How to easily build an affordable mobile app super fast without coding

Mobile app development can be expensive and time-consuming for small businesses to pursue. Custom development fees from agencies can quickly amount to thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars, and learning to build mobile apps can take years of code knowledge and expensive tools to achieve a desirable app.

At SupaPass, we have been working tirelessly for the past decade to create the best way for small businesses and content creators to build their own apps. These easy-to-implement apps designed for their users and followers allow for a friendly user experience with a similar 'look and feel' as offered by Netflix or Spotify, all while being affordable.

Our technology has allowed content creators to offer their podcasts, video, audio, and written content on their own native app that acts as an exclusive platform built around their brand and business providing users with a destination housing all their content in one place.

But how does SupaPass' offering differ from other mobile app builders, no-code app builders, or custom app building offered by agencies?

The cost of custom agencies and mobile app builds

Without investing in useful tools or platforms, content creators can struggle to grow revenue for their content businesses. Still, there are plenty of affordable mobile app builds available compared to using custom development agencies.

Building apps through custom app agencies can be a great way for large enterprises to build exactly what their business needs, but this is not a financially viable option for small companies .

A ballpark of the cost of custom development agencies is enormous for small businesses. Even simple apps can start at over $40,000, with more advanced features costing $100,000s, which is a huge commitment for any business to make without substantial backing of external funding.

The cost of hiring an experienced app developer for your business can be well over $90,000, which for some may seem doable. However, there are countless hidden costs in this endeavor, including hiring UX or UI designers, specific developers for both Android and Apple devices, and general upkeep in updating the apps to the latest operating system for these devices.

Tony Britten, film director, composer, and founder of The Arts Channel had a similar idea when he wanted to build a mobile app for his unique collection of films and documentaries from around the world that do not appear on mainstream terrestrial and satellite channels.

“I had planned to build an SVOD arts channel for a while. But I was put off by a perception that the platform required would be too expensive to build and too labor-intensive to maintain.”

Tony struggled to build his own app and platform for a while, but now utilizes SupaPass’ technology to create a powerful and user-friendly home for all of his content in one place - "SupaPass has proved to be the supplier and partner that I was seeking and the team's combination of technical ability and creative innovation means The Arts Channel is now a viable and successful offering.“.

Learning to code yourself

For too many creators that don't know how to code (myself included), the thought of learning code can be daunting enough to put anyone off this continual learning experience.

Mobile applications are notoriously one of the most complex and challenging coding projects a developer can attempt, and those with little experience may find themselves overwhelmed as they take a closer look at the complexities of how much time and effort is needed to create their own mobile app.

By no means do I want to put anyone off learning to code as there are surprising benefits to having a skill as sought-after and well-paying as knowing any form of coding language. Coding can give you a new perspective on problem-solving, careers with excellent earning potential, and applications that extend further than creating apps or websites.

There are many open-source resources available to help you get started, and forums or digital courses can be a great way to begin.

However, if you want to create a mobile app for your content, then as a content creator, you more than likely are incredibly passionate about your content business. Is learning code the best way to spend your time?

This is where mobile app builders come in to play with helping content creators focus on doing what they do best - creating content. Companies like SupaPass remove the hassle for content creators by a fast and affordable mobile app solution with no coding required.

Mobile app builders

The mobile app business is booming right now; there are millions of apps available on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, and hundreds more are published every day.

With this boom in the industry, the demand for a mobile app development platform and easy-to-use software to create your own branded mobile app without the need for you to hire custom developers or expensive agency fees. These app makers can provide businesses with a faster and cheaper alternative to the custom development route.

However, many app builders do not produce a quality mobile app for a business.

Some app builders rely on non-native apps to create a sub-par mobile application.

But what does non-native or native mean?

An app being native means that it is developed using a coding language built specifically for the operating system (OS) of the desired platform.

Non-native apps are developed using a coding language that is not officially supported by either iOS or Android devices; instead, they use a single code base for both apps.

While non-native apps may be quicker to build, as you only have to write one code base for the Android and Apple mobile apps, this method leaves the user with a lackluster experience that does not make the most of each OS' unique features. Features that can only be achieved by creating native apps for both Android and Apple devices.

When researching mobile app builders, a great question to ask is, “Are your apps built natively?”

Another issue with many app builders on the market right now is that they are limited in their capabilities for content creators. They may leave a disappointing experience for users who are used to a certain level of quality that large enterprise corporations and businesses widely offer for their massive user base. But why is user experience such an important thing to focus on when building a mobile app?

The Importance of the User Experience

With mobile apps, it is vital to make sure you offer the best user experience to those that use your app as you possibly can.

Your audience has high standards; they’re used to consuming content on apps like Netflix, Spotify, Amazon Prime, and Disney+.

These streaming-video-on-demand (SVOD) services have become the industry standard for any video streaming app or website. Netflix has over 200 million paid subscribers, and YouTube viewers spend more than 1 billion hours every day watching videos. Because of this, it is clear that your average consumer of content expects this high-quality user experience that a mobile app needs to deliver.

