Which is better – Progressive Web Application or Mobile App?

Mobile apps are the in-thing these days. Companies want to tap benefits of push notifications, making users have interactive features without the need of high-speed internet connection, and give them easy accessibility from mobile phones. This said, mobile apps have a few shortcomings. What to do when your budget is limited? What to do when you want your users to explore the app without downloading it from the App Store or Play Store? What to do when you want your user base to get what they want in seconds, not minutes?

The answer is – Progressive web app development.

A Bit Of History

In 2007, when Steve Jobs launched the first iPhone, he announced that the device would support applications made in HTML5 with AJAX. Simply put, an app that worked on the Internet, with the major features, without the need of a separate downloadable application. These were websites with look and feel of a real application. In later years Google gave this movement a major push, and now there are many progressive web applications on the Internet, by leading startups as well as established companies.

Advantages Of A Progressive Web Applications

Following are the advantages for entrepreneurs and business people, when they go for creation of a progressive web application:

1. Saves cost – These are good for those who don’t have the financial capacity to invest in mobile app development. Usually, the cost of progressive web apps can be one-fourth or even less, when compared to native mobile app development.
2. Loads quickly – The modern frameworks have evolved tremendously, due to which web applications made in the latest technologies can load super-fast on user’s devices, even on slow speed Internet connections. This encourages adaptability, especially for portals like Flipkart and MakeMyTrip, whose target base is among people with older devices and 2G internet speed.
3. Easy to get around – A major advantage is that users can use these applications in no time at all. To use the basic features and functionality, or even browse what’s on offer, they just have to enter the website URL. This makes the entire experience hassle-free.
4. Prevents backward compatibility – Anyone who’s got a solution developed from a mobile app development company, knows what happens when Google releases a new version of Android – sometimes rendering older API’s obsolete. This brings in hidden costs for companies, as the developers then have to work on backward compatibility, without which the app won’t work properly. However, this is not the case with progressive web apps, as they work seamlessly across older versions of web browsers as well as new ones.
5. Good to use – Because these are compatible with several leading web browsers, it means users need not be restricted on the OS to use them. One of the major disadvantages of a native mobile application is that the one made for Android doesn’t work for iOS and vice-versa. This is not the case with a progressive web application, as it’ll work on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, etc. you just need to use a good browser like Chrome or Firefox.

All said and done, there are definitely some inherent disadvantages of progressive apps, which is why some companies still prefer going in for iOS and Android app development:

1. They can’t work on all web browsers – Even though Chrome and Firefox are suitable enough, there are still issues when using browsers like Edge and Safari. Though browsers are catching up, there’s still some way to go in this space, to ensure that apps work on all of them.
2. Can’t use GPS – In case your app requires tracking of the device at all times, it can’t be done through the web browser.
3. Can’t use fingerprint scanner – If your app requires features such as payment via a fingerprint scanner, it can’t happen via a web application.
4. Limits the branding – There are other system functionalities also which are accessible only in the native mobile applications, and not only that, branding is always a plus when you showcase to your users that your app is available for download on Google Play Store or Apple App Store.

Best Mobile Development Company

Whether it’s a travel application or a full-fledged ERP solution – Walkwel is a top IT company that will deliver the best solution for your unique progressive web app development & mobile app development requirements. For more than 7 years, we’ve been creating web and mobile apps for clients across 30+ countries. Our team of professional engineers and designers have you covered. Have an idea in mind and unsure of how to go ahead? Contact our sales team, who’ll be glad to assist you with your queries.