Are Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) Closing The Gap on Native Apps When It Comes to Performance and Adoption Trends?

You know how it is - you have been “King Of The Hill” for sometime in this town, and all of a sudden out of nowhere comes a new kid in town. Where did he come from? He couldn’t be anything special… But could he be?

For businesses in this mobile-first world, getting their product to as many potential customers as possible is the Holy Grail. Practically everyone has a mobile phone, which means the first place to put your product can and should be on a mobile device. However, in more recent years, there is a new type of app making the rounds. It is called a progressive web app. It might not be the usual mobile application, but it runs like one, so you should be able to use it when you need to.

Progressive Web Apps (PWA) are gaining a reputation these days largely for being something new that works. They are also being welcomed due to their simple use in browsers only. Whether you are looking to migrate your current app or create a new mobile app, making a choice is important. So, what are progressive web apps, and what makes them different from standard mobile applications?

Defining Both App Options

At least everyone knows what a native mobile app is. If anything exists that is different from this, it simply means that it provides the same thing but in a different manner or approach. Not many people are aware, but there are many differences between PWAs and native mobile apps. Yes, you can use an app’s features without actually downloading it on your mobile device.

If you are new to mobile development, this is the best article for you to read through and gain an understanding of these two application types. If you are simply here to learn and be able to contribute to conversations, then this is also for you.

What Are Native (Mobile) Apps?

Everyone knows what a native mobile app is.

As long as you have used a mobile device such as an Android, you know what a native app is. They are called native apps because they are natively designed to run on a specific platform – Android or iOS. Simply put, every time you have downloaded an app and installed it on your device, you have downloaded a native app. Apps such as Facebook, your mobile device’s calculator, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube are examples of native apps.

However, for people who are technically adept, this definition does not quite cut it. This is because application platforms now accept progressive web apps that can be downloaded directly from Google Play. In other words, you might have downloaded an app on your mobile device that might not be a native mobile app but a PWA.

So, what makes a native app distinct from a PWA? The language used to build it.

Standard Android apps are built using Kotlin or Java, while iOS apps are built using Swift. These are for native apps, however. Some languages allow you to build apps that can work for multiple platforms at once. Examples are Xamarin, React Native, and Flutter. These apps work across different platforms due to having JavaScript functionalities, which helps it “function” on any platform it finds itself.

Enough talk about native apps.

What Are Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)?

Progressive Web Apps refer to apps that are designed as websites but appear and function as apps. These apps work as expected due to the presence of a browser on the mobile device. Examples of PWAs are Spotify, Starbucks, Twitter Lite, and Maps by Google. PWAs are designed to be more user-friendly than standard web pages and can work without internet connections.

Progressive web apps are also designed with the most popular web programming languages, such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. This is why they can work directly in browsers in mobile devices; browsers run on custom JavaScript engines.

Are PWAs Closing the Gap on Native Apps in Terms of Adoption and Usage?

Many businesses are picking up the trend of releasing their offerings and products via PWAs rather than native apps in these times. Reduced cost and multiplatform adoption are two major reasons why this is happening.

However, PWAs are picking up the pace but not hitting the same heights in terms of use with native apps. It might sound cliche, but PWAs do not perform as smoothly as expected compared to native apps. Applications that require the device to perform heavy tasks, such as gaming, cannot be launched as PWAs.

While it is true that PWAs help users who do not require installation before use, many apps do require these functionalities. Also, due to Apple’s closed system, many PWAs cannot utilize the device capabilities required for their use. Hence, unless these limitations are solved, PWAs will be common but will not be as functional as native apps for years to come.

Key Differences

Undoubtedly, there are some major differences between native apps and progressive web apps, including:

• Platform Compatibility

Native apps are developed for specific platforms (iOS and Android) using predefined programming frameworks and languages such as JavaScript, Flutter, Kotlin, and Java. Progressive web apps, on the other hand, are developed as websites using markup language and JavaScript, although they appear as mobile apps. This means they can be used by every and any device – laptop, smartphone, tablet – reducing the need for different platform designs and compatibility.

• Cost

Building native apps for customer use requires developer and related role specialization. For PWAs, this is the same, but not as specialized as with native apps. Unlike the different languages native apps require, PWAs simply require strong HTML, CSS, and JavaScript knowledge skills to build and launch.

• Installation requirements

Downloading native apps can be somewhat tiring as they require hardware space and high device performance and functionality. With PWAs, these two factors do not count. However, this also limits the use case of the app that can be designed as a PWA.

• Development Timeframe

In truth, the development timeline for PWAs is much shorter compared to native apps. Native apps can take several months and even years to develop and release, while progressive web apps take less.

• Security

Unlike PWAs, native apps offer a higher level of security, even though they both work over secure HTTPS. However, PWAs are more prone to hacks than native apps. Any PWA is simply JavaScript code that runs in a browser, which means developers need to offer additional effort to increase the security level of the app. Using a server-side component to manage third-party APIs and ensuring auth storage tokens are not stored in session storages are some ways to increase security levels.

Meanwhile, native apps have their security handled by the operating systems they run on. Some of these technologies are biometric authentication and two-factor authentication.

For more info on Cybersecurity strategies for businesses and developers, check out our podcast on CyberSecurity .

Conclusion

There is no one-solution-fits-all when it comes to mobile development and software engineering. This is because no two problems, use-cases, budgets, offerings, solutions, and knowledge bases are the same. When these factors come together, they determine the approach and decisions to be made. Hence, always look at the big picture before choosing which app type.

While native apps have been the go-to choice due to reliability and security, progressive web apps are changing the way apps are being designed and used. Startups no longer need to spend millions to get apps; going to the PWA solves this with ease. You will need to make that decision when you get there, so focus on the factors and take your pick.

In addition to Native Mobile Apps and Progressive Web Apps, check out our article on Utilizing Qt As A Unique Way For Developing Cross-Platform Applications as another alternative app development strategy.

For more info on Mobile App development and weather a Native App or a Progressive Web App is best for you, Contact us at ScreramingBox .