The extensive use of mobile applications by all age groups has forced businesses to take their first step towards app development. Building an app generates steady revenue and embarks a straight road towards your targeted audience.
You just have to put extra effort into making the application engaging and ensure it offers the best user experience. This will eventually popularize your app and steadily build a chain of loyal customers.
However, the outcome will only look amazing when the base structures are error-proof. Developing an application is an endless questionnaire of choosing between the best of best. Undoubtedly, one of them is the platform you want to get designed.
Online app development Vs. Custom app development
Adhering to our reader’s demands, this article will offer you an answer to whether choose an online app builder or go for custom app development for creating your application. The extensive use of mobile applications by all age groups has forced businesses to take their first step towards app development. Building an app generates steady revenue and embarks a straight road towards your targeted audience.
You just have to put extra effort into making the application engaging and ensure it offers the best user experience. This will eventually popularize your app and steadily build a chain of loyal customers.
However, the outcome will only look amazing when the base structures are error-proof. Developing an application is an endless questionnaire of choosing between the best of best. Undoubtedly, one of them is the platform you want to get designed.
Adhering to our reader’s demands, this article will offer you an answer to whether choose an online app builder or go for custom app development for creating your application.
What is Online App Builder?
Online app-building platforms offer the easiest way to develop a fully functional mobile application. These works on a drag-and-drop basis where you can integrate any functionality without needing prior coding knowledge.
Small businesses that are just starting and want to experiment with their audience reach can go for app builders. These are incredibly inexpensive and allow you to integrate all basic functionalities.
Besides, launching an application requires days of extensive research, which helps decide the functionalities that can be integrated into the platform. This delays the development process and can take months to complete the application.
However, using an online app builder significantly reduces app development time. It already contains multiple pre-set templates that are neatly placed according to the industry type. You can easily select the application’s functionalities, depending upon cost and estimated audience interaction.
There are majorly two types of online app builders-
No-code:
As the name suggests, these platforms do not require any extensive coding, and you can quickly develop an application using the drag-and-drop functionality. However, this does not offer an excellent customization experience; you have to use the pre-set template to create an application.
Low-code:
It is an extended version of no-code app development platforms, where you can both use the provided templates and integrate additional functionality through coding.
Advantages of Online App Builder
1. No coding required
One of the most incredible benefits an app builder offers is the relief from coding. Before this, people have to depend on professional coders to build an application, which was costly and took a lot of time to complete. However, using app builders is easy, and even people with no technical background can easily build a mobile application.
2. Can develop an application for multiple platforms
Online app builders are compatible with producing an application that can efficiently run on all platforms regardless of the operating system or mobile devices. You can also create both native and hybrid apps, which will help your brand reach a vast audience. The platform also offers testing facilities to look for bugs that can disrupt the application’s performance and ruin the customer experience.
3. Inexpensive
On Average, mobile app development can cost you anywhere between $30k- $700k, depending on the complexity of its functionalities. However, this cost gets reduced when you choose a mobile app builder. These platforms offer pre-set templates according to respective industries ‘ needs.
You can easily build an application without worrying about the research phase, which usually takes the most time and effort. Developing an application using online app builders is much cheaper than any other form.
4. Strong future support
Mobile builder platforms offer you a room full of highly functional features to choose from and provide a robust support system. So, you can easily integrate or cut out any functionality without worrying about the application’s performance in the future.
Disadvantages of Online app builder
1. Lack of customization
Online app builders work on a streamlined structure that is primarily non-customizable. They offer a pre-set guideline that the users are forced to follow. This might not cause difficulty while building a basic application unless you plan to upgrade.
If your application blows up, then there will be a significant need to integrate advanced functionalities to ensure the proper functioning of such a platform. However, the lack of customization stops the creativity process and will be extremely difficult to upgrade. Although, low-code app builders can sustain edits if you know its decretive language.
2. No legal authority
Developing an application using online app builders might seem similar to creating a user account on a platform, where both do not offer you any legal authority. Your application is unintentionally dependent on your mobile app builder. So, if one day they decided to close down or delete your account, then your application would be gone. This is currently the most concerning limitation you should have in mind while selecting an online app builder.
3. No personal touch
Application build on mobile builder apps follows the same templates as all other infinite platforms, making it impossible for your idea to stand out. The functionalities offered on these platforms are minimal. Your mobile app will surely fade away in front of thousands of user-centric platforms without continuous upgrades.
4. Additional charges
Interactive App builders provide you with a platform that can make a fully functional mobile application on a budget. But as your app grows, there will be a need to continuously upgrade to a higher plan to boost your application’s performance. With every feature that you will want to integrate, there would be a considerable charge that has to be paid every month.
What is Custom App Development?
