Use a Drag and Drop No Code App Builder to Create Your Business Apps in Minutes From Your Desktop

 

Huge investments and months to launch mobile applications are relatively becoming obsolete among small to medium-sized business app-building. 

The drag and drop app builders have advanced enough to build your business apps in minutes with features addressing all your business goals. 

And, they help you build apps that increase user engagement, convert more sales and show you how to keep track of business expenses and income - all without code skills. Get your app in minutes. But learn how it can benefit your business first!

A drag and drop app builder is a cloud-hosted (most of the tools today are cloud-based) mobile app development platform that allows anyone, even without coding knowledge, to create a mobile app 10x faster.

What makes Zappter unique is its ability to customize app design entirely using drag and drop. Then hundreds of business-focused features to plug in to turn an app into a complete business solution with just a few clicks, empowering non-technical business owners. 

Check out this page to learn how to make an app for your eCommerce business with all the details of online shopping and UX plugins for iOS & Android.

Plan your app:

Start building it instantly:

A drag and drop app builder is a cloud-hosted (most of the tools today are cloud-based) mobile app development platform that allows anyone, even without coding knowledge, to create a mobile app 10x faster.

All you have to do is select a professionally designed, stunning app template (app theme) and drag preset UI elements to where you want them on your app content. And then set some of the basic settings to change the behavior to work with your requirements.

Today, very few advanced app builder platforms like Zappter allow you to change your app design entirely just as custom-built apps to suit your branding requirements; you don't write the code. The platform writes the coding for you behind the scenes to develop your Android apps & iOS apps and shows the changes on its built-in smartphone emulator to test your apps.

Check out step by step instructions on how create an app

App design customization

What makes Zappter stands out from the crowd is its ability to customize an app's design just like custom mobile app development. Zappter's modern built-in designer allows users to focus on each UI element and then drill down to its detailed design aspects and change or completely redesign the unit to your needs. When you want to add a new UI element, just drag and drop it wherever on your content and customize it.

Modularity by design

Zappter is modular from the ground up; each functionality, feature, or component is pluggable on demand whenever a business owner needs that option to support the business needs. Or unplug it when no longer needed.

It significantly reduces the total cost of ownership of the product as you don't use the features your businesses won't require. It also minimizes the resource cost on the platform that increases the overall performance of the app.

The modularity allows Zappter to expand as a platform addressing the short-term and long-term issues you or your customers face. Another crucial advantage is that we don't pass over a customer with an unusually complex business need. Instead, we develop a plugin to embrace that distinct business requirement.

Zappter makes complete business solutions, not just an app builder 

Zappter builds stunning, robust mobile apps with the quality of custom-development counterparts. However, Zappter looks at the bigger picture of any business and doesn't limit itself to a front-end mobile app development tool only - because Zappter is a business solution builder that focuses on solving business problems. When you sign up with Zappter (recalling some of the items as they make sense within this context as well): 

App builder pricing

Pricing is only for these features: eCommerce, bookings, event management, and for landing pages. Use Zappter Calculator to get accurate app builder pricing detail for your app. 

If you wanted to develop or build an app like, in eight years ago, the chances were that you had to hire a qualified development agency, which was expensive. Alternatively, you had to learn how to code to develop mobile applications - unlikely as businesses can't wait that long. Regardless of the options, it was a high-budget project that only a segment could afford the costs, resources, and time.

At the same time, there was rapid market evolution of mobile apps as they were becoming part of everybody's life; they were becoming part of learning, earning, booking, buying, product reviewing, and you think of anything.

It created the need for every business to own an app to the extent that business owners find it hard for their businesses to survive without one today.  The existing talented developers available to build these business apps are not sufficient. So the SaaS-based app builder start-ups popped up to fill the gap. 

These SaaS app builder sites have helped many businesses grow as the business owners and individuals can create their own apps within a short time without writing a single line of coding.

An app is made up of several components to create its User Interface and features to give its users the best experience and meet business goals. 

