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Not long ago, there was a common belief in app development: if you wanted to reach premium users, you built for iOS, and if your audience was more price-sensitive, Android was enough. That distinction no longer holds.
Today, income brackets don’t map cleanly to operating systems. Many budget-conscious users choose iPhones, while a large number of high-income users prefer Android for flexibility and choice. As a result, platform choice has become more about personal preference than purchasing power.
If you want to reach most of your target audience, having your app on both the Apple App Store and Google Play is essential. The challenge is that building separate native apps requires different codebases, teams, and timelines.
Cross-platform app builders solve this by enabling high-performance iOS and Android apps from one platform. This guide evaluates eight such tools based on usability, customization, integrations, and more.
Let’s dive right in!
Why Cross-Platform Mobile App Development Matters
Once the need to be present on both app stores is clear, the next question is how to do it efficiently. Cross-platform app builders like Appbrew are designed to remove the operational and technical friction that comes with traditional native development.
Instead of treating iOS and Android as two separate projects, these platforms unify the process into a single workflow. Key advantages of using these platforms include:
- Single codebase, multiple platforms: Build once and deploy to both the Apple App Store and Google Play without maintaining parallel codebases.
- Faster time to market: What typically takes several months with native development can often be shipped in weeks.
- Lower development and maintenance costs: Smaller teams and fewer engineering hours translate into predictable budgets.
- Consistent user experience: Design systems, features, and updates stay aligned across platforms.
- Built-in integrations: Many builders come with ready-made integrations for analytics, payments, authentication, and backend services.
For Shopify brands in particular, this unified approach becomes even more valuable. Choosing the best mobile app builder for Shopify means you’re not just saving development time; you’re aligning your app experience directly with your store, catalog, and customer data from day one.
For startups, SMBs, and even larger teams, this approach makes scaling a mobile presence far more practical without compromising performance or control.
Best Mobile App Builders for Cross-Platform Development
Here's a comprehensive overview of the top app builders if you want to create both Android and iOS app for your business:
Now let’s take a closer look at these.
1. Appbrew - Best Mobile App Builder for eCommerce Businesses
If building a high-converting eCommerce app is the goal, Appbrew sets the benchmark for what cross-platform native development should look like. Unlike generic app builders that try to serve every use case, Appbrew is built exclusively for commerce, with Shopify at its core. That focus shows in performance, flexibility, and results. Brands don’t just get an app that works on both iOS and Android; they get an app designed to sell better on mobile, from day one.
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Why Appbrew Wins for eCommerce Apps
- Purpose-built for mobile commerce: Appbrew doesn’t rely on PWAs or hybrid frameworks. It delivers true native apps for iOS and Android, resulting in faster load times, better stability, and consistently higher mobile conversion rates compared to web-based alternatives.
- AI that directly improves conversion: From AI shopping assistants like Milo and Concierge to Skin Analyzer and intelligent recommendations, Appbrew’s AI features are designed to make the app feel premium while nudging users toward purchase decisions.
- AI-powered CMS with complete design control: Marketing teams get full control over themes, design blocks, navigation, bottom bars, and unlimited custom pages. Built-in AI copywriting and AI image generation make it easy to create on-brand content at speed.
Conversion-Focused App Experience
- Lightning-fast checkout: Sub-one-second checkout flows with modal experiences, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and reduced friction significantly lower drop-offs and improve completion rates.
- Advanced search and discovery: AI-powered smart search, image search, similar styles, filters, sorting, and merchandising controls help users find products faster and increase product discovery.
- Highly interactive product pages: Rich PDPs support A+ content, reviews, size charts, wishlists, pre-orders, and cross-sell recommendations, all optimized for mobile engagement.
Personalization, Engagement, and Growth
- Hyper-personalized experiences: Appbrew uses location, behavior, device-level data, and intent signals to personalize homepages, collections, and PDPs in real time.
- Built-in engagement tools: Unlimited push notifications, deep links, QR codes, in-app popups, and abandoned cart recovery tools help brands re-engage users without added costs.
- Unified analytics and integrations: App and web data come together in one analytics layer, with native integrations into Meta, Google, Klaviyo, WebEngage, CRMs, and over 100 other tools across marketing, logistics, payments, and retention.
Enterprise-Grade Support, Simplified Launch
Appbrew handles end-to-end App Store and Play Store submissions, backed by a dedicated customer success team focused on app growth. With over 150 DTC brands using the platform, Appbrew has proven its ability to increase conversion rates, average order value, and customer lifetime value, making it the strongest cross-platform mobile app builder for serious eCommerce businesses.
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2. FlutterFlow - Best for High-Performance Custom Apps
FlutterFlow is a visual app builder built on Google’s Flutter framework, designed for teams that want native performance with deeper customization control. It sits between no-code and full development, allowing you to visually design pixel-perfect iOS and Android apps while still adding custom logic when needed. AI-assisted screen generation and schema creation speed up development, while native compilation ensures performance comparable to traditionally built apps.
