Being found on Google
New customers search Google for your service, your location or your business name. Google primarily searches websites, so a mobile website with good content can appear directly in the search results.
People find an app in the App Store or on Google Play, but only if they search there specifically. So for winning new customers, the website is usually the more important channel.
The installation hurdle
A website opens with one click. For an app, the customer has to go to the store, download the app, free up storage space and often create an account. At every step, some of the people who were interested drop out.
This hurdle is only worth it if the customer benefits regularly afterwards, for example through quick reorders, appointment bookings or a loyalty card. Hardly anyone installs an app for a one-off visit.
The cost of two platforms and the app stores
A mobile website is developed once and works on all devices. An app has to be provided for iPhone and Android. With technologies such as Flutter or React Native, both versions are built from one codebase, but they still have to be tested and published on both platforms.
Then there are the store accounts: the Apple Developer Program costs USD 99 a year, and Google Play charges a one-off USD 25. The bigger items, however, are development and ongoing maintenance, and these depend heavily on scope.
Push notifications, offline use and device features
This is where an app is strongest. Push notifications remind people of appointments, let them know that an order has been shipped or tell them about offers. An app can store data on the device and keep working without an internet connection, which matters in field service or on the move.
An app can also use device features such as the camera, GPS or Bluetooth more fully than the browser can. If your customers need none of these features, the app loses its main advantage.
Updates and maintenance
A change to the website is immediately visible to everyone. A new app version first has to pass Apple's and Google's review, and users then install it, though not always straight away. So for a while, several versions are in circulation, and all of them have to work.
On top of that, new versions of iOS and Android come out every year. Apps need regular updates so that they keep working and meet the stores' requirements.
The PWA as a middle way
A progressive web app is a website with app features. You can add it to the home screen, it can cache content for offline use and it can send push notifications. People find it on Google, and it does not need a store.
The iPhone has limitations: push notifications only work there from iOS 16.4 onwards, and only if the website has been added to the home screen. Access to some device features is also limited in the browser. Even so, a PWA is a sensible first step for many SMEs. If a greater need emerges later, an app that uses the same data can follow.
Frequently asked questions
What is a progressive web app?
A progressive web app is a website that you can add to the home screen like an app. It can cache content so that it works without an internet connection, and it can send push notifications. You install it directly from the browser, not from an app store.
Do push notifications work without an app?
Yes, through the browser. On Android devices, this works in the common browsers. On the iPhone, push notifications from a web app only work from iOS 16.4 onwards, and only if the website has been added to the home screen.
Which is cheaper: an app or a mobile website?
A mobile website is usually cheaper, because it is developed once for all devices and there are no store fees. An app for iPhone and Android brings extra ongoing costs for store accounts and for adapting to new operating system versions. How big the difference is depends on scope.