Thursday, April 21, 2011

How to build a cheap iphone or ipad app without programming experience


As a recent iPad purchaser, though long time iphone user, I thought I should do a little more investigation into apps. Whilst there are over two hundred thousand around, there doesn't seem to be THAT much that is useful for a business user.

So I wondered....as an app is pretty much a little piece of software, how much would it cost? Is it out of the realm of zero budget marketing to build your own app without being a programmer, or having to pay a programmer?

Turns out the answer is....yes, you can build a DIY app on a very small budget.

There are actually quite a few online app builders, where you can make your own app, and pay a relatively small monthly subscription for the service. Around $40 seems the norm.

Now, the catch is, these aren't super cool apps that do super cool things. They're somewhat like a mini-mobile website. So unless you have some engaged customers or members already, it's unlikely anyone is going to download and use your painstakingly created app.

But, if you are in the content creation business already, a regularly blog, tweet, write, etc, these make your own apps could be worth it. And at a few hundred bucks a year, it could very well be worth the investment.

So, here's the ones I've come across - not tested by me as yet, merely so you can use it as a place to start your own research:

Swebbapps.com
appmakr.com (marketing guru Seth Godin built his app on this, which made me interested in it! It is the one pictured)
Biznessapps.com
myapbuilder.com