What is a White Label App?

Mobile apps have become an essential tool for businesses to engage with customers and improve their offerings. However, not all businesses have the resources or expertise to develop a mobile app. This is where white label apps come into play.

A white label app is a native mobile app that a third-party provider will build and maintain. Businesses can buy the pre-built app and customize it to match their branding. They can also include customized functionality and features to suit their customers' needs. 

Pre-built apps have many benefits for businesses, including faster time-to-market and lower development costs. They may face customization and flexibility limitations compared to custom-built apps. 

Businesses in various industries can benefit from white label apps. They are advantageous in lost of different markets, for example in restaurant, finance, travel, health and fitness, hospitality and for internal use within businesses.

If you are a business owner interested in white label app solutions, this brief guide covers everything you need to know, including: 

• The Difference Between White Label Apps and Custom-built Apps. 

• When You Should Use a White Label App. 

• Best-suited Industries for White Label Apps. 

• The Advantages and Disadvantages of White Label Apps. 

The Difference Between White Label Apps and Custom-Built Apps#

One of the key differences between white label apps and custom-built apps is the level of control businesses have over the app. 

Custom-built apps are developed from scratch and built specifically for a business. A Custom-mobile app offers you the unlimited flexibility in the customization of the app, but you do need a dedicated team and budget to develop, maintain, and update the app. 

A white label app is a pre-built, structured system developed and maintained by a third-party provider. While you can customize the app with branding and features, the pre-built templates may limit how customized you can make the app. 

AppMachine is a no-code app builder that allows you to easily create a customized white label app for your business. Our white label app builder offers you the flexibility, functionality, and customization of a custom-built app without the added costs and time. 

When You Should Use a White Label App#

Pre-built apps are the perfect solution for businesses looking for a simple but highly capable app that can provide a great customer experience and assist in generating revenue. 

White label apps are also an excellent choice for businesses with limited resources to invest in developing a custom-built app. Businesses with restricted time can also rely on the no-code app builder to handle the development, maintenance, and support of the app. 

Which Industries are Best Suited#

Any business can use pre-built apps to enhance their customer experiences and increase their revenue. 

Often, you will find marketing or web agencies utilizing white label app development. Agencies utilize white label apps to expand their service offerings, generate revenue, and provide more value to their clients without having to hire developers.

While any industry can use pre-built apps, there are certain industries that these apps are better suited to, which we have outlined below: 

Restaurants/Cafes#

Small cafes and restaurants can use white label apps to offer their customers a streamlined and valuable experience. 

White label restaurant apps can include a feature that allows customers to make reservations, improving their experience and reducing the workload on the restaurant. The restaurant apps can be customized to include features such as promotion codes and loyalty programs, which can help drive repeat business and increase customer engagement. 

Travel/ hospitality#

White label apps can be a powerful tool for the travel and hospitality industry by enabling these businesses to provide a more convenient, personalized, and memorable experience to their customers. 

With a travel and hospitality app, these businesses can provide customers with a range of features and functionality, including booking travel, managing reservations, and accessing information about their trip. The app can also be customized with additional features, such as travel guides or real-time flight updates. This can help businesses differentiate themselves from competitors and provide a more engaging and valuable experience to their customers. 

Finance#

White label apps can be transformative for small banks and financial institutions looking to provide their customers with a seamless and convenient banking experience. 

Small banks and financial institutions can use an app to allow their customers to easily manage their accounts, transfer funds, and access their range of financial services. The app can also offer additional features, such as budget tracking or loan applications. In this way, these apps can help smaller banks and financial institutions compete with larger businesses in the industry. 

Health and Fitness#

White label apps offer health and fitness businesses an excellent opportunity to meet the growing demand for health and fitness-related apps. These businesses can quickly and cost-effectively offer an app that matches their customers’ needs. 

Health and fitness businesses can use the apps to keep their customers engaged and motivated by allowing them to track their workouts or monitor their fitness progress. They can customize the app with additional features, such as step tracking or calorie counting, to provide their customers with a useful and functional app suited to their fitness goals. 

Enterprise or Business apps#

White label apps can also be used internally in businesses to streamline their processes. Use an app to share digital handbooks, update all your employees with the latest news, reach out via push messages , share emails and work rosters.

