"We need an app" is one of the most common ways a project begins. Sometimes it is true. Often, what the business really needs is a good website or a web application, delivered in half the time for a fraction of the cost. Understanding the difference helps you invest in the right thing.
The short version
| Website | Web application | Mobile app | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main purpose | Inform and attract customers | Let users do tasks online | Frequent use on a phone |
| How people reach it | Browser, search engines | Browser, usually with a login | App Store or Google Play |
| Found through Google | Yes | Public pages only | No (store search instead) |
| Works offline | No | Limited | Yes, if designed for it |
| Relative cost | Lowest | Medium to high | Highest |
| Updates | Instant | Instant | Through store review |
What is a website?
A website presents information: who you are, what you offer, and how to contact or buy from you. Visitors read, watch and fill in forms. Business sites, blogs, portfolios and landing pages all fall into this category.
A website is also your main tool for being found. Search engines index its pages, which makes it the foundation of SEO and most online marketing.
Choose a website if your main goal is to be found, build trust and generate inquiries. See our web development services.
What is a web application?
A web application runs in the browser like a website, but it lets users do things rather than just read. They sign in, manage data, make bookings, upload files, pay invoices or generate reports. Online banking, project management tools and booking systems are web applications.
Because it runs in the browser, one web application works on every device with no installation, and every user always has the latest version.
Choose a web application if you need customer accounts, internal tools, dashboards or an online service. See web apps and custom software.
What is a mobile app?
A mobile app is installed from the App Store or Google Play. It can use the phone's hardware, including the camera, GPS, biometrics and push notifications, and it can work without a connection.
Apps shine when people use them often: daily or several times a week. They cost more because they must be built and tested for two platforms, approved by the stores and updated as operating systems change.
Choose a mobile app if your users will return frequently, need offline access or device features, or expect to find you in the app stores. See mobile app development.
The middle option: progressive web apps
A progressive web app (PWA) is a web application that can be added to a phone's home screen, open full screen and work offline to a degree. It gives you much of the feel of an app from a single web codebase, without app store approval. For many businesses, it is the most cost-effective way to offer an app-like experience.
Five questions to help you decide
- How will people find you? If the answer is Google, you need a website, whatever else you build.
- How often will they use it? Occasional use suits the web. Daily use can justify an app.
- Do they need to sign in and manage data? That points to a web application.
- Do you need device features or offline use? That points to a mobile app.
- What is your budget and timeline? Start with the simplest option that solves the problem, and grow from there.
You may need more than one
These options are not exclusive. A typical path looks like this: a website to attract customers, then a web application to serve them, and later a mobile app for the most active users, all sharing the same backend. Building in that order spreads the cost and means each step is funded by the results of the one before.
Still not sure?
Describe what you want to achieve and we will recommend the simplest solution that gets you there, even if it is smaller than what you had in mind. Get in touch for a free consultation.