PWA vs Native App: What Should Be Your Pick?

“Should I build a PWA or go with a regular Native app? What would be the right fit for my business?” You aren’t the only one looking for this answer. The debate on PWA vs Native app is perpetual. But why is it talked about so much?

Users crave convenience, and native apps have been successfully delivering that over the years. But not everyone can afford to build a native app. Moreover, it’s a time-consuming process. That’s when the idea of a progressive web app came in.

What is a progressive web app? What makes it unique from a native app? What makes one better than the other and in what aspects? What should you choose between native and progressive web app?

In today’s post about “PWA vs Native App”, we would try to address all your related concerns and help you get a better understanding of the two by the time we reach the conclusion.

What is a Native App?

A native app is an application developed for a specific mobile operating system or platform such as Android or iOS, in their mature ecosystem. These apps are coded in a specific programming language such as Swift or Objective-C for iOS and Java or Kotlin for Android. A native app can be downloaded from their respective app store(s).

What is a Progressive Web App?

A progressive web app or PWA is a mobile website in the form of a native app. These are cross-platform applications, which means they do not need to be developed separately for each platform. PWAs are built on modern javascript frameworks and are designed to provide a native app-like experience. Most importantly, users don’t need to head to the app store to download a PWA. If a brand or business has their PWA and a user visits their mobile website, it will prompt a popup saying “Add to Home Screen” or in case they are using the Chrome browser, they can simply click on the three dots in the top right corner and click on “Install App”.

Key Benefits of Native Apps

1. Native apps exhibit better performance as they get complete access to device features like Camera, GPS, Storage, etc.

2. Native apps offer faster and smoother navigation, resulting in a rich user experience. Besides, they offer higher page load speed than PWAs, and also consume less battery usage.

3. Since native apps are published to the app store after going through the standard guidelines, they seem trustworthy and users feel more confident while browsing a native app.

4. Users can easily make purchases or buy subscriptions as it allows integrating payment processing with the app store.

Key Benefits of PWAs over Native Apps

1. Progressive web apps are independent of app stores and do not consume much of your device space, unlike native apps which many times compel users to uninstall the application.

2. Since a PWA is usually a web app(website) having a native app outlook, they get easily indexed on the search engine and customers can find them whenever a related search is made.

3. PWAs can be beneficial in areas with poor network connectivity as they allow offline usage to a certain extent.

2. Development cost of a PWA can be more economical than that of a native app.

PWA vs Native App: Understanding the Differences

Now that we have got a basic understanding of what a progressive web app and a native app look like, let’s dive into their features and functionalities and make a comparison highlighting the differences between the two. We have broken down the differences on the following factors-

1. Installation and App Store Visibility

Native applications are installed by visiting the relevant app store(s). If the app is well optimized with the right set of keywords, metadata, etc, it boosts the app visibility and opens up the window for the brand to generate more downloads.

PWAs, on the other hand, don’t require app store installation and run from the user’s mobile browser though Google and Microsoft do allow progressive web apps to be pushed to their app stores.

2. Multi-platform Compatibility

Native apps are developed keeping one specific platform in mind. The app developers are not much concerned about cross-browser functionality or multi-platform compatibility.

Coming to progressive web apps, developers need to create only a single PWA that would work across browsers and platforms, and thus possess multi-platform compatibility.

3. Security

App security and user privacy are major concerns for any business. A native app can offer a secure solution for both the app owners and the app users. They tend to provide an extra layer of security as they can be integrated with two-factor authentication because the app has significant information about the device.

Also, native apps can embed TLS certificates whereas a PWA requires its own security certification. PWAs however can be served over HTTPS; allowing a secure browser to server encryption. Overall, a native app gives an edge over PWAs in terms of security.

4. Push Notifications

The ability to send real-time notifications to users is amongst the key reasons behind developing a mobile app. Push notifications create a smooth interaction between the users and the mobile app. It is an effective way to boost user engagement.

This feature can be used in both native apps and progressive web apps, however, PWA comes with a limitation. Only browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Opera offer the push notifications support for a PWA, and the main drawback is that the feature is currently not available for iOS, and can be enabled only on Android devices. There is no such news as to when the support will roll out for iOS devices as well.

5. App Updates

When it comes to updating a native app, it requires a manual approach. Users will have to go to the app store, look for updates, and then update the app unless they have enabled the option of automatically updating the apps over a Wi-Fi network.

A progressive web app follows an automatic approach. They are automatically updated whenever the site is opened or refreshed (when an update is pending). This ensures all users are on the latest version.

6. Device Features

Due to the native elements present in a native mobile application, it restricts massive design and flow changes due to increased complexity while creating complicated designs whereas it is easy to implement the same in the case of a progressive web application as design rendering is relatively easier than a native app. This is because native elements of iOS or Android may require adherence to the platform norms. 

Conclusion

If performance is a priority, go with a native app whereas if budget is an issue or you want to market your app faster, prefer PWA over a native app.

Now that we have shared the in-depth information regarding native and progressive web apps, the final call is yours. Assess the benefits, consider the mentioned factors, and identify what would work best for you.