I once had a call with a lady who runs a small bakery in Kent. She'd been thinking about creating a business app for ages—something to let customers order ahead and skip the morning queue. But she was completely stuck on one massive question: should she build a native app or go with a web app? Sound familiar? This technology choice keeps entrepreneurs and business owners up at night more than you'd think.
Her dilemma is one I hear almost weekly. She wanted something that worked brilliantly on phones, didn't cost a fortune, and could grow with her business. The problem? Every developer she spoke to gave her different advice. Some swore by native apps; others insisted web apps were the future. The poor lady was more confused than when she started!
The right platform decision can make or break your business app before it even launches
Here's the thing—there isn't a one-size-fits-all answer. The best choice depends entirely on what your business needs, who your customers are, and what you're trying to achieve. Native apps offer incredible performance but come with higher costs. Web apps are more budget-friendly but might not deliver that premium feel your customers expect. Throughout this guide, we'll break down everything you need to know to make this platform decision with confidence, just like Sarah eventually did.
What Are Native Apps and Web Apps?
When I'm working with clients who are new to app development, one of the first things we need to clear up is what we actually mean when we talk about different types of mobile apps. There are two main categories you'll hear about: native apps and web apps—and they're quite different beasts.
Native apps are the ones you download from the App Store or Google Play Store. Think Instagram, WhatsApp, or your banking app. These are built specifically for one operating system, so an iPhone app won't work on Android and vice versa. They live on your phone, use your device's features like the camera and GPS, and generally feel smooth and responsive because they're designed to work perfectly with your specific device.
Key Differences at a Glance
- Native apps are downloaded and installed on your device
- Web apps run in your browser and don't need downloading
- Native apps can access device features like your camera and contacts
- Web apps work on any device with a browser
- Native apps often work offline
- Web apps need an internet connection to function
Web apps, on the other hand, are accessed through your browser—they're basically websites that look and feel like apps. You don't download them; you just visit a web address. They work on any device with a browser, which makes them quite flexible, but they can't access your device's features in the same way native apps can.
Understanding Your Business Needs
When I'm working with clients on their business app, one of the biggest mistakes I see is people jumping straight into the technology choice without really thinking about what they're trying to achieve. They get excited about the latest features or what their competitors are doing—but that's putting the cart before the horse.
Your platform decision should be driven by your business goals, not the other way around. Are you trying to reach as many people as possible with a limited budget? A web app might be your best bet since it works on any device with a browser. But if you need access to phone features like the camera, GPS, or push notifications, you'll probably need to go native.
Who Are Your Users?
Think about your customers for a moment. Are they tech-savvy millennials who live on their phones, or are they older users who might struggle with downloading apps from app stores? Different audiences have different expectations and comfort levels with technology.
Your budget and timeline matter too. Native apps typically cost more and take longer to build, especially if you want to support both iPhone and Android. Web apps can be faster to develop and cheaper to maintain—but they won't give you that polished, premium feel that native apps provide.
Write down your top three business objectives before making any technology decisions. This simple exercise will guide your entire platform decision process.
Performance and User Experience Differences
When clients ask me about performance differences between native apps and web apps, I tell them straight—native apps win every time. They're built specifically for one platform using the device's own programming language, which means they can tap directly into your phone's processing power without any middleman getting in the way.
Web apps have to work through your browser, and that extra step slows things down. It's like having a translator between you and your phone; the message gets through but it takes longer. Native apps load faster, animations are smoother, and everything just feels more responsive when you tap the screen.
User Experience Feels Different Too
Native apps look and behave exactly like other apps on your device. The buttons, menus, and gestures all work the way users expect them to—swipe left on an iPhone app and it behaves like every other iPhone app should. Web apps try their best to copy this feeling but they can't quite match it perfectly.
Web apps do have one major advantage though; they work on any device with a browser. You don't need to download anything, you just visit a website. That's brilliant for reaching lots of people quickly, even if the experience isn't quite as polished as a native app would be.
