There's an App Maker for That

With more than 1.1 million apps available for smartphones in the U.S., consumers are coming to expect every business to have one. The problem for most cash- and time-strapped small businesses is that developing a mobile app is an expensive and difficult proposition--or was.

This year a slew of do-it-yourself services have come online and pierced the armor of the $20.5 billion app-development market, allowing everyone from indie musicians to neighborhood coffee shops to claim space on their customers' phones--and in their wallets.

For companies previously shut out of the app world, the low barrier to entry has opened up new opportunities and potential markets. "I noticed that there were very few apps in the [iTunes] App Store that were marketing-related, so I saw my app as a chance to capture some market share," says Douglas Karr, CEO of DK New Media, who used the Appifier service to build his Marketing Technology Blog app.

There are several players in the DIY-app marketplace, each with a different business model. Most, such as Appifier, Bizness Apps and Conduit Mobile, provide a template, get apps approved and set up at the individual stores and help keep apps compatible with operating system updates. Some DIY services charge an upfront fee; others charge a monthly rate that helps ensure an app continues working on ever-changing platforms. Conduit's model, meanwhile, gives customers the app for no upfront cost but takes a cut of any advertising revenue generated.

Every business and DIY platform has different strengths and needs. Looking to measure customer engagement? Rolling out a loyalty program? Want to push notifications to feed limited-time deals to customers? Check out the chart below. Because this year, whatever your goal, there's an app-maker for that.

	Appifier	Bizness Apps	Conduit Mobile
Best for:	WordPress blog users, content companies and marketers	Restaurants, lawyers, realtors, salons	Bands, entertainers and event organizers
Pricing:	$40 per month or $500 flat fee	$39 per month for iPhone apps, plus $10 per month for additional platforms	Free
What you need to get started:	A WordPress blog	Just a concept	A website or Facebook page
Killer features:	Test the app and updates before it goes live	Set up a GPS-based loyalty program	Reach multiple platforms for free
Analytics:	Provides lists of top content, locations and session length. Supports Flurry Analytics.	Separate third-party plug-in	Tracks active users, page clicks, conversion rates and segmentation according to geography and social activity
Monetization:	Charge for downloading app, advertising	Charge for downloading app, advertising	Charge for downloading app; ad revenue split with Conduit
Platforms:	iOS, Android	iOS, Android, HTML5, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile	iOS, Android, HTML5, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile
Showcase examples:	Marketing Technology Blog (iOS)	Tacolicious (iOS/Android)	You Say France & I Whistle (iOS/Android)

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This article was originally published in the May 2012 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Apps for Everyone.