Native Application Vs PWA – What to Select for your Next App?

By the end of 2020, Progressive Web Apps are still relatively new. Introduced just a couple of years ago, PWAs have had a massive impact in such a short time. They connect the social platform with Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter choosing to create a PWA app rather developing apps utilizing native code. Technology giants like Washington Post and Uber found that PWAs provide many benefits to native apps. 

Such apps reconstruct a website in a way that it looks and feels like a conventional mobile application. PWAs function in a mobile browser whereas developers of PWAs can utilize the tool’s hardware features more than an ideal website. There are many instances where PWAs are cheaper than native apps offering almost everything a company requires in their mobile application. 

Due to some common misinterpretations, many brands do not utilize PWAs in their mobile app development project. This is why these companies write off this technology. Let’s find out what PWAs are and its benefits!

Progressive Web App

The Progressive Web App is a highly-optimized website for mobile that can access some features of this device like the camera. Users can access PWA from their browser like Firefox, Chrome, Safari, or other. They can also download the content while they are browsing hence it is named progressive. 

The benefits of PWA

• Time and Money Efficient: PWA offers time and money-saving processes as it is developed just once, however, a native application needs two distinct mobile app developments. One for Android and the other for iOS. 
• Submission in the App Store is not necessary: As you can access PWA from a web browser, there is no need to submit your application in the Stores. 
• Easy and Fast Accessibility: Users do not install all the content of PWA before even testing it. Hence, they can access its content much quicker via a URL. 
• Use less memory: PWA requires a little amount of the phone’s memory as it needs no installation. 
• Easily Shareable URL: If they find it good, users can share a PWA through its short URL that contains only ten characters. 
• SEO Optimized: The Progressive Web App is a website that is optimized for search engines. The newest algorithm that Google developed especially values PWA. This means that the chances of PWA appearing first in the search results is higher and hence are more known to the users. 
• Easy to include in favorite list: User can choose a PWA in his/her favorites. Just like for inbuilt apps, an icon appears on its home screen. 

Native Apps

An inbuilt application is the type of app that businesses have been developing since years. It is developed twice i.e., once for Android, and then for iOS. Hence, it can work efficiently with all kinds of devices. Users install the app with all its content from the Store. 

The native application’s advantages

• Secure Source of Information: Even though PWA uses a secure URL in HTTPS, native applications are a more reliable and secure source of information. 
• It works better than PWA: Native application functions better than Progressive Web App with its quicker user navigation that is smoother and more worthwhile. 
• Connects with other native apps: A native app can interact with various other native applications by providing its users to interact via Facebook.  
• More features than PWA: There are far better features in Native apps than Progressive Web App. Geo-fencing is a good example where a push notification can be sent when the user is reaching a ego-localized point. 
• Better customization and interface: Native applications provide greater opportunities based on interface and user experience.
• Easy update without submission: Native apps can be updated as easily as PWA. If you have chosen the two-step download, you can change your application’s content without re-submitting it to the Stores. 
• Easy streaming content: Lastly, you can opt for streaming content to make your content less complicated. You can utilize an HTML STOP, a tab providing access to a web page, a web view, or keys present in all kinds of STOP for that. 

Are progressive web apps great for e-stores?

Many companies think PWAs need comprehensive customization to be used for the e-commerce industry. For instance, PWAs is not known to boast an off-the-shelf payment solution. You need to integrate your own payment gateway to utilize a PWA for e-commerce in your mobile app development. 

The truth is that many solutions handle payments. The addition of integration does not require to spend a fortune. If you collaborate with a professional PWA dev shop, you get the suggestion best for you. This is also true that many companies have given positive feedback while working with PWAs on an e-commerce platform. 

Are progressive web apps similar to a website?

PWAs runs in a browser just like an ideal website. However, it is much more than just a website.  

Customers can download and save PWAs on their system. Your PWA will look like just any ideal application once it is saved. 

Are Native apps or PWAs or native apps only options for Mobile App Development?

No. There are several things to keep in mind when picking the right system for building a mobile application. Many developers suggest their clients develop application on React Native. Based on your exclusive requirements you may need some components natively. 

PWAs accept push notifications. Such notifications can be received by your customers at any time coupled with all the data they are looking for.  This functionality is not present in websites. 

PWAs do not require the internet to work. Websites usually require a broadband connection to function. PWAs is based on “Service Workers” (which is a JS file that functions standalone without basic browser thread) to allow the users to access the site by caching the data even when there is no internet connection. This file collects network requests, makes push notifications possible, and extracts resources from the cache. It is an important asset to PWAs as they provide the user to access the system offline which is as efficient as a native application. 

Make inbuilt applications your first choice 

We suggest the option of a native application in mobile application development. A native application is more reliable than PWA in terms of ownership and accessibility by all kinds of audiences. This may include visitors with disabilities, the elderly, young people, etc. 

Synopsis

Inbuilt application at the moment reassures the satisfaction and comfort of your uses as it presents its useful advantages. Although, technologies quickly progress, and PWA might soon get ahead of the curve in terms of accessibility and comfort. Hire mobile app development company if you want to get a best and suitable mobile app with all required functionalities.

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