Looking for a reliable and powerful app-building website to launch your app idea? You’ve come to the right place.
In my career, I’ve recommended my favorite app-making websites to 1000s of individuals, businesses, and organizations over the last decade. I’ve also run a website, NoCode.Tech, where I review no-code app makers and tools.
It goes without saying, then, that I know a thing or two about app-making websites!
In this article, I’ll talk you through the 7 best app-making websites I know and help you choose the right one.
The Top 7 App-Making Websites
- Adalo, the best overall app-making website.
- Softr, the easiest-to-use app-making website.
- Bubble, the most powerful app-making website.
- Appy Pie, the cheapest Android app-making website.
- GoodBarber, the easiest app-making website for local businesses.
- Glide, the best app-making website for big businesses.
- Builder.ai, if you don’t actually want to make your app yourself.
What Is an App-Making Website?
An app-making (or app-building) website is exactly what it sounds like, a website that has all the tools and features you need to build your very own app. You don’t need to download any plugins or software packages - you’ll be able to build your own app directly on the website.
Anyone who can operate a computer can use an app-making website to create their very own unique app. The app-making websites on my list do not require any programming, coding, or technical knowledge.
How Do App-Making Websites Work?
After you land on an app-making website, you can immediately sign up and start building your app. Each app-building website I’ve picked features a drag-and-drop interface that allows you to build your app by dragging pictures and buttons onto a template you chose.
When you finish building your app, the website will run it for you. While most app-making websites don’t let you keep your app’s code, you don’t have to worry about publishing or hosting your app.
What Kind of Apps Can You Make?
App-making websites can make two different types of apps: Web Apps and Mobile Apps.
- Web Apps, which are apps that you access through your web browser, like Chrome, Safari, or Firefox. Usually, you’ll have to sign in to get the app’s full features. Gmail, Zillow, and Facebook are all examples of web apps.
These apps can also be optimized for search engines, which can get them in front of greater audiences.
- Mobile Apps, which are apps that you download directly to your device from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. They appear as icons on your device’s screen and harness the full processing power of your device, making them faster than web apps.
Mobile apps can also use your device’s hardware, such as your camera, GPS, and microphone.
Here are just a few example apps (either web or mobile) you can build yourself using an app-making website:
- A social media app for wine lovers.
- An ordering and takeout app for your restaurant.
- An app for a nail salon.
- A maintenance-scheduling app for an electrician company.
- A property management app for tenants and landlords.
- An app that allows your employees to clock in and out.
What I Looked For When Choosing My List Of App-Making Websites
- Actually No-Code: Some app-making websites claim you need zero coding knowledge to use their site to build an app, but once you sign up, they hit you with phrases like “define parameters.”
An app-making website that expects you to have some technical knowledge will seriously slow down and dishearten the average non-techie. I ensured that each app I selected requires zero coding skills, is super user-friendly, and will satisfy even the most stubborn technophobe.
- Offers a Free Version or Free Trial: After reading my insights, I suggest you try out the app makers (more than one) that interest you most. Doing this will give you first-hand experience using each interface, and you’ll get an idea of how each app maker feels before you commit.
- Ease of Use: You want to build your app now, so I picked app builders that are intuitive enough to let you do so. After you sign up with the app builder you pick, you can start building your app right out of the box.
I Also Considered The Following
- Big Template Library: With enough templates to choose from for building your app, you should be able to design an app that fits your needs and tastes.
- Strong Support Ecosystem: No matter how simple building your app is, you’ll most likely encounter a few problems. The app makers I selected all have extensive support communities made up of seasoned users who can help you through any issues that may arise.
- Trendy In Appearance: The app-making websites on my list all provide design features, templates, and colors that will enable you to create a sleek, professional-looking app. Your app’s users will enjoy the eye-catching interface, and your app won’t look like it was invented in 1992.
#1 The Best Overall App-Making Website
Adalo
What is it?
Adalo is a complete no-code app-making website that lets you create mobile apps and web apps to your exact liking.
Why do I like it?
Easy to use right out of the box, Adalo is an app-making website that has tons of functionality and makes that functionality accessible to non-technical people. When you use Adalo, you get a very powerful app maker that doesn’t sacrifice ease of use.
