Native app, PWA or responsive web: which one you need

Short answer: if your users are employees or business customers, a responsive web app or a PWA is almost always enough. A native app is justified by five reasons: serious offline work, background GPS, reliable push notifications on iPhone, heavy use of the phone's hardware, or being in the stores as part of the business. If you do build an app, cross-platform (React Native or Flutter) is the right answer for the vast majority of business apps.

"We need an app" is one of the sentences that makes companies overspend on software the most. Not because apps don't work, but because in half the cases what's needed isn't an app. There are three options, they cost very differently, and the difference between them is concrete and checkable.

The three options

Responsive web. A website or web app that adapts to the phone. You open it from a link, nothing gets installed, updates are instant and it works on any device.

PWA (progressive web app). A web app with extra capabilities: it can be "installed" on the home screen, it works offline up to a point and it can send notifications. It's still the web: it doesn't go through the stores. Google's progressive web apps guide describes what it can do today.

Native app. Downloaded from the App Store or Google Play. Full access to the phone's hardware.

How the cost compares

On a common base, as an order of magnitude:

And the cost that's almost never in the quote: an app carries mandatory maintenance of USD 1,500 to 4,000 a year just to stay in the stores, without adding a single feature. Apple and Google update their requirements every year. On top of that come the developer accounts: Apple's Developer Program costs USD 99 a year, and Google Play charges a one-time USD 25 registration fee. A web app has none of that floor.

At Atomix, an app or web app project runs USD 5,000 to 10,000; only exceptional, much larger projects go above USD 10,000. For broader ranges by type of app, see how much it costs to develop a mobile app.

When you really need an app

Only five reasons justify it. If your case isn't here, you probably don't need one.

1. Serious offline work. A delivery driver in a dead zone, a field survey, an inventory count in a warehouse without wifi. A PWA covers light cases; real offline operation calls for an app.
2. Background GPS. Tracking a route with the app closed. A web app can't.
3. Reliable push notifications on iPhone. Web push on iPhone has existed since iOS 16.4, but only for web apps added to the home screen, and it still has more limits than a native app.
4. Heavy hardware use. Continuous barcode scanning, camera processing, Bluetooth with printers or scales, NFC readers.
5. Being in the store is part of the business. Your users search for you there, or a store listing signals seriousness to your customer.

When you don't need one, even if someone asks

• "So it's on the phone." A responsive web app is on the phone.
• "So it's faster." A well-built web app is fast. A badly built app is slow.
• "So it looks professional." That's design, not technology.
• "So people have it handy." A PWA sits on the home screen just like an app.
• "Because the competition has one." Check how many downloads it has and when it was last updated before using it as an argument.

The point that decides most cases

If your users are employees or business customers, the web almost always wins.

The practical reason: installing an app has friction. Someone has to find it, download it, allow it, update it. With employees that means support tickets; with business customers it means some of them simply won't install it.

A link works on day one for everyone.

If your users are consumers who'll use it often, an app makes more sense: frequent use justifies the initial friction, and notifications are a channel the web doesn't give you with the same reliability.

Native or cross-platform, if you've decided on an app

For the vast majority of business apps, cross-platform is the right answer. One codebase for iOS and Android, one thing to maintain, considerably less money.

Native is justified when the app needs the latest hardware, when graphics performance matters, or when you depend on very specific operating system features.

Anyone pushing you toward two native apps without explaining which of those three reasons applies to your case is making the project more expensive without giving you anything in return.

A path that almost always pays off

Start with the responsive web app.

It ships sooner, costs less and puts something working in front of real users. Two things come out of that which no requirements workshop gives you: you learn how it's actually used, and you check whether any of the five reasons for an app really applies to you.

If after three months the web is enough, you saved the app and its yearly maintenance. If it isn't, you get to the app knowing exactly what it has to do, which is the difference between a budget that holds and one that stretches. The same logic is behind an MVP in 30 days.

What to settle if you do build an app

Two things, and both get fixed at the start or never:

• Apple and Google developer accounts in your company's name, not the vendor's. If they're in the developer's name, your app is hostage to that relationship.
• Who publishes updates, and how fast, when Apple or Google change a requirement. Because they will, with a deadline. Apple's App Review Guidelines are the rules every version is checked against.

How we approach apps —a free working demo in 24 to 48 hours, then fixed scope and price— is on the app development page.

Frequently asked questions

How much more does an app cost than a web app?

As an order of magnitude, a PWA costs 10% to 30% more than a responsive web app, a cross-platform app 1.5 to 2.5 times, and two native apps 2 to 4 times. An app also carries USD 1,500 to 4,000 a year of mandatory maintenance to stay in the stores.

Can a PWA send push notifications on iPhone?

Yes, since iOS 16.4, but only once the user adds the web app to the home screen, and with more limits than a native app. If reliable notifications on iPhone are central to the product, that's one of the reasons to build an app.

Native or cross-platform?

Cross-platform for the vast majority of business apps: one codebase for iOS and Android and much less to maintain. Native is justified by cutting-edge hardware, graphics performance or very specific operating system features.

What do the developer accounts cost?

Apple's Developer Program is USD 99 a year and Google Play has a one-time USD 25 registration fee. Both accounts should be in your company's name.

Should I start with a web app and build the app later?

In most business cases, yes. A responsive web app ships sooner and shows how people actually use it; if one of the five reasons for an app turns out to apply, you build it knowing exactly what it needs to do.

If you're unsure which one your case needs, book a call.