9:41
New on Field & Fernnow
Five bulbs to plant before the first frost.
New post alerts
Send a push when you publish. It lands on the lock screen and opens the post itself, not your homepage.
Push campaigns and automations →Turn your WordPress site into a mobile app
Build a WordPress app without writing code
Native iOS and Android apps built from the WordPress site you already run. Your theme, plugins and member logins come with it, and push notifications are built in.
Why WordPress sites stall before launching an app
Most WordPress sites already work well on a phone. The problem is everything an app rebuild leaves behind.
Your site runs on a theme, a page builder and a stack of plugins: forms, memberships, courses, ads, comments, maybe a store. Many WordPress app builders rebuild your content from the REST API in their own templates, so that work stops at the edge of the app. A custom build means re-creating each plugin in native code and maintaining it beside the site.
The guide below covers the whole path. If your site reads well on a phone, the app is the short part, because Twinr builds it from the site you already run.
What carries over
Everything you’ve built in WordPress, working in your app
The app loads your live site, so the work you’ve already put in comes with it.
Your theme and page builder
Block themes, Elementor, Divi and custom templates render as they do on the web.
Every plugin you run
Forms, memberships, courses, comments and WooCommerce keep running as installed.
Logins and memberships
Members sign in once, and your membership plugin’s rules apply in the app.
Your ads and analytics
Ad tags and placements load as they do on the site, so every visit still earns.
Step by step
How to turn a WordPress site into an app
Five steps from site URL to a live app. You keep publishing throughout.
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Start from your live site
Open your site on a phone and walk the pages that matter: posts, sign-in, forms and checkout if you run one. The app renders the same pages, so anything broken on mobile web gets fixed in your theme first.
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Add the native layer
Paste your site URL into Twinr. It reads your logo, colours and menu, and adds a native tab bar, push, persistent login, offline reading and analytics.
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Customize and test
Set your icon, splash screen and tabs, then install the preview build, sign in, submit a form and open members-only content. If a caching or security plugin blocks the app, it shows up here, not in store review.
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Publish to both stores
Submitted under your own Apple and Google developer accounts. On Premium, the Twinr team handles the listing, screenshots and review responses.
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Engage and grow
Send new-post alerts, course updates and announcements by push, and track return visits in Twinr analytics. Every post you publish in WordPress reaches the app instantly.
Features to jobs
What a WordPress app needs, and which Twinr feature covers it
Grow: autumn checklistnow
Ten jobs for the garden this weekend.
New lesson is live6am
Winter veg masterclass, lesson 3.
Alerts by category and audience
Target pushes to readers who follow a category, or to members only, so alerts stay relevant and readers keep them switched on.
Segments and scheduled sends →Field & FernSigned in as Sam
MemberFull access, all devices
Members who stay signed in
Your membership or course plugin runs as it does on the site, and persistent login means members don’t get signed out by mistake.
Native capabilities in every build →This lesson is for membersField & Fern Members
$6.99/ month
Join on the webMembers-only content
Access rules from plugins such as MemberPress or Paid Memberships Pro apply as they do on your site, with nothing to set up twice.
Native screens and app-only pages →Offline. Showing saved posts.
Reading without signal
Offline mode keeps saved posts readable on a bad connection, and shows your brand instead of a browser error.
How the native shell works →App analyticsExample data
Sessions64.1k
Retention41%
Push opens9.8k
Knowing what the app is worth
Sessions, retention and push opens tracked natively, so app readers are measured apart from your web audience.
What Twinr analytics measures →Push notifications
New posts can’t wait for the newsletter
A weekly email is fine for the roundup. When you publish, push reaches readers in seconds and opens the post directly, and with Twinr it’s included on every plan.
See how Twinr push works → Newsletter Social App push
Speed Next send When the feed allows Seconds
Where it lands Inbox, often promotions Mixed into a feed Lock screen
Filtered by Spam and tabs The algorithm Only the reader
Opens into Browser In-app browser The post in your app
After launch
You run WordPress. Twinr runs the app.
Your team keeps working in WordPress exactly as it does today. The app-specific work sits with us.
