Progressive Web Apps Vs Responsive Web Apps Vs Native Apps – What should be the next preference?

We are living in an era of dynamic and fast innovations. There are more than 2.7 billion smartphone users across the globe and the numbers are still rising. People are associating more with mobile devices with each passing year. The use of smartphones and mobile apps is increasing at a constant rate and it is not expected to fall in the near future as well. As per the statics, individuals utilize double content via mobile devices as compared to the one they use on desktop. 

Ways to allow users to access content via mobile devices are many. One of them is a responsive web design that allows users to access a website via a device of any screen size and resolution. Others include native apps, progressive web apps, and so on. Let us understand each one of them one by one.

Native Apps – A Brief Introduction

A native app is something that is specially designed to work well with a specific platform like android or ios. Users usually download them from online app stores such as Google Play Store, the Apple App Store, etc. to make use of these apps. Java, Kotlin, Swift, Objective C, and Python are some of the most popular technologies used to develop native apps. The most popular and commonly used examples for native apps include Google maps, Linkedin, and Facebook.

Benefits of Native Apps

• Native apps can work with the device’s built-in components like camera, microphone,  etc. Hence, they are faster and better in performance.
• Users can easily locate and download these apps from app online stores.
• These apps are usually safer and friendly with the user’s device.

Drawbacks of Native Apps

• It is relatively costly to develop and maintain a native app.
• These apps require device memory to get downloaded.

Progressive Web Apps – A Brief Introduction

A progressive web app is an advanced version of a web app or a responsive web app that functions like a traditional or native mobile app. These applications do not require internet connections to run. If we talk about interaction and navigation, the performance of these apps is identical to that of native apps. These apps are the composition of regular mobile apps and web apps. The testing of supplementary mobile-specific features that may not be associated with desktop browsers is required in the development of progressive web apps. 

Benefits of Progressive Web Apps

• These apps are compatible to work well with devices having varying screen sizes which makes them responsive.
• These apps need a very little amount of mobile data than that of native apps.
• Users are free from all the problems related to downloading an application from the online app store. 
• These applications can be easily saved on the home screen of the user’s mobile device using a meaningful icon. Hence, it is very easy to relaunch the app whenever required.
• These apps are not fully dependent on the internet connection to function.

Drawbacks of Progressive Web Apps

• The assistance for offline execution is restricted.
• Not too much interactive with ios devices.
• Battery consumption is high.
• Restricted access to hardware elements of the device.

Pinterest, Uber, and MakeMyTrip are a few of the most commonly used progressive web apps.

Responsive Web Apps – A Brief Introduction

A responsive web app is the one that goes well with the devices of various distinct screen sizes without compromising its design. These devices comprise mobiles of variant screen sizes, tablets, desktops, or laptops. With responsive web apps, the pages easily fit to whatever screen size the user is likely to use.

Benefits of Responsive Web Apps

• Creating a responsive web app is comparatively cheaper as compared to creating a native mobile app from scratch.
• Creating a responsive website is a faster process than developing an app.
• All companies need mobile websites these days to remain violent in the market hence creating a responsive website is the most compact thing that developers can build.

Drawbacks of Responsive Web Apps

• Responsive web apps are not as beneficial as native apps are.
• It takes more time to navigate to a mobile website using a phone’s browser when compared with the comfort that a mobile app provides.

The Differences

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Conclusion

In a nutshell, we can say that no one is the winner among progressive web app, native apps, and responsive web apps. All three possess their own set of advantages and disadvantages. Hence, choosing one among the three depends on you and your business requirements. However, if you need any kind of assistance in the same, Indylogix Solutions is happy to assist!