6 Tools to Build a Mobile App on the Cheap

 

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On top of that, EachScape maintains a block marketplace, to which developers can provide code for functions that extend beyond those already available. The ability to request blocks, and thereby add components unique to your app, has garnered EachSpace a notable range of clients, including MTV, CBS and E!. "We are customizable and open," Collin says. "If a client doesn't have all the functionality they need, they can (or we can) build an additional feature block to accommodate the need and that becomes part of the platform."

Cost: Licenses start at $2,500 per month.

4. Canvas

Canvas focuses almost entirely on data collection applications for small businesses in a seemingly endless array of industries, from fishing to construction to transportation. The apps, which number in the hundreds, provide businesses with the ability to record and request data, then store and distribute through the Canvas cloud.

"Today 95% of businesses use clipboards and paper as the predominant means of data collection when they aren't sitting in front of a computer," says CEO James Quigley. "There exists tremendous potential for businesses to replace their clipboards with a smartphone or tablet, and for that reason the market for our product and similar approaches is global and very large."

As an alternative to high cost app development, Canvas has created a marketplace where users are "sharing their experiences, providing very complete solutions off the shelf." Construction businesses, for example, can immediately gain access to apps that provide forms and feedback for job cost estimation, building inspection requirements, employee time sheets and remodeling proposals. Customized for each business, they provide the appearance of self-produced software while simultaneously enriching practices. The apps are customized as necessary and provide a level of communication between businesses and their customers.

"All the data collected by our subscribers is then sent to our cloud, where it is converted to PDFs and forwarded back their customers, is made available to be searched and sorted, and can even plug into our clients' back offices," Quigley explains.

While of a slightly different strand than other services — these apps supplement existing business practices, rather than launch businesses themselves — even this low level of customization allows for the creation of branded apps at almost no cost.

"Leveraging a cloud platform is enabling organizations to gain speed to market, flexibility and affordability without sacrificing on the ultimate quality of the product or app," Quigley says. "While more affordable application development may not include complete customization capabilities, the reality is that the large majority of businesses don't need excessive customization."

Cost: 50 cents per use of each app, $20 for unlimited monthly use, and $210 for unlimited yearly use.

5. CloudSpokes

Dave Messinger, chief architect of CloudSpokes, says his company is " the first developer community that matches the cloud with the crowd — a true market where businesses tap into skills and pay for results versus effort, and where developers get access to a new world of opportunity to earn money for cloud development."