diff --git a/.changeset/fluffy-bikes-laugh.md b/.changeset/fluffy-bikes-laugh.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..40be65c126
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/fluffy-bikes-laugh.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@backstage/frontend-app-api': minor
+---
+
+Removed `featureLoader` from `createApp`, `features` instead accepts both `FrontendFeature` and `CreateAppFeatureLoader`
diff --git a/packages/frontend-app-api/api-report.md b/packages/frontend-app-api/api-report.md
index a4654e9f8d..e7dd584734 100644
--- a/packages/frontend-app-api/api-report.md
+++ b/packages/frontend-app-api/api-report.md
@@ -14,16 +14,23 @@ import { SubRouteRef } from '@backstage/frontend-plugin-api';
 
 // @public (undocumented)
 export function createApp(options?: {
-  features?: FrontendFeature[];
+  features?: (FrontendFeature | CreateAppFeatureLoader)[];
   configLoader?: () => Promise<{
     config: ConfigApi;
   }>;
   bindRoutes?(context: { bind: CreateAppRouteBinder }): void;
-  featureLoader?: (ctx: { config: ConfigApi }) => Promise<FrontendFeature[]>;
 }): {
   createRoot(): JSX_2.Element;
 };
 
+// @public
+export interface CreateAppFeatureLoader {
+  getLoaderName(): string;
+  load(options: { config: ConfigApi }): Promise<{
+    features: FrontendFeature[];
+  }>;
+}
+
 // @public
 export type CreateAppRouteBinder = <
   TExternalRoutes extends {
diff --git a/packages/frontend-app-api/package.json b/packages/frontend-app-api/package.json
index 11f7260a20..db4dc931f2 100644
--- a/packages/frontend-app-api/package.json
+++ b/packages/frontend-app-api/package.json
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@
     "@backstage/core-app-api": "workspace:^",
     "@backstage/core-components": "workspace:^",
     "@backstage/core-plugin-api": "workspace:^",
+    "@backstage/errors": "workspace:^",
     "@backstage/frontend-plugin-api": "workspace:^",
     "@backstage/theme": "workspace:^",
     "@backstage/types": "workspace:^",
diff --git a/packages/frontend-app-api/src/wiring/createApp.test.tsx b/packages/frontend-app-api/src/wiring/createApp.test.tsx
index dafad5365c..dc39ab3ae5 100644
--- a/packages/frontend-app-api/src/wiring/createApp.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/frontend-app-api/src/wiring/createApp.test.tsx
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ import {
   createThemeExtension,
 } from '@backstage/frontend-plugin-api';
 import { screen, waitFor } from '@testing-library/react';
-import { createApp } from './createApp';
+import { CreateAppFeatureLoader, createApp } from './createApp';
 import { MockConfigApi, renderWithEffects } from '@backstage/test-utils';
 import React from 'react';
 import { featureFlagsApiRef, useApi } from '@backstage/core-plugin-api';
@@ -99,6 +99,66 @@ describe('createApp', () => {
     );
   });
 
+  it('should support feature loaders', async () => {
+    const loader: CreateAppFeatureLoader = {
+      getLoaderName() {
+        return 'test-loader';
+      },
+      async load({ config }) {
+        return {
+          features: [
+            createPlugin({
+              id: 'test',
+              extensions: [
+                createPageExtension({
+                  defaultPath: '/',
+                  loader: async () => <div>{config.getString('key')}</div>,
+                }),
+              ],
+            }),
+          ],
+        };
+      },
+    };
+
+    const app = createApp({
+      configLoader: async () => ({
+        config: new MockConfigApi({ key: 'config-value' }),
+      }),
+      features: [loader],
+    });
+
+    await renderWithEffects(app.createRoot());
+
+    await expect(
+      screen.findByText('config-value'),
+    ).resolves.toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  it('should propagate errors thrown by feature loaders', async () => {
+    const loader: CreateAppFeatureLoader = {
+      getLoaderName() {
+        return 'test-loader';
+      },
+      async load() {
+        throw new TypeError('boom');
+      },
+    };
+
+    const app = createApp({
+      configLoader: async () => ({
+        config: new MockConfigApi({}),
+      }),
+      features: [loader],
+    });
+
+    await expect(
+      renderWithEffects(app.createRoot()),
+    ).rejects.toThrowErrorMatchingInlineSnapshot(
+      `"Failed to read frontend features from loader 'test-loader', TypeError: boom"`,
+    );
+  });
+
   it('should register feature flags', async () => {
     const app = createApp({
       configLoader: async () => ({ config: new MockConfigApi({}) }),
diff --git a/packages/frontend-app-api/src/wiring/createApp.tsx b/packages/frontend-app-api/src/wiring/createApp.tsx
index 0f8e3de953..572e88e647 100644
--- a/packages/frontend-app-api/src/wiring/createApp.tsx
+++ b/packages/frontend-app-api/src/wiring/createApp.tsx
@@ -101,6 +101,7 @@ import { toInternalBackstagePlugin } from '../../../frontend-plugin-api/src/wiri
 // eslint-disable-next-line @backstage/no-relative-monorepo-imports
 import { toInternalExtensionOverrides } from '../../../frontend-plugin-api/src/wiring/createExtensionOverrides';
 import { DefaultComponentsApi } from '../apis/implementations/ComponentsApi';
+import { stringifyError } from '@backstage/errors';
 
