Don’t get me wrong, I love my job. I love the complex ins-and-outs of designing apps; I love seeing products that other people have designed; I even love the sound my Mac makes when it starts up! What I don’t love is the overwhelming number of technical terms that people in this industry use. 

“Web app”, “Progressive Web App”, “native app”… what does it all mean?! 🤯

Never fear. I’m here to break it all down for you. We’ll start by covering the basics. It’ll get a bit more juicy from there, but not by too much. Enjoy!

Illustration by Inges Bizama Toledo

1. What is a native app?

Let’s start with the type of app that most people think of when they hear the term “app”. A native app. What is it? In short, native apps are the apps you find on the Google Play Store or on Apple's App Store. They are built specifically for one operating system, and you’ll install either the Android, or the iOS version depending on the type of device you have.

2. Ok, so what’s a Progressive Web App?

Unlike native apps, Progressive Web Apps (or PWAs) are device-agnostic, meaning that they work on any device regardless of the underlying operating system. Instead of being downloaded from an app store, users visit a PWA through the browser and can choose to download the PWA to their device.

3. A PWA is a web app on steroids

While we’re on the topic of definitions, I thought I’d mention another type of app you may have heard of: a web app. Web apps are applications that run in your browser. They're like a focaccia - they’re amazing. PWAs are like a focaccia with cheese - they make something awesome even more awesome by giving it features it doesn't have on its own. Whereas web apps require an internet connection to work, PWAs do not (as long as the developers have made it offline-capable). And where web apps can only be accessed through the browser, PWAs can be opened via an icon on your device’s home screen, or from your app tray.

Illustration from James Vaughan’s Flickr account

4. Where do users download native apps and PWAs?

Native apps are downloaded from the Play Store or App Store. These are usually the go-to sources for users looking for a new app. This is a big plus for native apps, as many users rely on the search features of these stores to find the type of app they’re looking for.

However, the fact that PWAs are found online and not on an app store also has its benefits. One of the main perks is that PWAs can use SEO to draw potential users, just like a website would. By generating quality content, full of the type of keywords your future users might be searching, you can increase traffic to your PWA. More traffic means more exposure, and a higher likelihood of reaching someone who wants your app. What’s more, if users like your PWA, they can easily share it with their friends simply by sending them the URL.

Where it takes at least 3 steps to install a native app (visit the store, download the app, launch the app on your device), PWAs are installed seamlessly in one click. Users aren’t even taken away from the task they were currently busy with on your site. Once installed, you can launch the app from an icon on your home screen, or from the app tray.

5. Users don’t have to download PWAs to use them

According to Google’s findings, 50% of smartphone users prefer to use a mobile site when browsing or shopping simply because they don't want to download yet another app. Additionally, one of the main reasons that users uninstall apps, is because of limited storage space on their device. 

Even though the storage space required for a PWA is tiny (I mean, they usually take up less than 1MB), it’s a bonus for users that they can choose to visit your PWA through the browser instead of downloading it to their device. This is not possible with native apps.

6. PWAs are independent of operating system

Native apps are built specifically for one operating system; either Android, or iOS. This means that if app developers want their app to be available to iPhone users, as well as Android users, they are required to essentially build the same app twice. This means double the work, double the time, double the maintenance, and most importantly, double the costs. 

PWAs on the other hand, are built for the web, so as long as a user has one of the major browsers on their smartphone, they can run a PWA. This also means that a PWA will continue to work on any device regardless of updates to the underlying operating system. No app updates, no app store submissions, no fuss.

T-shirt illustration by Lim Heng Swee

7. PWAs and native apps look and feel the same

Although native apps and PWAs are downloaded from different sources, once they’re on your device, they behave almost identically. I have a combination of PWAs and native apps installed on my phone, and I honestly have no idea which is which!

Both types of apps can be accessed from an icon on your home screen, both work without an internet connection, and both have access to your device’s hardware (such as the camera, and accelerometer). Although the gap is quickly closing, native apps are still ahead of PWAs when it comes to accessing your device’s contacts, or sending smses. This site has an up to date list of the features that are currently available in your browser; in other words, the features that can be leveraged by a PWA.

Because PWAs and native apps look and feel the same, they both need to take the same UX design considerations into account. After all, whether you choose to go ahead with a PWA or a native app, the most important thing to bear in mind is your app’s user experience. Check out these common app design mistakes so you can avoid them.

8. PWAs are super speedy!

The average load speed for a PWA is up to eight times faster than the average mobile site. That’s crazy! Additionally, PWAs respond lightning fast to user interactions. When it comes to speed and reliability, PWAs check every box. ✅✅✅

The PWA guidelines encourage developers to build apps that are super small and exceptionally fast. Companies like Google also provide tools like Lighthouse which encourages devs to follow the best practices for load speed. Check out our blog post on how you can use Lighthouse to analyse your app’s speed: The Marketing Manager’s 10 Step Guide to Website Design.

9. Cost of building a native app vs a PWA 🤑

Native apps tend to cost more to build and maintain than PWAs. The reason behind this is threefold. 

1. Firstly, because native apps are built specifically for Android or iOS, developers have to build two versions of the same app. Double the work usually equals double the cost. PWAs on the other hand, work across operating systems, so developers are only required to write and maintain one single codebase.

2. Secondly, whenever there’s an operating system update, native app developers need to make the required adjustments to ensure the app keeps working. Because PWAs are built for the web, they’re device-agnostic, so operating system updates don’t affect them. Additionally, browser updates tend to be backward compatible, meaning that it’s highly unlikely that a feature you’ve implemented on your app will become unusable with a browser update.

3. Lastly (and this is a biggie), both app stores require you to hand over 30% of your native app’s revenue! 30%?! That’s a ton! Congressman David Cicilline calls this “highway robbery” and I tend to agree. What’s more, native app developers are required to pay an annual fee to list their app on the App Store, or a once-off fee for the Play Store. And all the while PWAs be like: “App store? What’s that?” 🤷

10. Speed and ease of app updates

It’s easier and faster to make updates to a PWA than to a native app. This is mainly because PWAs don’t need to submit updates to the app store, wait for approval, and only then have the changes rolled out to their users. This means that bad bugs don’t necessarily spell disaster, as developers can deal with issues swiftly and effectively, and have the fixed app rolled out in a matter of minutes. Unfortunately, this is not the case with native apps.

When a user opens a PWA, they’ll automatically get the latest version (as long as they have an internet connection. If not, they’ll simply remain on the previous version until they next connect). 

The road to update a native app is a bit more rocky. The app stores have some strict constraints that need to be followed before your update is released (this is especially true of Apple’s app store, who’s a real stickler when it comes to updates). There is also a review process that your app needs to go through before any new update is released. This process can be slow, meaning developers can’t respond to issues as quickly as they can with a PWA.

That’s a wrap! 

You might have picked up while reading this article that we’re total PWA groupies. We absolutely love them! But this love is not unfounded, and I hope this article has shown you why. If you need some more convincing, check out these case studies to see how PWA’s have worked wonders for other companies. 

And if you’re still on the fence about which type of app is right for you, we’d love to help you figure it out. Send us a mail and let’s chat! In the meantime, why not check out these 2020 app design trends for some inspiration?

Raring to get going with your app design? Take a look at our Complete Guide to Building Your First App.