Established brands mostly go for custom app development, where they have maximum freedom to develop an application. In contrast to an online app developer, you don’t have to stick to a particular template and offer a personalized user experience. Custom app development is a tailor-made software where all the elements are made from scratch. You will have to take help from professional developers to ensure there are no loopholes.
Tailor-made apps are developed after a rigorous research process about the market, target audience behavior, and competitors. All the functionalities included in the app give it a unique touch and enhances the chance for users to like it. Also, as an app owner, the developer transfers the rights of the actual code under your proprietary. So, you don’t have to worry about the application’s authority and are free to do whatever you want.
Advantages of Custom App development
1. Easily scalable
Mobile app builders are suitable for small businesses who are still exploring the digital world and only need an application that is simple and basic. However, if you plan to develop an app for the long term, then custom app development can be your priority. These apps can easily accommodate complex functionalities without paying for them every month.
2. Easily accessible data
Running an application requires efficient maintenance of all the required data shared with multiple high-profile professionals. This process is highly time-consuming and ineffective for a bigger organization.
However, building a customized application gives you a choice to automate workflow. This will direct the platform to collect the required information and reduce your work burden. These advanced functionalities are extremely rare to find if you are creating your application using online app builders.
3. Provides higher security
Developing an application through mobile app builders might seem affordable, but you keep your platform at a higher security risk. These builders might or might not offer you a reliable security system, keeping your application vulnerable to cyber-attacks. In custom app development, you build an application from scratch, integrating the best security features to ensure there are no loopholes. You can also integrate a high-end backup facility to safeguard important app information in case of any data loss.
4. Offer complete control
Custom app development facilitates you with extreme authority over your application. In contrast, online app builders are fixed structures that seem fun until you are not bored. Customizing your application is minimum or nil on such a platform. So, when you create an application on your terms, you are free to bring changes and upgrade its interface with time.
Disadvantages of Custom App development
1. Expensive
Compared with online app builders, developing an application from scratch can cost you a ton. Custom app development can be an excellent choice for people who want to integrate advanced functionalities into their platform. You inherit many costs in the development phase and maintain your application’s performance.
2. No prior coding knowledge can be dangerous
Custom app development forces you to either appoint a developer or consult an application development company, where both have higher knowledge and experience than you in the field. Here is where the problem starts. An absolute beginner in this industry might not have enough skills to evaluate the developer’s performance. You have to believe whatever they say, and when a crisis comes, it becomes challenging for you to handle such havoc.
3. Time-consuming
To build an efficient, customized application, you must perform rigorous research to support your app idea and look for unique functionalities that can be integrated. After this part is over, you will also have to look for the right person responsible for specific jobs. This entire process can take months to complete, and if you are a solopreneur, handling such jobs will require both time and energy.
4. Regular maintenance required
Custom applications are individually built where you do not have any robust support system. Additionally, every mobile app requires constant nurturing to ensure its proper functioning. This can be burdensome for people who are juggling with other tasks.
What to choose: Online App Builder or Custom App Development
1. What is the goal of your application?
While choosing between these platforms, you must keep your application’s goal in mind. Online app builders are best for small businesses that are still experimenting and want to build an application to analyze audience feedback. These platforms are not effective if your app blows up.
On the contrary, custom application development provides you with an open canvas where you can easily upgrade and experiment with your content. This will be the best option if you’re looking to build an application for a more extended period.
2. On what platform do you wish to build this application?
At this stage, you need to decide on which platform do you want to build this application. Custom app development allows you to build mobile apps on all platforms, whether native or hybrid.
Although mobile app builders claim to provide the same, many users have found uncertainty while running their applications. They have complained that their mobile app cannot operate on both iOS and Android simultaneously.
3. Do you want to integrate advanced functionality or get a no-coding experience?
Building an application through an online app builder will help you create an iOS/Android app without any required coding knowledge. You just have to use the drag-and-drop functionality to assemble all the app features. These platforms have pre-defined templates bifurcated on industry needs and cannot integrate additional features.
However, if you use the custom app development methodology, you can integrate advanced features and give a personalized look to your application. This requires you to decide whether to go for a platform that is easily accessible or develop an application that can offer a personalized touch to the audience.
4. What value are you providing to your users?
You are creating an application mainly to get a competitor’s advantage and develop a strong relationship with your audience. However, when you choose app builder platforms, these are made of specific pre-defined structures that thousands of other applications have already been using.
With custom app development, you integrate top-notch functionalities and provide a secure channel for your visitors. This brings uniqueness to your brand, and customers are more likely to remember your application.
Online App Builder vs. Custom Development: What’s right for you?
Both online app builders and custom app development platforms specialize in their respective fields. However, your job is to analyze what’s best for your business and ensure that you don’t regret your decision. ON AIR App Builder do help you with creating app in 3 simple steps. Start Now!
