Since the launch of monkkee, we have been concerned with the question of whether or not monkkee needs a dedicated mobile app. Apps are still very popular, they are often faster than web applications and they can be distributed easily through app stores. Several of you have written to us, asking whether we had any plans to develop an app.

And yet, we couldn’t bring ourselves to do it, and, as things stand, nor are we going to launch an app in the near future. Why?

Convenience vs. security

Apps are perceived as convenient. You’re not required to log in each time, can just quickly jot down a note… But staying permanently logged in would have serious security implications. Sometimes, we hand our smartphones to friends or family members as we show pictures or videos. Your private notes would be accessible with just two clicks, and this would go completely against the purpose of monkkee, which is to guarantee all users ultimate security for their journaling activities.

Costs

To develop a mobile app costs about as much as a small car. While we have expertise in developing software, our focus lies primarily on the development of web applications. A mobile app development would represent a major investment for us. While apps can bring money, the achievable prices are typically between 0 and 5 euros. monkkee’s user base is not yet large enough to bear the costs.

Ultimately, we would pay the major part out of our own pockets and this is something we simply cannot afford at the moment. monkkee is free of charge and donations are voluntary. We fully support this concept, but as a consequence, our financial scope is limited.

monkkee does already run on mobile devices

monkkee works with all common mobile browsers. From day one, it was possible to use monkkee on smartphones and tablets. We frequently released updates to provide improvements and further optimise the mobile experience. Also, as mobile browsers become faster the performance gap between apps and websites is closing.