When an ecommerce business asks "how much does it cost to build a native app?", the answer depends entirely on which tool they use — and what that tool actually produces. A platform that charges $0 to start but takes three months to configure a working checkout flow is more expensive in practice than one that charges $25 per month and delivers a complete multi-screen native shopping experience in an afternoon. The confusion compounds when "native app" means different things across tools' marketing pages. In 2026, some AI and no-code app builders produce native Kotlin and Swift code that can be submitted to the App Store and Google Play. Others produce web apps or Progressive Web Apps that look like native apps on a phone screen but cannot be distributed as native store listings. That distinction changes everything — the output type determines not just cost, but the entire product roadmap.…