Today, mobile applications as well as web applications are present everywhere in our daily lives. Whether I want to book a car for my next weekend or automate my company’s invoicing. Chat with a community or schedule my sales representatives’ appointments. I usually go through applications. But, do you know the difference between mobile applications and web applications?

There is a common misconception that native mobile applications and web applications are similar, but in reality, the two are very different. Not only do the user notice differences, but developers also create and deploy them separately. So, it is important not to confuse them.

First of all, it may be useful to distinguish between web applications and websites. In simple terms, a web application is a website that is designed with fluidity, responding to viewing on a smartphone. There are many types of websites, some static and rarely update, while others are responsive and highly interactive. Web apps, in particular, work like downloadable apps, but through your phone’s browser.

But let’s explain in detail so that you can concretely grasp the specifics of each.

Mobile apps vs. web apps

Native mobile apps are design for a specific platform, such as iOS for the iPhone or Android for a Samsung device. Users download and install them through an app store. Allowing them to access system resources, such as GPS and the camera function. Mobile apps live and run on the device itself. Snapchat, Instagram, Google Maps, and Facebook Messenger are some examples of popular apps.

Web apps, on the other hand, are accessed through the internet browser and will adapt to whatever device you view them on. They are not dependent on any particular system and do not require downloading or installation. Due to their responsive nature, they look and work almost like mobile apps – and this is where the confusion arises.

Web apps require an active internet connection to run, while mobile apps can run offline. However, mobile apps have the advantage of being faster and more efficient. But they require the user to download updates regularly. Web apps, on the other hand, update automatically. But most importantly, mobile apps and web apps are design and built in a very different way. To further differentiate the two, it helps to understand how developers create them.

How are we build mobile apps?

Mobile apps are more expensive to develop than web apps, and since they are platform-specific. Launching an app on different platforms means starting from scratch in terms of design and development. However, mobile app development company outperform in performance and tend to have more advanced features and functionality.

Native mobile apps use specific languages ​​and integrated development environments (IDEs) depending on the intended platform. Apple devices run on the native iOS operating system. So Apple apps are built using Objective-C or Swift and the Xcode IDE. Native Android apps are written in Java and are typically built using Android Studio or the Eclipse IDE.

Apple and Google also provide their own development tools, UI elements, and software development kits (SDKs) that developers can use to create native mobile apps.

How are we build web applications?

Developers tend to build web applications using JavaScript, CSS, and HTML5. Unlike applications, there is no development standard software for building web applications. However, developers have access to templates. Compared to mobile applications, web applications are generally faster and easier to create, but they are much simpler in terms of functionality.

Progressive Web Apps: The Best of Both?

According to the latest trends in web development, it is also worth getting familiar with progressive web apps. While standard web apps lack some of the features that mobile apps can offer, progressive web apps fall somewhere in between.

Unlike standard web apps (and more so native apps), progressive web apps can work offline and load extremely quickly. Advances in the sophistication of modern browsers now allow websites to store large amounts of data offline thanks to the application cache feature. This allows users to use progressive web apps without an internet connection, which provides them with features similar to those of native apps, such as push notifications, native video and audio capture, and native video playback.

Just like standard web apps, progressive web apps require no download or installation. In many ways, they seem to offer the best of both worlds.