Introducing buildfire.js

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The Buildfire Team
Last Updated July 24, 2026
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Discover the Power of Buildfire.js for Custom Mobile App Development

Customized Mobile App Solutions Now Within Everybody’s Reach

Custom mobile app development is expensive, time consuming and, until now, reserved for those engineering firms capable of tackling projects of $150K to $3M or more. These same high costs put custom solutions out of reach for all but the largest of enterprises. So what about the 30M small to medium size (S2M) businesses, those with small IT departments or budgets of $5K to $75K; how can their custom app needs be met? Until now, they couldn’t. Buildfire changes all that by enabling a whole new set of players to develop custom app solutions, and do so, at a price point that is within reach of the smallest of entities. Buildfire has opened the source code on its market leading DIY platform and created a new development portal (Buildfire.js) enabling endless customization using nothing but javascript …. gone is the need to master complex programming languages. Now marketing firms, web developers, small development firms, small IT departments, etc. can provide custom app solutions at an affordable price point.

Key Takeaways

  • Affordable Development: Buildfire.js makes custom app development accessible to small businesses with limited budgets.
  • Open Source Advantage: Developers can leverage open source code to customize apps without mastering complex languages.
  • Time Efficiency: Reduces development time from months to weeks, saving both time and resources.
  • Comprehensive Support: Buildfire handles app support, hosting, and maintenance, reducing legacy costs.
  • Marketplace Opportunities: Developers can sell custom plugins and join Buildfire’s referral network.
Buildfire provides developers with a powerful suite of out-of-the-box open source functionality (Plugins) combined with an SDK to fork, enhance and resubmit these plugins or create entirely new functionality.  No need to reinvent the wheel; build on what Buildfire and others have done before you. For S2M businesses, existing Buildfire features and functionality generally meet 80% to 90% of most mobile app requirements. Where the intricacies and nuances of a unique situation require custom features, Buildfire’s open source code and SDK help finish the job. In most cases, a Buildfire solution will cost a fraction of the cost of custom app development as well as reducing development time from months to weeks. Buildfire also significantly reduces legacy customer support headaches. Buildfire comes complete with an intuitive user dashboards that makes app updating as easy as “point and click”. In many ways, the Buildfire solution supersedes the expensive custom development alternative. With Buildfire, neither the developer nor their clients need staff to handle ongoing app support, data storage, hosting, updates, maintenance, re-submission, etc. All these legacy costs are covered with a Buildfire subscription.  Focus on providing custom solutions and let Buildfire do the rest.

So what is the catch; how much does all this cost?

Good news … There is no cost to develop on Buildfire.js. That’s right, 100% free, no gimmicks. Simply access the SDK by signing up for a free developer account. With an MIT open source license anyone is permitted fork, enhance and resubmit custom plugins or even sell the enhancements to third parties freely. You will need a Buildfire subscription when the app is ready to publish in the apps stores. A buildfire subscription covers hosting, updates, app store submission, maintenance, data store, etc. shock With the Buildfire.js developer tool kit, mobile app development is no longer limited to the larger engineering firms. Buildfire.js has enabled the smaller firms and IT departments to create robust and highly complex mobile app solutions quickly and cost effectively. Soon Buildfire will be opening a marketplace where developers can sell their custom plugins. Become a “Certified Development Partner” and participate in Buildfire’s referral network, assisting in the fulfillment of incoming custom development requests. For those firms looking for custom branding, Buildfire also offers a White Label solution.

Buildfire Plugins

Over 45+ Plugins are currently available. With many more constantly being released there is no shortage of features. Here are some of the more popular plugins:
  • – Social Wall
  • – WebView
  • – Contact Us
  • – Loyalty
  • – Places
  • – People
  • – Text/WYSIWYG
  • – Events feed
  • – Events manual
  • – FaceBook
  • – Twitter
  • – Grid Layout Launcher
  • – Media Center
  • – YouTube
  • – Vimeo
  • – Open Table
  • – Shopify
  • – PlaceBag
  • – Instagram
  • – Woo Commerce
  • – TypeForms
  • – Google Slides, Forms, Docs, sheets
  • – Share App
  • – Soundcloud
  • – PDF Viewer
  • – JotForms
  • – You Can Book Me
  • – Audio Media Player
  • – Seminar, sermon and lecture notes
  • – BlueTooth
With a rich and growing list of plugins, Buildfire enables you to provide more for less. Many of the “nice to have” features that are often sacrificed for time and cost considerations already exist free within the Buildfire platform.

