Custom app App
4 to go until a free coffee
Custom app vs. wallet
Custom app or a card in the wallet?
A custom app sounds tempting, but customers rarely download an app for a single café or hairdresser. The wallet card is already on every phone.
Free forever · no app for your customers · ready to go in 10 minutes
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Stempel
7 von 10 Stempel
Café Sonnig
Name
Mara L.
Prämie
Free coffee
#10472
Direct comparison
Custom app or wallet, line by line.
Same goal, loyal guests. You just reach it without development, without a download and without maintenance.
Cost
Custom app: Development €10,000–100,000
Tapja: Ready to use instantly, from €0
Adoption
Custom app: Customers rarely download new apps
Tapja: No download, the wallet is pre-installed
Maintenance
Custom app: Ongoing maintenance & updates required
Tapja: Maintenance-free, updates included
On the phone
Custom app: Takes up storage, wants push permissions
Tapja: Uses the system wallet the customer already has
Onboarding
Custom app: Complex onboarding
Tapja: Sign-up in under 1 minute, one tap
Staying fair
Already have an app? Then complement it.
Tapja does not have to replace your app. Many businesses offer both: anyone who does not want to download the app uses the wallet card, and app users get the card additionally on their lock screen. That way you lose no customer to the download hurdle.
We review a connection to existing loyalty systems individually, useful above all for multiple locations or a favourite chain.
Reframing
What a custom app really costs.
Two platforms, double the work
iOS and Android both want to be built, tested and maintained, every change twice over.
The app has to be found first
Store listing, reviews, marketing: every single download is a piece of persuasion to begin with.
Updates never stop
New OS versions, security gaps, store policies. An app is never finished, it is an ongoing cost.
Storage space is a hurdle
Rarely used apps are the first to be deleted from the phone. The wallet stays, it is already there anyway.
No project
Get started without developers.
No app project, no specification document, no launch. In about 10 minutes your wallet card is live, and you can run it alongside an existing app at any time.
How the setup worksSee the loyalty card for your industry
Does loyalty pay off? Stats & studies
1 Set the reward
2 Design the card
3 QR display on the counter
0 min
until your program is live
0 wallets
Apple & Google included
€0
to get started, no card needed
0 %
GDPR-compliant, servers in the EU
FAQ
Questions about a custom app.
Does Tapja fully replace a custom app?
For loyalty, stamps and points, yes, you do not need a custom app for that. If your app needs to do more beyond that (e.g. ordering or delivery), Tapja can complement it rather than replace it.
Can I still build a custom app later?
Of course. You start today effortlessly with the wallet card and decide later, at your leisure, whether an app is even worth it.
Can the app and the wallet card run in parallel?
Yes. App users get the wallet card additionally, everyone else simply uses the card. No one slips through the cracks.
Can Tapja connect to my existing loyalty system?
We review a connection individually, useful above all for multiple locations or a favourite chain. Just reach out and we will look together at what fits.
What does getting started cost me?
Nothing on the free plan, permanently free for up to 30 cards, no credit card.
Get started without an app project, in 10 minutes.
What does Tapja get me?
Estimate your potential extra revenue.
Just tell us what you know: your customers per month and the average spend. We put the rest into an honest scenario.
Roughly how many customers do you serve per month?
Average spend per visit
How optimistic should we calculate?
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Estimated extra revenue — / month —
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Regulars don’t just come back more often, studies show they also spend more than walk-in customers.
Estimate based on your inputs and common assumptions, not guaranteed values. How many guests join in and come back more often depends on your offer and programme.