AppOfWeb vs Shopney: Which One Should You Use to Turn Your Shopify Store Into a Mobile App?

So you want to turn your Shopify store into a mobile app. Smart move. In today's e-commerce landscape, having a dedicated mobile app isn't just a 'nice to have' anymore — it's a vital tool for retention, brand loyalty, and increasing your lifetime customer value. Mobile shoppers browse more often, spend more per session, and are far more likely to return if they have your icon sitting on their home screen.

But now you're stuck looking at a bunch of tools and services, trying to figure out which one is actually worth your money. You've likely seen Shopney — one of the biggest names in the Shopify app builder space. And then you've found AppOfWeb — the service that's disrupting the industry with a fully managed model.

Today we're breaking down these two options in extreme detail. By the end of this 2,500-word deep dive, you'll know exactly which one makes more sense for your specific business goals, your budget, and your daily schedule. No tech jargon, no confusing stuff. Just the real deal from an e-commerce perspective.

What Features Does a Good Shopify Mobile App Actually Need?

Before we look at the individual tools, we need to talk about what actually makes a mobile app successful for a Shopify store. A lot of people focus on the wrong things during the research phase. They look at fancy animations or minor design tweaks, but they miss the core features that actually drive sales.

Here are the absolute must-haves for any Shopify mobile app in 2026:

1. Push Notifications: This is the #1 reason to have an app. Being able to bypass the crowded email inbox and the social media algorithms is priceless. You need the ability to send abandoned cart reminders, flash sale alerts, and personalized offers directly to a customer's lock screen.

2. Real-Time Sync: If you change a price on Shopify, it needs to change in the app instantly. If a product goes out of stock, the app needs to know immediately. You cannot afford to manage two separate inventories or product datasets.

3. Compatibility with Existing Apps: Your Shopify store isn't just Shopify. You probably use apps for loyalty programs (like Smile.io), reviews (like Judge.me), or subscriptions (like Recharge). Your mobile app MUST work with these, or you're breaking your customer experience.

4. Extreme Loading Speed: Mobile users are impatient. If your app takes 5 seconds to load a product page, they are going back to Instagram. The app needs to feel snappy and faster than your mobile website.

5. Frictionless Checkout: Every extra tap during checkout is a chance for a customer to leave. Your app should ideally support one-tap checkouts like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Shop Pay.

6. Ongoing Management: An app is not a 'set it and forget it' project. It needs updates, new banners for sales, and technical maintenance. You either need a team to do this, or a service that handles it for you.

First, What Is Shopney?

Shopney is a DIY (Do-it-Yourself) Shopify mobile app builder. It is designed as a platform where you, the store owner, are the pilot. When you sign up, you gain access to their dashboard, which features a drag-and-drop editor.

You start by picking a template that somewhat matches your brand's aesthetic. From there, you customize colors, upload your own banners, and decide which product collections to feature on the home screen. Once you're happy with the design, you provide your developer credentials, and Shopney helps you submit the app to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

Shopney is feature-rich. They offer things like in-app chat, designer elements, and various integrations. It's a solid tool for brands that have a dedicated marketing person or a designer who can spend a few hours every week making sure the app looks fresh and the push notifications are being sent correctly.

And What Is AppOfWeb?

AppOfWeb takes a fundamentally different approach. While Shopney is a tool, AppOfWeb is a service. It's built for the Shopify store owner who is already too busy to spend their weekends learning a new drag-and-drop platform.

With AppOfWeb, you don't build anything. You provide your store URL and your basic requirements, and their team of professionals builds the entire app for you. They handle the design, the technical setup, and the entire complex process of submitting to the App Stores.

The biggest difference, however, comes after launch. AppOfWeb assigns you a dedicated project manager who knows your store personally. They don't just 'support' you; they manage the app for you. If you have a sale coming up, you don't have to log in to a dashboard to update your app's homepage. You just message your PM, and they handle it.

Think of it this way: Shopney is like buying a high-end LEGO set and building it yourself. It's a great set, but if you don't have time to build it, it's just a box. AppOfWeb is like hiring a professional builder who not only builds the set perfectly but checks in every month to make sure no pieces have fallen off.

The Money Talk: Who's Actually Cheaper?

Pricing is where a lot of Shopify merchants make their first mistake. They look at the base monthly fee and stop there. But you have to look at the total cost of ownership over a year or two.

Shopney's pricing starts at $149/month for their 'Silver' plan. AppOfWeb costs $99/month, but requires a one-time setup fee of $799.

As the table shows, AppOfWeb becomes cheaper than Shopney's *starting* plan in about 13-14 months. But here is the critical part: most serious stores cannot stay on Shopney's $149 plan. Why? Because that plan locks out the most important features.

Real Hidden Costs of Using Shopney

When you see '$149/month' on the Shopney website, that's just the tip of the iceberg. To actually run a competitive mobile app that drives real revenue, you'll likely need to upgrade to their Gold ($299/mo) or Platinum ($599/mo) plans.

Here is what Shopney often hides behind their paywalls:

- Abandoned Cart Notifications: On the $149 plan, you don't get these. This is the #1 revenue-generating feature of any app. You generally have to pay $299/month just to unlock the ability to automatically remind customers about their empty carts.

