The Differences between PWA and native mobile app?
In today’s world, the mobile app has become a part and parcel of every business, and there’s an urge for a mobile app to deliver the best user experience and good results. Hence, it is required to know the basics of PWA VS NATIVE APP.
How they are coded
It is known that native apps are coded to run smoothly on mobile devices, Progressive Web Apps are written to run inside a web browser. Native apps are designed with the languages of each platform like Objective C and Swift for iOS and it runs on Java for Android. Whereas, PWA depends on CSS, Javascript, and HTML.
Cost of development: Lower cost for PWA
Designing a progressive web app is much more pocket-friendly than building a native app. For the native app, one has to learn the language and should have the ability to build a version for each platform. This means one should know all the two versions for iOS and Android, and the resources to take care of and have regular updates for each.
The progressive web app has greater pace to build and update. One single codebase for various platforms. Here, one can configure the current website with help from tools such as Google’s Lighthouse instead of building an app from scratch. With responsive design, only a single version of the app will display similar features across all platforms.
Discoverability: ASO and SEO
Indexing or listing Native app pages cannot be performed in the search engine. Users can search the app through the app store or the app store’s website. Several factors influencing app discoverability, and with App Store Optimization (ASO) provides a faster solution to users to discover apps in the app store
Whereas, PWA works equivalent to any website, so PWA can be easily indexed in search engine. Compared to normal or responsive web page, PWA has drastically increased the performance and user engagement, hence it helps the website to get a higher rank.
Here are some additional steps to make sure your PWA is SEO-friendly:
- Implement your SEO structure similar to your website;
- Use rel=canonical for multiple URLs to avoid duplicate content;
- Pay attention to URLs with “#” as Googlebot won’t index anything after the symbol. Pay attention to URLs with “#” as Googlebot won’t index anything after the symbol.
Download & Installation
In most cases average mobile users download zero apps in a duration of thirty days. And it needs a certain level of commitment to reach the end of the final installation process and use the app. First, users have to search the app in the play store and confirm that they want to install it. After that, they have to wait for the download and installation. Finally, after granting the app certain permissions, they use the app maybe once or twice before deleting them. When users uninstall an app, it is usually the final decision and they might not come back.
Whereas no installation or App store is required for a progressive web app from the browser, users can bookmark and add the app to their home screen with a few taps. The PWA will display on the home screen, in their app directory, popping out notifications, and combine with the system settings.
Conclusion
For delivering a smooth user experience, one can select either Native app or PWA as both of them have their different merits and demerits. Currently, both PWA and Native apps are being in use and identifying which one to implement should be solely based on the final goals and allocated resources for the project.