Who is it best for?
Small businesses and entrepreneurs who have never built an app before and want a powerful app maker that they can start using right out of the box.
Pricing
Adalo’s pricing starts at $36/month.
Features
- After you finish building your app, you can publish it in the Apple App Store or Google Play store, making it easy for people to download your app.
- Adalo provides lots of helpful tutorials, which is great for people who’ve never made apps before.
- Use Adalo’s AI feature, Magic Start, to help organize your database’s structure and fields by entering a simple prompt.
#2 The Easiest-To-Use App-Making Website
Softr
What is it?
Softr, the easiest-to-use app-making website on my list, uses a Lego-style app maker that lets you drag and drop premade blocks to build your app.
Why do I like it?
Because of its simplicity, Softr is a solid choice for people who have never used an app-making website before. While it doesn’t have as many features as many of the other app-making websites on my list, it’s the most user-friendly option.
Who is it best for?
If you want a simple app-making website and don’t care too much about advanced functionality, Softr is your best bet.
Pricing
Softr’s most basic version starts at $49/month. But if you are building an app like a social network that members need to log in to, you’ll need to pay $139/month.
Features
- Use Softr’s AI App Generator to build your user interface in seconds. Just give it a 200-word prompt, and the tool will choose a template, layout, and text boxes unique to your app idea.
#3 The Most Powerful App-Making Website
Bubble
What is it?
Bubble is a very powerful app-making website that you can use to build almost any app idea that comes to mind - but the tradeoff is that Bubble’s power comes with a steep learning curve.
Why do I like it?
Bubble has been around for over a decade, so it’s an app-making website that’s stood the test of time. People have used Bubble to build millions of apps, so there’s really nothing it can’t do. I like to recommend Bubble to folks who can’t make their unique idea work on any other platform.
Who is it best for?
If you know a little bit about how computers work, have some experience using drag-and-drop interfaces, and have time to learn all the ins and outs, Bubble might be a great fit for you.
Pricing
Bubble’s basic version comes in at $29/month. But if you want to unleash Bubble’s true app-making potential, you’ll have to pay $119/month.
Features
- If you really want to learn Bubble, you can enroll in one of their free Bootcamps. You’ll learn all the skills you need to unlock Bubble’s incredibly vast potential.
- Bubble offers a huge number of 3rd party plugins available on their plugin marketplace, like Feather Icons for adding customizable icons to your app. You’ll be able to use plugins that will bolster your app’s capabilities by simply dragging and dropping them into your app.
#4 The Cheapest Android App-Making Website
Appy Pie
What is it?
Appy Pie is an easy-to-use app-making website that you can use to make basic apps fast (and if you’re an Android user, it’s cheap).
Why do I like it?
When you’re building your app, you can see, in real time, how each new feature and design will appear on a mobile screen. This makes it very easy to experiment with different design ideas without spending too much time.
Who is it best for?
If you’re an Android user and on a budget, then Appy Pie is the best choice for you. The pricing plan for Android users, $16/month per app, makes Appy Pie the least expensive app-making website on my list.
You can also publish your app in The Google Play Store with the $16/month plan.
Pricing
If you're an iOS user, Appy Pie is rather expensive, coming in at $60/month. Android users can pay only $35/month per app and get premium features like augmented reality, messenger, and more. I only recommend that Android users choose Appy Pie.
Features
- If you’re building an app for a medical business, Appy Pie is a slam dunk - it’s HIPAA-certified.
#5 The Easiest App-Making Website for Local Businesses
GoodBarber
What is it?
GoodBarber is an app-making website that caters directly to online stores and local businesses that need to build an app to sell their product.
Why do I like it?
GoodBarber lets you add features to bolster your online store. You’ll be able to add on online delivery services, inventory management, and new product lineups with ease. There isn’t much flexibility or ability to make your app look super unique - But GoodBarber can do what you need it to do.
Who is it best for?
Store owners - both online and brick-and-mortar - will benefit from GoodBarber. While you won’t be able to build a super eye-catching or unique app, you can build out functions allowing you to sell your products and services directly through your app.