Advantages of White Label Apps#

The numerous benefits of white label apps make them an advantageous choice for businesses. Here are the benefits your business can enjoy with a customized pre-built app: 

Super Quick and Efficient Roll-out#

White label apps offer a fast and efficient way for businesses to start offering their services or creating their app-led business. 

These apps are pre-built templates that can be quickly customized with a business's branding and content, reducing the time and resources required to develop a custom app from scratch. This means that businesses can launch their app in a matter of weeks, rather than months. This allows businesses to quickly establish a presence in the mobile market and start attracting or benefiting their customers.  Another advantage of white label mobile apps is that the more apps you can sell in a specific vertical, the time and cost to build a new version will decrease every time!
When you sell your app concept to a second client, you 

1. duplicate the first app you build.  

2. Change the design by branding according to the branding guidelines of your second customer. 

3. Change the homescreen to give the app a totally different look and feel.  

4. Change the content

Massive Time and Cost Savings#

Pre-built apps offer significant time and cost savings to businesses. 

Unlike custom-built apps, white label apps are pre-built templates that come with a wide range of app functionality that has already been built and tested by the third-party provider. This means that businesses do not need to invest significant time and money in developing and testing their app. Instead, they can quickly and easily customize the app with their branding and desired features, and then launch it in the market.

Slick Branding and Customization#

Businesses can use white label apps to establish or enhance their brand recognition. 

White label apps can be easily rebranded with a business's logo, colors, and design. This provides a seamless customer experience that reinforces the business's brand identity. By customizing the app's look and feel, businesses can create a consistent brand experience across all channels. 

Disadvantages of White Label Apps:#

While white label apps come with compelling benefits, there are a few downsides. Before deciding to buy your own app for your business, consider these drawbacks: 

Reduced Customization#

One of the drawbacks of white label apps is the limited customization options available to businesses. 

Depending on the white label app platform which you are using, you may not have complete control over the app's functionality or design. This can limit the level of customization that businesses can achieve, which in turn may impact some customers' experiences. 

To overcome this limitation, businesses can try to choose an app builder or white label app provider that offers a high degree of customization. They can also work with the provider to create custom features that better meet their specific needs. 
⁠If you choose a provider which also allows you to add your own functionality, for example via web services or JavaScript, you will we able to overcome this problem of Reduced customization. AppMachine is a no- and low-code app building platform which gives you that freedom.

Not as Much Control#

Another drawback of using a white label app is that businesses have limited control over the underlying architecture of the app. 

While businesses can customize the app's features, functionality, and branding, they may not be able to change the underlying architecture to the extent they need to meet their unique requirements. This limited control can impact the app's flexibility and functionality. 

To combat this limitation, businesses can work closely with the provider to ensure the app meets their specific needs and update their app with new features and customization releases. 
With AppMachine's white label app platform, you can add your functionality via a JavaScript integration which gives you all the freedom you need to extend on the features available.

More Dependence on the Provider#

One potential disadvantage of using a white label app is that businesses are dependent on the provider for ongoing updates, maintenance, and support. This can limit the business’s ability to make any desired changes to the app on their own. 

While this limits businesses’ ability to independently alter the app, a third-party provider offers peace of mind that the app will remain up-to-date and secure. This reduces the risk of security breaches or other issues that could compromise their customer’s data and the brand’s reputation. 

To prevent any problems, businesses should work with an app provider that has a strong track record of providing reliable updates and support. 

Should You Choose a White Label App?#

White label apps can be a great option for businesses that are looking for a cost-effective way to launch a white label mobile app quickly, without the need for extensive development or technical expertise. 

While you may be dependent on a provider and face limits on flexibility and customization, the time, effort, and costs saved plus the ongoing technical support can outweigh the drawbacks of white label apps. 

AppMachine is a white label app builder designed to make the process easier and faster. AppMachine’s white label app pricing is a cost-effective solution for white label app development for your business. We offer a range of budget-friendly plans that allow you to start developing your app in minutes. 
You can start your own mobile app business and become a mobile app reseller today!
AppMachine even has a white label app reseller program where we coach you to have your own app in the app stores within a month. Check out our coaching program.