Guide
How to turn a website into an iOS app
If your product already works in a browser, you don't need to rebuild it in Swift to reach iPhones — you need one of three routes: make it installable as a PWA, wrap it in a native shell yourself, or use a conversion service. This page lays out all three honestly — costs, effort, and what Apple will and won't accept — so you can pick the right one.
The short answer
Want a home-screen icon for existing users? A PWA is free. Want a real App Store listing? Your site must become a signed native iOS app — either DIY with a Mac and Xcode, or automated by a service like Paludis ($49.99once per app). Every App Store route also pays Apple's $99/year Developer fee — no exceptions.
The three real routes
Route 1: Progressive Web App (PWA)
Free, but you never get an App Store listing
A PWA is your existing site with a manifest and service worker, installable from the browser's share menu. It costs nothing and ships instantly — but it isn't in the App Store, discovery is zero, iOS limits its capabilities, and 'add to home screen' is a flow almost no real user completes. Right choice if you just want a home-screen icon for existing loyal users.
- Free
- No review process
- Instant updates
- Not in the App Store at all
- iOS restricts notifications & features
- Users must know the install trick
Route 2: DIY native wrapper (Capacitor)
Full control, if you have a Mac and the patience
Capacitor (or a hand-rolled WKWebView shell) wraps your site in a real native app you build yourself in Xcode. You control everything and pay no service fees — but you need a Mac, Apple's certificate/provisioning system is famously hostile, and every icon size, splash screen, and signing step is on you. Right choice if you're a developer who enjoys owning the toolchain.
- Free software
- Total control
- Android from the same code
- Requires a Mac + Xcode
- Certificates & signing are on you
- A few evenings, not ten minutes
Route 3: Conversion service (Paludis)
Paste a URL, get an App Store app — $49.99 once
You paste your live URL; the service generates the native iOS project, renders every icon and splash size, signs the build in the cloud under your own Apple account, and uploads it to TestFlight — then walks the App Store submission with you. Business-focused wrapper platforms (Median, MobiLoud) do this well too but price as subscriptions for companies. Right choice if you want the result, not the toolchain.
- No Mac, no Xcode, no code
- One-time price, not a subscription
- Rejection guarantee: approved or refunded
- Apple's $99/year still applies (it always does)
- Your site must be live on HTTPS
What Apple requires, whichever route you take
- An Apple Developer account — $99/year, paid directly to Apple, 24–48h to activate
- A compiled, signed native app bundle (this is the part a Mac or a cloud build service does)
- An app that passes Guideline 4.2 — genuinely useful and app-like, not a bookmarked brochure
- A listing in App Store Connect: name, icon, screenshots, privacy details
Built with an AI or no-code builder?
The route is the same, but the publish step differs per tool — these walkthroughs cover the specifics:
Lovable → App Store
How to get your Lovable app on the App Store, step by step.
Read the guideBolt → App Store
How to get your Bolt app on the App Store, step by step.
Read the guidev0 → App Store
How to get your v0 app on the App Store, step by step.
Read the guideAnything else with a URL
Bubble, Framer, Webflow, WordPress, custom code — if it's live on HTTPS, the same pipeline works.
Start with your URLFrequently asked questions
Can I turn my website into an iPhone app for free?
Partially. A Progressive Web App (PWA) is free — users can add your site to their home screen — but it never appears in the App Store, and iOS restricts what PWAs can do (notifications are limited and Apple gives them second-class treatment). Getting into the actual App Store always involves Apple's $99/year Developer Program fee, whichever route you take.
How much does it cost to turn a website into an iOS app?
Three realistic price points. Do-it-yourself with Capacitor: free software, but you need a Mac with Xcode and your own time. A conversion service like Paludis: $49.99 one-time per app. Agency wrapper platforms aimed at businesses typically run hundreds to thousands per year as subscriptions. Every route also pays Apple $99/year for the Developer Program.
Do I need to know how to code?
Not with a conversion service — if your website is live at a URL, that's all that's needed; the native project, signing, and upload are handled for you. The DIY route (Capacitor + Xcode) is genuinely a developer task: JavaScript tooling, certificates, and Apple's provisioning system.
Will Apple accept an app that's just my website?
Apple's Review Guideline 4.2 rejects apps that feel like 'simply a website bundled as an app'. Approval is absolutely achievable — thousands of web-based apps pass review — but the app should be mobile-optimised, genuinely useful, and ideally carry native touches like push notifications. Paludis checks your site for the avoidable rejections before you submit, and covers you with a rejection guarantee: approved, or your money back.
Do I need a Mac?
Only for the DIY route — Xcode, which compiles and signs iOS apps, runs exclusively on macOS. Cloud-based services build and sign on remote Macs, so you can ship an iOS app entirely from a Windows or Linux browser.
How long does it take?
With a conversion service: about ten minutes of hands-on time to a TestFlight build, then Apple's review (typically a day or two) for the public App Store listing. Enrolling in the Apple Developer Program takes 24–48 hours the first time, so start that early. DIY typically takes a few evenings the first time.
What about Android?
The same wrap-and-sign logic applies to Google Play, and DIY tools like Capacitor cover both platforms. Paludis focuses on iOS today because it's the harder, more restrictive half — most builders find Google Play far easier to handle when they get to it.
Ready to put your website on the App Store?
Paste your URL and we'll handle the native build, Apple signing, and TestFlight — no Mac required, $49.99 once.
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