A developer must know which one to choose between the mobile app vs mobile website, as they may sound the same thing to you, but they are widely different from each other.
For an enterprise to capture the market and generate loyal customers, it is very significant that they should know what to adopt and what to reject because a lot depends on it.
Overview of Mobile App & Mobile Website(Pros, Cons & Impact)
So, let’s start the battle and decide which one is the best for usage.
Mobile Website(Pros, Cons & Impact)
A mobile website is built in such a way that it perfectly adapts to the mobile platform and can display content that amazingly fits the screen.
Unlike any other regular website, mobile websites are only meant to be viewed on mobile phones and not on the desktop because it won’t fit the desktop screen properly.
To view the mobile website, one has to simply search for the website through a mobile browser, which normally people are aware of, and then you’ll be able to access the website’s content through the internet connection in your mobile phone.
Pros
Compatibility: When it comes to measuring the compatibility of a mobile website with relevance to the mobile application, a mobile website will win any day.
The reason behind it is that there is no need to do special coding for specific platforms, whereas mobile application requires specific coding when the platform changes.
Broader Reach: As responsive websites can be viewed on multiple platforms, it has a wider reach to the audience irrespective of the device they own.
In contrast, mobile applications do not support devices other than smartphones, so they don’t have that huge presence.
Support and Maintenance: In comparison to mobile applications, websites incur less expense during upgrading. They require support and maintenance for a single version itself, and you can also edit as well as optimize content writing strategies on the website, and eventually, the change will be real-time.
Whereas for mobile applications, the updating and the maintenance of multiple platform-specific versions require a huge cost.
Cons
Although Mobile websites have various features which makes it attractive enough for developers but there are certain parameters that it lacks. Those are shown below:-
Convenience: When talking about convenience, a responsive website does not have all the effective features that a mobile application is capable of.
It cannot provide you with GPS, Camera, SMS, or maybe phone dialing, although there are various libraries to refer to.
Screen Size: The reason behind using smartphones for many purposes, including browsing, is because they are handy, and information can be accessed from anywhere.
But what lacks in them is the content which they are viewing. The content gets compressed accordingly, reviewing less information as compared to the desktop.
User Experience: It gets challenging to enhance the user experience while using mobile websites because the user cannot switch to multiple different windows at the same time to view more information.
In contrast, the same can be done through the desktop. Therefore having the same program to suit all the platforms can be a hindrance to user experience.
Offline Access: For accessing the mobile website, it is mandatory to have a high-speed internet connection.
However, if the website is light, then it may generate some limited information with cached pages, which is different when talking about mobile apps.
Impact On UX
Present for every user
When determining the experience, a responsive website can be viewed from a different platform, which makes it even more productive to generate a large number of readers.
Responsive websites are also viable for the users to download or install something through the website that is free, unlike some apps that charge something from the pocket at the time of downloading from the AppStore.
Users don’t have to update
You might have noticed that whenever you download an application, a notification arises as soon as you open it the next time within a gap of 15 days or more to update the app.
It ultimately leads to consuming your mobile space. But you won’t find this problem on mobile websites. Websites are easy to update and do not trouble the user for that purpose.
Cost-Effective
Responsive websites are cost-effective when it comes to maintaining and updating them frequently as compared to mobile applications, thus benefiting the enterprise.
Mobile App(Pros, Cons & Impact)
Mobile applications are the system that can be accessed through downloading the application into mobile phones through a specific gateway, which can be App Store, Google play store, or any other. They do not require browsing through the internet.
The presence of Mobile applications has grown very rapidly as there are various surveys such as Flurry Analytics’ 2016 survey and research by comScore to prove this point.
Pros
Convenience: Having application in your mobile phones is more feasible than browsing for the website. It generates better loading speed, molds into different screen sizes perfectly and provides a better user experience than any website.
Personalization Application provides a personal touch because they are right there on your mobile phones whenever you need them. You can customize mobile apps or let just say use them according to your need and save the stuff for further reference.
Working offline One of the best advantages of having a mobile application is that you can access it anytime you want even without the high range internet connection, which is quite important for mobile websites.
Cons
Compatibility A mobile application should be capable enough to suit every platform, i.e., Android, iOS, and Windows, but certain apps fail to do so.
The graphics or the design which the applications can portray in one platform fail to portray in others.
Support and Maintenance The support and maintenance cost of a mobile application is huge in comparison to websites and thus requires effort from the side of the developer as well as the user itself.
The frequent upgrading in the application forces the user to download the upgraded version making the user lose their mind.
Impact On UX
More Interactive Ways for the User to Engage
Applications engage the users through multiple features generating an interactive session between the user and the app. You can perform multiple tasks while using the application, which isn’t possible through the website.
For instance, Myntra and many other shopping apps provide the feature of putting the chosen item into a wishlist if you prefer to buy it later.
