Through the past decade, businesses are turning to mobile app development as a way of reaching their target audience more directly. Business mobile application development has opened the door to clear and direct contact between customers and businesses, allowing for easier access to a wealth of information at the touch of a button. 

It's easy for businesses to see why investing in a business mobile application is becoming more and more essential. With this new found popularity, however, applications are subject to increased scrutiny by end users. Smartphone users are demanding more from their devices, and businesses need to keep up with the expectations of their target demographic in order to produce successful applications. Some of these demands include having apps show accurate information at all times and respond quickly when data is entered. Businesses that realize this and produce intuitive, reliable business mobile applications are the ones that will remain relevant in today's world.

Within apps themselves, are multiple forms and styles in which they can be built. Two of the most notable are Progressive Web Apps and Native Apps.

What Are Progressive Web Apps?

Progressive Web Apps are web applications that have been enhanced with modern technologies to give users a better user experience. The basic definition of what makes an app "progressive" relies on the fact that Progressive Web Apps incorporate features that can be reliably provided only in native apps built for specific platforms. With PWAs, you are building websites optimized for a mobile experience first, meaning that a single codebase can work across multiple platforms.

The goal of a Progressive Web App is to provide an app-style user interface for web applications built using common technologies such as HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript. PWAs have the ability to launch from the home screen as a standalone site or link, giving your users an experience that is more like a native app.

PWAs are built with service workers, which provide features such as offline access and push notifications to enhance the user's web experience. When developers use the latest web APIs available in modern browsers, they can write JavaScript code that interacts with those APIs. Those interactions allow for things like offline browsing and push notifications that further improve the experience of using a PWA.

What Are Native Apps?

Native apps are installed on a device through an app store, such as Apple's App Store or Google Play. To download the application, end users normally have to go through some form of authentication process where they can enter their credit card and billing information. Native apps provide the best experience for users as they can take full advantage of a device's hardware and software features such as camera, GPS, microphones and touch-screen technology.

This is what makes native apps best at providing certain experiences to their end-users such as high-end gaming, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). For example, the popular mobile game Pokémon GO used AR to create a fun and interactive gaming environment. Native apps are also much easier for developers when it comes to sharing one codebase across multiple platforms. However, not all native mobile applications provide high-end experiences such as AR and VR.

Native app development requires more programming knowledge than Progressive Web App development. This is because native apps are built to take advantage of specific platform-based technologies, such as Bluetooth, GPS and NFC (near-field communication). Users must download the application through an app store where they can enter their billing information during the authentication process. Native apps do not require internet access like PWAs do.

What Are the Differences?

The major difference between PWAs and Native Apps is that PWAs are built using new web technologies such as HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript. They provide a better user-experience by allowing users to access apps on multiple platforms without having to be downloaded from an app store, which requires the end user to enter their billing information. Native apps are built using programming languages like Objective-C, Java and Swift to take advantage of hardware features on mobile devices such as GPS, NFC, Bluetooth and Camera.

Features Of Progressive Web Apps

1. Similar To Some Benefits Of Native Apps

With the design and performance of PWAs, they appear to be mobile apps but have website-like performance. The design of PWA is also similar to that of Native apps, with the same impact on user experience, speed, interactivity, and comprehensive capabilities as websites with database access and automatic data.

2. Easy To Install

A user is able to launch a PWA from the browser on any device. With this feature, user abandonment of a web app is considerably lower while still providing a benefit to usability.

3. Better Performance

The running speed of a progressive web app improves as a result of the app's ability to operate properly, behave like a website, cache and deliver text, pictures, and other content. This type of tool benefits the user experience, retention rates, and customer loyalty in addition to page load speed.

4. Works Everywhere

PWAs have the ability to work everywhere. Users, who often switch between their devices can receive cross-support anywhere. This is done to meet the consumer needs, to make sure they receive a continuous experience, to contribute to business automation, especially when it comes to companies that rely on PWAs as it is vital for them to understand that the software their employees’ use performs its best be it a platform or an app version. PWAs are highly responsive to various form factors, as they adapt properly to various screen sizes.

5. Operates Offline

PWAs can work even when the internet is down. When your network connection is unstable, this sort of software will continue to function as a clock, but in the offline mode.

6. Updates Silently

Progressive Web App updates are now automatic. The app does not notify its users about future upgrades or ask for their permission to update.

Features Of Native Apps

1. Better Security

Cross-platform and native apps are protected by various layers of an operating system, making them difficult to misuse.

Furthermore, they do not use a third-party platform and instead rely on official APIs that have been thoroughly tested across various system versions.

2. Maintenance

Because the most recent version of a native app must be released, maintenance is more complicated than that for a hybrid app.

Users, on the other hand, may obtain information about the most up-to-date change in a matter of seconds. Native apps also upload the most material when installed.

3. Efficient Performance

Native applications are more responsive, quick, and provide a better user experience. Because these apps are written in languages particular to the platform's ecosystem, they run faster.

4. Less Potential For Bugs

Native app development frees you from depending on a cross-platform technology, minimizing the risk of bugs. With less reliance on such tools, you'll be less prone to suffer from issues.

5. Unified UI

For a native platform, the interface or user experience will be consistent and well understood by users. The entire broader UI will be standard in native applications on this platform. People will be more likely to use your application and learn how to navigate it since they'll have a shorter learning curve.

6. Access To Device Features

Native applications are developed for a specific platform, taking advantage of the OS and program's full capabilities. Because these programs can immediately access the device's hardware, such as microphones, cameras, and locational information, they provide a better user experience.

Which One is Better?

The answer to this question depends completely on the experience you want your end users to have. PWAs provide a better user-experience as they allow users to access apps from multiple platforms without requiring an authentication process. Native apps provide the best experience for end users as it takes full advantage of a device's hardware and software features such as camera, GPS, microphones and touch-screen technology. If your goal is to create a high-end gaming or AR/VR app, you should consider using native apps.

However, if your goal is to provide your users with an enhanced web experience, then PWAs are the way to go. Google has already started implementing PWAs in their mobile search results page and they will soon be shown in the Apple App Store for iOS devices. PWAs can also be used to target both desktop and mobile users with a single code base.

There are several other criteria to consider when choosing between a native app and a progressive web app, such as performance, design quality, and so on. However, the most important aspect is how well the coding is done; not whether it's native or runs in a web browser.

The debate between Native and PWA will continue to be important, but it doesn't have to be a race. The two are not mutually exclusive. Both can be used for a variety of purposes, depending on your requirements and goals for the technology. There's no reason you can't do both, either.

Whatever you decide, we wish you the best of luck in creating a successful mobile UX, satisfying your users, and expanding your business.

Need help building a mobile app? Drop us a line and our team will help you create a truly immersive experience for your users.