If we look around, we’ll notice that the world is turning into an enormous mobile strategy stopping at nothing. Each business, every corporation and institution has come to use mobile in some way or other for its functioning.

Before, the debates used to be between offline and online media but now it is different. These debates have changed into one online media vs other online media. For mobiles, there are 2 strong terms: mobile apps and mobile websites. This debate between the two has not yet settled and the question of ‘which one is better?’ always emerge.

Most people say that having a mobile website is better than a mobile app, however having a mobile app also has a lot of advantages over a website that proves them wrong. 

Mobile apps needs to be developed from scratch unlike mobile websites that are an adaption of the website version. There’s no denying that both the ways of mobility is great, however there are few factors that differentiate them from each other.

In the end, the most important factor that decides if its better to use a mobile app or website is the purpose. The goal with which the development is done is how the decision ought to be made.

According to statistics, by 2019, mobile users will increase to 5.07 billion, so both website and mobile app is a great option since they are both mobile-driven. In a case like that, the only factor that will help you make a decision is understanding the two elements. 

How Are Mobile Apps Different From Mobile Websites?

It is typically misunderstood that mobile website and mobile app is the same. Just because they are both use on one media, i.e mobile or smartphone, doesn’t mean they are the same. There are differences between the two which will help in choosing which would be better for any web and app development company. Developers should know which option to choose for which project to achieve the desired result.

Let us take a look at some differences between mobile website and mobile app.

• A mobile website doesn’t need to be downloaded from the App store. It is the mobile view of the website version which can be accessed on any mobile device. Mobile apps on the other hand, needs to be downloaded from the app store and are developed by mobile app development companies.
• In a mobile website, the original website content is composed within the screen of the device while mobile apps are built to produce a better version of the website. 
• The possibility of regular visits are higher on mobile apps than on mobile websites. Since mobile apps are stored in smart devices, it can open and used anytime and anywhere. But mobile websites are used to announce events or programs to a larger audience.
• The updating process is completely different on app and website. Websites update automatically while in mobile app, the user have to download and install an update of the app. There were times that users delay the update of the apps which are not possible on mobile websites.
• The data storage location is different in mobile app and mobile website. All the data of a mobile app is stored on the mobile device itself while in mobile website, the data is stored on the website servers.
• Security is a major concern for users as well as developers. It is seen that mobile apps are more secure than mobile websites and they are protected by different security tools. Mobile app development and web development involves a different approach to security which affects the overall mobile security.

advantages and disadvantages of Mobile Apps vs Mobile Websites from a Startup Viewpoint

Both mobile app and mobile website has its own pros and cons which will be discussed in this section. Knowing and understanding the advantages of a mobile website and an app will help you determine which must be chosen.

Pros of Mobile Websites

• Compatibility - Mobile websites provides more compatibility to users and because of that, it improves the user experience across multiple devices. Whereas mobile apps have to be developed separately for various devices which affects the overall user experience.
• Reach - Mobile websites have more reach than a mobile apps thanks to its multi-device support feature. When it comes to reaching the prospective audience, mobile websites wins.
• Maintenance and support - Mobile websites doesn’t need regular download-install-update process that mobile apps follow. It is easy to implement the update without having the users download it separately. Once the updates are active, it will be visible on all devices.

Cons of Mobile Website

• Convenience - Mobile websites doesn’t match the convenience level of mobile apps. There are features that smart device offers which mobile websites cannot use. Features such as camera, GPS, calling, etc. may not run in some mobile websites.
• User experience - Fitting one big websites page in a small device screen is impossible. And even if its possible, it will affect the UI of the website. Mobile apps offer a far better UX by enabling personalization and interaction.
• Offline accessibility - Websites is not accessible offline and needs a network connection. Mobile apps on the other hand have the option to be used offline without any problems.  