Customization
A Mobile Application gives you the benefit of customization to enhance the user experience. Through an effective mobile app development approach, businesses can customize interaction according to the user, track the user’s activities, and take various measures accordingly.
Ability to perform even when Offline
Mobile apps can do their job even when the device is not connected to the internet. Although some functions need an internet connection in mobile apps, a lot of work can still be done offline.
Mobile App vs Mobile Website: Comparison Table
| Criteria | Mobile Website | Mobile App |
| Compatibility | Displays the same format in every device | This requires the development of a version different from the website for each separate platform |
| Reach to the users | This reaches the attention of a wide range of people. It covers all the devices mobile, desktop etc | This is only accessible to people who have smartphones and tablets |
| Working offline | It have very limited Offline facilities | It have a wide range of offline facilities |
| Personalization | Can only provide limited personalized content | Provides a lot of options for personalization |
| Convenience | Provides bad experience when compared to mobile apps because of the size of the screen. All the required information will not be displayed because of the size screen. | Better experience with regular use; is fast in loading things and also provide push notification |
| Maintenance | Updating content and data is easier with less effort. | It takes time and cost to update. It also requires some permission for the same too. |
Questions to Ask Before Deciding on An App or Website
Do You Want More Reach?
Many of you might wonder if it is better to use the app or the website. But when it comes to reaching more audiences, mobile websites are the best in comparison to mobile applications.
Websites can be accessed through different platforms such as smartphones, tablets, and desktop as well, whereas applications can only be accessed through mobile phones.
Does Your User Visit The App 5+ Times/Day?
If you want your user to come frequently to your application, then start building one because it is the advantage of mobile apps over websites, which makes the task easy for the user to visit the apps as it is fast, feasible, and convenient to come across as compared to websites.
Apps also provide notifications wherever needed, engaging the user and enhancing the experience.
Do You Need To Access Native Features?
Although websites are built specifically for mobile phones and may render some of the native features or maybe all of them, it still won’t get near to an actual app built with native because applications have in-and-out native features.
Do You Care About Speed?
In the battle between Mobile apps vs. websites, according to speed, apps are the winner. The websites take time to load the pages and do not provide that better user experience, which the user is expecting. Therefore it is one of the differences between apps and websites.
Does your Product Involve GPS or Navigation?
For example, if you build an application for a taxi hiring like Uber, tracking the route is an important factor in that app. In such apps, GPS plays a very important role because without it, and we can’t track anything.
So now, which one is better? So Is It Better to Use an App or the Website? Well, Mobile App wins this round because the GPS is much faster in Mobile devices when compared to Web apps.
Do You Think the App Will Be Updated Often?
If your answer to the above question is yes, you must always go first to a website. Most apps are the hybrid of their website.
These simple terms mean that you don’t have to update your app every now and then. Just update your website content. Some benefits of this include the common platform, no waiting time, etc.
Does Your Competitor Have An App?
Competitors often influence the decisions made by a company. When the competitors give more importance to website Platforms, give a different platform for your customers. That is an App!
When it comes to Mobile App vs Website, People always choose the app. It is way easier to use and is portable anywhere rather than just sitting in front of your PC.
You could also use your app way easier than a website. This is one of the advantages of Mobile Apps Over Websites.
Is your product Complex?
Without the proper design required for an app, there will be a lot of complications for the user. Some people often plan on editing, reviewing reports, etc. using their phones.
Since nowadays everything is available on mobile phones, people often tend to think in that way. But it is a hectic thing to do.
It is literally impossible to do the needful without the use of a dedicated Good app. When it comes to the Web App vs. Mobile App, the Mobile app wins again in this round.
Will Your User use the product offline?
On the busy road of everyday activities, we always have the problem of not getting a network in places like lifts, trains, suburbs, etc. Some apps provide us with the necessary items even though you are offline.
It is always preferred to develop an app where you could use offline mode, and users would be really satisfied with your app too.
The apps will be location-dependent. So in this round of the battle between Mobile App vs Website, Mobile apps win without any doubt.
Do you have a minimum budget of $10K?
To get the best Web and App Development, It takes quite a lot of money and time. If you don’t have a minimum of $10K, it is completely pointless to develop a web page because development per operating system alone costs from $10K to $100K.
If given considerable time and plenty of money and the required resources for the development, you can only get the best app that you imagined. This is a premier question to decide the App vs Website battle.
Mobile App vs Mobile Website: Comparing The Stats
Now let’s compare mobile apps with mobile websites in terms of statistics that will help you have a better understanding of App vs Website.
Usage: Recent studies show us that most people utilize their time by going through apps. 90% of their mobile time is mostly spent on apps, and the rest 10% is browsing through the internet.
When it comes to e-commerce, it’s a completely different story. An average person spends 201.8 minutes on shopping when compared to 10.9 users/month website users.
Studies also show that websites’ usage will be heavily reduced at a huge rate in the coming future, and e-businesses will all move to apps to bring together an enormous number of people.
