Before commissioning a mobile app, it is worth asking whether you need an app at all. A progressive web app (PWA) is a website built with extra capabilities that make it feel like an app. A native or cross-platform app is installed from the App Store or Google Play. Each has a clear sweet spot.
What a PWA offers
- One codebase that works in any modern browser and can be installed to the home screen.
- Offline support and background caching through service workers.
- No store review process, and updates ship instantly.
- Lower cost, because it is built with standard web technology.
What native or cross-platform apps offer
- Deeper access to device features such as Bluetooth, sensors, advanced camera and background processing.
- Presence and discoverability in the app stores.
- A more consistent experience with platform conventions and performance for demanding interfaces.
- Mature push-notification support on both platforms.
A note on cross-platform frameworks
Tools such as React Native and Flutter let one team build for both iOS and Android from largely one codebase. That usually costs far less than building two separate native apps, while still delivering a store-published app.
How to decide
- List the device features you genuinely need. If it's only forms, lists and payments, a PWA may be enough.
- Ask whether your customers expect to find you in an app store.
- Consider how important offline use, notifications and speed are to the core experience.
- Check budget and timeline — a PWA is often the faster first step, and you can build native later once usage justifies it.
Platform capabilities for web apps keep changing, especially on iOS, so confirm the current behaviour of any feature you depend on before you commit.