What each one is
A progressive web app, or PWA, is a website built so that it behaves like an app. It opens from a link, can be added to the home screen, can keep working without a connection and can send notifications where the platform allows. There is one codebase and no store review.
A mobile app, here, means an app installed from the App Store or Google Play, whether it was built natively or with a cross-platform framework. It runs outside the browser, with fuller access to the device, and it is distributed and updated through the stores.
The two options at a glance
| Progressive web app | Store app | |
|---|---|---|
| How users get it | A link. Installing is optional | A store listing, then a download |
| Discovery | Search engines and shared links | Store search, plus your own marketing |
| Updates | Immediate, on your schedule | Through store review and user updates |
| Offline use | Possible, within browser storage limits | Full, with local databases |
| Device features | Camera, location, notifications and more, depending on the browser | The full set each platform offers |
| Payments for digital goods | Your own checkout | Store payment rules and fees may apply |
| Cost | One build for every device | More work, plus store accounts and review |
Browser support for PWA features differs between platforms and changes with each release, and it has historically been narrower on iPhone than on Android. Check the current state for every feature you depend on before you commit.
When each one fits
Choose a PWA when
- People use it now and then, such as to order, book or check a status
- They arrive from search, an email or a QR code and should not be asked to install anything
- The features are forms, content, accounts and payments
- You want one product for phones, tablets and desktops
- You need to ship changes at once, without store review
Choose a store app when
- People open it daily and expect an icon and notifications
- It needs background work, Bluetooth, advanced camera use or other deep device access
- Your customers look for you in the stores, and absence looks like a gap
- Offline work with large amounts of data is central
- The smoothest possible feel is part of the product
Check your features one by one
The decision is usually made by one or two features. List what your product must do and check each against the platforms your users have.
| Need | PWA | Store app |
|---|---|---|
| Sign-in, forms, content, card payments | Well suited | Well suited |
| Push notifications | Supported on Android and on recent versions of iOS once the PWA is installed, with conditions | Fully supported |
| Offline reading and simple offline entry | Suited, within storage limits | Suited |
| Large offline datasets and background sync | Limited | Suited |
| Camera and location while the app is open | Suited | Suited |
| Background location, Bluetooth, NFC | Limited or absent, depending on platform | Suited |
| Presence in store search and rankings | Not by default | Yes |
| Instant access from a link with nothing to install | Yes | No |
A worked example
A restaurant group and a delivery fleet
Both businesses are invented. Each asked for an app.
- The restaurant groupGuests order from the table by scanning a code, a few times a year. Asking them to install an app first would lose most of them.
- Its decisionA PWA. It opens from the code, takes the order and the payment, and can be added to the home screen by regulars.
- The delivery fleetDrivers use the tool all day. It must track location in the background, work in areas with no signal and scan parcels quickly.
- Its decisionA store app. Background location, a local database and fast scanning are the product.
The first case is about removing friction for occasional users. The second is about device access for constant ones.
A checklist to decide
Tick what applies. Ticks in the first four favor a PWA. Ticks in the last four favor a store app.
PWA or store app
0 of 8 checkedStarting with one and adding the other
Starting with a PWA and adding store apps later is a common and sound path. The backend, the design and much of what you learned carry over. If the PWA is built with React, a React Native app can share logic and people with it.
The reverse also happens. A product with store apps adds a light web version so that new users can try it from a link before installing. Either way, plan the backend as a shared service from the start. Our comparison of native and cross-platform development covers the next choice if you go to the stores.
What to do next
Write down how often a typical user will open the product and which device features it needs, then run the checklist. Our mobile app development and web application development pages explain how we build each.
If two features pull in different directions, send us the list. We will tell you which we would start with and what we would test first.
Common questions
Can a PWA be listed in the App Store or Google Play?
A PWA can be packaged for Google Play using tools Google supports for this purpose. Apple's store expects apps that offer more than a wrapped website, and its review can reject thin wrappers. If store presence is essential on both platforms, plan for a real store app.
Do PWAs work on iPhone?
Yes, with a narrower set of features than on Android. Installation to the home screen and offline use are supported, and web push arrived for installed PWAs on recent iOS versions. Details change between releases, so test the exact features you need on current devices.
Is a PWA cheaper than a mobile app?
Usually, because one build serves every device and there is no store process. The saving disappears if you later discover that a required feature is not available in the browser and must rebuild as a store app. Checking features first is what protects the budget.
Will users install a PWA?
Some will, when the product is useful and the prompt comes at the right moment. Many will simply use it in the browser, which is fine. A PWA does not depend on installation to deliver value. If your product does depend on an icon and on notifications, that points toward a store app.