User Preference: Users prefer mobile apps over Websites because of the certain features which the users love, like the speed, easiness of usage, customized view, etc.
Certain studies showed us that 61% of Millennials say that they download retail business apps, and another showed that 58% of Millennials say they prefer online shopping than ordinary shopping.
In the near future, apps are going to be frequently used just as how webpages were used before.
Conversion: Certain researches show us that people view 4.2 times products/sessions in the mobile app than on mobile sites.
Apps also push a lot of people down the purchase funnel with >3 times conversion rates than mobile sites and 1.5 times conversion compared to desktop.
Shopping cart abandonment rates are very high on the mobile app than the desktop. This drives the global abandonment rate up to 73.4%, which is quite high. This can cause customers to be quite annoyed. So apps solve this problem by saving user data.
Retention Rate: Apps have a lot of unique features and advantages which websites do not have. An example of these unique features is the push messages which attract a lot of users.
Researches show us that 40.4% of people buy branded goods after downloading the mobile app. Another 45.9% of people, at last, go to their physical stores.
These numbers and percentages show that an action took place after the user has visited the apps. When this is compared to mobile
Reasons Why App Is Better Than Website
Now let’s find why the app is better than the website. You can also find the various Advantages of Mobile App over Website:
Personalization
Mobile apps provide people with a better-personalized experience. The app makes it easier for the consumer to use the various facilities according to their interests and needs.
If you want to give your customers the best possible experience, then the usage of the app is more preferred. By using apps, you can track how much your customer engages with your app.
When you provide the customer with customized results, they tend to use the app more, and hence you could improve your ratings.
Ease Of Sending Notifications
We get daily notifications from various apps. At first, email was one of the widely used platforms for business companies to reach their customers. But now it is not used like it was before.
Now mobile notifications are a way where the companies could reach their customers. It is an easy and interesting manner to capture the attention of your customer. This is one of the main reasons why thriving businesses choose apps over websites.
Use Of Mobile Devices Features
Mobile devices have various functions like camera, GPS, phone calls, etc. Mobile Apps could use the features found in the mobile device, which can give the customers an interactive, fun, and active experience.
These features can also reduce the stress, pressure, and work of the users. These features are not found in Websites, and this is the main difference between App and Website; ease of usage and time-saving.
Allows Offline Working
Apps can also enable features like working in offline mode. This helps the user to use the app even though they are in a place where there is a low network like trains or lifts.
Yes, the app requires internet connectivity to work fully and give you the best experience, but it could give you the basic requirements when you are offline.
When it comes to Mobile App vs Mobile Websites, Mobile Apps work in offline mode but can only offer you very limited features.
Freedom for Design
When it comes to Mobile App vs Mobile websites, Mobile websites is dependent on browser features like, to refresh.
Mobile websites are dependent on the browser features even to function the teeny tiniest function. But on the other hand, the Mobile app is not dependent on anyone.
With the proper design, you could do wonders with your mobile app. The various features offered by mobile apps give the users a better experience than on a mobile website.
Next-Level Branding
Mobile apps can often be used to give more branding experience to the users. This branding can be different from the original branding of the company.
It is all possible because the company’s website is distinct from the company’s app. New branding can be easily tested through the Mobile app, and it can also be used to see the user’s response.
User Spend More Time On Apps
Most of the studies show that users use apps way more than websites. It is because of the ease of use of the apps when it comes to Mobile App vs Website.
The studies also reveal that the percentage of users using apps than using websites is increasing in an enormous amount.
New Conversion Channel
If you are looking for conversions, Mobile apps provide both top-of-the-funnel (ToFu) and also Bottom of the Funnel(BoFu) users. For example, the app brings in consumers as ToFu users and later nurtures them into BoFu users.
Brand Presence
When a user installs some app in their device, it is common that they will use that app daily. It is an opportunity to create a brand presence for the user.
Even if they don’t use the app regularly, they are constantly reminded of the brand logo as they see it every day on their device. The icon acts as a platform where it can attract people.
So studies reveal that in their subconscious mind, users have already registered the brand presence in their mind.
Apps Works Faster
It is already proved that Mobile apps work faster than websites. Also, users will get their own personalized experience in the app. There is a technical side of why mobile apps work faster than mobile websites.
The mobile website is mainly composed of JavaScript codes. The framework that mobile apps use for its existence runs this code five times faster than the time taken by a mobile website.
Hence people prefer Apps more as it is quite fast than mobile website.
Conclusion
Now you know which one you should choose when it comes to Apps vs Websites. You also went through the various questions that you must keep on mind before choosing between the app or website.
When it comes to Apps vs Websites, apps have certain advantages over websites like speed, ease of use, etc. But websites also have some other advantages like it’s convenient for some people.
Keep in mind that the coming generation will only give importance to ease in use and time-saving.
That means people will prefer more of apps and very less of websites because of the advantages of Apps over Websites.
