Discover the WeChat mini programs Ecosystem in one Map
For the first-year anniversary, explore dozens of new local services and great resources
Summary
2017 was marked by the arrival and quick rise of WeChat mini programs. No way you missed them with the recent mini games out, but surely you haven't wrapped your head around this whole new thing yet.
Throughout the year Tencent, fighting its numerous early-stage detractors, was forced to expand its framework both on functionalities and marketing abilities. Look at the changelog... This update race was done at an unprecedented pace, keeping our friends, developers and product people constantly excited… sometimes breathless too
Hats off, WeChat developers!
Today is January 9 2018, and we all join you to celebrate the first-year anniversary of the technology (maybe all except for Jack Ma!).
The whole evolution of Mini Programs naturally came with the creation of many dedicated players, some very smart first movers: they identified content and business opportunities, and were quick to jump on the new bandwagon built by Tencent. From unofficial stores to forums and generators…. A huge ecosystem was born.
In this article, we decided to look at the current landscape and provide you with a global picture.
If you are now developing a WeChat mini program or considering to do so, you will want to explore all these great resources…
Categories of players
Essentially we have divided the ecosystem in 8:
(1) the ‘stores’ indexing mini programs,
(2) the SaaS (Software as a Service) allowing to generate a mini program,
(3) the service providers building custom code,
(4) the BaaS (Back-end as a Service) offering a simple solution to Mini Program developers,
If we are missing a service you’d like recommend, give us a shout for an update!
Some highlights
Platforms like xcx.9.cn and xudoodoo.com are already combining stores + news + forums + generators + service… trying to capture the traffic and become the dominant hub! Let’s watch them closely in 2018.
Aladdin, a leading Mini Program analytics tool, was the first Mini Program startup to raise capital (10M USD in June 2018). Just like their competitor TalkingData, their data collect allows to produce reports on Mini Programs trends, demographics and behaviors! Good for us, since Tencent has been quite shy on official data… www.aldwx.com
Our favorites
Because we know you are busy, we’re happy to tell you right here our own favorites** :
Looking for case studies for your industry? Browse this store: minapp.com
** Disclaimer: we haven’t tested all players thoroughly, nor do we have fair a comparison grid! This list is provided as a shortcut only and we reserve the right to change our mind ;)
Launch a Mini Program with Le Wagon
Le Wagon coding bootcamp integrated this technology in its China program (English course) as early as May 2017. In only 9 weeks, our crew is teaching entrepreneurs how to code the startup way, and design WeChat apps for Minimal Viable Products.
