Progressive Web Application (PWA) might be a new phenomenon, but a lot of companies are already capitalizing on the extensive capabilities that it has to offer. In simple words, PWAs tend to combine the functionalities of a mobile software and a website to create an immersive user experience. It boosts the overall engagement and conversion rate!
Unlike the native mobile apps that require two different development approaches for Android and iOS platforms, PWAs act as unified solutions that can seamlessly run across all browsers and devices. By all means, the latter is superior to the former!
However, this article will give you a clearer insight into why most businesses today prefer PWAs over native mobile apps to conduct their business operations and drive user engagement.
Understanding Native Mobile Apps and PWAs
Before diving deeper, here’s a brief overview of what native mobile apps and PWAs are:
- Native Mobile App:
The native apps are designed specifically to work on either Android or iOS devices. Such apps are required to be downloaded from the Play Store or App Store. A native approach towards building apps can be beneficial as it can deliver smooth UX and high responsiveness, backed with superior performance and complete accessibility to device features.
- Progressive Web App:
PWA is a type of application built using common technologies such as JavaScript, CSS, and HTML. Such apps are designed to seamlessly run on all platforms that use a compliant browser. Thus, PWAs provide users with an app-like experience, without the need for them to install them from the Play Store or App Store. Faster loading, offline access, and push notifications are some integral features of PWAs.
Reasons Why Businesses Opt for PWAs Over Native Apps
A lot of businesses or enterprises on a global scale are now relying on PWA development services over native mobile apps for some very crucial reasons. Some of which are as follows:
- Cross-Platform Accessibility
Building PWAs over native mobile apps allows businesses to make their business application available to users across both iOS and Android devices. It will help you extend your business outreach to users relying on different operating systems (OS) or devices, without altering the UI template or functionalities.
- Provides Offline Access to Users
A PWA tends to offer offline accessibility to users, which is a stand-out feature that entices business owners to consider it. If your business has a worldwide user base, this feature can help you operate across regions with unstable network conditions. Your app users can continue to access the platform content and interact with certain functionalities, even when they are offline.
- Facilitates Faster Loading Speed:
PWAs tend to load faster, even when the users are on slower networks. It has been made possible through caching and service workers. Using such features, a PWA can preload the page content and boost the overall performance. Thus, the bounce rates will reduce, and the user experience will enhance.
- Enables Push Notifications
When relying on PWAs for your business operations, it can send push notifications to targeted users, even when they are not using your app. With reliance on this feature, businesses can better engage their users with personalized updates, messages, or promotions. Thus, it will boost the overall brand loyalty and user retention rates.
- Allows the Installation of the Home Screen
In order to attain a more app-like experience on smartphones, users can install PWAS to their phone’s home screens. They won’t have to download anything from the Play Store or App Store, and won’t need any user authentication as well. With seamless accessibility of PWAs across all devices and browsers, you can provide an app-like experience to your users on desktops as well as mobiles.
- Improved SEO Capabilities
The PWAs are indexable by the search engines, which will provide your business with an advantage over the native apps. It will improve your discoverability across users and the overall SEO performance.
- Cost-Effective Support & Maintenance
The app maintenance and support effort for PWAs is less than that of the native mobile apps. It is mostly because developers will have only one single codebase to manage, which saves them a lot of resources and time. As there is no need for different OS versions, updates can be made instantly without seeking Google or Apple’s store approval.
Core Differences Between PWAs and Native Mobile Apps
| Parameters | PWAs | Native Mobile Apps |
| Platform Supported | PWAs are meant to operate seamlessly on all platforms or devices (iOS and Android). | Native apps are platform-specific, which means they can be built either for iOS or Android. |
| App Store/Play Store Distribution | There is no need for PWAs to undergo Play Store/App Store distribution. Users can simply seek home screen installation with PWAs for quick accessibility, without the need for downloading them. | The native mobile apps are distributed through Google’s Play Store or Apple’s App Store. Users need to download & install it on their device from the respective store to be able to access it. |
| Cost | PWAs are cost-effective to build, considering they use a single codebase to make the app accessible across multiple platforms. | Native mobile apps built specifically for Android or iOS. It means, if you want to target both platforms, your app must be built twice for each of the platforms. |
| Maintenance | PWAs are fairly simple to maintain, considering it has a single codebase. | A separate maintenance approach is required for native iOS and Android mobile apps. |
| Offline Mode | Yes | No |
| Technologies Used for Development | JavaScript, CSS, HTML | Native technologies such as Kotlin, Android Studio IDE, Swift Xcode IDE, and others, are used. |
Conclusion
With the rapid growth in adoption rate of PWAs over native mobile apps, enterprises are now thriving with better retention rates, user experience, and customer loyalty. As a business owner, opting for a PWA will lead you to reduce your overall development costs, boost security, and implement cross-platform accessibility of your app. Additionally, integrating AI in app development can enhance user experience through personalization, predictive features, and intelligent automation.
Top brands like X (Formerly Twitter), Forbes, AliExpress, Starbucks, Spotify, and others are already leveraging the potential of PWAs, considering it a solution for the future! So, if you are looking for a future-proof solution, trusted by thriving market solutions, seek expert-backed PWA development services today!