An application can be a great way to get ahead in the business world in 2020. But once you’ve decided on making one, that isn’t the end of the decision making period.
There’s one crucial decision you need to make regarding your application, and that is whether or not it will be web-based or mobile-based.
Web app vs mobile app; it’s a battle that has raged since the dawning of the application itself. But we know that many business owners simply don’t know which of these options is the best for them.
That’s why we’ve written this guide so you know the benefits of each. That way, you can make an educated decision on which app is best for your purposes. Keep reading to learn more.
Web App vs Mobile App: What’s the Difference?
The first thing to do is clearly define the differences between a web app and a mobile app.
These are both applications, meaning they both can be used by a business to project information for numerous different reasons. But the main difference is in the format in which they are presented.
A web app is a web-based application, which means that it has been created like a website and is accessible through the web itself.
Meanwhile, a mobile app has been created separately to the internet and has been built for a specific mobile platform and mobile phone users. For mobile applications, this consists of iOS for Apple products or Android for other mobile phones.
Some businesses have both a web-based app and a mobile app. This is because there are benefits to each that make them better than the other in certain situations.
Now that you know the difference between them, you need to know the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Web App Vs Mobile App: How They Are Created
A key difference between these two options is how they are built. Mobile applications are built using specific languages that depend on the platform they’re being made for.
So, there’s a different language for iOS apps than there is for Android apps. This means that if you are making a mobile app, you already need to decide what this platform is, which can limit your user base from the outset. This is a vital question to answer if you’re choosing to develop a mobile app.
Apple and Google both provide development kits to assist with app development. But despite this, they are more expensive and more complex than web apps to build.
This is because web apps are created using code such as HTML5 and CSS. There are also several templates available when it comes to web app creation.
To add to this, some of the more complex parts of web app creation can be found online. Need to understand what tesseract OCR C# is? This website has you covered!
Ultimately this makes the choice a question of cost, time, and involvement. If you need a cheaper, quicker option you can do yourself, a web app may be better for your business. But if you’re investing and outsourcing your app creation, a mobile app may be the way forward.
Web App Vs Mobile App: Functionality
Once you’ve considered the building process of the app, you need to look at the functionality. This is how well these two options function when placed side by side.
A major factor in favor of mobile apps is the fact that they can be used offline. As long as your customer has downloaded the app through an internet connection, they can always access the base app through their phone. With a web app, an internet connection is a necessity to access it at all.
It is, however, important to note that some aspects of your mobile app may still need an internet connection to work. However, mobile applications are on the whole faster to operate.
This is thanks to not relying on an internet connection. With a web app, a user can only access pages as quickly as their internet speed will allow. This means that when it comes to user satisfaction, mobile apps are usually superior.
Because they are on the internet though, web apps can be accessed by more people. This is because all you need is an internet connection, whereas with mobile apps you need a specific kind of smartphone.
It might be worth assessing just how many people you need to reach with your app and then deciding based on this. If you want to reach as many people as possible, a web app may be better.
Web App Vs Mobile App: Customisability Options
When it comes to customizability, you need to decide just what you need your app to do first. If your app is purely used as a mini-website, then a web app is likely better for you.
But, with mobile applications, there is a wider array of things you can use your app for. Mobile apps will typically have more interactive features for the user to engage with.
This is because a mobile app can interact with all the features of a phone, like a camera. Meanwhile, a web app is limited to just displaying information through pre-created pages.
If you have wild ideas for how you can transform the app space, they are likely better served through a mobile application. But if your ambitions aren’t as varied, a web app could be a simpler way to communicate with your customers.
Who Wins?
As you can tell by the above, in the war of web app vs mobile app there is no outright winner.
You need to assess your situation. To do so, we’d suggest basing your decision on what features you want to include, how big of an audience you want to get and how much money and time you have to invest in your app.
Ultimately, the choice between the mobile app and the web app is yours to make. The only thing you can guarantee is that having one of these apps is far better for your business than having none at all.
If you need more business assistance with decisions like these, be sure to take a look through previous posts on our website.