Just like the above video, a drag-and-drop app creator makes it super simple for anyone to create an app by dragging and dropping premade components and features in the app creator to complete user interfaces and features of the app. Virtually, there is no development time.

But these drag-and-drop app makers have transformed the way how people looked at having their own mobile apps for their businesses and personal uses. 

Before these drag-and-drop app builders become prominent on the market, developing mobile business apps means high-budget projects, each involving a large software team and takes months, if not years to go-to-market. And, each project had to maintain different teams to develop the app for Android and iOS. 

Even though the large and complicated requirements still have to depend on developers, the drag-and-drop makers have given some relief for businesses with requirements that don’t necessarily need to spend on developers to have their mobile presence. 

1. The months it takes to develop a hybrid or native apps, compared to it only takes minutes or hours. There is no ideation, wireframing, UI designing, UX analysis, or development level of testing as the vendors already do the heavy work.

2. There is no need for collaboration between developers and business users to understand the business goals because business users develop their apps.

3. These drag and drop app creators operate as SaaS (Software as a service) model, where the software is available through cloud access and businesses pay a monthly fee. It is advantageous for small businesses as it cuts down on large upfront investments in app development and makes it a monthly paid subscription fee that can be part of their operating costs.

4. It is also advantageous for small businesses to have their mobile presence with high-powered, awesome mobile apps that could otherwise be impossible to own in terms of overall quality, annual maintenance costs including upgrades and bug fixes. Because the app builder provider takes care of all of these, plus makes sure the technology, design, user interface, and features stay up to the minute and competitive throughout the subscription period.

5. Usually, with these drag and drop app makers, the learning curve is shallow to none. It turns these no-code app makers into perfect business tools for business owners without any coding knowledge or who don't need to know about technology in detail.

6. Drag and drop app makers create web apps (PWAs). Compared to apps, these offer SEO advantages for businesses because SERP results can directly land a user on an internal page of the app.

[Compare top app builders]

We live in a world where digital transformation has become a key factor for any business's success. The conventional players, large corporations, and big brands have been developing cutting-edge mobile apps and connected technologies to support their innovative business ideas to win over their competitors. 

On the other side, consumers are increasingly getting used to online buying. And, Statista estimates global online buyers to reach 2.14 billion by the end of 2021, fueled by COVID-19, which enforced even hardcore in-store buyers to online convenience. There is no going back to it.

It creates an unfair advantage for one side of the business owners when the others struggle to adapt to the technologies due to lack of funds,  resources, or the exemplary leadership to see the importance of digital transformation. And, it unfair for the consumer side as well when they only see what these rich e-commerce sites decide to show to potential buyers.

The drag and drop app maker platforms are a boon to these businesses that struggle to find a way to accelerate or take the first step towards their digital transformation. These platforms enable business owners and the team to develop their mobile business apps with full customization to meet their goals without ever writing a single line of code. 

As a result, businesses start to embark on their digital transformation journey almost instantly, without blocking a colossal investment or going through a traditional life cycle of software development (SDLC). 

Entrepreneurs work with single-minded commitment and a long to-do list; they sure need more than a single app to cover everything they need to keep them organized with such busy schedules. Most of the time, a single app wouldn't suffice their needs, and they end up having their smartphones filled with several apps. 

Today's app builders have reached the point where they can create an app using one of these tools and start adding features whenever the demand to utilize a certain functionality arises with just a few clicks. Some of these functionalities can be:

Important: By no means to say that purpose-built tools, apps, or software to be replaced or app builders are more capable of handling what those tools do. In few areas, app builders have features that can address specific tasks more robustly. But in most cases, app builders have integration with these popular tools, so it helps to handle those tasks from within the app, and it's highly beneficial to keep you away from distractions and juggle between multiple apps save time.

Today, a mobile app is vital for any business. For startups, it's a tool with extreme power to make a significant impact with an affordable investment (open source app builders are also available, though the paid versions offer greater control over your app-building such as offline capabilities and more). Because apps add recognition and trust to your brand, attract new customers, and help retain and retarget existing customers.