Pros of Mobile Apps

• Convenience -  Mobile apps have been ruling the world for a decade now and focus on user experience. Apps have been a part of human life by providing fast loading time, high-end performance and ease of use. Apps are revolutionizing the entertainment world, the healthcare sector and the political sector.
• Personalization - One of the best advantages of a mobile app is personalization. Mobile apps are developed in a manner that users can make changes in the way they want to use the app. Apps enables setting preferences, saving useful data and even sharing on social networks. All these features enhance the overall user experience.
• Offline and online - Mobile apps may be used offline without any problems. Since the apps are not an adaption but rather a completely new product created by app developers, it can work offline. Meaning, mobile apps may be used anywhere. AI technology is also being applied in mobile applications for the future.

Cons of Mobile Apps

• Maintenance and support - Regular updates and bug fixes are required in mobile app and mobile website. In mobile app, a new update needs to be downloaded and installed while in mobile websites, updates are automatically implemented.
• Compatibility - Mobile apps are made from scratch, making the whole development a huge process. However, some devices may not support the app because of a different version or platform.

When To Use Mobile Apps and Mobile Websites 

The debate between mobile app and mobile website has another interesting aspect: when to use which? This question may have several answers depending on what you want to achieve. For a startup, gaining customers is important so a website will be the way to go. However, this can not be said for a startup looking for more engagement. 

Here are some pointers that may help you choose between the two based on your needs:

Want To Reach More Users?

If you want to reach more users, then websites are the better choice. Analysing the Google search traffic data, around 21% of the overall traffic comes from mobile devices and the rest comes from a desktop. iOS applications have more reach than Android apps.So, website would be the right choice for reaching a larger audience.

Have App Visits that are More than 5 times A Day?

If your application has the ability to get multiple user visits in a day then you should certainly go for a mobile app. To keep regular visits, the app should be fast and high performing. If you want users to choose your app than a website, then it should give more. 

Need to Use Device Features?

A mobile  app has features that cannot be used in a web app. But you can still access these features on a web app with the help of HTML5, NodeJS, Geolocation API, etc. However, the question lies about the user experience. To be honest, both options are good for using features like these if the user experience is not important. 

Need Fast Operational Speed?

There’s no doubt that mobile apps are faster than web apps because of local storage of data. Mobile apps doesn’t need to transfer or download data to and from the server which makes the app a faster experience. So, mobile app is the right choice when it comes to speed.

Want to Work in an Offline Mode?

Mobile app can be developed in away that it can be used offline or be able to download data for offline usage. Therefore, mobile app wins in this argument.

Can You Spend $10K+ on Your Project?

If your answer is no, then web apps is the right option for you since mobile app development costs can range between $10k - $100k, which is a lot. So, if you can’t spend a ton of money then a web app is your wisest choice. 

Will You Update Your Offering Very Often?

If so, then go for web apps first and then later you can go for a hybrid app. A hybrid app makes launching updates easier since it doesn’t require the user to update the app. The advantage of going for hybrid apps are there is no waiting time, one platform needed to build more features and real-time updates.

Which on is better for a Startup: Mobile App vs. Mobile Website?

When deciding between mobile app and website, there are few things you need to consider first.

We already saw the advantages of the mobile over the website and found more pros than cons. So we can say that mobile apps are a better choice between the two.

If you want to reach a larger audience in a short time and less cost, then mobile websites are the better choice. 

However, if you want more engagement then mobile apps are the best choice for you. As the stats for apps and websites usage show, mobile apps have improved the engagement among the users. 

The solution is not choosing between mobile apps and mobile websites. It is choosing the one that will be most effective for your business. Your choice must be able to fulfill all the needs and execute the business strategies that have been pre-planned.

Businesses also have an option to go for PWA development. PWA is an abbreviation for Progressive Web Apps that load just like web pages but have more features to offer. With PWAs, you’ll be able to  work offline, enable push notifications, and use any other feature that a mobile app offers. It is basically a web page that appears as a native application to the users. It is also claimed that PWAs are the future of the app development world.

If you wish to build a mobile app or a mobile website, IFormatLogic I.T Solutions are more than happy to help you. We have a team of mobile app developers that will turn your app ideas to reality.