Mini apps as top of funnel for your native app

I sometimes get pushback from builders around building a mini app.

“Why would I build on someone else’s platform? What happens if they rug me?”

“I want the full functionality and UX of a native app. That’s important to the vibe of my app.” 

Fair points. But that assumes you have another viable distribution path.

Why you should build a mini app

1. Mini apps are a small amount of work to extend your existing web app. So minimal platform specific risk. 

2. They give you strong authentication, access to notifications and wallet balances in an app people already use. 

3. They don’t get nerfed on Farcaster; in fact, it’s likely you can go viral with the right mechanics. 

4. Soon: write once launch everywhere with Coinbase Wallet. 

If you convert users to weekly users in a mini app, you can upsell them to download your native app—and they will already have an account. This means they are more likely to retain.

No need to start from scratch when the solution already exists.