Huxly vs Thunkable: What Publishing Costs
Contents
Last updated: August 2026.
Thunkable's lineage traces back to MIT App Inventor, over a decade of block-based mobile development, and it produces real native apps. What actually separates it from Huxly is the price of reaching the App Store, not the authenticity of the output.
What Thunkable is built on
Thunkable is a no-code platform for building native iOS, Android, and web apps, historically through block-based logic (the same visual-programming style as Scratch or MIT App Inventor, where it originated), though it has added AI-powered conversational building on top of that, describe an app idea in plain language and get a working project to refine. It's been used to create over 11 million apps across 185 countries, with real native device access: push notifications, Bluetooth, GPS, offline support, and integrations with Airtable, Backendless, Cloudinary, Figma, Firebase, Google Sheets, RevenueCat, and Webflow. It also has a real footprint in education, MIT App Inventor's heritage shows up in real classroom use teaching kids computational thinking through app building.
It's a mature, broad tool with a large community behind it, and the AI-assisted building option means it's not purely drag-and-drop anymore either.
The catch: publishing to the App Store is its own expensive tier
Thunkable restructured its pricing in October 2024, and the free plan is useful for prototyping and testing. Where it gets expensive is getting an app published: mid-tier plans raise project and download limits without unlocking app store publishing at all, and reaching the tier that lets you publish to the Apple App Store and Google Play has run around $189 a month in recent pricing. That's a steep number next to Adalo's $36 a month for unlimited native publishing, or FlutterFlow's roughly $39 a month entry point. On top of that, Thunkable doesn't allow raw code export on any plan, so whatever you build stays inside the platform.
What Huxly includes instead
Huxly generates real native apps, Expo, Flutter, or SwiftUI, your choice per project, with code signing and TestFlight submission included in the same $25-or-$99-a-month pricing, not a separate publishing tier. You also get a real, exportable project rather than something locked to the platform, and a live simulator streamed to your browser for every build.
What the price tag hides
Getting to the App Store: Thunkable's publishing tier has run around $189 a month, on top of whatever base plan you're using. Huxly includes code signing and TestFlight submission in its standard pricing, no separate publishing tier.
Code ownership: Thunkable doesn't allow code export on any plan. Huxly hands you a real, exportable Expo, Flutter, or Swift project.
Building style: Thunkable's roots are block-based visual programming, with AI-assisted building layered on more recently. Huxly is prompt-first from the start, with the visual preview coming from a live simulator rather than a canvas you assemble by hand.
Community and heritage: Thunkable's MIT App Inventor lineage and 11 million-plus apps built give it a scale and education footprint few tools in this space can match. Huxly is far newer, the tradeoff for a narrower, purpose-built focus on getting a native app to the store without a separate publishing fee.
Framework and portability: Thunkable's native output runs through its own proprietary system, not a choice of standard frameworks. Huxly gives you Expo, Flutter, or SwiftUI, and a project you can take anywhere.
Say you're building the same small habit-tracking app. In Thunkable, you'd build it for free or on a mid-tier plan, but reaching an App Store listing means stepping up to the roughly $189-a-month publishing tier, with no code export if you ever want to leave. In Huxly, the same app is built and published to TestFlight under the standard $25 or $99 monthly plan, publishing included, with a real project you own either way.
The quick verdict
| Thunkable | Huxly | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary output | Native mobile apps (proprietary) | Native mobile apps (Expo, Flutter, or Swift) |
| App Store publishing | Separate tier, historically around $189/month | Included in standard pricing |
| Code export | Not available on any plan | Full, real project export |
| Best for | Educators, non-technical builders, and teams that value Thunkable's scale and history | Founders who want publishing included without a separate fee |
Making the choice
If you value Thunkable's long track record, its education-friendly block-based approach, or you're building for its large existing community, it's a real, capable choice, as long as the App Store publishing cost is part of your budget from the start. If you'd rather have publishing built into your regular plan and want a project you can export, that's what Huxly is built around.
For where the rest of the field lands on this same question, see our best AI app builders for mobile apps in 2026 breakdown, or the Huxly vs Adalo comparison for another established native no-code builder.
FAQ
Does Thunkable produce real native apps?
Yes. Thunkable apps are native iOS, Android, and web apps with real device access, push notifications, Bluetooth, GPS, and offline support, not web wrappers.
How much does it cost to publish a Thunkable app to the App Store?
Historically, reaching a plan that allows app store publishing has run around $189 a month, separate from lower tiers that raise project and download limits but don't include publishing.
Does Thunkable let me export my app's code?
No, on any plan. Whatever you build stays inside Thunkable's platform, similar to Bubble or Glide in that respect.
Is Thunkable good for non-technical builders or educators?
Yes, and it's one of its clearest strengths. Its block-based logic traces back to MIT App Inventor, and it has real classroom use teaching computational thinking, a stronger fit there than a prompt-first tool like Huxly.
Does Thunkable have AI features now?
Yes. Alongside its original block-based building, Thunkable added conversational, AI-powered app generation, describe an idea in plain language and get a working project to refine.
Which is cheaper for a first MVP that needs to reach the App Store?
Huxly, in most cases. Its $25 or $99 monthly pricing includes code signing and TestFlight submission, while reaching that same point in Thunkable has historically meant its separate, more expensive publishing tier.
How is this different from the Huxly vs Bubble or Huxly vs FlutterFlow comparisons?
All three produce real native apps, so none of these are native-versus-fake stories. Bubble's tradeoff is a from-scratch mobile rebuild with no code export. FlutterFlow's is seat-based pricing with self-managed backend setup. Thunkable's is a separate, historically expensive tier just to reach app store publishing.