Buildfire.js SDK

Plugins are developed under the Buildfire SDK using Buildfire.js. Using nothing but javascript and the Buildfire framework you can enhance existing plugins or develop entirely new plugins. Because of the light weight framework and flexible architecture developers can utilize any other client-side javascript framework including, but not limited to:
  • – JQuery
  • – Angular
  • – React
  • – Underscore
  • – Knockout
Within the SDK Buildfire provides comprehensive api documentation. Buildfire.js Services Alongside the open source plugins Buildfire has released a plethora of services to support developers. With the closing of mobile service provider Parse there has been a vacuum that Buildfire quickly filled.
“While we want developers to be able to quickly and easily integrate with other systems. We wanted them to also have everything they need to develop a robust and comprehensive plugin without foreign dependencies.”
  • Daniel Hindi (Buildfire CTO)
Serv
Development Approach Pros Cons
Native App Development
  • Full control over app features
  • Optimized performance for each platform
  • Requires building separate apps for iOS and Android
  • Longer development cycles
  • Higher costs
  • Smaller talent pool
  • Ongoing maintenance and support burden
Buildfire Platform
  • Handles designs, layouts, logins, and standard features
  • Access to third-party plugins
  • Focus on core business functionality
  • Buildfire handles maintenance, support, and updates
  • Less control over platform-specific optimizations
What is the difference between Buildfire’s Hybrid app development and Native app development?
Aspect Native App Development Buildfire’s Hybrid App Development
Development Languages Native development languages and frameworks of the phone HTML5, CSS3, and Javascript
Control Most control Unified development for both iOS and Android
Cost and Time Most expensive and time-consuming Reduces technical complexity and cost
Development Teams Requires two teams (iOS and Android) Eliminates the need for very specialized developers
So what is Buildfire.js ? Buildfire.js is a Javascript Framework that allows you to build custom plugins on the Buildfire Platform. Using standard HTML5,CSS3, Javascript and buildfire.js you can build custom UI and logic that lives on that App and Control Panel. Buildfire.js gives you access to the app and native device functions that would otherwise be inaccessible to you. What Frameworks can I use? Any client-side javascript based frameworks should work just fine. Buildfire provides common frameworks out of the box like JQuery and Angular. However, you are not limited to what we provide. You can use frameworks like require.js, underscore, backbone, react.js …etc as long as you copying them into your plugin. Can my plugin communicate with my private backend servers? Yes. We even show you how to avoid cross domain issues when trying to access them from Buildfire. Cross domain issues are resolved either by enabling CORS on your API server or enabling jsonp communication with your servers. How do I do QA test my plugins for all the potential devices and environments? If you create custom functionality, Buildfire will QA test it for free. Your development question was not answered? Log a ticket at devsupport@buildfire.com and we will get back to you as soon as possible. developer-account

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Buildfire.js make app development affordable?

Buildfire.js allows small businesses to develop custom apps without the high costs associated with traditional development. By using open source code and a DIY platform, businesses can save significantly on development expenses.

What are the benefits of using Buildfire’s open source platform?

Using Buildfire’s open source platform, developers can customize apps without needing to master complex programming languages. This flexibility allows for rapid development and deployment of custom solutions.

Can small IT departments use Buildfire.js effectively?

Yes, small IT departments can leverage Buildfire.js to create robust mobile app solutions quickly and cost-effectively. The platform’s intuitive tools and comprehensive support make it accessible for teams with limited resources.

What kind of support does Buildfire provide for app development?

This allows developers to focus on creating custom solutions while Buildfire handles the technical backend.

How can developers monetize their plugins on Buildfire?

Developers can monetize their plugins by selling them on Buildfire’s upcoming marketplace. Additionally, they can join Buildfire’s referral network to assist with custom development requests.

Start building your app today with Buildfire

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Start building your app today with Buildfire

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