The owner of a restaurant, clinic or shop hears that every competitor has an app and starts asking about the cost. There is a more useful question to answer before price: will your customers open the app after they install it? Plenty of small apps get downloaded once and then forgotten on the third screen of the phone, when a fast mobile website would have done the same job for less money and reached more people.
What is the difference between an app and a responsive website?
A responsive website opens in the browser on any device and adjusts to the screen size. Nobody has to install it. An app is downloaded from the App Store or Google Play, stays on the phone as an icon, and gets deeper access to the device: notifications, the camera, location, and working without internet.
People also reach them differently. They find a website through a Google search or a link in an ad or a message. An app needs the user to decide to install it and then remember to open it later, and many people drop off at one of those two steps.
When do you really need a mobile app?
When customers use your service every week or more often, or when the service depends on something the browser doesn't handle well. These are the cases where we usually see an app paying for itself:
- Repeat orders, such as delivery, recurring bookings, or reordering the same products.
- Live order tracking, such as the driver's location or the stages of a repair job.
- A loyalty program where customers track their points and show a code at the till.
- A field team that takes photos, scans barcodes and works in places with weak coverage.
- A service where the customer needs an alert at a set time, such as an appointment reminder or a subscription about to expire.
When is a responsive website enough?
If a customer visits you once a month or less, or searches for you and then calls or sends a WhatsApp message, a website is enough in most cases. Nobody will install an app for a clinic they book twice a year, or for a services company they contact once for a quote.
In these cases, put the money into a website that is fast on mobile and shows up in search. If your current site is heavy on phones, read why a website is slow on mobile before you think about an app.
What about a progressive web app (PWA)?
A PWA sits in the middle. It is a website that can be added to the home screen and behaves much like an app, with some offline support and notifications. Support on Android has been good for years. On iPhone, web apps added to the home screen have been able to send notifications since iOS 16.4, but the user has to add them by hand from the Share menu, and few people know that step exists.
A PWA works well for an internal tool for your staff, where you can show them once how to install it. It fits less well for a public app you want people to find in the store.
| Factor | Responsive website | PWA | Store app |
|---|---|---|---|
| Installation | None needed | Optional add to home screen | From the App Store or Google Play |
| Visible on Google | Yes | Yes | Store page only |
| Notifications | Limited | Partial, and on iPhone only after adding to the home screen | Full, with the user's permission |
| Offline use | Limited | Possible for parts of it | Fully possible if designed for it |
| Publishing an update | Instant | Instant | Goes through store review |
| Upfront cost | Lowest | Medium | Highest |
Does an app need its own marketing?
Yes, and many people leave this cost out when they compare. People reach a website through search and links, but with an app you have to convince the customer to install it. Companies that manage this give a clear reason: a discount on the first order placed in the app, a QR code in the branch and on the receipt, or a feature that only exists in the app, such as order tracking. The store page itself also needs a convincing description and screenshots, since it is the last thing the customer sees before deciding.
Questions to settle before you ask for a quote
Answer these honestly and you will usually know what you need:
- How many times a month does a customer need your service?
- Do you need to alert the customer at a specific time without them opening anything?
- Does the user need the camera, their location, or offline access?
- Who will manage content and offers and keep up with updates after launch?
- Does your budget cover both the app and its yearly maintenance?
If most of your answers are "once a month" and "no," start with a good website. If use is frequent and notifications are part of the service, an app makes sense.
Can you start with a website and build the app later?
Yes, and for many companies that order makes sense. If the website is built on an API that is separate from the screens, the app can later use the same data and logic, so you don't pay twice for the hardest part. Ask whoever builds your website about this from the start. When the time comes for the app, begin with a small version, as we explain in the first version of your app.
We build websites and apps and help with this decision as part of our mobile app development service. Send us a description of your service and how often your customers use it, and we'll tell you plainly whether a website is enough.
Questions our partners ask
Is an app better than a website for showing up on Google?
Usually the opposite. Your website is what appears in search results, while an app only gets a page in the store. If most of your customers find you through search, the website comes first.
Can I turn my website into an app quickly?
The App Store usually rejects a website wrapped in an app with nothing added for mobile, because it offers no value as an app. Decide first what the app will actually add, such as notifications or one-tap reordering.
What is a PWA, in short?
A website that can be added to the home screen and behaves much like an app, with partial support for notifications and offline use, without going through the app stores.
Written by the Visual Innovate team, the people who build, host and follow up systems, websites and apps for our clients in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Egypt.
