Every Shopify mobile app builder publishes a monthly price, and almost none of them is the number you end up paying. Some take a share of the sales that go through the app, some add charges tied to the app’s performance, and the plan that includes the integrations you already run is rarely the entry plan. This guide sets out what the seven builders we are asked about most actually cost in October 2026, using the plans each one publishes on the Shopify App Store, checked on 6 October 2026.
For how the builders compare on features, see our Shopify mobile app builder comparison; for the launch process step by step, the site-to-app conversion guide. This page is only about money.
Summary
- Lowest entry price: MageNative at $99 a month, or Plobal’s free Starter plan, which charges 3% of in-app sales instead of a fee.
- Middle of the market: $149 to $599 a month (Shopney, Superfans’ Starter plan, Plobal Growth and Essential, Appbrew Starter and Pro).
- Top tiers: $1,000 to $2,850 a month (Superfans Unlimited, AppMaker, Tapcart, the enterprise plans).
- Costs on top of the plan: revenue shares of 1% to 3% on some plans, performance-based charges on others, $99 a year for an Apple developer account and a one-time $25 for Google Play.
- What you do not pay: a store commission on physical products. Apple’s own rules require physical goods to be paid for outside in-app purchase, so product sales go through your normal checkout.
Plans and prices, builder by builder
| Builder | Entry plan | Higher plans | Share of sales or extra charges | Free trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MageNative | $99/month | $149 and $249/month | None listed | 30 days |
| Shopney | $149/month | $299, $599 and $1,299/month | None listed | 30 days |
| Superfans (formerly Vajro) | $150/month | $1,000/month, or $10,000/year | None listed | 30 days |
| Plobal | Free | $199, $499 and $1,199/month | 3% of in-app sales on the free plan; 1% on Enterprise | 30 days on paid plans |
| Appbrew | $199/month | $599 and $1,099/month | Additional charges based on app performance on Starter and Pro | 30 days |
| Tapcart | $500/month | $1,250 and $2,850/month | Some charges billed by Tapcart outside your Shopify invoice | 7 days |
| AppMaker | $1,000/month, or $9,000/year | $2,000/month, or $18,000/year | 1% of in-app sales on both plans | 14 days |
Prices are monthly in US dollars as listed on each app’s Shopify App Store page. Several builders offer yearly billing at a discount; where the listing gives a yearly price we show it. Plans and prices change, so check the listing on the day you choose.
What the monthly price does not include
A share of the app’s sales
Plobal’s free plan has no monthly fee but takes 3% of total in-app sales. Its Enterprise plan and both AppMaker plans add 1% on top of the subscription, and Appbrew’s Starter and Pro plans list additional charges based on the app’s performance. On an app selling $40,000 a month, 3% is $1,200 a month, more than most paid plans; 1% is $400. A revenue share is cheap while the app is new and expensive once it works, so model it at the volume you expect in year two.
Developer accounts
Your app is published under your own developer accounts: Apple’s Developer Program is $99 a year and Google Play is a one-time $25 registration. Most builders handle the submission, but the accounts are yours.
Plan limits that push you up a tier
Entry plans are often limited in the things a working app needs. MageNative’s Starter plan includes 5 push notifications and 15 design blocks; unlimited push starts on its $249 plan. Plobal counts integrations: 2 on the free plan, 4 on Growth, 7 on Essential, unlimited on Enterprise. Shopney lists Klaviyo, Rebuy and Nosto integrations on its $599 Platinum plan. Before you compare entry prices, list the integrations your store already depends on, usually email and SMS, reviews, loyalty and search, and price the plan that includes them.
Your team’s time
An app is another storefront to merchandise and another channel to send to. Someone has to own the push calendar, app-only offers and the home screen. If nobody does, the app becomes a second mobile site that a fraction of your customers ever open.
What you get as you move up
The jump from entry to middle plans is mostly about integrations, push segmentation and abandoned-cart or back-in-stock automation. The jump to the top plans buys testing and team features: A/B testing and user segmentation (Tapcart Scale, Appbrew Pro), multi-store support (Shopney Enterprise, Tapcart Enterprise+ for multiple regional apps), and a dedicated success manager. If your store sells into several regions, check how each builder handles multiple currencies and languages, because it sits on different tiers at different vendors.
What a year actually costs
Three worked examples using the listed prices, including both developer accounts:
- Testing the channel: MageNative Starter for a year is $1,188, plus $124 in developer accounts: about $1,300. Plobal’s free plan costs nothing upfront but 3% of whatever the app sells.
- A growing brand that needs Klaviyo and segmented push: Shopney Platinum is $7,188 a year plus accounts, about $7,300. Appbrew Pro starts at the same $599 a month before its performance-based charges.
- A large brand that wants testing and team access: Tapcart Scale is $15,000 a year; Superfans Unlimited is $10,000 a year on yearly billing; AppMaker Pro is $9,000 a year plus 1% of in-app sales.
Builder or custom app?
Three years on a $599 plan is about $21,600 before revenue shares, and you own nothing at the end of it. A custom native app is a one-off build plus upkeep, and it makes sense when the app needs logic no builder offers: a subscription portal built into the app, a configurator, account features tied to your ERP, or a B2B ordering flow. For most stores the honest answer is a builder first, and a custom app only once the builder’s limits are costing measurable revenue. When we scope a custom app, it is quoted as one fixed number after a call; see our Shopify app development page.
How to choose on cost
- List the integrations the app must have on day one, and find the cheapest plan at each builder that includes all of them.
- Estimate in-app revenue for year two, and add any revenue share to the plan price at that volume.
- Compare yearly billing where it is offered; the published discounts run from 10% to 25%.
- Use the free trial to build the real home screen and send real pushes, not to browse templates.
If you are deciding whether an app is worth it at all, our free CRO audit looks at your mobile conversion first; an app does not fix a mobile site that does not convert.
Sources: the Shopify App Store listings for MageNative, Shopney, Superfans, Plobal, Appbrew, Tapcart and AppMaker; Apple’s Developer Program enrolment and App Review Guidelines (3.1.3(e)); Google’s Play Console registration. All checked 6 October 2026.
