94% of Brits currently own a smartphone and almost three billion smartphones were sold worldwide in the first quarter of 2024. Together with tablets, computers and other internet-connected devices, demand for smartphones is driven by their continual innovation. It makes sense, then, that businesses should have an online presence to reach and meet the needs of increasingly connected, on-the-go global audiences.

To put it simply, there are three main ways through which this can be done – websites, web apps or mobile apps – and factors vary between them, ranging from interactivity and breadth of device access, to integration with other device functionality and personalisation. There is no one-size-fits-all approach; the ‘right’ option will depend on individual business goals and circumstances at that point in time. 

The breadth of options, terminology, benefits and limitations can be confusing for non-specialists. With the aim of providing some clarity, this article provides a summary of websites, web apps and mobile apps, and describes the differences between them. It goes on to discuss how businesses can approach web and app development successfully – plus gives practical examples of each.

Websites

Websites are the bedrock of the internet, with more than one billion websites globally. 11 million of those are registered in the UK, where two-thirds of web traffic comes from mobile devices. Most companies will start with a website, as they are generally easy to create and useful for providing information about a business or service. 

There are principally two types of websites with different characteristics and functionalities: ‘static’ and ‘dynamic’. Static websites can be thought of like a brochure, and do not change unless they are manually changed by the website owner. They lend themselves well to company websites, blogs, one-off landing pages and portfolio websites.

By comparison, dynamic websites display different content to users based on user preferences and activity, thus providing a more interactive and personalised experience. Websites for news, social media and shopping are prime examples of dynamic websites; content depends on variables such as a user’s location, browsing history and interests.

Web apps

Web apps offer a good midway point between websites and mobile apps. Like websites, they are accessed through an internet browser, though some also have homescreen icons to simplify access for users, and increase the brand visibility for the business. Unlike mobile apps, they don’t need to be downloaded and they adapt across operating systems and devices. They are generally designed for a higher level of interactivity than websites, but they have less access to the phone’s (or other devices’s) functionality, such as location services and camera.

There are two types of web apps: ‘traditional’ and ‘progressive’. While traditional web apps can have a mobile interface but with minimal interactivity with a device (e.g. Facebook, Netflix, Google Docs and Spotify), progressive web apps (PWA) have more opportunities to integrate with mobile devices, such as notifications, and are associated with better engagement and conversion rate. Google research found brands using PWAs increased page views by approximately 134% and overall engagement by 137%. 

Starbucks and Uber are good examples of PWAs. Unlike a regular website, the Starbucks ordering system allows customers to browse the menu and place their orders without downloading a separate mobile app. It can also still provide some functionality offline, so users can view menus  and organise an order offline, and then place the order when back online. The Uber PWA, meanwhile, works on slower mobile networks so it can be accessed by users with less sophisticated devices and even on 2G.

Web apps in practice: Events Wiltshire

A searchable events listing site for Wiltshire Council.

Challenge: To deliver a county-wide events listing site, searchable by multiple filters including map views, and linking to a visitor app with content coming through an existing content management system (CMS).

Solution: Progressive web app.

Why: It needs to be available to all devices and requires a limited number of interactive functions, some of which can be done offline. A PWA allowed us to bring some mobile-only capabilities of Calvium’s Place Experience Platform Content Management System to the web app, such as direct access from the phone screen, and some offline capabilities including storing previously visited listings so the user can revisit them without connectivity.

Mobile apps

Mobile apps distinguish themselves from web apps in that they need to be downloaded – which happens billions of times every year. Over 33 billion mobile apps were downloaded from Google Play and the Apple App store in the first quarter of 2024 alone.

Mobile apps tend to be quicker than their web counterparts, although they can be larger than PWAs and take up more memory on a phone. They can be used offline and have more complex features and functionalities, such as GPS, access to a smartphone’s camera and bluetooth for the app to communicate with other IoT connected devices, like a smart doorbell. They are optimised for mobile devices, such as their user interface being designed for small screens, can be more interactive and notifications can be personalised. 

Mobile apps come in two forms. ‘Hybrid’ apps are built to work across operating systems, for example on both Android and Apple phones; whereas ‘native’ apps are built specifically for a particular operating system or device, such as an iPad 9, or a Samsung TV.

Hybrid apps are therefore usable by a broader range of devices and people, but require more frequent updating, as they need to be compatible with a much wider range of devices and operating systems.

By contrast, native apps require less updating and can offer a higher level of device integration for advanced functionality, for instance if higher levels of personalisation or security are required. A well written mobile app can be more secure than a web-based option as it allows the configuration of more security related functionality, like certificate pinning. For example, many banks require customers to use the bank’s mobile app for certain operations. However, if the functionality of a native app is required for multiple devices and operating systems, multiple apps need to be built and maintained.

Given the overall better user experience, mobile apps are a good option for those using the app a few times a day, where speed, device integration and personalisation are important.

Key considerations

There is much to weigh up when deciding which option is best suited to business needs. Remember to consider the following:

Functionality: How much will users be doing on the app? What mobile device tools will the apps need to use? Will it need to be used offline? How important is personalisation of the interface for accessibility? If all of these factors are important, a mobile app will do the job more sufficiently than a web app.

Cost: Native apps cost more and updates will need to be done multiple times in line with iOS and Android changes, while web app updates are the same across devices and systems. If time and resource is an issue, websites are generally more cost-efficient and lower maintenance.

Device optimisation: Does the app need to be available on the broadest range of devices or can most of the features be utilised on a single device? If the app is for a business and everyone uses an iPhone, it makes sense to develop a native iOS app. If it is for the general public, a web app that works on multiple systems and devices may be more beneficial.

Regulation: There are different rules and regulations for different countries and devices, and these are changing all the time. It is therefore essential to stay up to speed and understand what this means for the design and functionality of each channel.

Final thoughts

Ultimately, whether creating a basic website or designing an interactive mobile app, it should always come back to the user experience. This means considering users throughout, what their needs are and making decisions with that in mind. What might be best served by a website to begin with might evolve to need a web or mobile app with different accessibility requirements and regulations.

Come back to those key considerations and use them as a guide to create something that meets the needs of your users, customers, employees – whoever they are – and adds value to your business proposition.