Native App vs PWA: Which is best for Your App Development?
According to statistics, almost 90% of mobile uptime is drawn from apps. The development of mobile apps has been a dominant force in shaping the marketing landscape for small and large companies alike.
But thanks to the development of Progressive Web App (PWAs); native app are evolving. This change causes some businesses to fear that their native app will get obsolete.
Progressive Web App or PWAs are the latest buzzwords in the field of mobile app development. The main reason behind their stunning popularity is that PWA is responsible for making it possible to install web apps on the phone.
DID YOU KNOW? According to Statista Report on Worldwide mobile app revenues in 2014 to 2023; In 2018, global mobile app revenues amounted to over 365 billion U.S. dollars. In 2023, mobile apps are projected to generate more than 935 billion U.S. dollars in revenues via paid downloads and in-app advertising.
What is a Progressive Web App?
Progressive Web Application makes use of the latest technologies to incorporate the best of web and mobile apps. Think of it as a website built from web technologies but acting and feeling like an app.
The Progressive Web App is an ultra-optimized mobile website that can use some of the device’s features, such as the camera. Users access PWA from their browser Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or any other and download their content as and when they browse, hence the progressive term.
This methodology is unique because it is an amalgamation between traditional web pages and mobile applications.
PWAs try to offer the combined features of modern browsers on the mobile experience.
Benefits of Progressive Web App — PWA
- PWA saves time and money because it is only developed once, while a native app requires two separate developments: one for iOS, the other for Android.
- You don’t have to submit your application in the App Stores because you access PWA from a web browser.
- Users don’t access any of PWA ‘s content before using it. Thus, they access their content even more easily, directly via a URL.
- PWA uses only a very limited portion of the phone’s memory because it doesn’t need download.
- Users can quickly share a PWA with its short URL, which consists of only ten characters if they want it.
- The Progressive Web App is a website, optimizing itself for search engines as well. The new Google-developed algorithm explicitly values PWA.
Disadvantages of Progressive Web App
- In order to offer your visitors a PWA, you must have an internet connection in all of your display spaces.
- Not all web-browsers support PWA completely.
- Progressive Web App lack access to as many of the phone’s features as native applications. In particular, Bluetooth, which is required for indoor geolocation, can not be used with a PWA. PWA does, however, allow push notifications to be sent just like native app.
Related Article: React Native Vs Flutter Vs PWA: The Right Choice for Hybrid App Development
What are Native App?
Native app live on the device and are accessible through icons on the home screen of the device. Native apps are installed via an app store (such as Google Play or Apple App Store). They are specifically developed for one platform and can take full advantage of all the features of the device — they can use the camera, GPS, contacts, and so on.
Advantages of Native App
- Although PWA uses a secure URL https, native applications remain a safer and more reliable way to access information.
- If deployment on one’s home screen takes longer, the native application works better than the Progressive Web App: user access is easier, smoother, and more pleasurable.
- A native app can communicate with other native applications, for example by providing connectivity to its users.
Disadvantages of Native App
- Native app have to be developed separately for each platform to fit the platform’s programming language. So you need to build an iOS version of code, an Android version of code, and so on. Further time and money are required to create each version.
- Native applications are only ready to use by installing them from the app store (Google Play or Apple App Store).
- That implies a lot of like going to the app store, finding the app, accepting its terms and conditions, and then downloading it.
What type of App should you choose for your business?
If your company hasn’t yet developed its first app or owns one but is struggling with download and conversion rates, understanding which type of app would be more useful to your business can be enormously impactful. Information about how to manage the discrepancies between modern web app vs native app can give you a better idea.
User Behavior
The first factor to look at is user behavior. The hassle of installing an app doesn’t bother any person. Their day is not over until a new update has been downloaded onto their computer. Others have enough applications on their devices and don’t want to install more. Those people would prefer PWAs’ instant, zero-commitment approach.
Expense
There’s good news before you start to cringe out at the thought of developing another app. PWAs need a fraction of the budget that native applications do. You can also use an app creator to develop a PWA with an interface close to that of an app. If you decide to add a Mobile app to your native app experience, it’s not a big money investment.
Time
That’s also great news for a small business that was left out of the app game due to the cost. The cost of these two apps is important to consider even though you’ve already built a native app due to the expenses incurred by future upgrades, adding new functionality, and maintaining the app overall.
Apart from user behavior, expense, and time, the biggest concern you need to think about is when your app will be used. The most notable distinctions between native and progressive Web apps are performance and functionality, with native app being absolutely unparalleled for consistency.
Technologies Used to Build Progressive Web App
PWAs are built with many tools and frameworks. You need to select technologies that guarantee robustness, durability, and a delightful interface.
Technologies Used to Build Native App
The tools and technologies used to create a native app provide rich user experience, smooth performance, and optimization.
Final Thoughts
There is an interesting yin-and-yang-like duality between convenience and performance in the relationship between native app and pwa.
Although there are other factors to consider, such as cost, platforms available, development time, etc., the high performance of native app versus the more normal user acquisition of PWA is what distinguishes these two in the fight between pwa vs native app.
As time goes on, it will be fascinating to see how these two products can influence the world of app development. Will companies look to use both PWAs and native app for a broader app experience, or will they pick one or the other?