Pricing
If you want to sell your content - exclusive videos, newsletters, and more, you’ll need to pay $30/month. But if you’re selling goods, GoodBarber will cost you $40/month.
Be aware that certain extensions, like In-App Purchases and Push notifications, can cost an extra $5/month each.
Features
- The least expensive pricing option offers up to 5 free extensions, so if your app only needs a few functions, GoodBarber might be suitable for you.
- Although free extensions are limited, GoodBarber offers some that are very useful for online stores, like integrations to payment platforms like Stripe and Square.
#6 The Best App-Making Website for Businesses
Glide
What is it?
Glide is an app-making website that allows businesses to create eye-catching apps geared towards executing operational tasks.
Why do I like it?
While you will have to get over a bit of a learning curve, Glide’s responsive drag-and-drop interface will give people with no design experience the power to make gorgeous and professional-looking apps. Glide apps just look good out of the box.
Glide also offers one of the largest template libraries out of all the app-making websites on my list.
Who is it best for?
I always recommend that medium-sized businesses and above (at least 50 employees) should choose Glide. If you’re building a public web app for anyone, though, then Glide is not a fit for you.
Pricing
If you want to build out one app, you’ll need to pay $49/month. For $99/month, you can build out an unlimited amount of apps.
Features
- Glide offers a powerful AI feature that will supercharge your app. It can help you summarize documents, describe pictures, or extract pricing information from receipts -all handy features for business apps.
- Glide’s apps are automatically made into web apps and mobile apps, but Glide apps can’t be published on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
#7 An App-Making Website That Builds for You
Builder.ai
What is it?
Builder is not an app-making website in the way that others on this list are; rather, it lets you pick a template and start adding features and components. Then, Builder turns your “app blueprint” over to its design team, which builds your app.
Why do I like it?
Builder is the middle ground between building your own app and hiring developers - which is expensive. So, if you want to lay the simple foundations of your app but feel like you can’t completely commit to the building process, choose Builder.
The best part: you can keep the source code.
Who is it best for?
If you don’t want to spend time developing your app but you do have an idea of how you want your app to look and function, you can’t go wrong with Builder. And, if you want to hold onto your app’s code for future development, Builder is a great option.
Pricing
Builder is by far the most expensive app-making website on my list. Starting at $200/month that you have to pay in advance for 2 years of service - which comes to at least $4,800. But keep in mind hiring a developer to do all the work for you will cost much more than $4,800.
If you want them to design customized features and more, you’ll have to contact Builder directly for a quote.
Features
- After Builder delivers your app, they don’t just cut you loose - you’ll get support, aftercare, and app updates for at least 2 years.
- If you want a unique, bespoke feature or customization that you can’t find anywhere, Builder’s technical team can code it out for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is There a Free App-Making Website?
Yes, all the app-making websites on my list have free versions or free trial periods. These are great ways to get familiar with how its app maker feels to you. But, to leverage all the major features, you’ll have to select a paid version. That being said, Adalo has the most generous free plan.
What Is the Best App-Making Website?
The app-making website I always recommend to entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized businesses is Adalo. It’s relatively cheap and easy to use, and you get a lot of power when it comes to building out your app’s features.
What is the Cheapest App-Making Website
If you’re building an Android app, AppyPie is the cheapest, coming in at an uber-affordable $16/month. But AppyPie lacks some of the design power you get from an app-making website like Adalo.
If you’re using iOS, GoodBarber and Adalo offer the cheapest options. While GoodBarber starts at $30/month, you only get 5 free integrations, and you need to pay $5 per from your 6th integration on. This can get quite expensive.
For $36/month, Adalo is one of the best options for Apple and Android users because you get great features like your own custom domain if you want to run your app as a website and you can publish to The Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Can Any of These Turn A Website Into an App?
None of the app-building websites on my list can turn a website into an app. But don’t get disheartened - you can transform your website into an app using some of the platforms I recommend here, like Progressier.
Can I Keep the Code?
Most app-making websites don’t allow you to keep your app’s code. The only one on my list that lets you do so is Builder, and it’s quite expensive, at $4,800 upfront for 24 months of use.
