Mobile App Development vs Web App Development – Which is the right for Your Business?

 If you want to build a mobile presence for your business, the first consideration that would come to your mind would be whether to make a mobile app for consumers to download the app or a mobile website, or maybe both. Mobile websites and applications could look very similar at first instance, and deciding which is most appropriate to your needs would rely upon several factors, including target audiences, accessible budget, designed aim, and required features. 

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MOBILE WEBSITE AND A MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT SERVICE:

Before you could access the advantages of a mobile website versus mobile app development services, it is significant to know the major differences between these two. Both apps and mobile sites are accessed on a handheld device like a smartphone, for instance: Android, Blackberry, tablets, etc. 

A mobile site is similar to any other site in that it has browser-based HTML pages that are linked and accessed over the net (for mobile generally Wi-Fi or 3G, 4G networks). The characteristic that differentiates a mobile site from a basic site is the fact that it’s designed for the small handheld display and touch screen interface. 

Progressively, responsive web design is becoming the new standard for sites that aren’t only mobile-friendly, but that could scale to any sized device – from desktops down to tablets and smartphones.

Like any site, mobile sites could text content, information, pictures, and video. They could as well access mobile-specific features like click-to-call-action or location-based mapping.  

Applications are actual apps that are downloaded and installed on your mobile phones, rather than being delivered within a browser. Consumer visits device-specific portals like Apple’s app store or android market to find and download apps for a given operating system. The app might pull content and data from the net, similar to a site, or it might download the content so that it could be accessed without an internet connection. 

WHAT’S BETTER - A MOBILE WEBSITE OR A MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT SERVICE:

When it comes to choosing whether to make an app or a mobile site, the most suitable choice relies on your end goal. If you’re developing an attractive game an app is going to be your finest choice. But if your goal is to provide mobile-friendly content to the widest possible audience then a mobile site is your finest choice. In several cases, you might think you need both a mobile site and a mobile app, but it is quite safe to say that it hardly makes sense to establish an app without already having a mobile site in place. 

Honestly speaking, a mobile site must be considered as your initial step in developing a mobile web presence, whereas an application helps develop an app for an extremely particular purpose that can’t be effectively achieved through a web browser. 

BENEFITS OF A MOBILE WEBSITE VS. MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT SERVICES

If your goals are majorly related to marketing or public communications, a mobile site is always going to make sense as a rational initial step in your mobile outreach technique. This is because a mobile site has a range of inherent benefits over applications, including wider compatibility, accessibility, and cost-effectiveness. 

1. ACCESSIBLE – MOBILE SITES ARE IMMEDIATELY ACCESSIBLE:

A mobile site is immediately available to consumers through a browser across a variety of devices like iPhone, Android, etc. Applications on the contrary need the consumer to first download and install the app from an app marketplace before the content could be viewed – an essential barrier between initial engagement and action. 

2. COMPATIBILITY – MOBILE SITES ARE COMPATIBLE AMONG DEVICES:

A mobile site could reach consumers across a lot of different kinds of mobile devices, whereas web app development needs an individual version to be developed for every kind of device. Additionally, mobile site URLs are simply integrated within other mobile technologies like QR codes and near-field communication. 

3. UPGRADABILITY – MOBILE SITES COULD BE EASILY AND IMMEDIATELY UPDATED:

A mobile site is a lot more dynamic as compared to an app in terms of versatility to update content. If you need to change the design or content of a mobile site you just publish the edit once and the changes are visible instantly; updating an app on the other hand needs the updates to be pushed to consumers, which should be downloaded to update the app on every kind of device. 

4. FIND-ABILITY – MOBILE SITES COULD BE EASILY FOUND: 

Mobile sites are a lot simpler for consumers to find because their pages could be shown in search bars and listed in industry-specific directories, making it simpler for qualified visitors to find you. Most crucially, visitors to your regular site could be sent to your mobile website automatically when they’re on a handheld. On contrary, the perceptibility of applications is hugely restricted to manufacturer application stores. 

