Buildy vs Natively
Buildy vs Natively
Natively and Buildy both get an app into the stores, but they do fundamentally different things. Natively (buildnatively.com) is a website-to-app tool: it wraps your website/web app into an iOS/Android app by loading it inside a native WebView, so the shipped app is essentially your live site running inside a native shell, and content updates auto-sync without a resubmit. Buildy is an AI builder that generates a real, native React Native app from a natural-language description, code you own and can export as a zip or sync to your own GitHub. If you already have a polished website and just want it in the stores, that difference is the whole decision.
Scroll horizontally to see every column.
| Buildy | Natively | |
|---|---|---|
| Code ownership | Full. Standard Expo/React Native project, exportable as a zip or synced to your own GitHub. No proprietary runtime. | None of the app's code. You keep your website, but the app itself is a WebView wrapper and Natively doesn't provide app source code. |
| Native targets | Real native code: Expo/React Native (default), plus native Android (Kotlin/Compose) and iOS (SwiftUI). | WebView wrapper: your live website embedded in a native shell, not native UI or navigation. |
| Free tier | Generate + hosted PWA preview, with a Home Screen shortcut. No card required. | $0 tier converts a site to an app and allows real-device testing, but app-store builds and publishing require a paid plan. |
| Export | Zip download or GitHub sync of the whole project. A working app if you ever leave. | No code export. Offers a JS SDK / plugins to add native hooks (push, in-app purchase) to your existing site. |
| Pricing | Free; Pro €25/mo; Max €50/mo. Paddle is merchant of record (handles EU VAT). | Free $0; Essential ~$19/mo; Unlimited ~$49/mo; one-time Lifetime license ~$699. Annual billing is cheaper, check their site for current numbers. |
| Preview and release boundary | Hosted preview is not packaged into the release project, reducing one remote-code pattern; final review depends on the app. | App loads your live website at runtime; pure wrappers face Apple's 4.2 'repackaged website' scrutiny. Natively sells approval support + a 100% release guarantee to mitigate. |
| Backend | Supabase wiring on Pro+ (bring your own project); env-var management built in. | Uses whatever backend already powers your website; adds native plugins rather than a new backend. |
| Learning curve | Describe the app in natural language; some technical comfort helps for export and customization. | Paste a URL. Easiest path if you already have a polished website; no coding at all. |
Where Buildy is the better pick
You own real code. Buildy outputs a standard Expo/React Native project you can export as a zip or sync to your own GitHub. Natively gives you a WebView wrapper around your site, not app source you control.
It's an actual native app, not your website in a shell. Buildy generates real React Native (plus native Android in Kotlin/Compose and iOS in SwiftUI) with native UI and navigation, instead of embedding your live site in a WebView.
A separate preview and release path. Buildy's hosted preview is not packaged into the release project. Website wrappers take a different approach and may receive minimum-functionality scrutiny under Guideline 4.2, depending on the submitted app.
No existing website required. Buildy builds the app from a description; Natively needs a web app to wrap in the first place.
No lock-in. Leave Buildy and you still have a working Expo project; leave a wrapper and the 'app' is just your website again.
Where Natively may be the better pick
No tool wins everything. Here's where Natively is genuinely the stronger choice.
If you already run a polished web app (Shopify, WordPress, Webflow, Bubble), Natively is the faster, cheaper path to the stores. There's no rebuild, you keep one codebase, and content updates auto-sync to the app without resubmitting.
Natively offers a one-time Lifetime license (about $699) plus hands-on App Store approval support and a 100% release guarantee. That's appealing if you want done-for-you publishing and no recurring AI subscription.
Single source of truth: web and app stay in sync automatically, so the two never drift apart. With a separate native codebase you have to keep them aligned yourself.
The verdict
Choose by what you're starting from. If you already have a polished website and want a low-effort wrapper, Natively offers a direct path and hands-on publishing support. Know that its product is a website in a native shell, without app source code you own, and that pure wrappers can receive minimum-functionality scrutiny. Buildy is for teams that want owned React Native, Kotlin, or SwiftUI project code and managed signed builds on paid plans; its free tier provides a hosted PWA preview for testing on a phone.
Build your first app free →Two similarly named products exist. This page compares the WebView-wrapper "Natively" at buildnatively.com, which describes itself as converting your website into an iOS/Android app by loading it inside a native WebView. A separate, similarly named product ("Newly," at natively.dev) instead uses AI to generate native React Native code with source ownership, do not confuse the two. Natively's pricing was read from buildnatively.com/pricing in 2026 (Free $0; Essential ~$19/mo, ~$12/mo billed annually; Unlimited ~$49/mo, ~$32/mo billed annually; Lifetime license ~$699), and the Lifetime tier has carried promotional bundle offers, verify current numbers before quoting. Natively's site does not frame its model in terms of Apple guideline 2.5.2 or 4.2; those App Store points are general wrapper-review context. Natively does advertise a "100% app-store release guarantee" plus App Store approval support. Buildy's 6M/12M monthly figures are normalized generation-unit budgets.