Understand The Difference Between Mobile And Web Applications

Contrary to popular belief there is a stark difference between mobile applications and web applications. Thanks to the fact that almost every website now runs on multiple platforms at the same time, it is assumed that it is developed just once and then everything keeps running.

In reality not only are their differences in how the user experiences each of these websites, but there is also the development and deployment phase that is starkly different.

But before you understand what makes them so different from one another, let’s see what they are first.

Web Applications

This is an application that can be accessed via a mobile phone or a web browser. These applications don’t have to be deployed via the app store and can be opened on the browser.

Native Application

This is an application that is developed keeping the platform in mind. They have to be installed on the device and are downloaded directly from the app/play store

Differences

When It comes to the differences between the applications, there are some pretty obvious others not so obvious ones

Platform

Native: The best mobile app development technique is considered to be the creation of an application for a single platform. Users have to download the application from their respective stores.

Web: These are not platform-specific. They can be accessed via your web browser on any device. Extremely adaptive and responsive they are free of the constraints of the platform.

Development

Native: Every mobile platform has an extremely different native app creation process. The programming language used by each of the applications is also widely different e.g. Swift for iPhones.

Web: any of the existing frameworks can be used for app development. Some popular ones are JavaScript, HTML5 and CSS3.

User interface

Native: Since is platform-specific special attention is paid to the user interface. Subtle additions can be made and modified as all the features available in the phone can be deployed in the application.

Web: It is the flexible option as it is extremely adaptable. But maintaining a consistent look and feel becomes an issue as there are hundreds of devices, each with varying dimensions in the market.

Accessibility

Native: Every available feature of the mobile’s hardware is accessible to a native application.

Web: A web application cannot access any of the native features of the platform or device that it is being run on. This application loads directly from the web every time it is being used.

Expenditure

Native: Considering that they are faster and more efficient, they require platform-specific knowledge that does not come cheap. Plus, one needs to ensure that they are working well and keep up with all the changes being made in the software.

Web: The initial cost of designing it isn’t all that much, but the cost of maintaining it across platforms can be quite a pain. It is also a highly expensive endeavor.

Offline Accessibility

Native: They can work without an internet connection. A lot of them do need the internet to work, some of their functionality is available even while you’re offline.

Web: You just can’t. It is right there in the name. For a web application to work, you need to be constantly connected to the internet.

Now that we know what they are and how they differ from each other let’s take a look into their pros and cons

Pros and Cons Of Web Apps

Pros

• Since they work on the browser there is no need to download or install an application.
• They are relatively easier to maintain as the codebase is a common entity irrespective of the platform and device.
• No updates need to made on the user’s end.
• Their creation is quick and easy.
• There are no launching restrictions as you don’t have to meet the guidelines set by the play or app store.

Cons

• Web applications don’t offer offline functionality
• They are slow to load and offer much less advanced features.
• They are less discoverable as they are not featured in any particular database
• There is no assurance of the quality or safety of the data as there are no guidelines that have to be followed.

Pros and Cons of Mobile Apps

Pros

• Their load time is a lot faster
• They have access to the native features of the system they are being designed. This greatly improves its functionality.
• Some application of the feature of offline working
• These applications go through the stringent guidelines set by the app and play store. This makes them safer and more secure.
• Their creation process has also been simplified thanks to the available developer tools, interface elements, and SDKs.

Cons

• They are comparatively more expensive.
• To ensure compatibility with every platform, they need to design from scratch every time.
• There are high maintenance costs attached to them.
• Approvals might take a little time.

Conclusion

If you want to talk about numbers, they favor mobile apps. Almost every report will tell you people are spending more time than ever on mobiles and all your applications need to be designed for where the people are investing their time.

But you also need to take into account your business objectives and only then make this decision.