Have you ever looked at an app and thought to yourself – I might have seen that somewhere else before? You’re not wrong; white label apps are becoming a significant part of the app industry. Although White Label Apps may look similar at times, let us reassure you that this is not just a case of copying and pasting but a broader concept that offers a highly efficient app solution for your business.

What Exactly Is White Label?

First of all, a quick recap on what precisely white label means. In various industries, it refers to a product or service that is developed in generic form by a company to resell it to multiple clients under their branding and ownership. This is often the case with supermarket brands of food or cosmetics. Although cans of tuna or baked beans appear on the shelves displaying the supermarket’s logo, they were produced by a company providing white label goods.

In the context of app development, a white label refers to an application produced by one company, sharing one backend, and distributed under the branding of the client company with a customised frontend. In the most basic version, this translates into a change of the logo and some styles in the application. Many critics would say that the concept comes down to copy-pasting the application and adding some touches to it. However, there is a lot more to that.

Who Uses White Label Apps?

Wherever there is a certain level of standardisation of products or services in the industry, white label apps can become the go-to solution for app development. Whether ordering a taxi, booking a hotel, or buying clothes online, they all follow the same pattern regardless of where you do it. This is precisely why retail, taxi services, food providers and travel agencies are the top users of white label apps. 

Let’s see the following scenario of a white label app:

  1. A software company develops an Android/iOS app for Great Cabs taxi services.
  2. The final app turns out to be successful, and on the market, there’s a great demand for taxi apps that share the same features.
  3. Another company, Green Taxis, approaches the software house with the task of developing their own taxi application.
  4. Great Cabs and Green Taxis use white label applications with the same backend in common. It gives them all the mobile app features necessary for their taxi services in no time with little effort and budget. Meanwhile, the support and maintenance of the app are done for them.

Once an application covering a particular set of features is created, it can be implemented for other clients searching for the same or at least similar functionalities. Here a white label developer needs to understand and pinpoint its target market and users. 

Also, vice versa, when considering a white label app, clients should research the features, as white label apps have their limitations. It is highly unlikely that a food delivery app could serve online gambling or the other way around. Choose carefully, be sure the white label app developer knows your target audience and competition!

The Various Approaches to White Label App Development

Developing white label apps can be approached in multiple ways as potential clients vary in their requirements and needs for an application. The most straightforward solution is the backend-based approach. Software developers sell the application’s backend and leave it up to the customer to develop their frontend. 

However, as Kamil Ziętek points out – most customers do not want to maintain their software. The multi-tenant solution provides clients with both backend and frontend, and the software runs as SaaS (Software-as-a-Service). For clients, the application appears as a standalone app, it remains configurable but shares a single infrastructure with other clients.

Both solutions allow to skip the backend creation process and customise brand identity elements but differ in maintenance and support. It is worth pointing out that the multi-tenancy approach offers way more support from the developers, as all improvements or bug fixes across all clients’ apps are automatically shared, leaving you without much to worry about!

How Are White Label Apps Different From Custom Apps?

When talking about white label apps, customisation is often mentioned. So then, what’s the difference between white label and custom made apps? White label apps are ready-made products targeted at a specific market or industry. In contrast, custom apps are created from scratch with the business goal in mind throughout the development process. 

A reminder from us again, this is why it’s essential to evaluate the white label app of your initial choice, as it may or may not cater to all the unique needs of your business particularly. White label and custom app building are two entirely different, but equally functional ways of developing apps. So what should we consider when choosing a white label app?

What to Consider in White Label App Solutions

Development Costs

White label solutions skip the backend development process entirely. There’s no need to involve an internal software developer or an outsourced team, in return saving money, as well as time. Most often, white label apps sell for a fixed price, thus reducing costs regarding mistakes, errors, or mishaps when developing an app on your own.

Beat the Clock

The demand for mobile apps is gigantic and still on the rise. According to Statista, mobile apps will generate $935 billion in revenue by 2023. Many businesses, vendors and organisations try to take advantage of that trend and jump on the bandwagon in developing their unique mobile apps.

White label is one of the fastest methods of developing an app, that otherwise could take many months or even years to complete. If your priority is to release a mobile app that also is a proven product and its maintenance is taken care of, white label could be a perfect choice.

Brand Identity

The white label app developer of your choice should provide you with a high configurability and independence of modules from each other. Full brand customisation will make the app look indistinguishable from a bespoke software product, and from products of your competition.

Help with App Maintenance

By choosing the multi-tenancy option, professionals will take care of your white label app. Pains associated with maintenance are virtually eliminated thanks to SaaS. White label developers and their dedicated maintenance teams update the app and fix its bugs at all times. On the contrary, the maintenance of custom apps lies only on the client’s side.

Conclusion

The concept of the white label is as old as time, and it has found its way into app development too. Although white label apps have their limitations, countless providers offer a variety of apps targeted at different markets and industries. As businesses’ online presence grows, the demand for fast set-up apps will grow too.

Does white label equal copypasting? Certainly not! It is an efficient process that reduces time and money spent on developing separate backends for each app. Moreover, it offers a great deal of help and flexibility, particularly for those who haven’t had experience with app development.