Build a mobile marketplace app with the Sharetribe Mobile App Template by Journey Horizon

The Sharetribe Mobile App Template by Journey Horizon is a pre-built mobile application for Sharetribe marketplaces. It includes the main screens, marketplace features, and technical connections needed to launch a mobile app without developing the entire mobile frontend from scratch.

The template can be used by founders launching their marketplace on web and mobile at the same time, as well as established Sharetribe marketplaces that want to add iOS and Android apps. It supports product, rental, service, booking, B2B, community, and other marketplace models.

Sharetribe provides the backend for your marketplace. It handles marketplace data and processes such as users, listings, transactions, payments, messages, and reviews.

Your website and mobile app are separate frontends that connect to this shared backend. Customers can use the same marketplace through a web browser or mobile application, while operators continue managing the marketplace through Sharetribe Console.

A third-party mobile template is a pre-built mobile frontend created by an ecosystem developer. The Mobile App Template by Journeyhorizon is built by Journeyhorizon, an independent Sharetribe Expert. You purchase the template and related development, hosting, and support services directly from Journeyhorizon.

Unlike a mobile wrapper, the Journeyhorizon template is a separate mobile application rather than your marketplace website displayed inside an app container. It is built with Flutter and can be customized with code when your marketplace needs functionality beyond the standard template.

Learn more about the available approaches in How to build a mobile app.

The standard implementation includes the main functionality users expect from a marketplace app:

The exact screens and transaction flows depend on your marketplace model and Sharetribe configuration. Journeyhorizon also provides a demo app that founders can use to explore the template before getting started.

Because the app connects to the same Sharetribe backend as your website, marketplace data such as users, listings, transactions, messages, and payments remains synchronized across web and mobile.

You continue managing the marketplace through Sharetribe Console. Your listing fields, categories, search filters, user types, transaction settings, content, and branding are used across both the website and mobile app. This means you generally do not need to configure the same marketplace separately for each frontend.

When the standard template is not enough, you can customize the Flutter code yourself or hire Journeyhorizon to develop additional functionality. Journeyhorizon can review an existing customized Sharetribe marketplace to determine what can be used in the mobile app and what must be adapted for mobile. The work required depends on the age, structure, and extent of the existing customizations.

Journeyhorizon offers different approaches depending on your budget, technical capabilities, and desired level of control.

You can use the template as a managed subscription. In this arrangement, Journeyhorizon builds and deploys the apps, hosts the services they need, and provides ongoing maintenance and updates. This can be a suitable option when you do not want to manage the mobile code or technical infrastructure yourself.

Alternatively, you can purchase access to the full codebase and customize it yourself or work with another developer. Journeyhorizon retains the copyright to its template and provides the code under a royalty-free, non-exclusive, perpetual commercial license. Another developer can work on the code subject to Journeyhorizon's licensing and confidentiality terms. Custom changes made by another developer may no longer be covered by Journeyhorizon's warranty or maintenance.

The managed option offers a simpler path to launch and maintain the app. Purchasing the code provides more control but also makes you responsible for managing custom development and incorporating future template updates. Discuss the available arrangements with Journeyhorizon before starting.

The template may be a good option when:

Another approach may be more suitable when:

For many early-stage marketplaces, a responsive website is enough. A mobile app is most useful when it creates a clear benefit for users or supports an important part of the marketplace experience.

You pay Journeyhorizon for the template setup and either an ongoing managed subscription or access to the codebase and custom development. There is a one-time $199 setup fee. Then you can purchase a monthly subscription or commit for one year at a discount. It's also possible to purchase a license to the codebase so you own the code and can modify it yourself.

Any custom changes are estimated by Journeyhorizon on a case by case basis.

You should also account for:

You need the Sharetribe Extend plan to connect the mobile app to your Live environment. You can build and test the app before upgrading, but Extend is required when making it available to real users.

You also need your own Apple Developer and Google Play accounts. The apps are published under accounts owned by your business, while Journeyhorizon supports their preparation and submission. Apple and Google review applications independently and may request changes before approving them.

Hosting and maintenance are included when using Journey Horizon’s managed service. Founders who purchase and customize the codebase should agree separately with Journey Horizon or their chosen developer on hosting, maintenance, and future updates.

Visit the Sharetribe Mobile App Template by Journeyhorizon page and contact the team.

Journeyhorizon will review your marketplace, its configuration, and any existing customizations. They will then recommend a managed or code-based approach, confirm the scope, and support you in preparing and launching the apps through the Apple App Store and Google Play.