Your team
Keeps working in WordPress
- Publish posts, pages and menus in WordPress as today
- Theme and plugin updates reach the app the moment they go live
- Memberships, forms and ads managed where they are now
- Send push notifications from the Twinr dashboard
Twinr
Keeps the app running
- The native iOS and Android builds
- Store submission under your own developer accounts
- OS updates, SDK changes and store policy changes
- Push delivery, analytics and support when you need it
Store policy
App Store and Play Store rules that apply to WordPress apps
The rules that decide whether a WordPress app is approved, and what each one means for memberships, ads and comments.
Digital memberships follow in-app purchase rules
Selling memberships, courses or downloads inside the app usually falls under Apple and Google billing rules, which vary by country. Members signing in to a plan bought on the web is generally allowed.
What Twinr covers: we review your membership flow with you before submission and set the app up accordingly.
A website in a frame is not enough
Apple rejects apps that offer little beyond a mobile website, so an app needs genuine native value.
What Twinr covers: native navigation, push, persistent sign-in and offline reading, which is what review looks for.
Ad tracking needs permission
If your ads track readers across apps and sites, iOS requires the App Tracking Transparency prompt, plus accurate privacy labels on both stores.
What Twinr covers: the native permission prompt. Your consent banner and ad stack settings stay with you.
User content needs moderation
Apps that show comments, forums or community posts must let users report content and block other users, and you must act on reports.
What Twinr covers: your comments or community plugin carries over as it is. Reporting and moderation stay with that plugin.
Build options
Ways to get a WordPress app, compared
Included Partial or extra cost Not available
| Your site + Twinr | WordPress app plugin | Agency or in-house build | Progressive web app | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical cost | From $25/mo | $100–$1,000/mo | $50k–$250k per platform | Hosting only |
| Time to first release | Days | Weeks | 6–12 months | Immediate |
| Publish once in WordPress | Yes, in WordPress | Feed or API sync | Via an app API | |
| Plugins and page builders work | As on your site | Supported plugins only | Rebuilt one by one | |
| In the app stores | iOS and Android | |||
| Push notifications on iOS | Built in, unlimited | Built to order | Limited | |
| Keep logins and memberships | Yes, as they are | Set up again | Re-integrate |
01 How do I turn my WordPress site into an app?
Twinr builds native iOS and Android apps from your live WordPress site instead of rebuilding it. Your theme, plugins and logins keep working as they do today, and Twinr adds native navigation, push notifications and analytics on top.
02 Will my theme and page builder work in the app?
Yes. The app loads your live site, so block themes, Elementor, Divi and custom themes render as they do in a mobile browser.
03 Do my WordPress plugins keep working?
Plugins that run on your site’s front end keep working, because the app renders those pages. That covers forms, memberships, courses, comments and WooCommerce. Test anything unusual in the preview build.
04 Do I have to publish anything twice?
No. Posts, pages and menu changes appear in the app as soon as they are live on your site. Only changes to the native shell, such as the app name, icon or a new device permission, need a resubmission.
05 How do push notifications work?
You send push notifications from the Twinr dashboard, to everyone or to a segment of readers. Each one opens the post itself in the app, not your homepage, and sends are included on every plan.
06 Does it work with membership and course plugins?
Yes. Plugins such as MemberPress, Paid Memberships Pro and LearnDash run on your site, so their access rules apply in the app. Members sign in once and stay signed in.
07 Does it work with WooCommerce?
Yes. If your WordPress site runs a WooCommerce store, cart and checkout work in the app with your existing payment gateway.
08 Will caching or security plugins cause problems?
Usually not. If a firewall, bot-protection or caching rule blocks the app or serves it stale pages, allowlist the app in the plugin or CDN settings. You will see it in the preview build, before launch.
09 Who owns the app and the store listings?
You do. The apps are published under your own Apple Developer and Google Play Console accounts, so the listings, ratings, installs and customer data belong to you.
10 How much does a WordPress app cost?
A custom native app built on the WordPress REST API typically costs tens of thousands of dollars per platform, plus ongoing upkeep. Twinr plans are published and start at $25 per month.
Turn your WordPress site into a mobile app
14-day free trial, no credit card. See your own site running as a native app in about a minute.