Development Costs and Time Considerations
Let's talk money and timelines—two things that keep business owners up at night when making their technology choice. Native apps will almost always cost more than web apps, and there's no getting around that fact. You're building separate versions for different platforms, which means double the work and double the development time.
Web apps can be built once and work everywhere, making them the budget-friendly option for most businesses. A typical web app might take 8-12 weeks to develop, whilst native apps often require 16-20 weeks or more. The difference becomes even starker when you factor in ongoing maintenance costs—every update for a native app needs to be developed twice.
Hidden Costs You Might Not Expect
Native apps come with app store fees, review processes that can delay launches, and the need for specialised developers who command higher salaries. Web apps avoid most of these hurdles but may require more robust hosting solutions as they scale.
The platform decision often comes down to whether you can afford to do it right the first time, or if you need to start lean and grow your business app over time
Don't forget about testing either—native apps need testing across multiple devices and operating system versions, whilst web apps require browser compatibility checks. Both take time, but native testing is more complex and expensive.
Maintenance and Updates
Right, let's talk about what happens after you launch your app—because that's when the real work begins! Both native apps and web apps need ongoing maintenance, but they work quite differently when it comes to updates and keeping things running smoothly.
Native App Updates
Native apps require updates through app stores, which means users need to download and install each update manually (unless they've got auto-updates turned on). This process can take days or even weeks to get approved by Apple or Google, and there's always a chance some users won't bother updating at all. I've seen apps where half the users are still running versions from months ago! You'll also need to maintain separate codebases for iOS and Android, which doubles your maintenance workload.
Web App Updates
Web apps are much simpler—you push updates to your server and everyone gets them instantly. No app store approval process, no waiting for users to update. When you fix a bug or add a feature, it's live immediately. You only maintain one codebase too, which saves time and money. The downside? You need to make sure your updates work across all browsers and devices, which can be tricky.
Budget-wise, native apps typically cost more to maintain long-term due to the dual development requirement and the complexity of managing multiple app store versions.
Distribution and Accessibility
When it comes to getting your business app into users' hands, native apps and web apps take completely different routes. Native apps must go through app stores—Apple's App Store for iOS and Google Play for Android. This means waiting for approval, which can take anywhere from a few hours to several days. Sometimes longer if there are issues.
Web apps, on the other hand, go live the moment you publish them. No gatekeepers, no approval process, no waiting around. You upload your files to a server and boom—people can access your app through any web browser. It's that simple.
Reaching Your Audience
Native apps require users to actively search for and download your app from an app store. They need enough storage space on their device and they'll need to remember to update it when new versions come out. Web apps are accessible to anyone with an internet connection and a browser—no downloads, no storage concerns, and updates happen automatically.
Consider your target audience carefully. If they're comfortable downloading apps and you want to leverage app store discovery, go native. If you need instant access without barriers, web apps win every time.
Platform Compatibility
| App Type Compatibility Access Method |
| Native App | Specific to iOS or Android | Download from app store |
| Web App | Works on any device with a browser | Visit URL directly |
The technology choice you make for your business app will determine how easily people can find and use it. Native apps offer app store visibility but create friction; web apps remove barriers but require other marketing strategies to drive discovery.
Conclusion
After working with businesses across every industry you can think of, I've learned that there's no universal answer to the native versus web app question. What works brilliantly for a retail company might be completely wrong for a B2B service provider—and that's perfectly normal.
The businesses that make the right choice are those that really understand their users and what they're trying to achieve. If your customers need offline access, want push notifications, or expect lightning-fast performance, native apps usually win. But if you need to reach the widest possible audience quickly and cost-effectively, web apps often make more sense for your business strategy.
Budget plays a huge role too, obviously. I've seen plenty of companies rush into native development only to run out of money halfway through. There's no shame in starting with a web app and upgrading later—many successful apps have taken exactly this approach.
The technology landscape keeps evolving, which means the gap between native and web apps continues to narrow. Progressive web apps are getting more powerful; development frameworks are making cross-platform native development easier. But the fundamental questions about your users, your budget, and your business goals remain the same. Get those answers right, and the technical choice becomes much clearer.
