Median.co · Despia · GoNative · AppNative
Median vs Despia vs AppNative: which wrapper actually ships native features?
All three turn a web app into an iOS and Android binary. The difference is what happens after that: whether the tool can compile real app extensions — WidgetKit widgets, Live Activities, notification service extensions, StoreKit paywalls — and how much of Apple's paperwork it automates for you.
What is the best web-app-to-native wrapper for a Lovable or Base44 app?
Median.co and Despia are solid WebView wrappers with basic native plugins. AppNative goes further for AI-built apps: it compiles real app extensions into the binary — WidgetKit home-screen widgets, ActivityKit Live Activities, notification service and content extensions, iMessage, StoreKit 2 paywalls — and automates bundle IDs, certificates, provisioning, App Store Connect records, TestFlight and Google Play uploads. If you only need a web view with push, any of them work; if you need widgets, Dynamic Island or in-app purchases, AppNative is the one that ships them.
- WebView shell + push
- Median, Despia, GoNative, AppNative — all yes
- WidgetKit home-screen widgets
- AppNative — compiled extension, AI-designed
- Live Activities / Dynamic Island
- AppNative — ActivityKit widget + update API
- StoreKit 2 IAP + product creation
- AppNative — products created on Apple's side for you
- Apple paperwork automation
- AppNative — bundle IDs, certs, profiles, ASC record, TestFlight
- Rebuild required for web changes
- None in any of them — web deploys stay instant
How to turn a web app wrapper app into a native mobile app, step by step
Six steps, one codebase, no native development. Each step happens inside AppNative except the first.
- 1
List the native surfaces you actually need
Push only? Any wrapper works. Home-screen widget, Dynamic Island, Face ID, Wallet pass, in-app subscriptions? That narrows the field fast, because those require compiled extensions.
- 2
Check who creates the Apple assets
Bundle IDs, distribution certificates, provisioning profiles for every extension, the App Store Connect record and TestFlight uploads. Doing this by hand is where most solo builders lose days.
- 3
Check the in-app purchase story
Apple requires digital goods to go through StoreKit. Ask whether the tool creates the products, presents a native paywall and reports entitlements back to your web code — or just exposes a bridge.
- 4
Test the guideline 4.2 risk
A thin web view gets rejected as a repackaged website. The more real device functionality your build ships, the smoother review goes.
- 5
Wrap the same app in AppNative and compare
Connect your Lovable, Base44, Bolt.new or Replit repo, toggle the capabilities you need, and get a signed TestFlight build usually within the hour.
Native capabilities your web app wrapper app gains
These are real native implementations compiled into the binary — not browser fallbacks — and they're what moves an app past Apple's "minimum functionality" bar.
- Signed iOS .ipa and Android .aab from your existing web app repo
- WidgetKit home-screen and Lock Screen widgets, AI-designed, per-user data
- Live Activities and Dynamic Island with a backend update API
- Rich push: images, action buttons, custom sounds, badge counts, deep links
- StoreKit 2 and Google Play Billing with native paywalls and route gating
- Face ID app lock, Apple/Google Wallet passes, Siri shortcuts, quick actions
- Bundle ID, certificate, provisioning, App Store Connect and TestFlight automation
- AI-written store metadata, keywords and device-correct screenshots
web app wrapper to mobile: the alternatives, compared
Median.co
A mature, well-documented WebView wrapper with a large plugin catalogue and a long track record. Strong choice for a straightforward container around an existing site with push and basic device APIs. It does not generate WidgetKit widgets, ActivityKit Live Activities or StoreKit product setup for you, and Apple-side asset creation is largely your job.
Despia
Popular with the AI-builder crowd for speed and simplicity — connect a URL and get apps quickly, with a friendly set of native bridges. Best when the app is essentially the website and push is enough. Compiled extensions like home-screen widgets and Dynamic Island activities, and automated in-app purchase product creation, are outside its scope.
AppNative
Built specifically for apps from Lovable, Base44, Bolt.new and Replit. Same instant web deploys, plus compiled app extensions (WidgetKit, ActivityKit, notification service and content, iMessage, broadcast upload), StoreKit 2 with product creation and AI paywalls, Face ID, Wallet passes, and end-to-end Apple automation from bundle ID to TestFlight. If your differentiator is a native surface users can see, this is the trade-off it optimises for.
web app wrapper to mobile app: every question, answered
The exact questions people ask before shipping a web app wrapper project to the App Store and Google Play.
