What you actually need
Three things, none of them native code:
- A public HTTPS URL — your live website or web app. That's the source.
- A signed Android App Bundle (.aab) — the file Google Play accepts. A hosted builder creates it for you.
- A Google Play Console account — a one-time 25$ developer registration.
Does your site qualify?
Google Play wants apps with real functionality. A multi-page site, a SaaS dashboard, a store, a course or a community all qualify easily. A single static landing page with no interaction can be rejected under policy 4.3 (minimum functionality). If your site has a manifest and a service worker, it can ship as a lightweight Trusted Web Activity; if it doesn't, a Capacitor build wraps it as a full native shell instead — so a missing service worker never blocks you. Not sure? Run a free PWA check first.
Step by step
1. Check your site is store-ready
Make sure it's served over HTTPS and paste it into a free PWA checker to see your manifest, icons and score. This takes ten seconds and tells you which build type fits.
2. Build a signed .aab
Paste your URL into SaasToStore, set your app name and icon, and let it generate a signed Android App Bundle with a keystore. The keystore is kept encrypted — you'll reuse it for every future update, so never let a tool hand you one you can't recover.
3. Create a Google Play Console account
Register as a developer and pay the one-time 25$ fee. This is Google's charge, not the builder's, and it covers unlimited apps for the life of the account.
4. Upload, fill the listing, submit
Drag the .aab into Play Console, add your title, description, icon and screenshots (these can be AI-generated), set your content rating and privacy policy, and submit. First review usually clears in 24–72 hours.
The real cost
For a free app, Google's one-time 25$ is the only mandatory store cost. The other variable is how you produce the signed bundle: by hand it's free tooling but a weekend of Android SDK, Java and keystore setup; with a hosted builder it's a free first build and paid plans from 9€ one-time. There are no monthly platform fees in the no-code route — you pay once and own your artifacts.
The rejections to avoid
- Minimum functionality (4.3) — don't submit a one-screen brochure. Make sure the app does something useful.
- Broken or external links opening a browser — keep navigation inside the app shell.
- Missing privacy policy — required if you collect any data; add a public URL.
- Wrong package name on an update — reuse the same keystore and package ID forever.
Our full rejection-avoidance checklist covers each one.
And beyond Google Play
The same URL can also reach the Amazon Appstore, the Samsung Galaxy Store, the Microsoft Store, and desktop as a Windows, macOS or Linux app — so one build can put your website everywhere people install software. If you build with a no-code tool, see the tool-specific guides for Lovable, Bubble and Webflow.