You want customers to have your business on their phone, but building separate iOS and Android apps sounds slow and expensive. Could a progressive web app do the job instead?
A progressive web app (PWA) is a good choice when you want one codebase, instant access through a link, search visibility and a lower build cost, and your features fit within what browsers allow. A native or cross-platform app is the better choice when you need deep device features, the best performance, strong App Store presence or reliable push notifications across every platform.
What is a progressive web app?
A PWA is a website built with modern web technologies so that it behaves like an app. It uses a web app manifest so users can install it to their home screen, and a service worker so it can cache content, load quickly and work partly offline. It runs in the browser engine, updates instantly when you deploy, and can be found through search engines like any other website.
What counts as a native app?
A native app is installed from the Apple App Store or Google Play. It can be written in Swift for iOS and Kotlin for Android, or with a cross-platform framework such as Flutter or React Native that produces real native apps from one codebase. Our Flutter vs React Native vs native guide compares those options.
How do PWAs and native apps compare?
| Factor | Progressive web app | Native or cross-platform app |
|---|---|---|
| Codebase | One, shared with your website | One (Flutter, React Native) or two (Swift and Kotlin) |
| Distribution | A link or search; install from the browser | App Store and Google Play |
| Updates | Instant on deploy | Store review and user updates |
| Discoverability | Indexed by search engines | App store search and optimisation |
| Device features | Camera, location, notifications and more, with browser-dependent limits | Full access (Bluetooth, background tasks, widgets, health data, NFC) |
| Push notifications | Supported; on iOS only after the user adds the app to the home screen | Fully supported on both platforms |
| Offline use | Good with service worker caching | Excellent |
| Performance | Good for most business apps | Best for animation-heavy or intensive apps |
| Build and maintenance cost | Usually lower | Usually higher, plus store accounts and release work |
What are the limits of PWAs on iPhone?
iOS supports installing PWAs to the home screen, and since iOS 16.4 home-screen web apps can receive web push notifications. However, users must add the app manually through the Share menu, as there is no automatic install prompt like on Android. Background processing and some hardware APIs, such as Web Bluetooth, are not available in Safari. If most of your customers use iPhones and you depend on notifications or device features, test the experience carefully before committing.
Can a PWA be listed in app stores?
Partly. On Google Play you can publish a PWA as an Android app using a Trusted Web Activity, with tools such as Bubblewrap or PWABuilder helping to package it. The Microsoft Store also accepts PWAs. The Apple App Store does not list PWAs directly; you would need to wrap the web app in a native shell, and Apple's review guidelines expect apps to offer more than a repackaged website. If you publish on Google Play with a new personal developer account, remember the closed testing requirement; see our guide to the Google Play 12 testers requirement.
When is a PWA the right choice?
- Content, catalogue, booking or ordering experiences where most traffic comes from search or social links.
- Internal tools and field apps where you control the devices and browsers.
- Early-stage products that need to test demand before investing in store apps.
- Businesses that want one fast, installable experience instead of three separate codebases.
Because a PWA is a website, speed matters a great deal. Our explanation of Core Web Vitals covers what to optimise.
When should you build a native app?
- You need Bluetooth, background location, health data, widgets or other deep device integrations.
- Reliable push notifications on every platform are central to retention.
- Your customers expect to find you in the App Store, or your competitors are all there.
- The app is highly interactive, with complex animation, media processing or games.
What about cost over time?
The initial build is only part of the picture. Native apps need developer accounts with Apple and Google, regular updates to keep up with new operating system versions and store policy changes, and release work for each update. A PWA avoids store reviews and ships updates instantly, but you still need to test it across browsers and keep the website fast and secure. For most businesses, the deciding factor is not the build cost alone but whether the features customers need are available on the web platform.
Can you start with a PWA and move to native later?
Yes. Many businesses launch a PWA, learn how customers use it, and then build store apps for the features that need them. Designing a clean API from the start makes this much easier, because the same backend can serve both the PWA and future native apps.
Key takeaways
- PWAs offer one codebase, instant updates and search visibility at a lower cost, within browser limits.
- Native or cross-platform apps are better for deep device features, notifications on every platform and app store presence.
- Starting with a PWA and a solid API keeps the path to native apps open.
Not sure which route suits your customers? We build both PWAs and native apps and will recommend the one that fits your features and budget. Request a mobile app development quote, or browse our portfolio.