When you drag and drop elements, the builder’s framework works behind the scenes to set up the pre-existing widgets in its libraries to add the components and user interface elements. The end result is a stunning app in minutes, thanks to the top-notch hand-picked developer teams working behind to simplify app creation for users without any knowledge of programming or writing code. 

Today, the drag and drop app makers are quite popular and widely in use, and a preferred solution among the small business communities. So what makes the best app builder?

There are many providers, each one with its pros and cons. In this post, we don’t go into a comparison among these products— to keep things fair; but we look at some of the important features in common and these features are a must-have for any business that wants to build its mobile presence and stay competitive. 

1. Simple and quick signup process without hidden costs: When you signup, you should be able to start building your app instantly with or without a product tour — a user-friendly product takes your business users to the task immediately.

2. Publish your app on Apple App Store and Google Play Store: Make sure your app is ready for Android and iPhones users. Look for app store support and ASO (app store optimization) from within the app builder.

3. App design: Your app’s design tells a lot to your users about your business. It reflects your brand, appeals to engage more, and gives a lasting user experience. When selecting the right product for your business apps, one of the primary concerns should be to make sure the vendor offers a range of app designs or templates. And more importantly, you should be able to tinker or tweak these templates to represent your brand image. Design customization should go down to any granular detail or your app would end up looking like another generic template that can go against Apple's store guidelines.

4. Scalability: The builder should be able to adapt to your changing business needs and scale along with the business growth. Look for existing features, and how likely the platform to come up with constant updates with new features to stay up to the ever-changing consumer demands.

5. Vendor support: Ensure the vendor offers user training materials like guides, product overview, online chat, and support contacts.

6. Comprehensive e-commerce & bookings handling: Ensure the target drag-and-drop app builder is capable of handling e-commerce to the detail. If you’re building for taking up bookings or events, ensure it can handle detailed reservations, resources, and availability calendars.

7. Payment gateway integrations: You should offer your customers with multiple payment methods. If they don't find their preferred payment option, they might abandon the cart and move on, never to come back. Make sure your app builder supports all popular payment methods.

8. Minimize your marketing costs: For any business, especially if you’re at the early stages, target audience reach and conversions can cost you a lot with your marketing budget. Also, consider a product with built-in features that can cut down on the marketing costs effectively.

9. Fair pricing and best free app builder: Last but not least, the pricing. There are a few best free app builders around that allow you to create your own app at the core. When you scale up, you would be required to subscribe to the features as your business demands. So, the best free app builder, free ios app builder, and free Android app builder are virtually non-existent if you're trying to build a perfect mobile app. 

 

 

 

 

  

  

  

  

   

Build this app with free plugins

      

Build this app with free plugins

    

    

Build this app with free plugins

When not even the best drag and drop app builder can address the complexities of your business requirements, try our,

Write to us about your needs, and Zappter team will evaluate your business requirements and guide you on the right path or work with your organization to develop your solution.

Zappter is a 'no code' online app builder, designed to create your apps visually with drag and drop. What makes our platform powerful is that we have hundreds of pre-built components that you can drag onto your app to address your complicated business needs. 

And, what's amazing is that once you drag any pre-built component, you can use it with the default settings or heavily customize it to address every little detail.

Among the many online app builders, Zappter is our choice not just for being our own product, but due to its features in abundance that can meet any challenging requirements of business owners planning to develop their business app from scratch and publish on iOS and Android app stores without investing in costly native mobile apps.

Being a new app builder platform on the market (launched early 2021), it never looked back since then. Its user base and features have been growing to support more complex business requirements and enhance customer and mobile user experiences.

The all-new design concept of Zappter is innovative, simple, and it makes business app building straightforward and economical. 

Every business runs on its business model to make a profit out of selling its products and services. For instance, a hotel sells its room nights, and F&B, a hair salon sells its services, etc.

