On iPhone, open the site in Safari, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen, and keep Open as Web App switched on. For an App Store listing you need a wrapper and a $99/yr Apple Developer account. Steps and costs, September 2026.
To turn a website into an app on iPhone, open it in Safari, tap Share, choose Add to Home Screen, leave Open as Web App switched on, and tap Add. It gets its own icon and opens full screen, free. If you want a listing in the App Store, you need a wrapper app with real native features and an Apple Developer account at $99 a year.
Start free with a template site; AI builds from one prompt on paid plans from $20/mo. Need the website first? Every We.Inc site is mobile-ready and can be added to any iPhone Home Screen.
These steps are for iOS 26. Earlier versions use the same menu with slightly different wording.
The icon now sits on your Home Screen like any other app. If the site is a proper progressive web app, it can also remember logins, work partly offline and, since iOS 16.4, send push notifications once you allow them.
If it is your website and you want customers to "install" it, turn it into a progressive web app:
This is where cost and effort jump. Apple's App Store Review Guideline 4.2 (minimum functionality) says an app should be more than a repackaged website. Wrapped apps that only show a website are commonly rejected. You need real app value: push notifications, offline content, camera or location features, or native navigation.
Routes, with prices checked in September 2026:
| Route | Cost | Skills needed | App Store listing | Push notifications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Add to Home Screen | Free | None | No | Yes, if the site supports web push (iOS 16.4+) |
| Make your site a PWA | Free if you build it; included in many builders | Low to medium | No | Yes, once installed |
| Natively (wrapper service) | $19/mo, or $12/mo billed yearly | Low | Yes | Yes |
| Capacitor (open source) | Free | Developer | Yes | Yes |
| Apple Developer Program | $99/yr, required for any App Store route | n/a | Required | n/a |
Home Screen web app
Wrapper service
Capacitor
We.Inc is a website builder, not an app-store publishing service, so here is what it does and does not do.
For mobile-first starting designs, see the Lucia Trattoria template, the Forge Athletics template and the Wild Daisy Fragrances store template.
More reading: how to build a web app without code, types of business websites, and free AI website builders with hosting.
For most people, Add to Home Screen is the answer: free, instant, and good enough to feel like an app. If you own the site, make it a PWA so customers can install it properly. Only go to the App Store when you have native features worth listing, and budget $99 a year plus a wrapper or a developer.
Start free with a template site; AI builds from one prompt on paid plans from $20/mo. Get a mobile-ready site today and put it on your Home Screen in 30 seconds.
We.Inc is an AI-powered website builder you can resell under your own brand. Launch a branded client dashboard, bill on Stripe Connect, and deliver AI-generated websites in minutes. White-label plans are custom priced, with no per-site fees.