Native app, web app or PWA: which to choose for your project

"I'd like an app" is a phrase I hear often. Almost always, behind it there is a precise need: letting customers book, putting orders in reach of a phone, giving collaborators a tool to use away from the office. But "app" can mean three very different things, with different costs, timing and limits: a native app, a web app or a PWA.

In this guide I explain what they are, what they are for and how to choose, starting from what you really need.

The three options in simple words

Native app

It is an application downloaded from the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play (Android) and installed on the phone. It has full access to the device's features: camera, notifications, location, sensors, storage. The experience is smooth and familiar.

Web app

It is an application that runs in the browser, with no installation. You open it from an address, it works on any device and updates itself. It has more limited access to phone features.

PWA (Progressive Web App)

It is an "enhanced" web app: it can be added to the home screen with its own icon, open full screen, work partly without a connection and, in some cases, send notifications. It is published like a site, without going through the stores. The features available depend on the operating system and the browser.

The comparison, point by point

Costs and timing

A web app or PWA generally takes less time and less budget, because it is a single project for all devices and does not go through the app stores. A native app takes more work, especially if two separate versions are built.

Access to phone features

Here the native app wins: advanced camera, reliable notifications, sensors, Bluetooth, system integration. Web apps have access to many features, but with limits that vary from one device to another.

Distribution

The native app goes through the stores: visibility and trust, but also rules, reviews and commissions. Web apps and PWAs are published at once, but people do not find them in the stores. I talk about it in How to publish an app on the App Store and Google Play.

Updates

A web app updates for everyone at the same moment. A native app requires going through the stores and, often, users updating.

User experience

A native app is generally the most polished and familiar. A well-made PWA can come very close, but does not always have the same level of finish on every device.

A fourth way: cross-platform apps

There is a middle option: cross-platform technologies with which you write one codebase that produces an app for iPhone and one for Android, with a native feel in use. You write and maintain one app instead of two, with more modest costs and timing. It is often a good compromise when you need a presence in the stores and phone features.

How to choose: six questions

1. Who will use it and where? Customers across Italy, collaborators in the company, a small group?
2. Do you really need the phone? Camera, reliable notifications, location, offline use?
3. Do they need to find it in the stores? Or is an address to share enough?
4. How much budget and how much time?
5. How much must it grow? A small first version or a long-term product?
6. What must it talk to? Management system, site, payments, calendars.

Some examples of choice

• A private area for a company's customers: a web app or PWA is often enough, and avoids going through the stores.
• An app for field technicians with photos, location and offline use: a native or cross-platform app is more suitable.
• An app for a shop's customers with notifications and payments: a cross-platform app present in the stores is a good route.
• An internal tool for a few collaborators: a web app may be enough, and costs less.

What not to forget, whatever the choice

• The link with your systems: the app must talk to the management system, site and APIs, so that orders, bookings and private areas stay aligned between web and phone. I talk about it in How to integrate your management system, e-commerce and invoicing.
• Maintenance over time: Apple, Google and browsers change rules and systems every year, and the app must stay compatible and secure.
• Privacy: personal data, requested permissions, notices.
• Accessibility: an app usable by everyone is better for everyone.

What happens after launch

An app is not finished when it goes live. In the following months you need:

• fixes for problems that emerge with real use;
• updates to stay compatible with new versions of iOS, Android and browsers;
• improvements guided by what people actually use;
• monitoring of errors and crashes, to step in early.

It is worth allowing from the start for ongoing support, even a small amount. A neglected app soon stops working well.

Start from a small version

The safest way not to get the choice wrong is to begin with a reduced version, with only the indispensable features, and watch how it is used. It often turns out that some features thought central are not needed, and others, unforeseen, are. With a small version you spend less, learn sooner and decide with real data whether to move to a more ambitious solution.

Why entrust it to me

I have been programming since 1999, with more than 300 projects delivered and about 30 agencies as an external developer. I build apps for iOS and Android and, when it makes sense, use cross-platform technologies, so you write and maintain a single app. I also handle management and updates over time, and connecting the app to your systems. I work from Rome and remotely, with online previews every week.

If you are weighing what kind of app you need, write to me: a chat of about 20 minutes, no strings attached, then a written, free proposal. The service is in iOS and Android app development.