To get a website onto iPhones you have four realistic options. A Progressive Web App is free, needs no Apple account and installs from Safari's share sheet. A WKWebView wrapper built in Xcode is the iOS equivalent of an Android WebView app, needs a Mac and Apple's $99-a-year developer program, and has to pass a review that dislikes bare wrappers. Capacitor (or a similar shell) gives you one project for both platforms with native plugins. An agency builds a native app. This builder produces Android apps only; the rest of this guide is what to do about iOS honestly.
Why iOS is different
Three things. Apple requires a Mac with Xcode to compile anything for iOS — there is no cloud build without one in the loop. The App Store is the only way to install an app on a normal iPhone, so there is no equivalent of sending someone an APK. And App Store Review Guideline 4.2 (Minimum Functionality) is applied more strictly than Google's: "your app should include features, content and UI that elevate it beyond a repackaged website" is quoted in a large share of wrapper rejections.
Option 1 — PWA on iPhone
Safari has supported Add to Home Screen for years, and since iOS 16.4 an installed PWA can receive push notifications and show badges. The site needs a manifest, a service worker and the Apple-specific meta tags —
Option 2 — A WKWebView wrapper
The direct equivalent of what this builder does for Android: a Swift app with a single WKWebView loading your URL, an icon, a launch screen and push handled natively. A developer comfortable with Xcode can build the shell in a day. Costs: a Mac, $99/year for the developer program, and the review. To pass 4.2, ship it with the same things that pass Google's test — push notifications, native tabs, offline content — and describe them in the review notes. Expect at least one rejection on a first submission; they are usually resolved by adding a feature and resubmitting.
Option 3 — Capacitor or a cross-platform shell
Capacitor wraps a web app in native iOS and Android projects and exposes device APIs (camera, push, storage) to JavaScript through plugins. It is a build step — Node, Xcode and Android Studio all installed — but it gives one codebase for both platforms and a path to native features a plain WebView lacks. Right for a team that already maintains the site's front end and wants to own the apps; wrong for someone who just wants the site on a phone.
Option 4 — An agency or freelancer
For an iOS wrapper: $500–$3,000 on top of the Android version, including submission. For a native iOS app that re-implements the site: five figures. The cost guide has the ranges. The question to ask any quote is who holds the Apple developer account — it should be you, so the app stays yours if the relationship ends.
Side by side
| PWA | WKWebView wrapper | Capacitor | Agency native | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | $0 | $99/yr + a Mac | $99/yr + a Mac + dev time | $5k–$50k + $99/yr |
| App Store listing | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Push on iOS | Yes, once installed (16.4+) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Review risk (4.2) | None | Medium — add features | Medium | Low |
| Time | An afternoon | A few days + review | A week or two | Months |
| Site changes needed | Manifest + service worker | None | Some | N/A |
A sensible sequence
- Android now, free. Convert the site; it is where most of the world's phones are and where the app costs nothing.
- PWA now, free. Add the manifest and service worker so iPhone users can install from Safari.
- iOS wrapper when justified. When you have Android numbers that show demand, spend the $99 and the developer time — with push and tabs from day one so review passes.
Doing iOS first because it feels more prestigious is the most common way to spend three months and $99 on an app nobody has yet asked for.