End-users expect an intuitive and easy-to-use mobile app with features that we take for granted:

• Infinite scroll - scrolling further down a page to load more content without the need to click on a 'next' button or similar.
• Light and Dark mode - users love the option to alternate between their favorite lighting preferences on an app, and some expect any mobile app to adhere to their phone's automatic preference.
• Continuous playing of audio outside of the mobile app - most users expect that when you start playing an audio file, they’ll be able to exit the app and have that file continue playing, similar to Spotify or Podcast players such as Apple Podcasts

Regardless of what app-building platform or design service you use to build an app, your user experience must be the highest priority when planning, designing, and eventually building your app.

The power of push notifications

We've discussed the power of push notifications on our blog before. While that focused on email notifications, mobile push notifications enter a deeper level of driving engagement from your followers and subscribers.

With mobile push notifications, you gain the ability to control when, where, and how your app users get notified of new content, upcoming podcast episodes, or reminders to check in on your community, all within your own branded app.

Other content platforms such as YouTube have been known to disregard notifying creators' subscribers when new content is released - even when a subscriber has specifically clicked the 'bell' icon asking for notifications of new content.Organic reach on Instagram and Facebook is declining, with non-promoted posts having lower potential reach than used to be possible, and the platforms only show your content to a fraction of your total followers.

Content creators who directly control their push notifications have increased authority over how their users are notified and allow their content to gain a huge boost in reaching their mobile app subscribers and followers.

It is incredibly influential for end-users to be notified of new content directly on their mobile phones, as most of us keep our mobile phones close by regardless of where we are.

Imagine having the ability to send a notification to your subscribers first thing in the morning, so you're on their mind all day, or sending a notification on their lunch break so they can check out your latest video or podcast episode while taking a break from work - this is a much stronger marketing tool than offered by many content platforms.

The SupaPass Solution

We've covered a lot about the features that you need to build a high-quality home for all of your content in one place on any mobile device with a powerful native mobile app.

The real question is - what is the easiest way to do this while being affordable for any content creator or business?

This is where SupaPass comes in.

At SupaPass, we've been working hard over the past decade building a tech suite of websites and mobile apps that lets any content creator build a home for all of their content in one place, monetize that content, and have a home for their audience.

Our powerful technology allows entrepreneurs and content creators such as yourself to build their own Apple and Android apps that are 100% native! We've spent time creating native apps for both of these operating systems using their specific code languages to make the most of each of the operating systems' respective features and uniqueness.

Our mobile apps are optimized for both tablet and mobile phone devices, meaning that regardless of how or where your fans and followers are watching, they're able to enjoy your content in the best format available to them.

With your own affordable mobile apps and website through SupaPass, you're able to leverage the power of email and mobile push notifications to notify your fans of new content with custom notifications that arrive straight into their email inbox or home screen. Now you can finally guarantee that your followers will be notified of any new content you publish, ensuring that your content is always seen.

SupaPass also offers you the ability to reliably monetize your content through subscription paywalls. Subscription services have quickly become one of the most popular forms of paying for content - these days we think it is strange to pay to watch a single episode or film, instead we will happily pay a monthly subscription to have access to a mountain of content on platforms such as Netflix or Amazon Prime.

Subscription paywalls with SupaPass lets you monetize any combination of content with yearly or monthly paywalls through the web or the app stores, giving your followers a reliable and trusted way to pay for your content through a platform they are used to.

At Supapass, we want our clients to have the most control over their apps, which is why we provide you with the ability to publish your own app on your own app store account, giving you full control over your revenue and your analytics. Many app builders only allow you to publish your app on their own app store - we aren't fans of this model.

SupaPass handles the entire process of getting your apps submitted to the store, including initial submission, professional screenshots of your app for the stores, and appeals against any rejections that can sometimes pop up: think of us as your concierge!

Unlike using custom developers or building a mobile app yourself, we handle all of the updates to our product. This not only means that your product will be up-to-date with the latest OS requirements, but also that we are continually bringing out exciting new features and updates to all of our clients' apps automatically at no additional cost to you!

As well as all of the features listed above, we also offer our help as your customer support:

• We handle your end-user support by default (however, you can choose to do this yourself if you want to add that personal touch!)
• We maintain a vast customer knowledge base with helpful guides, tips on improving and maintaining your mobile apps and website, and help troubleshoot any difficulties that may arise.
• We handle technical and several admin tasks surrounding your apps, including changes to account email addresses, adding new admin accounts, assisting with changes to web domains, and more!
• We also assist with questions not covered by our documentation and provide guidance on the most effective use of our product and monetization features, helping you get the most value from using SupaPass.

With a 14-day free trial to all of our pricing tiers, you can safely try our mobile apps and all-in-one website! Your landing page can be built in less than five minutes, allowing you two weeks to utilize our easy-to-use content management system ( CMS), import your content, curate it, and even begin monetizing it safely and reliably.