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Mobile use occupies a large part of our lives. Looking at our smartphones at least several times a day has become a routine for most of us. For years, the only way for businesses to reach mobile users was to build a native (or hybrid) mobile app. But today, PWA technology has become an alternative solution for businesses of all sizes to engage with active mobile users.<br><br>Contact OneClick, an expert in the development and maintenance of tailor-made native, PWA, and cross-platform applications. We can, in fact, support you in the realization of your mobile application project, from the drafting of the specifications to the development.
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PWA vs Native App Development: Which is the Best for your Business?
Mobile use occupies a large part of our lives. Looking at our smartphones at least several times a day has become a routine for most of us. For years, the only way for businesses to reach mobile users was to build a native (or hybrid) mobile app. But today, PWA technology has become an alternative solution for businesses of all sizes to engage with active mobile users. In this article, we’ll learn the difference between PWA and native app. In addition, we’ll try to determine when your business should create a PWA and when a native mobile app is the best option in the progressive web app and native app comparison. What is PWA? Progressive web apps are an emerging technology from Google. In short, PWAs have connected the best of native web and mobile technologies. According to the Ericsson Mobile report, during the first quarter of 2018, mobile traffic exceeded 16 exabytes worldwide. (Fortherecord:1exabyte=1millionterabytes).Thisis one of the reasons why businesses need to put more effort into acquiring as many customers as possible using mobile apps. The Progressive web application capabilities allow it to work as a website, but offers a nearly fully native app experience. This includes push notifications, offline pages, and sensitive pages to your screen size. Even if you don’t have a native app butwanttoreach mobile users it doesn’t matter if they have poor internet connection or not at all. Here’s how Google defines benefits for business owners and users: 1
Improved Conversion: Fast-loading pages prevent users from abandoning the app and help them find what they are looking for quickly. Increased engagement: Push notifications instantly alert users to new content. Reliable Operation: Due to pre-caching, PWAs work even when there is no connection. Let’s understand the Progressive web app and native app comparison to various aspects like app building, user engagement, etc, and seewhataretheprosandconsandeachtype of app. PWA vs Native App Development: Detailed Comparison 1. Creation and Launch of the Application in the Market Native Application The development of Native mobile apps for iOS and Android requires 2 teams, one for each system. Even if the applications for both systems are developed at the same time, it will take even longer to ensure that the functionalityisthesameforbothapplications.All of this represents considerable time and cost to create an application. 2
Submission and approval through stores are a separate part of launching the native mobile app. The product will have to go through a period of moderation, which usually takes time. While not drastic, it delays the deployment of your app to the market. PWA Building a PWA only requires one skilled web development team, as it is actually a website, however with some native app functionality. Here, the process of creating and launching the app is faster for two reasons: A PWA is still a website, albeit an accelerated one; you only need a team of web developers to create it. They will deal with PWA technological components. This will drastically reduce the time it takes to register for the market. Validation through stores is not required because you are building a website. You don’t have to submityourapptoastoreorwaitforittobeapproved.OncethePWAisbuiltand published to the web, it’s ready to go. To conclude on the progressive web app and native app comparison with respect to the creation and launch of the application in the market, a PWA is more efficient in terms of costandtime.Itwillcostmoretobuildanativemobileapp,anditwilltakealittlelongerto launch due to submission to Apple and Google stores. 2. The Distribution of the Application Native Application So far, the Google Play Store has over 2.5 million apps. Apple App Store lists around 2.5 million native mobile apps, not including games. What does this mean to you? 3
There are millions of other apps on the market. For users to findandinstallyourapp,you must be using at least one of the following: ● Unique (which can be difficult given the size of the market) ● Extremely valuable, users would, therefore, be particularly interested in this application ● Easy to notice which means paid promotion Of course, every business with an app wants to gain more customers. With so many businesses and all the choices of consumers, the competition is tougher than ever. This means that you will have to spend a considerable budget on advertising, as in mostcases this is the only way to make your app visible. PWA With PWAs, the distribution process is different. Since this is a website, a user doesn’t even need to know that you have a PWA. The user will search Google for a product or service and find your scalable website, which will suggest adding it to the home screen. Google Search Optimization, which has alreadyfullyimplementedmobileindexing,works better than app search optimization. Does it make a difference to you? Yes! Your progressive website may be listed earlier in Google search results, which makes it easier to discover. Every business wants to be noticedbyitspotentialcustomers.Herethesituationisambiguous.Ifwearetalkingabout people searching through Google, a PWA is a leader. But if you’re talking about the ones that go straight to the App Stores, the native mobile app is the winner (however, it will take some extra promotion for people to find it). 4
It all depends on the target of your business. So in this PWA vs native app development aspect, both have their own benefits and are based on your target audience. 3. Installation Native Application To install your mobile app, an average user will need to: ● Find your service among all these millions of applications ● Download and install your app ● And only now they will be able to open it and use it PWA Below are the simple steps to install PWA. ● Find your PWA site via Google. Open it ● Allow “Add to Home Screen” when the pop-up prompt appears. (IOS users will need to use the “Add to Home Screen” option in a browser menu) ● The app is on the home screen, ready to use What does this mean to you? A PWA is set up quickly and easily, reducing thechancesof losing your customer. Installing a native mobile app can takeabitlongerthanaPWA.SointhisProgressiveweb app and native app comparison, a PWA can help you acquire more new users. 5
