What is a white label app? Pros, cons, and how to build one
Many enterprises find the process of developing a custom mobile app expensive and time consuming, delaying their ability to stay competitive and meet market demands.
Now imagine an app that is quick to develop, completely customizable and has native features to compete with the plethora of apps in the app stores — this is where a white label app comes in.
With a white label app, you can easily launch a branded app that is less expensive and faster than any other app development — opening up your resources to achieving other pressing business goals.
These apps are not only budget friendly, but they ensure an enhanced user experience and a guarantee for app store approval on both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store — if developed right.
Let us dive into what *exactly* a white label app is, its pros and cons, and how you can build a white label app that is budget friendly without jeopardizing quality.
What is a white label app?
In simple terms, a white label app is a pre-built mobile app developed by a third-party app builder allowing enterprises to rebrand and customize it with their own brand identity — logos, icons, colors, and features.
White label apps are cost-efficient, faster to build and entirely customizable, allowing businesses to quickly build and launch a native app with native functionalities.
These apps are easy to maintain for a few reasons: First, with Median.co, for instance, white label apps use a single code base from an existing website that acts as the foundation for your white label app. For example, Median customer Ruuster (who you’ll learn more about below) is able to develop white label apps from pre-existing websites — which they can then develop into apps, duplicate, rebrand, and provide to a growing list of their customers.
Second — but equally important — since the developers handle the maintenance and updates aspects of the app, this allows enterprises to focus more on their other business needs while simultaneously providing their end users with a high-quality digital experience.
The pros of a white label app
A white label app is a quick solution for time-sensitive app development, allowing businesses to deliver high-quality native apps to their clients.
These apps come with many benefits including cost savings, faster deployment, customization and more.
Here are the pros of opting for a white label app:
- Competitive cost: With its core functionality already developed, you don't need ttho worry about building a new app from scratch — making white label apps a budget-friendly option for enterprises looking to develop an app without straining their resources.
- Faster deployment: White label apps are faster to deploy — all you need to do is quickly launch your branded app with the pre-built template provided by the app developer.
- Customization: Even though the app is pre-built, it is still customizable, allowing enterprises to add their own logos, brand colors, and any other features that ensures brand consistency.
- Easy updates and maintenance: A third-party app service will typically handle ongoing updates and any maintenance that needs addressing — ensuring your app is compliant with the app store guidelines in place to protect customer safety and ensure your apps are up-to-date.
- Supports scalability and growth: These apps are designed to grow with your business, and easily adjust to your increasing user-base. White labels apps can be a major win for your overall long term business goals if scalability is part of it.
- Meets and exceeds business objectives: Since these apps are pre-built, customizable, and taken care of after it's published by the app builders, enterprises can relax and focus on other business goals without worrying about the technical aspects of app development and maintenance.
Want to know how it all works?
Get hands-on with Median’s comprehensive documentation, and build your app with ease.
The cons of a white label app
White label apps also come with some limitations — albeit, not many. To full understand their functionality, considering the cons is important.
Here are the cons of using a white label app:
- Customization: Customization can also be a drawback. Since white label apps are pre-built, they may have some limitations for business with very specific requirements.
- Developer dependency: As a business, you will need to heavily rely on your app development service for ongoing updates, support, and maintenance. Any problems with the app builder can directly impact the app’s overall performance — so choose an app builder that is reliable and responsive (we can think of one — more on this below)
- Differentiation: Since the core structure of the app is pre-built and used by multiple enterprises, there is the danger of rolling out apps that ultimately look similar to one another.
- Licensing fees: Developing a white label is cheaper, however, these apps come with ongoing licensing or subscription fees that can add up over time to your overall budget.
White label app in action: Ruuster’s white label app for real estate agents
Let’s look at an example of how a white label app is helping real estate agents work more efficiently in a busy fast moving industry.
Enterprise in question: Ruuster.
Ruuster is a branded mobile app platform which specializes in designing apps for real estate companies. They offer a customized branded native app tailored to every brokerage’s local markets. By ‘customized,’ we mean logos, brand colors, features, splash screens and more.
With Ruuster, real estate agents can engage with their clients directly within their own apps, enhancing user retention and satisfaction — all possible with the help of Median.co.
Ruuster is a prime example of how successful and scalable a white label approach can be. Median took all the heavy lifting for Ruuster when it came to app development — we took care of the technical aspects while keeping Ruuster’s core business functionality on top of the list.
Read more on Ruuster’s successful white label app approach here.
Case Studies
Discover how Median empowers companies to speed mobile app development, engage users, and reduce expenses.
How can I build a white label app?
As an enterprise, to build a white label app, you need to first look for a highly reliable and responsive app development platform and services provider that will help you realize and publish your app.
Median.co’s team of experts are experienced with white label apps, differentiating it from low-quality template-based app developers out there.
Median’s extensive library of native plugins allows your enterprise white label app to be enriched with native plugins and functionalities that will not only enhance the overall app performance, but also guarantee a customized and enhanced UX for your end users.
Ready to build a white label app? Book a call with our experts today and launch your app for maximum success.
Want to learn more about our plugins?
Launch a full-feature native app without native development!
Frequently asked questions
Can I have a multi-tenanted app and then white label it for select clients?
White label apps offer an elevated experience for your high value customers. A multi-tenanted app can be converted into a white label app — you can selectively offer a white label solution to specific customers who might see value in having their brands represented in the app stores.
How to choose a white label app developer?
When thinking about a white label app developer — think of a developer that is easy to work with, super-responsive, and understand your business goals. Do not be afraid to ask questions and lay out the foundation of what you need in the beginning.
An app developer that is experienced in creating white label apps is Median.co. Median’s team of experts are fast to respond to any questions you have about white label apps and can help you build one in a matter of weeks. To learn more, book a call now from the above link.
How much does it cost to white label an app?
On average, with traditional app development either outsourced or internally, the cost of building a white label app can range from $10,000 to $30,000 for a single platform – Android or iOS. However, it can cost upwards of $70,000 for a multi-platform compatible app with intricate features. With solutions like Median.co, however, businesses now have the ability to realize both iOS and Android-friendly white label apps for a significant fraction of the cost of traditional app development — but with more support, service, access to premium plugins, and the ability to scale your apps and thus scale your revenue.
Will the app stores approve my white label app?
For white label apps to be approved by Apple App Store and Google Play Store, customization is important. Both Google and Apple want every app in their ecosystem to be unique and to add value to their respective audiences — so customize your app for a better chance of success, meaning, customize your app’s brand (icons, screenshots, color, logos, etc) and publish under a different account, Google Play Console account, or Apple Developer account.
If this sounds too complicated, Median can assist in creating and publishing your white label app to the app stores, easing the burden of the technical aspects involved in the process. Let Median do the heavy lifting for you.
to top
Related articles
.webp)