When you build your app with Zappter, you pick one of the four suitable business module plugins covering your business model to develop your core. Additionally, you add extra features to enhance your core business, such as loyalty points, promotions, vouchers, and more. 

There has been a misconception with drag and drop app builders; people don't realize the difference between an app generator and the drag and drop app builder. Here is the main difference:

Zappter offers limitless features through its marketplace plugins, and these plugins continue to grow constantly. Pricing is straightforward, you only pay for business module plugins and continue to enjoy using all other plugins and features free of charge. To get an estimation on cost of building your app, check out our main page for Cost Calculator.

Other vital beneficiaries of this pricing model are the universities, institutions, and any non-profit organizations. As this group is not focusing on selling their products or services, they don't need to use the business module plugins. It allows them to use other free plugins to build their apps.

When any user registers first, he/she can try complete app building free for 14 days.

Check out this YouTube video comparing Zappter.

It supports Web app, iOS, and Android. So you can build iOS, Android apps for Apple and Android phones.

Perhaps, it could be a challenging question to answer due to fierce competition, steady growth, and the popularity of these products. And even if you google to get some clue, you will end up nowhere since the battleground seems to have shifted into SEO. 

Look for the product that can address all your business needs with its features and how scalable it is to support your future demands. Once you're convinced with the features, focus on branding your mobile app to suit your business; it's the app design and customization. 

If you want to sell your items online (e-commerce) or try to take customer bookings, there is a subscription fee for an e-commerce plugin or reservations plugin, depending on your need. If you're not a commercial, it doesn't cost you anything since you don't need to use any business plugins.

For better cost estimation, visit www.zappter.com and use the Cost Calculator at the footer.

Yes, check out the tutorial on how to create an app step by step.

Not really. You can create apps without using a template (when you 'Skip' choosing a template during signup) and customize it to suit your business requirement using Zappter's smart designer. With this tool, you can create your own app design theme for your brand. The templates help you save time by creating the base design.

It depends. With Zappter, usually unique, challenging, or complex business requirements is addressed with a release of a new plugin. Please contact Zappter support for more information on your unique requirements. 

We are not a mobile app development company, so we don't develop independant apps for businesses whether cross-platform or native mobile apps. However, we can build your app, design your theme, and test your app within our platform. Also, if your needs are complex & unique, we can develop a new plugin to address those needs. 

Currently, we don't have any. However we're working on an affiliate structure focusing white label as an option, and will soon be published.

Definitely they can be. Almost all of these app builders advertise as 'free' but if you dive a bit deeper, you will realize that certain areas, plans, or plugins are priced.

It depends, Zappter is a free app maker for students. But if you're trying to create your eCommerce store with Zappter, it's not free because you need to subscribe for our eCommerce plugin. The same goes with if you're trying to create a full-fledged booking app where you need to subscribe to our Reservations plugin. 

However, building an app for students or non-profit organizations doesn't require handling complicated business rules. Therefore you can build such mobile apps without the need to subscribe to one of these business plugins.

No. You can create your app design and save it. Then you can create templates for different screen sizes, and import the earlier saved design into the newly created template. This way, you can maintain different templates for each device size. 

In your case, define a template for the iPad screen size that you use.

 It is done inside Zappter designer:

Absolutely, you can. You can build a single app and add a subpage to your main page, which is your spa. And to manage bookings of spa and restaurant, you only need to install a single plugin.

This plugin will allow the creation of online bookable spa treatments with comprehensive options to manage your spa resources and slots. And, you can also use the same plugin for restaurant table bookings - it's only a matter of changing a few settings inside the subpage of the restaurant.

The same plugin can assist you to run your car rentals as well. Because managing a car rental is different from managing timeslot-based spa bookings. So this booking plugin supports both slot-based bookings and relatively long-term bookings.

We did think of it and the stressful process the business owners will go through as soon as the governments allow the owners to reopen their businesses. In our app builder, we release many features to support our customers to run their businesses according to COVID-safety guidelines. You can check out this page for how our drag and drop app builder helps business owners with their reopen strategies.