4. User Engagement User engagement is a critical part of doing business, especially if you are building an e-commerce or subscription-basedpublishingplatform.Themoreengagedyourusersare, the more time they will spend on your platform, and the more they will buy. How to engage them? Push notifications are oneofthemostpowerfultoolsforengagement.Theseareonlysent to users who have authorized an application to distribute them. They help you stay in touch with your consumers and keep them up to date. Thus, users are more likelytovisit an online store or check the services to find out what’s new. Native Application In native mobileapps,theavailabilityfeatureofpushnotificationsdoesnotdependonthe operating system or device model. Users will receive them regardless of these factors. PWA In Progressive Web, push notifications are also available, but only for Android. And again, it all depends on the experience you want to engage in. If sending push notifications to iOS users isn’t that critical foryourbusiness,PWAwillbeagoodsolution. On the other hand, if your business needs total coverage, a native mobile app will be better for you. This is an important point when you choose between PWA or Native App. 6
5. Work Offline Offline operation is oneofthemainfeaturesofnativemobileapps.Nowitisalsoavailable in PWA. So how does it work? Native Application When we talk about the offline mode of thenativeapp,weassumethatitworksthesame as it does for connection. The point is, a native appdisplaysthecontentandfeaturesthatitmanagedtocachewhile the connection was still established. This is available through local storage and data synchronization with the cloud. PWA In progressive web apps, users can also use offline mode. Once launched, the pages display pre-cached or downloaded content, which is provided with the serviceoperators. However, an offline mode in PWA is a bit slower than in a native mobile appbecauseitis implemented differently. At the same time,thegapbetweenthetwotypesofapplications is not so drastic. Thus, PWAs provide users with the same reliable experience as native mobiles. When a user wants to open a page that has not been pre-cached, they will see a custom “No connection” message, just like in a native application. So in this Progressive web app and native app comparison, both are almost equal. While operating differently, the two provide an almost similar experience when offline. 6. Access to Device Functions Accessing mobile device functionality is another great marketing tool. Interaction between businesses and customers becomes closerandmoreefficientwhenyourapphas access to the device functionality. Yourbusinessappcanreachaselectedtargetaudience 7
and choose the time, location, and other specific features. This way, you communicate with them to generate greater interest. Native Application An average native mobile app typically accesses the following device features: ● Camera, ● Bluetooth, ● GPS position, ● Contact list of a user, ● Microphone, ● accelerometer, ● NFC This list can be long and of course, depends on the type of application and the type of phone. PWA Unlike native apps, a progressive web app has restricted access tothehardwarefeatures of the device. For Android devices, the PWA does not support features that are not supported by HTML5. For iOS users, the situation looks similar. Additionally, PWA does not yet work withcore Apple features such as Face and Touch ID, Siri, ARKit, In-App Payments, and more. As we can see, at the moment, the PWA technology does not have access to the main functionalities of the devices, when compared to the native mobile applications. This is a downside, of course. Hence when choosing PWA vs native app development, if the existing PWA features are sufficient for your purposes, you can choose this option for your business. 8
7. Updates and Maintenance of Applications Business owners who want to acquire more clients tend to stay up to date. The morethe app is updated, the more customers it will attract, and the more profit it will generate. Simply put, a well-built and updated app that bringsvaluetoacustomergenerateshigher income. So what does it take to update and maintain your app? Native Application Maintaining and updating anativemobileappcanberesource-intensive,time-consuming, and costly. Expenses may vary depending on the services added and provided by your development team. Whenitcomestoupdating,withnewoperatingsystemversionsbeing rolled out about once a year, constantly tracking new requirements can become routine for your development team. PWA Progressive web apps don’t take as much efforttomaintainandupdate.Sinceitisstillthe Internet, your customers will no longer need to update their smartphones. Progressive web apps will behave dynamically on any device. The same goes for maintenance:websitesupport,whilegradual,costsmuchlessthanthat of a native app. On the background of supporting and updating the cost of native apps, PWA solution is very cost-effective, especially if your business is just gaining strength, with a lack of time and money. At the same time, if you are willing to spend your resources on support and updates, feel free to build a native app. 9
Choose Between PWAorNativeApp:WhendoyouNeedtoBuild it? Each technology covers different business needs and requirements. For example, if you have an eCommerce platform and want to acquire or re-engage customers, but you are unsure of the outcome, going with the PWA is a perfect solution. Choosing the PWA for a growing media, market, or business in developing countries is also the best way to go. Atthesametime,ifyouhaveaverycomplexproducttodeploy,likebankingapps,socialor dating platforms, which will obviously requireallthenativeexperience,you’dbetterbuild a native mobile app. Before you choose between PWA or Native App, you should also take into account all your requirements and resources, both time and money. ● Who is the target audience? ● How many months are you willing to devote to building the app? ● What is the budget for development? To conclude, let’s summarize all the pros and cons of the Progressive web appandnative app comparison, to determine which one will be right for your business. PWA vs Native App Development: Who Wins? Like many other technology solutions, native and progressive mobilewebappshaveboth advantages and disadvantages. This is why there are no winners or losersinthisfight.Frankly,askingaquestionlike“Are PWAs better than native mobile apps” isn’t really relevant. Each of them performs a certain task and corresponds to a certain type of business. 10
Do not hesitate to contact OneClick, an expert in the development and maintenance of tailor-made native, PWA, and cross-platform applications. Wecan,infact,supportyouin the realization of your mobile application project, from the drafting of the specifications to the development. Let’s Connect with us. 11
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