After WeChat sees some success with its mini programs, its major rival Alipay is in no place to fall behind. Alipay, run by Alibaba’s spin-off Ant Financial, announced on Wednesday its own mini programs for regular users to beta test after opening up to developers a month ago.
Simply by searching “小程序” in Alipay, users are able to get to the page where a slew of built-in instant apps show up. Here’s what the mini programs look like in Alipay.
Both ofo, China’s leading bike-rental company, and UrWork, China’s co-working space unicorn, have developed their own Alipay mini programs.
Mini Programs are a slew of various light-weight apps that sit inside the apps, often incorporated with WeChat’s and Alipay’s mobile payment methods. Just like WeChat, Alipay doesn’t require users to download anything.
However, something that makes Alipay stand out is its various built-in features. Alipay comes naturally with its Sesame Credit system, identity certification feature and financial tools affiliated with Ant Financial, which the mini programs can make use of.
It remains unknown when Alipay is going to officially launch the service.