Mobile Apps vs. Web Apps – Does a Mobile App Make Sense for a Website?
Today is the era of smartphones and mobile apps. Businesses are developing mobile apps at a fast pace to meet the competition. As per a survey on an average every smartphone user downloads or uses thirty apps per month. The category includes entertainment, shopping, traveling, cooking, learning, social media and much more.
According to Statista mobile apps is expected to generate $ 935.2 billion US dollar by 2023
Image source – Statista.com
From mobile apps, fifty-seven percent of digital media usage comes. App downloading trend is going to grow up to twenty-five percent by 2020.
Here are a few questions which you should consider before developing a mobile app. As the exorbitant cost of app development is a big deal.
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Is the website enough and serves a similar purpose?
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What is better? – a mobile app or a web app
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What needs to be developed first? Web app or a mobile app?
Get answers to these universal questions through this blog
Whether you are an enormous brand, social media influencer, an e-commerce company all wants to have internet authority and relevance. And thus to maintain that relevance they can be found cognitive between two options.
As per Neilsen’s findings “adults spend almost half of the day on smartphones” and thus with the statista, it is predicted that the number of mobile phone users would cross the five million mark by 2019
Difference between mobile apps and mobile websites
Let’s understand the critical difference between both. These both are accessed on handheld devices. But let’s learn the difference between the two.
Mobile websites –
These are the same as other websites that follow browser-based HTML pages. It is designed as per touch screen interface and handheld displays.
There are certain standards for responsive web designs. And if we talk technically a website should be adjustable to any device sizes.
It should display data, videos, images, text, content and should have mobile-specific attributes such as a call to action button and location-based mapping.
Mobile applications –
As we all know mobile apps can be installed and downloaded rather than finding them on browsers. Likewise website, the app also renders data and content from the internet. And sometimes without the internet, it can download content. Mobile apps are software programs run on mobile devices and turn smartphones or mobile devices into miniature powerhouses of function and fun.
Which is better? Mobile app or websites
The choice of deciding between mobile apps or website depends on the end goals of a user. It depends on different factors and uses for eg if you are developing an interactive game then developing the app is the best choice. But on the contrary, if your goal is to offer content to a wide audience then a mobile website is the right decision.
In layman language, a mobile website should be your first preference in the process of developing an online web presence. On the other hand, an app is useful for a specific purpose and can be effectively accomplished through a web browser.
Advantages of mobile app development
In your mobile outreach strategy, the very first practical step is a responsive app.
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Make life easier
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Apps are fun
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Persistent activity of mobile check
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Branding made easier
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Customized communication
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Offline access
When does an app make sense?
Though websites inherent many features and benefits still apps are quite popular. Many specific times there are certain reasons where apps are the best choice. Let’s figure out when the app plays an important role.
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Gaming
For foreseeable future and highly interactive game mobile app is a must. For simple games, there might be a little difference in terms of user experience.
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Personalization
If the target audience is going to use an app in a personalized way then the app provides a great way of easy accessibility.
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Native functionality
though many mobile web browsers are getting updated with technological advancement like click to call, GPS function, SMS, device libraries, etc. but if you need a user’s camera and processing power than the app is the only option.
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Push notification
Apps have an inherent capability to send push notification ie; msg directly to the users. Browsers don’t allow the app to send push notification unless visitors opt-in on both desktop and compatible mobile apps.
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No internet connection/offline mode
Without a network /wireless connection if the content is provided to perform better functions then an app makes sense. If you can store data locally and upload once you receive connection then the app is inevitable.
Companies like Amazon, Flipkart, Uber, Snapchat, etc which have a loyal customer base and know their products are frequently used get benefits from the mobile application. Businesses with the intention of accessing device capabilities of a user device such
as click to call, GPS, scanners, camera, etc will definitely need a mobile app.
High interaction and dynamic content based forums are better with apps. Netflix is one of the examples. Even for gaming, we download apps like PUBG, angry birds, etc.
Final thoughts –
Understand your business requirements and client niche before reaching any decisions. If you want an introductory presence then a mobile responsive website is a logical choice for you.
Through mobile apps attain a competitive advantage when your target is to achieve customer loyalty and facilitating users with extra services.
If any business is missing/lacking mobile presence than the way to obscurity is very near. It is the responsibility of the brand to savor their customers if they are more prone to using mobile phones instead of desktops. It is important to channelize resources taking actions by keeping the mobile audience in mind. As mobile use continues to grow the question of app vs website still remains very confusing. Many businesses have both benefits of mobile apps and responsive website as in the end its the right choice and right tool which is needed at the right time.