Key features
- AI-generated app screens and database schemas from text prompts
- Figma-to-app conversion for faster design handoff
- Native iOS and Android output with high performance
- Visual action flows with built-in state management
- Support for custom Dart code and widgets
Limitations
- Steeper learning curve than pure no-code tools
- Advanced customization requires Dart knowledge
3. Bubble - Best for Full-Stack Web and Mobile Apps
Bubble is a powerful app builder that blends AI prompting with a visual editor to build full-stack web and mobile applications from a single workspace. It handles everything from databases and backend logic to security and integrations, making it especially popular for fast MVP development. While it supports mobile apps, its core strength remains web-first experiences rather than mobile-optimized flows.
Key features
- AI agent for generating UI and backend logic from prompts
- Built-in database, server, and security infrastructure
- Flexible API integrations with tools like Stripe and OpenAI
- Visual editor with granular customization control
- Single codebase for web and mobile apps
Limitations
- Mobile experience is secondary to web
- Less optimized for mobile-first performance
4. Adalo - Best Overall No-Code Mobile App Builder
Adalo focuses on simplicity, enabling anyone to build and publish native iOS and Android apps without writing code. Its drag-and-drop interface, built-in database, and feature templates make it easy to launch functional apps quickly. It works well for straightforward mobile use cases but shows limits as app complexity grows.
Key features
- Pre-built feature templates for faster development
- Integrated relational database with logic handling
- Custom actions for APIs, emails, and workflows
- True native app publishing to app stores
- Real-time team collaboration
Limitations
- Performance drops with large data sets
- Limited flexibility for advanced custom logic
5. Thunkable - Best for Visual Programming and Native Performance
Thunkable is an iOS and Android app builder that combines drag-and-drop UI design with visual logic blocks. It’s especially approachable for beginners, while still offering native performance and real-time device testing through companion apps. The cloud-based setup and integrations make it practical for learning-driven and moderately complex use cases.
Key features
- Visual logic blocks for defining app behavior
- Live testing on real iOS and Android devices
- API, database, and location service integrations
- Single build for both platforms
- Ready-made templates and learning resources
Limitations
- Visual logic becomes hard to manage at scale
- Not ideal for highly complex business workflows
6. Flipabit - Best Free Cross-Platform App Builder
Flipabit is a free no-code platform that focuses on true native performance across iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows. Using a WYSIWYG editor, apps look and behave exactly as they will on real devices, eliminating repeated build cycles. It’s a strong option for performance-focused projects with minimal budget.
Key features
- Native ARM compilation for high performance
- Real-time WYSIWYG editor
- Free app building with a pay-only-for-updates model
- Offline app functionality
- Single build for multiple platforms
Limitations
- Smaller ecosystem and community
- Limited third-party integrations
7. Ionic - Best for Web Technology Stack
Ionic is a cross-platform framework that lets teams build mobile apps using standard web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It works seamlessly with Angular, React, and Vue, making it a natural choice for teams with strong web development experience. Ionic is widely used at the enterprise level, but its hybrid approach trades some native performance for development flexibility.
Key features
- Support for Angular, React, and Vue.js
- Progressive Web App and native app builds
- Access to native device features via plugins
- Open-source framework with a large community
- Single codebase for mobile, desktop, and web
Limitations
- Hybrid apps may lag in performance
- Not ideal for graphics-heavy or complex interactions
8. .NET MAUI - Best for Enterprise and Microsoft Ecosystem
.NET MAUI is Microsoft’s cross-platform framework for building native apps using C# and .NET. It’s designed for enterprises that need strong security, compliance, and deep Azure integration. While it delivers native performance and platform-specific UI, it’s best suited for teams already embedded in the Microsoft ecosystem.
Key features
- Native UI components for each platform
- Built-in enterprise security and compliance support
- Tight integration with Azure services
- Single C# codebase for multiple platforms
- Extensive Microsoft tooling and connectors
Limitations
- Requires C# expertise
- Not beginner-friendly or no-code oriented
Conclusion
Cross-platform mobile app builders have fundamentally changed how teams approach app development, making it possible to launch on both iOS and Android without the cost, time, and complexity of maintaining separate native builds.
The right choice, however, depends on your specific goals. Some platforms excel at rapid MVPs, others at deep customization or enterprise use cases.
If eCommerce is your primary focus, Appbrew stands out with features built specifically to deliver fast, conversion-driven, and highly personalized mobile shopping experiences. Instead of adapting a general app builder to fit commerce needs, Appbrew is designed for them from the ground up.
Want to see how it works in practice? Book a demo and explore what a truly native eCommerce app can do for your brand.
