Over half of the 7 billion population are active users of smartphones. Mobile apps have become a tool to reach mobile users and convert them into business. Along this, a successful business must deliver a great app experience. That helps them to meet their expected results.
Native apps are a prior choice of any business to sell their products/services online. eCommerce stores mainly focus on building mobile apps, which can be downloaded from the Play or App Store.
But here, the story doesn’t end.
Google launched a new technology in 2015. In the mobile web world, it has taken over. As a result, it has made a good place in the hearts of popular brands over the past few years. None other than Progressive Web Apps or PWA. Progressive Web App is the technology that combines the features of web and mobile applications. It is a hybrid version, which allows users to access them via web browsers.
But, you click on this article to know if PWA technology can replace native apps. So, read further to find your answer.
Table of Contents
PWA vs Native Apps: Developers’ Perspective
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Programming Languages to Develop
Native apps are built using different programming languages. Java, C++, and native APIs are used to build Android apps. iOS apps are developed with programming languages such as Objective- C and Swift. HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are the technologies that are used in a progressive web application. Web apps run flawlessly on Chrome, Firefox, and Safari web browsers.
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Cost of Development
🔥 The development process of progressive web apps requires less time and money than native apps. Developers have to write a single codebase for building a single application, which can run on different platforms. Native apps need to be coded separately for android and iOS platforms.
Depending on the complexity of the native app development, developers have to learn the language and build separate apps for each platform. The process of mobile app development is expensive and time-consuming.
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Accessible from Anywhere
Native apps publish separately to a different app or play store. Apps will not be published in the stores if they do not meet the app store’s guidelines. Also, stores ask to pay a nominal fee to create a developer’s account.
🔥 All web browsers, such as Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari, support mobile web applications. The cross-browser compatibility of PWA makes them a more convenient option than native apps. A web app is accessible and easy to promote. However, being published in an app store will increase brand visibility and boost sales.
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Indexable and Discoverable:
🔥 Progressive websites are SEO-friendly. It means that users can find web apps in search engines. Developers can install search engine optimization plugins for merchants to improve web apps’ SERP ranking. It helps to increase user engagement and traffic.
Native apps are not discoverable and indexable in search engines. So, it means you have to search them through the app stores. However, App Store Optimization helps to increase a native app’s rank in the app store. You can use the Google search console to check whether or not your web application is crawlable.
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Security Aspects
🔥 Progressive mobile apps follow security protocols to ensure a secure connection. So, users can enter sensitive details and credit information. Their information will not be leaked while being stored on the server.
However, Native apps win over progressive mobile apps in terms of security. According to the customers, apps are more secure to access than URLs. It includes multi-factor authentication to secure login. Also, use the certificate to encrypt the communication between the app and server.
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Easy Installation
Rarely do users install a mobile app in a month? So, you can see there is a lot of competition and commitments. First, users will go to the app stores and find the apps. Second, they download an app from the app stores. It takes some time for installation. Apps will ask permission to access the users’ media, contacts, camera, etc. It is a long process for users.
🔥 Progressive web applications are easy to use from the browser. Users can access them without installing or downloading them. They can also be added to the home screen like native apps.
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Storage Space and Data
Native apps occupy much of the phone’s storage. It can take a maximum space capacity of 100 MB and consume more internet data than URLs. Native apps need to be updated from the app stores regularly.
PWA apps consume less space, ranging from 50 KB to 2 MB on the phone. It will automatically update as soon as you open the web app in the browser. You can share the PWA with friends. It consumes less data to load.
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Performance
🔥 PWA has lightning-fast speed, which makes it more reliable and engaging. It uses a service worker to manage requests, prefetch resources for offline accessibility, and cache resources. It loads fast even if there is a poor internet connection.
However, PWA consumes more battery than native apps. They are not faster and more powerful than native apps. In terms of speed and performance, native apps win over web apps.
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Access to Hardware Features
🔥 Progressive web apps can access smartphone features like cameras, push notifications, geolocation, etc. It allows interacting payment API to reach and engage more users. While PWA technology is catching up with native apps, there are limitations on the features that it can access.
Native mobile apps can access hardware features, such as SMS, contacts, calendar, smart locks, and GPS, which are not available in PWAs. It is an advantage of using native apps over mobile web apps.
PWA vs Native Apps: Users Perspective
The Last Words
Native apps and PWAs are two leading technologies. They offer seamless functions to meet the expectations of mobile web users. You can choose either as per your business goals and requirements. So, your project helps to deliver the best user experience and increase business sales.
Here is a quick summary to help you decide between PWA and Native apps
You can choose PWA if:
- You are a small business or startup.
- Require no download or installation facility.
- You have a low budget and less time.
- Your focus is to build brand awareness using SEO tactics.
You can choose Native apps if:
- You are a large enterprise with a decent budget and lots of time.
- Prefer security and credibility more.
- Your app is capable enough to use advanced mobile features.
