Pros and Cons of Mobile Apps VS Web Apps? 2024

Mobile app vs web application? It’s not always an easy option. If you talk to founders of startups, there will be opposing opinions. The reason behind this difference is that the best answer depends on your business’s nature and the application type.

This article will guide you through the benefits and disadvantages of developing an app for mobile devices vs web apps.

What Should You Consider When Building a Web App Compared to a Mobile App?

Five main factors to consider when making your decisions in light of your current plans for your business. You can ask yourself these questions.

What features will the app offer?
What is the importance of speed?
What is our budget?
Who is our target market?
Do our customers require to use the app on a mobile device?

After you’ve gathered the answers to each of the questions above, your choice might become clearer after you look at the list of pros and cons given below.

Mobile Apps vs Web Apps

Before diving through the pros and cons, an overview of each can help clarify the decision of whether to use the mobile app and when a web-based application is the best choice.

A mobile application is designed for mobile devices like smartphones or tablets. It can also work with the phone’s functions, such as GPS.

Web apps, however, is a program that can be used with any browser. However, it’s custom coded instead of being developed using a website builder with no code. Sometimes, like with Progressive Web Apps, the URL can be saved to the home display of a mobile device, making it appear as an app, but it can be opened in a browser once it is tapped. It’s saved as shortcuts on desktops and has an interface similar to an application.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Creating a Mobile App

Mobile apps can be developed specifically for specific operating systems and rely on the native features of the device, which gives them distinct capabilities. The trend nowadays is the creation of mobile apps using cross-platform languages such as React and Flutter that allow one code base to be used to build apps that simultaneously run on iOS and Android platforms.

However, mobile apps are more costly to create than web-based apps. Here’s what you must be aware of.

Mobile App Benefits

Performance and speed: Mobile apps function with the built-in features of phones like microphones, location services, and cameras. Therefore, apps designed for mobile phones usually perform better. (However, there are some exceptions based on the particular function of the application.)
The ability to let apps access these features natively makes them more natural. For instance, snapping a photo inside an app feels more natural than using a laptop to snap a photo and then uploading it onto a website application. Additionally, mobile apps are stored locally in databases, which means they can provide constant speed.
Marketing Options: There are numerous ways to make money with your app. Having a range of options means you can choose the best option that matches your app’s needs. Additionally, multiple methods are possible. The ability to monetize in many ways is an advantage of mobile apps.
Offline Access: Many mobile applications provide offline access that is not dependent on WiFi after users download the application. If software products let users save and add data when not connected to WiFi or mobile service, the mobile application could provide this benefit.
Reaching a wider audience: Many businesses need apps these days. A lot of customers prefer an app over a web-based version. Customers appreciate the ease of booking flights on their mobile or shopping at their preferred retailer and making a coffee order all through an app.
Reengagement Opportunity: Mobile applications let push notifications be sent when certain events trigger an alert. It’s possible to send users a message if they haven’t registered or utilized the application for a long.

Mobile Apps Disadvantages

Cost of Development: Apps are still relatively new in software, and there aren’t many options to let the average user develop one for a low cost. Many apps require custom-coded code and integration with other services. Therefore, features such as messaging or payment processing are available.
The most affordable custom-coded, simple app could cost between $30,000 and $40,000. That’s quite a bit more than websites. The price of an app is much higher than a web-based app.
Cost of Maintenance: Mobile apps require frequent updates to fix bugs, security, issues, etc. Although cross-platform language support has made bug fixing simpler, many updates can be made to keep mobile apps’ code in order compared with web-based apps.
Large applications consume storage: Some powerful or complicated apps may require large amounts of storage to download. For instance, the well-known gaming app Fortnight has a massive 3 Gb. If the phone’s storage is restricted or the user has downloaded many apps, the larger apps are typically the first to be removed to make space.
No download is required: There are millions of apps through the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. In addition, there is an excellent chance that your application won’t be discovered by the people you want to target, as apps are designed for high-quality organic search results.
Profit Sharing by using Share Profits with App Store: Listing your application on the App Store costs money. For Apple to list your app in their app store is $99 per year. Then they pay 15 percent of every purchase made in the app until the point at which your app earns one million dollars.
Then, the commission rises to 30 percent. Launching an app through Google Play is similar to hosting an app on Google Play Store; however, it’s a single payment of $25 and follows similar commission structures to Apple.

The Pros and Cons of a Web App

Web apps are user-friendly websites they can open on their mobile device’s browser or desktop computer. Web apps can be created to appear attractive regardless of the device you use, which includes tablets, desktops, and mobile.

Because they are based on the internet browser, web apps can be used with any operating system, which makes them a faster and cost-effective choice. Although the lower price is a plus for web-based apps, they cannot use device features, which can result in limitations in functionality. This is what you must be aware of.

Web App Advantages

Accessibility: Web applications allow users to access various gadgets, regardless of the operating system, via the browser. This is why they can reach a wider potential audience and a greater number of users.
Easy Updates: Developers can make changes to a common code base, and updates are simple. Web updates generally do not render web applications unusable; however, they could quickly hinder the mobile operating system from working correctly.
Improved Discovery More Discoveries Search Engines: Web applications are shown within search results (think: Google), meaning anyone can search for them. Most people will use the search engine when seeking answers to their questions. That includes terms like “the best software for organizing.”
If your application is targeted at these terms, there’s more chance that users will discover your website in an outcome of a search compared to mobile apps. In addition, there are many ways to modify an app on the web to get it ranked higher in results for searches than to influence app ranking in stores.
Cost-effective Development: It is less expensive to create mobile apps than web-based apps because of the less time needed to develop them. This is mostly because you only have to create an internet application that the various operating systems can use.
There is no download required. Users can click on an online app and then exit at their leisure. While downloading an app can be relatively easy, it will require an investment from the user.
In a world where most internet-based decisions are made in less than two seconds, a website app remains competitive because it doesn’t require downloads to access it, making it easier for more curious users to explore.

Web App Disadvantages

There is less integration with device functions: Web applications offer limited access to features native to mobile devices, such as a camera or location service. Because web apps aren’t native to any operating system, there are times when they don’t have access to specific features specific to the particular OS.
Slower speeds: Variations within web browsers could result in issues running web apps without problems. Web-based apps cannot perform as fast as mobile apps that are hosted on a local server. If the browser is experiencing an issue, it could affect the web application.
Incomplete Offline Accessibility: Web apps rely on the Internet to work. Therefore, they’re unavailable if a user doesn’t have WiFi or Cell connectivity. If a user is running out of data or is located in an area that cannot connect to any signal, then they cannot access or input vital details into the web app.
There is no App Store or Google Play Access: — The app won’t be available in marketplaces, which is the place they’re familiar with them. They may not even know about the availability.
Security and Safety: There’s no review or approval process for web-based applications, just like how mobile apps need to conform to certain standards before they can be included and available in storefronts for apps. That means web-based apps might be vulnerable to hacking, making it easier for your personal information to be harmed.

Final Conclusion: Do You Create an App for Mobile or Web App?

You must review the answers you have provided to the five main questions. These answers will give you insight into the direction you should decide to go in.

If your application will contain functions that need access to the device’s native capability, a mobile app is most likely the best choice for you.
If speed is important and the app’s features can be faster when running an app native to mobile using a mobile application, then it could be the best option to consider.
If you’re on limited funds, creating an app on the web is possible.
If your application will be discovered using keywords in a search browser and you want to make it more accessible, then a web application is the best choice.
If users are required access to the app without the Internet, the mobile app is the most likely choice.