Native Apps vs. Web Apps:
Understanding the Differences

In the world of mobile app development, businesses often face the decision of choosing between native apps and web apps. Understanding the unique strengths and weaknesses between the two can help in making an informed choice.

If you're a founder who is starting out in your journey, and aren't sure whether your service needs a native app or web app for your users to interact with, this article is for you.

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Before we deep dive into the topic

Let's start with some definitions.

  • Native App: This is what probably comes to mind when you hear the word ‘app’. A native app is what you download from app stores such as Google Play or the Apple App store. You see these icons on the home screen of your phone.
  • Web App: These are accessed through a web browser like Chrome or Safari, that can be saved to your home screen to look like an app.

A Deep Dive into Native Apps

Native apps are built specifically for a particular operating system, like iOS or Android. This means developers use different programming languages to create apps designed for either iPhones or Android phones. As a result, these apps can make the most of the device’s features, through direct access to the hardware, generally making them faster and more responsive.

An example you’re probably familiar with is Instagram; when you open a native app like Instagram on your phone, it loads quickly and smoothly. This is because it’s optimised for your phone’s operating system.

Native apps have lots of capabilities:
  • Offline Functionality: Some of them can work without an internet connection once downloaded. For example, Candy Crush, which you can play even when you’re offline.
  • Integrated User Experience: Native apps look and feel like a part of your phone because they closely follow the design guidelines of the device. If you have an iPhone, you’ll notice that the navigation and button in a native iOS app will feel familiar to how you use your phone on a day-to-day basis.
  • Full Device Access: Native apps can use all of the phone’s features, such as the GPS, camera, advanced graphics and animations, and generally better performance. An example of this might be a fitness app that can track your journey using the phone's GPS, and seamlessly graph your track visually on the device.
  • Push Notifications: Importantly often seen as the leading reason companies choose native over web apps, push notifications empower an app to directly notify their users of updates in real time. It's almost like you live in their pocket! To do this using a web app means your user would need to open a browser window, or check their email for the notification from you, then navigate back to your web app, log back in, and continue their journey with you. Many steps avoided if you go native and utilise push notifications.

Why are Native Apps more Expensive?

A wise and successful man once said to us:
A web app can be the price of a car,
a native app can be the price of a house.
.. Mini or a Ferrari, Bedsit or a Mansion? That's up to you!
Several factors come into play when deciding to build for native:
  • Separate development: Both platforms (iOS and Android) require different codebases, which often means writing and maintaining distinct versions of the app. However, some developers use Flutter or React Native, which are cross-platform frameworks, meaning one app can be written and it can be built for both iOS and Android.
  • Development time: Creating and maintaining separate apps takes more time compared to a single web app, even if developed in Flutter.
  • Design and user experience: Both platforms have their own design guidelines, which can require additional design time and effort.
  • Testing and quality assurance: For both platforms, testing needs to be done separately, which increases time and resources.
  • Maintenance and updates: Maintaining two separate codebases (if not using a cross-platform framework like Flutter or React Native) means that bugs need to be fixed twice, and updates need to be implemented twice.
  • Third-party integration: Sometimes, to use other services or tools in our app, we might need different sets of instructions for them to work in both iOS and Android.
  • Deployment and distribution: Both iOS and Android have their own app store guidelines and review process, which is quite time consuming, and certainly frustrating, if one of the reviewers reject your app submission for any reason.

At OK200, we use Flutter to address some of these challenges, meaning that we write a single app that works for both iOS and Android. This approach saves time and reduces costs while still delivering high-quality native apps.

A Deep Dive into Web Apps

Web apps are made to run on any device that has a web browser. They are built using the same languages and frameworks that create websites, like HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Because they can be used on any device without extra setup or app store submission, web apps can be a cost-effective solution.

An example of a highly advanced web app is Google Docs, which you can access from any device with a browser without needing to download it from any app store. They also have an app, but hey.. they're Google, they have a dollar or two!

Web apps have some important advantages:

  • Cross-platform compatibility: A single web app works on different devices (desktop, mobile, tablet) without additional development, meaning users can access it from anywhere.
  • Instant updates: Changes to web-apps are instant, like websites. For example, when Facebook updates its web version, you can see the changes immediately without having to update or download anything.

However, web apps generally have a bit of a slower performance compared to native apps. They rely on the web browser and internet connection, which can impact their speed and responsiveness. On top of this, they may not always provide the same positive user experience as a native app because they can’t fully integrate with the device’s operating system.