- Deep Linking: Want to send a push notification that takes users directly to a specific product category? That's often restricted to higher-tier plans.

- Custom App Icon & Premium Design: If you want your app to look truly unique and not like a standard template, you're looking at the $599/month 'Platinum' plan.

- Analytics & A/B Testing: Knowing what's working and what's not is vital for growth. Shopney locks their advanced analytics and testing tools behind their most expensive plans.

- Multi-language & Multi-currency: Selling internationally? You'll need the $299/month plan at a minimum.

By the time you unlock everything you actually need to run a successful store, Shopney isn't $149 anymore — it's $599 to $1,299 per month. AppOfWeb gives you all of these features at $99/month. No unlocking required, no 'platinum' tiers. Everything we do is designed to help you sell more, right from day one.

The Tech Stuff: Webview vs. Custom-Built

This is a technical choice that has huge practical consequences for your daily life. Shopney builds 'custom-built' apps. This means they build a specific native version of your store. This looks good, but it breaks the connection to your Shopify ecosystem.

Shopify has over 8,000 apps. If you use a review app like Judge.me, a loyalty app like Smile, or a subscription app like Recharge, Shopney has to manually build an 'integration' for that app to work in your mobile app. If they haven't built that integration yet, that feature simply won't work in your app. Your customers will see a broken or missing section where your reviews or rewards should be.

AppOfWeb uses Advanced Webview technology. We take your existing Shopify website — which you've already spent thousands of dollars optimizing — and we wrap it in a high-performance native app shell. This means your app IS your website. Every single Shopify app you have installed works perfectly inside the mobile app on day one. Every theme customization you've made is preserved.

What Happens After Your App Goes Live?

Most people worry about getting the app launched. The real challenge, however, starts *after* launch. Who is going to manage the app on a Tuesday morning while you're busy with fulfillment?

With Shopney after launch:

- You are the manager: You have to log in to the Shopney dashboard to update banners, changing featured collections, and managing your push notification calendar.

- You run the campaigns: Want to announce a 24-hour sale? You have to set up the notification yourself, test it, and schedule it.

- Technical updates: If Shopify updates its checkout or Apple changes its app store requirements, you have to monitor the news and figure out if your app needs a manual update.

- Support is a ticket: If something breaks, you open a support ticket and wait for a response from a general support queue.

With AppOfWeb after launch:

- Your dedicated PM handles it: Want to run a Black Friday push campaign? Just message your PM. Want to update your app's home screen for a new season? Message your PM.

- Proactive maintenance: If Shopify or Apple updates their systems, our team handles the back-end technical work before you even notice there was an update.

- Seamless growth: Install a new Shopify app on your store? It works automatically in your mobile app via our webview technology. No waiting, no configuration.

- Human connection: You have the cell phone number or direct messaging of a person who knows your name and your business. It's like having an extra employee for $99 a month.

AppOfWeb vs Shopney: Side-by-Side Summary

AppOfWeb vs Shopney FAQ — People Also Ask

Q: Is Shopney good for small Shopify stores?

A: Shopney can work for small stores, but the starting price of $149/month — and the need to manage everything yourself — can be a heavy burden for solo founders. AppOfWeb's fully managed service at $99/month is usually a better fit for small store owners who don't have time to manage an app daily.

Q: Does Shopney work with all Shopify apps?

A: No. Shopney is a custom-built platform, which means it only supports selected third-party Shopify apps. If you rely on apps outside their supported list, they may not work inside your mobile app. AppOfWeb's webview technology supports all 8,000+ apps in the Shopify App Store automatically.

Q: How long does it take to launch a Shopify mobile app?

A: With DIY tools like Shopney, setup time depends on how quickly you can design and configure everything yourself — typically 1–4 weeks. With AppOfWeb's fully managed service, their team handles everything and your app can be live in a similar timeframe without you lifting a finger.

Q: Do I need coding skills to build a Shopify mobile app?

A: With Shopney — no coding needed, but you do need time to learn the platform and manage it ongoing. With AppOfWeb — you don't need coding skills OR time, because their team does all the work for you.

Q: What is the cheapest way to convert a Shopify store to a mobile app?

A: While some tools have lower starting prices, the cheapest long-term option depends on total cost including setup, monthly fees, and upgrade costs. AppOfWeb at $799 setup + $99/month becomes cheaper than Shopney after just 8-13 months (depending on plan) — and includes full managed service that DIY tools don't offer.

The Bottom Line

If you want to convert your Shopify store into a mobile app without the headaches, AppOfWeb is the clear winner. You pay a one-time setup fee of $799 and then just $99 per month. You get a real native app powered by advanced webview technology — meaning your entire store, all your Shopify apps, everything stays perfectly in sync automatically. And you get a dedicated project manager who's there for you forever, not just during onboarding.

Shopney is a solid product. But it's a tool, not a service. And tools require work. AppOfWeb gives you the app AND the team behind it. For most Shopify store owners who are already stretched thin, that's exactly what you need to succeed.

Ready to get started? Visit appofweb.com and get your Shopify store turned into a mobile app — fully managed, with a dedicated project manager and advanced webview technology, starting at just $99/month.