Website, Web App or Mobile App: Which Does Your Business Need?

“We want an app.” It is often where a conversation starts, and just as often it turns out halfway through that something else is needed. A website, a web application and a mobile app each solve a different problem, with a different price tag and different upkeep.

In this article I put the three side by side, so you know what you are asking for before you request a quote.

The website: being found and convincing

A website tells people who you are and what you do, and gets visitors to get in touch or buy something. Most traffic comes from Google or a shared link, and visitors do not log in.

• Choose this when your goal is visibility, enquiries or sales.
• What matters: speed, findability, clear copy and an obvious next step.
• Upkeep: low. Updating content and the occasional update.

The web application: getting work done

A web application is software in the browser where users log in and get things done: processing orders, planning work, managing customer data. Think of a customer portal, an internal tool or a SaaS product.

• Choose this when people work with it every day, at the office or on the road.
• Advantages: works on any device with a browser, one version for everyone, updates go live for everyone at once.
• Upkeep: moderate. Security updates, hosting and ongoing development.

A well-built web app also works fine on a phone. For many businesses this is the sweet spot: the reach of a website with the functionality of software.

The mobile app: in your user’s pocket

A mobile app is installed from the App Store or Google Play. It sits on the home screen, can send push notifications and uses phone features such as the camera, GPS or offline storage.

• Choose this when users use your product often and on the move, or you genuinely need phone features.
• Keep in mind: the stores review updates, users have to download the app, and in practice you maintain two platforms.
• Upkeep: higher. New iOS and Android versions need attention every year.

With React Native you build one codebase for both iPhone and Android, which cuts the cost considerably compared to two separate apps. You almost always need a back-end for the data as well, and often a web dashboard for administration.

Four questions to decide

1. Who uses it? Unknown visitors point to a website. Regular users with an account point to a web app or app.
2. How often? A few times a year is no reason to install something. Daily use on the move is.
3. Do you really need the phone? Camera, location, push notifications, working offline. If not, a web app is often enough.
4. How should people find you? Only the web is searchable on Google. App stores are hard to be discovered in without a marketing budget.

The sensible path: start small

Torn between a web app and a mobile app? Often start with the web app. You validate the idea faster and cheaper, everyone can use it straight away, and the back-end you build can later serve a mobile app too. That way you do not pay twice for the same logic.

Because I build the back-end as well as websites, web apps and mobile apps, you do not have to get that choice perfect up front. Tell me what your users need to be able to do, and I will advise which form fits best, and where to start.