What's The Difference Between A Mobile App And A Web App?

Companies and organizations looking forward to building software applications that define their business processes as well as solve real-time problems. Have you ever wondered what's the major difference between the apps that we use on the computers on the smartphone? Even the mobile apps and website apps mean the same thing, in reality, it is totally different from one another and deciding which one to develop can be a difficult choice to be used from. Based on the abilities and the uses that they offer when it comes to the Technologies that these software applications use, it can sometimes feel that they are one and the same thing.

In order to understand the difference between mobile applications and web applications and to enable yourself to build a successful digital product, it is essential for you to learn the similarities and differences between these two application types. This article will provide you detailed insights about mobile and web applications so that you can take an informed decision to develop which application according to your preference and type.

Choosing the right application type:

Smartphone users have been increasing in recent times. People now depend on getting smartphones to get their daily jobs done as well as get on with their lives. This means that if your business is not digitally enabled and is not accessible on any mobile device you are going to lose out on your precious business and customer. You can soon be surprised by your competitors who have a Digital presence by taking advantage of the digital capabilities that this application has to offer. App development cost breakdown is an important thing to do, so no unexpected difficulties will occur in the process, this article will help to get to know more about it.

However, reaching your users with the facility of a mobile phone or a smartphone is not going to be as easy as it sounds to be. A sound strategy is required to identify the best approach possible to connect different users to your business using their mobile devices. The best possible way to do this is to leverage the capabilities of the smartphone that the customers use.

When it comes to launching applications on a smartphone there are two approaches that companies and organizations can use, be it native applications and web applications.

Before you invest any money into the development of a specific application, you need to make a decision to find out the best approach for your business and the best budget to suit your business requirements and goals. Doing this will help you would make the decision about which application type is suitable for your business and where to invest your money in.

Native apps:

The term native app means that the app is designed natively. This means that the app has been designed keeping in mind the specific performance requirements for a particular platform that has been designed using native Technologies for a specific platform and schedules to the rules and protocols set by the platform. 

Native apps are coded and developed using native technologies that are fully compatible with the platform they are being designed for. For example, you can use IOS Technologies such as Objective-C or Swift for iOS, and on the other hand for the Android platform, you can use Java or Kotlin for Android platform. Mobile App Development enjoys the native features that are being provided to them. Because it adheres to the platform rules and protocols this app gets to enjoy full system performance and responsiveness for these platforms. 

Generally, native apps cost more underdevelopment as well as it takes a long time to develop a native app for native platforms. On the other hand, the total investment cost for native apps is also more. The native apps have also to abide by the rules set by the platforms Play Store or App store in order to be released on such app stores.

Web App:

Even though the term weather basically means a website app, these apps can also be run on smartphones devices. Web app basically means an application that is designed using website accessible technologies and can provide a similar kind of experience compared to native apps. Compared to native apps, web apps do not need to be downloaded on specific Smartphones in order to use them. All the things that they need to have are an active internet connection, a data connection for using and a compatible mobile browser to launch the app. Web apps are designed using technologies such as HTML CSS JavaScript and these technologies enable new web apps to use certain features and functions provided to them on smartphones. 

The User experience provided by web apps can be a downgrade when you compare the experience provided by native apps. However, web apps can be used as-is, and do not need to be constantly updated in order to provide the best performance compared to native apps.

If you ask me which of them is the fastest one, then I would say that native apps are indeed a better choice especially if you have the time, money, and resources to develop a native app. However, if you are facing a time crunch and need to launch a minimum viable product as soon as possible then your best bet would be to go for a web app development.

Mobile App VS Web App

Mobile App	Web App
A mobile app runs on the latest smartphones	A web app runs on a smartphone or on the Personal computer
A mobile app does not require a browser to run	A web app requires a browser to run
A mobile app is made using native app development technologies or hybrid technologies	A web app is made using HTML CSS, javascript, or other technologies
A mobile app may have to be downloaded onto the user’s smartphone	A web app does not require to be downloaded onto the smartphone to run
A mobile app may or may not require an active internet or data connection to run	A web app requires an active internet or data connection to run
The mobile app can leverage smartphone native technologies such as the GPS, cameras, and network connection	A web app can and cannot leverage native features present on a smartphone.
Mobile apps can be expensive to develop compared to web apps	Web apps are cheaper to develop compared to mobile apps
Mobile apps run on only a single platform, hybrid apps are an exception	Web apps can run on any platform irrespective of operating system
It is difficult to create a minimum viable product in less time for mobile apps	It is easier to create a minimum viable product in less time for web apps
Mobile apps are the trending thing that is happening.	Web apps used to be a trending thing when the technology came out
Typically a mobile app may or may not use a database that depends on the customer preferences	A web app most of the time makes use of a database which also depends on the user preferences.
For general applications, mobile app development is suitable, but this depends on the needs of the user	For enterprise and business applications, a web app is preferable and suitable, again this depends on the customer requirements.

Conclusion:

Both these app types have their own uses and benefits they provide to users using smartphones. Careful examination of your requirements is needed to choose a particular app development approach that is suitable to your business and can easily satisfy the needs of your user.