You may be thinking about whether you should create a mobile app or website for your business or organization when you’re planning to establish an online presence. It can be tricky to figure out which mobile app is best for you based upon a variety of factors, such as your target audience, your budget, your intended purpose and the features you need.
Website vs Mobile Application: Know the Differences
You must understand the key differences between a mobile website and an app before you decide to go for a mobile app or website. Smartphones (e.g. iPhones, Androids, and Blackberries) and tablets can be used to access mobile apps and mobile websites.
The core of a mobile website is a set of browser-based HTML pages that can be accessed over the Internet (for mobile, most commonly over WiFi or 3G or 4G). Obviously, mobile websites differ from ordinary websites in that they are designed for handheld devices and touch-screen interfaces. A responsive design is becoming an increasingly common design for websites that not only work on mobile devices, but also on varied-sized devices, including tablets and smartphones.
In addition to text content, mobile websites/responsive sites can display images, videos, and data. Also, mobile users have access to mobile-specific features like click-to-call (to call a phone number) and location-based navigation.
The applications you use on mobile devices are actually downloaded and installed rather than being accessed through a web browser. Among the stores where users can find and download apps are Apple’s App Store, Google’s Android Market, and Blackberry’s App World. Coming to mobile app vs website, Content and data can be downloaded and accessed without an Internet connection by the app, similar to how they are pulled from the Internet by a website.
Mobile Apps for Business or Websites for Business: Which is Better?
The most appropriate choice between building a native app or a mobile website depends on your end goal. An app will probably be your best option if you are developing an interactive game. The best way to reach the widest possible audience with mobile-friendly content is through a mobile website. If you want to build an app, it is likely that you will also need a mobile website, but it can be fairly safe to assume that building an app without a mobile website makes little sense.
Developing a mobile website is generally the first step toward creating a presence on mobile devices, while an app can serve a precise purpose that can’t be achieved using a web browser.
Mobile App or Website: What to Choose?
Your mobile outreach strategy will almost always make sense as a practical first step if your primary goals are related to marketing or public relations. As a result, mobile websites have a number of inherent benefits over apps, including a wider range of compatibility, accessibility, and cost-effectiveness. Find out how is an app different from a website in the points below:
- Instant Availability of Mobile Websites
Mobile websites are accessible to users instantly through a browser, across a multitude of devices (including iPhones, Androids, BlackBerrys, and more). However, download and installation of apps are necessary before a user can view certain content or applications – this represents a significant barrier between user engagement and conversion.
- Cross-Device Compatibility for Mobile Websites
There is no need to develop separate versions of native apps for different types of mobile devices when a mobile website is able to reach users across many types of mobile devices.
- Instant Updates are Possible for Mobile Websites
In terms of content updating flexibility, mobile websites are much more dynamic than apps. A mobile website can be updated easily by simply publishing an edit once, and then the changes are visible immediately; however, an app must be pushed to users, who then must download the update on the different types of devices. Also, check: Types of Mobile Apps: Things Every Clients Should Know
- Finding Mobile Websites is Easy
As a result of the ease of finding mobile websites through search results and listing in industry-specific directories, qualified visitors are much more likely to find you. The most important feature is that visitors to your regular website will be redirected to your mobile site once they switch to a handheld device (using device detection). Contrary to this, apps are largely available through manufacturer app stores and this is why when comparing mobile app or website, the latter get an upper hand.
- Publishers and Users can Easily Share Mobile Websites
Users can easily share mobile website URLs via a simple link (e.g. in an email or text message, on Facebook or Twitter). From a blog or website, or even in print, publishers who provide the Website development services can easily direct users to a mobile website. This is not possible with an app.
- It’s Easier and Cheaper to Develop a Mobile Website
In conclusion, creating a mobile website is considerably less costly and time-consuming than creating a native app, especially in cases where you need to be present across multiple platforms (requiring the development of multiple apps).
When Should you Consider Mobile Application Development Services?
Although the mobile web has many inherent benefits, apps are still very popular, and there are many specific situations in which an app makes the most sense.
- Interactive/gaming
- Frequently used/personalized
- Mobile app for ecommerce website
- Calculations or reports with visualizations that are complex
- Processing or functionality native to the platform is required
- Notifications by Push
- It is not necessary to connect to the internet
In developing an app, as with any project, you want to be sure that your investment is being maximized. You should avoid the unnecessary and expensive endeavor of developing an app to accomplish something that can be accomplished with a mobile website. Take a look at our mobile application development services
In Conclusion
For organizations seeking to establish a mobile presence, the question of whether to use mobile app or website will remain an important consideration. Whether you have a marketing goal, do mobile outreach, or want to establish a mobile presence that’s easy to update, share, and find on search engines, then a responsive website is the best solution.
In contrast, if your aim is to provide a customer experience that feels more like a game or computer program than a simple website, or if you want to access the user’s phone storage or native functions, then an application will probably be required.
It’s also important to keep in mind that native apps and mobile/responsive websites are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Several organizations offer mobile-friendly public websites in addition to native apps for more specialized needs. If you are looking for an answer to the question, is it better to use an app or the website, then the answer is Choosing the right tool is what matters in the end.