Bridging the gap - Progressive Web Apps

Progressive Web Apps (PWA’s) are like a bridge between a standard web app and a native app. In some circumstances, they can offer the required functionality without the high costs, time and complexities of building separate native apps.

PWA's have a number of advantages:

  • Overall performance: They load fast, even when the user’s device is offline
  • Offline functionality: Thanks to service workers (servers that sit between web applications, the browser, and the network), PWAs can work even when offline
  • Cost and time: Using the one code base for all platforms can save on both time and money
  • Responsive design: They look good on any device, can be installed like an app, and give a native app-like experience
  • Easier maintenance: Maintaining a PWA is easier with the just the one codebase
  • Push-like notifications: Unlike just a web app, in some circumstances PWAs can send push notifications to keep users more engaged. Note that at the time of writing, Apple (iOS, Safari browser) allows us to send notifications to an opened browser, which is functionality that can also be achieved using websocket technology, but does not allow the notifications to show up on the user's lock screen like a native app.
  • Updates: PWAs update in the background automatically

A good example of a PWA is Pinterest. Pinterest's PWA loads quickly, even with a slow internet connection or being completely offline. It's also designed to look just lke a native app and even has push notifications, giving the users an app-like experience that’s accessible on any device that has a web browser.

Starting with a Web App or PWA, then Moving to Native

Starting with a web app or PWA before transitioning to a native app can be a strategic choice, especially for startups who have limited time and budget and are still wanting to show their product market fit.

A few reasons why it can work:

  • Cost savings: Developing a web app or PWA is generally cheaper, so it’s a great way to validate an idea without a large initial investment, before moving on to building a native app.
  • Flexibility: Web apps and PWAs are easier and faster to update and make changes to, making them perfect for iterative development based on the needs of users and demands of the market.
  • Cost and time: Using the one code base for all platforms can save on both time and money
  • Faster launch: Web apps and PWAs can be developed and launched faster, allowing the product to get to market quickly and start gathering important user feedback.
  • User testing: Web apps and PWAs allow you to test the idea with real users and make timely improvements based on their feedback before committing to the higher costs of developing a native app.

For example, a SAAS startup might first develop a web app in order to validate its business model, streamline the user experience and test product market fit. By analysing their users' pain points, preferences and overall interactions, they can gather important insights and go on to develop a native app to offer a seamless shopping experience, enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty.

A notable example of an app that started as a web app is Instagram, which was called Burbn at the time. After gathering feedback and seeing substantial user engagement, a native app was then developed in order to take advantage of smartphone cameras and push notifications (which weren't available on web / PWA apps then). This significantly enhanced the user experience and their user-base grew rapidly, with 25,000 people signing on in one day .

Choosing Between a Native App or a Web App

Choosing between one or the other really depends on your business goals, budget, and the specific needs of your users.

When to Choose a Native App:

  • Performance: If your app needs to be fast and highly responsive, such as a game or a photo editing tool like Snapchat, a native app is the best choice.
  • Offline capability: If your users need to access the app offline, without an internet connection, such as a travel app or a note-taking app like Evernote, a native app is your go-to.
  • Full device access: If your app requires extensive use of your phone’s features, such as the camera, GPS, push notifications then a native app will provide the necessary integrations.
  • User experience: If a smooth, seamless and integrated user experience is crucial, like a banking app, then native apps are ideal for this.

When to Choose a Web App:

  • Budget: If you have limited funds and are needing a cost-effective solution that works across multiple devices, then a web app is a good choice. Small businesses and startups often start with a web app to validate their idea without the need for huge investment.
  • Quick updates: If your app needs frequent updates (like a news website or blog) and you want to avoid the often lengthy app store approval processes, web apps offer the flexibility in this space.
  • Broad reach: If you are wanting your app to be accessible on any device that has a browser, without the delays of platform specific development, then a web app is most suited.
  • Ease of access: If you want your app to be accessed easily without downloading and installing it, a web app is ideal since it can be used directly from the web browser.

So, Which is Best?

Choosing between a native app and a web app is a big decision for any business looking to develop a mobile presence. Native apps offer superior performance and user experience but come with higher costs. Web apps, on the other hand, are cost-effective and easier to update but may not perform as well as a native app.

Starting with a web app or PWA can be a smart approach to validate your idea, gather user feedback, and make iterative improvements. Once your idea is proven and refined, you can then invest in developing a native app to give your users a better experience.

It's important to take all the factors we’ve spoken about here into account and decide based on your specific needs and constraints. Ultimately, the right decision will depend on your goals, budget, timeline, and roadmap you have in place.

Thanks for reading! Get in touch if you want to chat more about what’s right for your business!