 export const builtinExtensions = [
   Core,
@@ -238,12 +239,30 @@ function deduplicateFeatures(
     .reverse();
 }
 
+/**
+ * A source of dynamically loaded frontend features.
+ *
+ * @public
+ */
+export interface CreateAppFeatureLoader {
+  /**
+   * Returns name of this loader. suitable for showing to users.
+   */
+  getLoaderName(): string;
+
+  /**
+   * Loads a number of features dynamically.
+   */
+  load(options: { config: ConfigApi }): Promise<{
+    features: FrontendFeature[];
+  }>;
+}
+
 /** @public */
 export function createApp(options?: {
-  features?: FrontendFeature[];
+  features?: (FrontendFeature | CreateAppFeatureLoader)[];
   configLoader?: () => Promise<{ config: ConfigApi }>;
   bindRoutes?(context: { bind: CreateAppRouteBinder }): void;
-  featureLoader?: (ctx: { config: ConfigApi }) => Promise<FrontendFeature[]>;
 }): {
   createRoot(): JSX.Element;
 } {
@@ -255,15 +274,28 @@ export function createApp(options?: {
       );
 
     const discoveredFeatures = getAvailableFeatures(config);
-    const loadedFeatures = (await options?.featureLoader?.({ config })) ?? [];
+
+    const providedFeatures: FrontendFeature[] = [];
+    for (const entry of options?.features ?? []) {
+      if ('load' in entry) {
+        try {
+          const result = await entry.load({ config });
+          providedFeatures.push(...result.features);
+        } catch (e) {
+          throw new Error(
+            `Failed to read frontend features from loader '${entry.getLoaderName()}', ${stringifyError(
+              e,
+            )}`,
+          );
+        }
+      } else {
+        providedFeatures.push(entry);
+      }
+    }
 
     const app = createSpecializedApp({
       config,
-      features: [
-        ...discoveredFeatures,
-        ...loadedFeatures,
-        ...(options?.features ?? []),
-      ],
+      features: [...discoveredFeatures, ...providedFeatures],
       bindRoutes: options?.bindRoutes,
     }).createRoot();
 
@@ -285,6 +317,7 @@ export function createApp(options?: {
 /**
  * Synchronous version of {@link createApp}, expecting all features and
  * config to have been loaded already.
+ *
  * @public
  */
 export function createSpecializedApp(options?: {
diff --git a/packages/frontend-app-api/src/wiring/index.ts b/packages/frontend-app-api/src/wiring/index.ts
index 412e643523..00c6458bd5 100644
--- a/packages/frontend-app-api/src/wiring/index.ts
+++ b/packages/frontend-app-api/src/wiring/index.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ export {
   createApp,
   createSpecializedApp,
   createExtensionTree,
+  type CreateAppFeatureLoader,
   type ExtensionTreeNode,
   type ExtensionTree,
 } from './createApp';
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index 4719742e16..ad150e9504 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -4158,6 +4158,7 @@ __metadata:
     "@backstage/core-app-api": "workspace:^"
     "@backstage/core-components": "workspace:^"
     "@backstage/core-plugin-api": "workspace:^"
+    "@backstage/errors": "workspace:^"
     "@backstage/frontend-plugin-api": "workspace:^"
     "@backstage/test-utils": "workspace:^"
     "@backstage/theme": "workspace:^"