours from sign-up to publishing.
Maintenance is included: updates for new iOS and Android releases, compatibility, security. You don't have to manage any of it.
Automated platforms are the right choice for:
Here is a quick decision map. Find the description that best matches your situation:
The best choice is an automated platform. Your e-commerce site becomes a native app in 48 hours, with push notifications to recover abandoned carts, integrated order management, and full publishing support on both stores. With Appo, you start at EUR 40 per month with no setup costs.
This scenario covers the majority of cases: if you sell products online and want a mobile channel that converts, you don't need custom development.
If your project requires logic that doesn't exist on any platform -- a custom algorithm, a fully bespoke interface, complex integrations with internal systems -- then custom development is the way to go. Be prepared for an investment starting at EUR 15,000 and a timeline of at least 3-6 months.
If you're not sure your users would use an app, a webview wrapper lets you run a low-cost test (EUR 200-1,000). Keep the limitations in mind: no push notifications, risk of App Store rejection, suboptimal performance. But for validating a hypothesis, it can be enough.
If custom development is out of reach but you want a real app (not a wrapper), automated platforms are the answer. With Appo, the team handles the entire publishing process on both stores, so you don't need technical skills. For the App Store, you just need your own Apple Developer account ($99/year, required by Apple -- 5-minute guided setup). For Google Play, everything is included.
Time is often the deciding factor. Here are realistic timelines for each approach:
The typical journey:
Total: 15-30 weeks. And that's assuming everything goes smoothly, without major revisions or delays.
Much faster turnaround:
The bottleneck is almost always Apple's review process, which can require several attempts if the app gets rejected for the reasons mentioned above.
The process with platforms like Appo:
From start to publishing: an average of 48 hours. The store review process is handled by the platform.
Push notifications are arguably the most important mobile app feature for anyone selling online. They let you reach your customers directly on their phone, without relying on email (which has open rates of 15-20%) or social media (where organic reach keeps declining).
Here is how they work in each approach:
For an e-commerce store, push notifications for abandoned cart recovery can mean the difference between an 85% abandonment rate and a significant recovery in sales.
It depends on the approach. With automated platforms like Appo, prices start at EUR 40 per month with no development costs. A webview wrapper costs between EUR 200 and EUR 1,000 one-time. Custom development starts at EUR 15,000 and can exceed EUR 50,000 for complex projects, plus EUR 500-2,000 per month in ongoing maintenance.
With an automated platform like Appo, an average of 48 hours from sign-up to app store publishing. A webview wrapper requires 1-2 weeks. Custom development takes 3-6 months.
Yes, provided they comply with the App Store Review Guidelines. Apple requires that apps offer functionality beyond simply displaying a website -- which is why webview wrappers are often rejected. With Appo, publishing is managed by the internal team, who ensure the app meets all of Apple's requirements. For the App Store, you need your own Apple Developer account ($99/year, required by Apple -- the team guides you through setup). For Google Play, everything is included. The review process is handled by the team.
In principle, yes, but the best results come from responsive websites (already optimised for mobile) and e-commerce platforms like WooCommerce, Shopify, or Wix. If your website works well on mobile, turning it into an app is a natural next step. If the site isn't responsive, it's worth optimising it first.
A native (or semi-native) app runs directly on the device, with access to hardware features (push notifications, camera, GPS, biometrics) and optimal performance. A webview wrapper is essentially a disguised browser: it displays your website inside an app container, without accessing native features and with performance identical to the mobile site.
For custom development and webview wrappers, yes: you need an Apple Developer Account (EUR 99/year) and a Google Play Developer Account ($25 one-time). With some automated platforms, like Appo, publishing is handled directly by the team, so you don't need to worry about it.
Yes. When you update your website -- new products, new pages, price changes -- the changes are automatically reflected in the app. You don't need to re-publish the app on the stores every time. Technical updates (compatibility with new iOS and Android versions) are managed by the platform.
Design investment ranges from $5,000 for template-based layouts to $30,000+ for custom mobile commerce interfaces optimized for conversion. Budget Design App...
You'll get everything you need from a real mobile app while managing essentially one codebase. Anything you build or improve on your website shows up in the ...
The decision depends on three core questions.
Enter your website and discover how to turn it into a mobile app for iOS and Android.
