With the right developer, is it possible to convert a forum into a real iOS and Android app? What are the main challenges, if any (besides finding the right developer, of course)?

Define ”real”? Because even PWA is ”real”, as is DiscourseHub.

It’s been done before, or in progress, by others, might be interested to check it out and ask them. These 2 were very recent ones: [image] DisHub – A Modern, Native Mobile App for Discourse Forums Extras Hello Discourse community! waving_hand I’m excited…

[image] alltiagocom: What are the main challenges Cost of maintenance.

By “real” I mean that it belongs to the forum’s owner, not the official Discourse app where there’s more forums that users can add. An app people can download from the store with the forum’s name.

[image] chapoi: These 2 were very recent ones Thanks for sharing. I saw that DisHub recently. I have an issue with people promoting stuff when they seem to just sign up to promote their product, but they have never interacted with the community before. It always feels suspicious… And then f…

This would be something down the road, of course. As a musician myself, this community will eventually be my main “hub” and place to communicate with not only my fans, but other musicians as well. More than my social media or my official websites. So, a bigger investment would be justified, because…

[image] alltiagocom: I have an issue with people promoting stuff when they seem to just sign up to promote their product, but they have never interacted with the community before. It always feels suspicious… Haha yes, I hear you, I’m not saying “use those” but it could still provide some cont…

At least from the videos, DisCorkie looks pretty decent. Very “Discord-esque”, which is good, along with a desktop app as well. The downside is that all the customization is lost. But yeah, looking at those options, makes it look like it’s a possibility. I will keep that in mind for sure. Appreci…

The easiest thing you can try is deploying a TWA based on a PWA for Android. It’s really simple; it’s essentially publishing a PWA on the Play Store with official tools. It’s a more involved process for iOS, especially because of the review process, but you can also use something like PWABuilder or…

I saw other people talking about PWA, but I have no idea what that is. Gotta do some research. Thanks for the extra info. As I mentioned, this is something to truly think about down the road. I’ve been using the platform as an admin since March, so I’m still exploring what can be done, how I want i…

Is it possible to convert a forum into a real app?

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merefield (Robert) August 15, 2025, 8:22am 4

Cost of maintenance.

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Is it possible to convert a forum into a real app?

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