A free APK creator is only useful if what it produces is a real app: signed so Android will install it, free of a watermark or "made with" banner, and not set to stop working after a trial period. Make Website to App's free tier passes all three. The trade-offs are elsewhere — in output format, upload size and the features that only matter once you are heading for Google Play — and they are listed below so there are no surprises after a build.
What every free build is
- A signed APK. Android refuses unsigned apps, so every build gets a signing key. It installs on any Android phone from Android 7 upwards.
- Watermark-free. No banner, no splash-screen credit, no "built with" text. The app is yours.
- Permanent. There is no expiry. The APK you download today installs and runs the same in five years.
- Private. Your files and URL are used to build your app and are not shared or published anywhere.
- Yours to distribute. Share the file, put it behind a QR code, host it on your site. No account is needed to install it.
What you can configure for free
| Setting | Free tier |
|---|---|
| Input | Website URL, single HTML file, or ZIP up to 5 MB |
| App name and icon | Yes — the full launcher icon set is generated from one image |
| Package name and version | Yes, validated against Android's rules before the build |
| Theme colour | Yes — status bar and system chrome |
| Page loader | Yes — circular or linear |
| Pull to refresh | Yes |
| Permissions | Camera, microphone and location, when your pages use them |
| External links | Open in the phone's browser automatically |
The limits, honestly
- APK only. Google Play requires an App Bundle (AAB) for new apps, and AAB is a Pro output. For direct sharing, testing and installing on your own devices, an APK is the right format anyway — APK vs AAB explains the difference.
- 5 MB of uploaded content for HTML and ZIP builds. That is the size of your source files before compression, and it is enough for most static sites once images are WebP. URL builds have no upload at all.
- A cooldown between builds. Free builds wait a while between one build and the next. Get the settings right first with the free tools, and one build is usually enough.
- A generated signing key. Fine for distribution. To update an app you have already published on Google Play you need to sign with the same key every time, which means bringing your own — a Pro feature.
What Pro adds
Pro exists for one job: getting a website app onto Google Play and making it feel native once it is there.
- AAB output — the format Play requires
- Your own signing key, generated or uploaded, so you can update a published app
- Splash screen with your icon, colour, gradient and loader
- Onboarding screens before the first page
- Bottom tab bar — native tabs pointed at sections of your site
- Push notifications
- Branded page loaders
- 18 MB upload limit and no build cooldown
Pro is a subscription sold through Google Play inside our Android app, so Google handles billing and refunds. Pricing and the full comparison →
Which tier do you need?
Free if you are sharing the app directly — with customers, students, a client, a team — or testing whether a website app is right for you at all. Pro if the app is going on Google Play, or if you want tabs and push notifications. Most people start free, install the result, and decide from there; nothing built on the free tier is wasted, because the same project can be rebuilt with Pro later.