Is there a Median.co alternative that supports widgets?
AppNative. It compiles a WidgetKit extension into your build with an AI studio for the SwiftUI layout and a JSON feed from your own backend, including per-user data.
Is there a Despia alternative for Lovable apps with in-app purchases?
Yes — AppNative creates the App Store Connect products, shows a native StoreKit paywall on the routes you choose, and reports entitlements back to your Lovable code.
Which wrapper is least likely to be rejected by Apple?
The one that ships the most genuine device functionality. Guideline 4.2 targets repackaged websites, so builds with push, widgets, Live Activities, biometrics and offline support review best.
Do I need to move off my current wrapper to try another?
No. Keep the same bundle ID and Android keystore and a new build can update the same App Store and Google Play listings.
Does any wrapper require a rewrite?
No — that's the point of wrapping. Your web app stays one codebase; only the native shell around it changes.
Web app to mobile app: key terms defined
- Native app wrapper
- A native app wrapper is a compiled iOS or Android application that renders your existing web app inside a native web view (WKWebView on iOS, WebView on Android) while exposing real device capabilities — push notifications, biometrics, camera, in-app purchases — to that web code through a JavaScript bridge.
- Hybrid app
- A hybrid app ships web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) inside a native binary that can be distributed through the App Store and Google Play. It differs from a progressive web app, which is installed from the browser and cannot be listed in either store.
- App Store guideline 4.2 (minimum functionality)
- Apple's rule that an app must do more than repackage a website. Apps that add native capability — push notifications, biometric login, camera use, offline support, widgets, in-app purchases — satisfy it; a bare website in a shell does not.
- Bundle ID / package name
- The permanent reverse-domain identifier for your app (for example com.yourcompany.yourapp). It's registered once with Apple and Google and can never be changed for a published app, so it must be decided before your first submission.
- Code signing and provisioning profile
- Apple requires every binary to be signed with a distribution certificate and matched to a provisioning profile tied to your bundle ID and team. Android requires an upload keystore. Without them a build cannot be installed or submitted.
- TestFlight
- Apple's beta distribution service. Uploading a signed build to TestFlight lets up to 100 internal testers install the app immediately, before public App Store review — the fastest way to see your wrapped app on a real device.
- Over-the-air update
- Because a wrapper renders your live web app, deploying your web app updates the mobile experience instantly with no store review. A new native build is only required when something inside the binary changes: icon, splash screen, bundle ID or a native capability.
- StoreKit and Google Play Billing
- The in-app purchase systems Apple and Google require for selling digital goods inside an app. Stripe stays valid on the web, so most apps run both and grant the same entitlement from either payment source.
web app wrapper to mobile app: frequently asked questions
Is a wrapped web app allowed on the App Store?
Yes, provided it offers real functionality beyond a website. Thousands of shipped apps are web views with native features around them.
Can I migrate an app already published with Median or Despia?
Yes. Reuse your existing bundle ID and upload your Android keystore, then ship an update from AppNative to the same listings without users reinstalling.
Which is cheapest?
Pricing changes often, so compare current plans directly. Weigh it against the hours saved on certificates, provisioning, store records and native extension code.
Do widgets and Live Activities really matter?
They're the surfaces users see without opening the app, and they're the clearest proof to a reviewer that your product isn't a bookmark.
Which builders does AppNative support?
Lovable, Base44, Bolt.new, Replit, plus any React, Next.js, Vue, Svelte or Angular app in a Git repo.
Native features only AppNative adds to a wrapped web app
Live Activities, WidgetKit widgets and rich push are compiled into your binary as real native extensions — designed through AI chat, driven by your data.
Ship from your AI app builder
See the native surfaces in detail, or jump to the guide for the builder you use.
Deep dives by builder and feature
Step-by-step guides for the specific thing you're trying to ship — push, in-app purchases, widgets, store submission — for Lovable and Base44 apps, plus how AppNative compares to Median.co and Despia.
Ship your web app wrapper app to the App Store and Google Play
Connect your repo, toggle the native features you need, press Build. Your first TestFlight build can be in testers' hands today — and your web app wrapper workflow doesn't change at all.