5. SHARE-ABILITY – MOBILE SITES COULD BE EASILY SHARED BY PUBLISHERS AND BETWEEN CONSUMERS:

Mobile site URLs are shared easily between consumers through a simple link. Publishers could easily direct consumers to a mobile site from a website or blog, or even in print. An application just can’t be shared in this fashion. 

6. REACH – MOBILE SITES HAVE WIDER REACH:

Because a mobile site is available across platforms and could be shared easily among consumers, also search engines, it has a far wider reach ability as compared to a native application. 

7. LIFE CYCLE – MOBILE SITES CAN NOT BE DELETED:

The average life of an application is a bit short, less than thirty days according to some surveys, so until your application is something unique and or helpful, or, it is questionable how long it would last on a consumer’s device. Mobile sites on the contrary are always accessible for consumers to return to them. 

8. A MOBILE SITE COULD BE AN APP:

Like a standard site, mobile sites could be developed as database-driven web applications that act much like native applications. A mobile web app could be a rational substitute for native app development. 

9. TIME AND PRICE – MOBILE SITES ARE SIMPLER AND LESS COSTLY:

Mobile site development is more cost-effective than the development of a native app, particularly if you want to have a presence on different platforms (needing the development of numerous applications). 

10. SUPPORT AND MAINTENANCE: 

The investment considerations of app versus site don’t end with the first launch; rightly supporting and maintaining an app is much pricier and more involved than supporting a site over time. 

WHEN AN APP MAKES SENSE?

Regardless of a lot of inherent advantages of the mobile web, applications are still in demand, and there is a range of particular use scenarios where an application would be your finest choice. Honestly speaking, if you want one of the following, an application makes sense!

1. GAMING – For extremely interactive games an application is likely going to be your finest choice, at least for the predictable future. For simple games like puzzles etc, there might be less of a difference in terms of consumer exposure with a browser-based version versus a native application. 

2. DAILY USAGE/CUSTOMIZATION – If your target audience is going to be using your application in a customized fashion daily then a native application offers an amazing way to do that is simply available in almost all scenes. 

3. INTRICATE CALCULATIONS OR REPORTING WITH VISUALIZATION – If you want anything that would take information and enable you to manipulate it with intricate calculations, reports, or charts, an app would aid you to do that very efficiently. 

4. NATIVE OPERATION OR PROCESSING NEEDED – Mobile web browsers are getting progressively good at accessing specific mobile-specific functions like click-to-call, device libraries, SMS, and GPS functions. Though, if you want to access consumers’ cameras or processing power an app would still do that a lot more effectively. 

5. PUSH NOTIFICATIONS – An inherent ability of apps is the capability to send push notifications to consumers who have the application installed on their device, providing app publishers the capability to send texting to consumers directly. Of course, predicts the consumer has allowed the app to send push notifications in their settings. Plus, interesting to note is that a lot of browsers now allow web-based push notifications, enabling site owners to similarly send notifications to guests who opt in on both mobile phones and desktops.

6. NO CONNECTION NEEDED – If you want to provide offline access to content or perform functions without a network connection then an application makes sense, as you could store the information locally and then have it upload once a connection is built. 

With any project, when developing an application you have to make sure that you are getting the best return on your investment –ROI. What you have to prevent at all costs is the useless and pricey exercise of making an application to do anything basic that could be accomplished with a mobile site. 

WRAPPING UP: 

As mobile users continue to grow, the app versus web question would remain an extremely real consideration for businesses and organizations seeking to build a mobile presence. If your mobile goals are majorly marketing-driven, or if you aim to deliver content and built a wide mobile presence that could easily be maintained, shared between consumers, and found on search engines, then a mobile-friendly site is the practical choice.

On the contrary, if you aim to give a consumer experience that feels more like a gaming interface than a site, or if you want access to a consumer’s phone storage and native functions, then an application is probably going to be needed.

It is as well significant to keep in mind that a mobile site and a native app aren’t mutually exclusive. Ample of businesses have both a mobile-friendly site for their general web presence, also a downloadable native app to accommodate more particular needs and requirements. Eventually, it is all about selecting the right tool for the job!

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